BellaOnline Forums Food and Wine Low Carb Will Low Carb Really do it?

I have tried for a solid year to loose weight after quitting smoking. I've taken up walking, then running, eating low calorie. It has not worked. Used to, I could drop 5 pounds in a week with little effort. I've just turned 41 and stopped smoking 15 months ago.

I'm on Atkins now for the past 3 days and thought I was doing it right until I read last night that nuts are not allowed the first two weeks. Apparently my book is an older model and the new Atkins has been revampted.

If anyone who has severe metabolic resistance has overcome this, please let me know. I'm so determined, but also, I'm really getting discouraged from "doing the right things" only to fail over and over again.

Thanks for any advice.

I should have added that I'm 152 pounds and really NEED to be 138 to be happy. I'm 5'8".

first off, being healthy does not equate to "being happy" with ones appearance. most females want to be thinner than what their bodies are genetically geared for.

first question to ask is have you ever been that weight before, since your last pregnancy, if you have ever been pregnant. dont forget that pregnancy usually adds fat cells to a woman's body, making it so that her "set point" for pounds of fat is higher.

secondly, changing your carb intake will help ONLY if your carb intake is too high. proteins, essential and non-essential fats, and carbs all have their place, and the goal is to find the balance of them that is right for you.

once you find that balance, your body will be at its healthiest, at WHATEVER WEIGHT IT CHOOSES.

Nuts really aren't key in terms of low carb - they're key in terms of determining allergies. A lot of the first two weeks involve learning what your food allergies are so you stop reacting to them. Many, many people develop allergies to nuts.

I am type 2 diabetic, so I qualify as severe insulin resistant. First off, are you on any medication? I was on the wrong meds for a couple of years and couldn't get rid of the weight they caused me to gain. I finally had them changed (new doctor) and was also given a low dose of thyroid meds, and by following the Atkins low carb lifestyle, I have lost all the weight & then some. My DH has also lost a significant amount of weight, and loves the way we eat. I really suggest you have your thyroid checked, in any case, and get familiar with the plan, then stick to it. It's not really hard, there are wonderful, yummy things to eat that you aren't allowed on low fat. In fact, you shouldn't try to do low fat, or you could cause the diet to fail.
I found getting really familiar with what I COULD eat, then having plenty of it prepared in the refrigerator and on hand was my key to success. And really reading the instructions for induction & beyond, helped me understand WHY it would work. Trying to do my own version never worked. I have many good recipes and would be happy to share them with you, should you want them. And look on this and other sites for lots of good things to eat & tips, but I always suggest one stays away from too many sweets in the beginning, and most of all learn to look at labels! Hope this helps...
PS... I could not accept being fat, I hated it, and don't think I would ever have become comfortable with being heavy no matter how 'healthy' I was. It was a pain to me. So I was motivated.

Yup Ajaye is exactly right, find a great collection of recipes, and have that food EASILY available in your fridge. Make sure there is NOT junk food lying around the house. It's a pain, but go through the cupboards top to bottom and give away all the junk food. Believe me, I know. If there are cookies in the house, we eat them. We don't want to, but we do. It's human nature. If you have healthy food in the house, you'll eat it because it's there.

It's the key to finding success in your daily eating pattern - to have healthy, easy, yummy food on the shelves and in the fridge.

The best thing you can do is to read the book and follow the plan to the letter until you get a handle on it and to accept this as a lifestyle...not just a temporary fix. You can add nuts in later on. Also...the older we get the harder it is to lose weight. Your body needs the first 2 weeks to readjust to a different way of eating. Stick with it...you won't be disappointed.

Atkins is good but I think South Beach is better. Yes you can loose weight. As far as diets go I think the WW is the best to go with in the long run. You learn to eat portion wise and nothing is eliminated. You are allowed to eat anything you want. But like any diet it is life changes that is what needs to be changed and then sticking with that and not falling back to old habits once you have met goals.

I'm curious if the Atkins diet worked for you since you stopped smoking? I to stopped smoking & like you I use to lose 5 pounds in a week but now if I see a one pound weight lose I'm doing great.
Thanks,
Debbie

Don't try to count carbs in your head. Your head will cheat on you. I used to do that, but after induction, one tends to get a little sloppy. I keep an abacus on the window sill behind the kitchen sink, so I'm always reminded to slide the beads over to the side whenever I eat or drink anything. It's very revealing! Measure or weigh portions where portions count (that would be anything that has more than trace carbohydrate.) It will work.
Good luck.