Not sure if Adkins diet is right, so now what?

[sntm]

Thats the one! The cookbook reads really well and is so in the wheelhouse here - coconut oil! Xylitol! Chia seeds!

Gwyneth, I know you must be here reading. Loved your Valentino at the Met Ball!

[mommy111]

Stick with the low carb. You will lose weight.

[SnuggleBuggles]

When people say low carb, what do they mean exactly? Limit total carbs to a certain amount? Restrict certain things? Only eat certain things? If you limit to a number, what number of grams/ carbs/ day? Do you worry about carbs in fruits and veggie? Are you just thinking grains? No need to answer all of those- I am just trying to figure out what is referred to by low carb

[Katigre]

When people say low carb, what do they mean exactly? Limit total carbs to a certain amount? Restrict certain things? Only eat certain things? If you limit to a number, what number of grams/ carbs/ day? Do you worry about carbs in fruits and veggie? Are you just thinking grains? No need to answer all of those- I am just trying to figure out what is referred to by low carb

Different people mean different things. I eat paleo and low carb there comes from not eating grains. I eat less if fruit and starches like sweet potatoes. I get over 100 carbs per day, probably 125g on average (I don't count, but I can estimate because I did count while pregnant to make sure I got over 150g/day).

I have never done a weight loss diet. So I didn't look at paleo as a way to get thin (in a healthy weight and was pregnant when I started eating this way).

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[brittone2]

When people say low carb, what do they mean exactly? Limit total carbs to a certain amount? Restrict certain things? Only eat certain things? If you limit to a number, what number of grams/ carbs/ day? Do you worry about carbs in fruits and veggie? Are you just thinking grains? No need to answer all of those- I am just trying to figure out what is referred to by low carb

Agree with PP that it really varies. That's also what makes some of the research in this area hard to interpret. Some researchers will put people on a "restricted carbohydrate" diet of 150 g of carb per day, whereas others are talking about having people on 50g or less. It makes it tough to interpret outcomes at times.

Carb sensitivity/insulin resistance is also a continuum, so people's tolerance varies. I eat LC with a lot of paleo influence (grassfed when possible, etc.). However, I don't sweeten with honey, maple syrup, etc. as with PCOS and IR, that's too many carbs for me. So I opt for things like erythritol and/or stevia, as it doesn't seem to cause any insulin spike for me. But a true paleo person wouldn't use that. I don't stress over it, I just do what works for me. Some people do much better following a definitive plan, and when people say they are low carbing but not losing weight, I generally urge them to find an actual plan, as for many people, they really need something solid to go on in order to lose. Making up their own version may just be too carby, they may be getting too many hidden carbs (for example, something like broccoli cheese soup sounds LC but is loaded with flour at most restaurants), etc.

I've never done a straight up Atkins thing, but I know from reading LC forums that one thing the older atkins books do well is the idea of rungs. You start off with more restriction and can gradually add things in over time. That helps people sort of find out what their individual carb tolerance is. Some people can't lose well unless they are eating 30-50 g or less per day, whereas other people over time find they can do 100 g of carbs and still lose.

It is also different if you are looking to lose weight vs. simply manage insulin levels, etc, kwim? I know in order to lose a few lbs I have to watch more closely. My day to day is a bit more liberal since I don't generally LC for weight loss.

I do fruit, but even then, stick to lower carb fruits (berries are a big one). To this day, I try to stick to half a granny smith apple (have always preferred the tartness and they are slightly lower in sugar) vs. a whole apple of a different variety. If I personally need to lose a few lbs, cutting fruit helps me a lot. But again, I'm on the more IR side due to the PCOS, so my body doesn't lose well without watching very closely. We eat a ton of non starchy veggies, probably many more servings than the average American eats by far. Dinner is usually 2 veggies or 2 plus a salad, lunch usually has several veggies or a salad, etc. I use things like cauli shredded in the food processor as a rice sub, shredded hearts of palm as a rice sub in soups, lots of leafy greens, etc.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Thanks, ladies! I'm going to stop tying up this thread and start my own with the same question since others also said low carb.