Do you wonder?

[Ladycody]

Sometimes I worry / wonder about folks who are using Atkins to lose 10-15 pounds....just wondering if anyone has the same thoughts.

I worry because I honestly think that if weight weren't such a major issue for me (my top weight ever was somewhere around 230...and I was 210 last September) that low-carb for life would probably not be something I'd commit to. Hence my concern.

We all know that low-carb is a great way to lose, but we also know that a return to high carb eating can return weight very quickly. I worry that those who lose 10 pounds will go back to normal high carb eating, regain the weight, and spread the word that Atkins (or any low-carb program) doesnt work. I'm fairly confident that most people with a large amount of weight to lose have experienced enough of the horrors of obesity to be motivated to stay the course...or at least try...but I do worry about the little losers.

I know there is nothing that can be done about it...but when I see people who are losing small amounts of weight...I'm always tempted to make sure they understand that it's a way of life and that they really shouldnt pursue it unless their willing to view it that way. Even having those thoughts makes me feel like a busybody though. I mean, why assume that some people arent approaching it with the right mentality....but I do.

Thoughts?

[dancwitme]

I had told my friend, who is a personal trainer/nutritionist and i was telling her about Low carbing, and she was like "ya and when you go back to regular eating when you are done dieting you will gain it all back" But what she and alot of people don't understand that this is a WAY OF EATING, for the rest of my life. Atkin's isnt a "diet", thats what I believe. Than after i explained it all to her, she was like "oh ok, so you are gonna eat hardly any carbs for the rest of your life?" and i told her "YES" then she fully understood. She still thinks I shouldn't do it, she told me "Who would follow a diet /way of eating made by a man who died of health problems?"

[Harvey]

Some people must low carb because of medical conditions, such as diabetes.

I personally, don't feel that any amount, such as 5 or 10 pounds is too little, or trivial, or whatever. When I see someone with only a few pounds to lose, or even at goal weight, starting a low carb plan...I immediately think...here is a person taking care of themselves before any problems develop or get out of hand. Here is a person with wisdom and foresight, and I usually applaud them in my heart!


Eddie (from NY)

[MaryToU]

What it all comes down to, is this is the same for any "diet". If you do not make it a lifestyle change, and go back to your old eating habits the weight will come back. It is really hard to find a eating style that you can easily live with. Luckily for me, I finally found low carbing.

So wether or not some one wants to lose 10 pounds or 100 any eating style they choose will give them the same result once they go back to their old ways. Just look how many times people rejoin WW. Never once did I say it didn't work, just that I had to go back to it. So I think people will have the same attitude about low carbing when they notice the weight back on. "Time to get back to low carbing."

[Ladycody]

I wasnt implying that a 10 pound loss is trivial...at all. Of course anyone looking to improve their lives/health deserves applause. Of course trying to eat healthier is wonderful for anyone.

My worry stems from a private belief buried in my little brain somewhere. There is no research to back it up...it's just a little niggling thought that's buried in my brain. This belief is actually a good thing for me...because it only reinforces my determination to maintain low-carb for life. What's the belief/concern?

There's a part of me that wonders whether LC (during induction and OWL) inadvertantly trains the body to over-react to carbs simply because it's teaching our bodies a new way to burn fat and supply the bulk of our energy. So for those that go back to eating a "recommended" amount of carbs (stupid food pyramid), could they experience an overstimulated reaction (read "higher than normal gain" here)? If they return to higher carb levels, could they experience more of a gain and more quickly than someone who had lost on low-cal/low-fat and gone back to 'normal eating'? My worry is "possibly"...maybe even probably.

None of that is an issue for those of us commited to a changed lifestyle....those who will probably never eat higher carb amounts again. (Most long timers stay between 50-100 from everything I've read). But for those who never had a severe issues with carbs...those little losers... I still wonder if those people might be better served by having a pre-maintenance approach recommended in the forums instead of recommending induction levels...that induction may be more than needed and in some way detrimental to them.

Just thinking...

Since I'm spouting my own private theory...I may have this moved to the war zone. I dont want to offend or upset anyone.

[tofi]

One interesting thing seems to happen after you have been on LCing for LONG time - I'm talking years or at least 18 months.

I've been on LC for most of the last 6 years. I found that I did not react to carbs in the same old way. I didn't get cravings from eating some carbs, and I didn't get out of control and stray from the mostly LC path.

So, as has been stated in other posts and articles, LCing is a way to heal our disordered insulin hypersensitivity and return our systems to a healthy balance. The cells get insulin and convert sugar to energy.

This doesn't mean that we can leave LCing as a way of life. And after all, was our "normal" way of eating before LCing actually normal? Or out-of-control and over-loaded with high glycemic empty calorie carbs? I know that mine was the latter.

Now I feel that LCing will lead me toward really normal eating with a balance of low glycemic carbs, protein and fat that will keep me losing for a while longer and then never regain.

[Built]

tofi, I've actually notice this myself. I can have a carbup, then go right back to low-carbing for a week or more, no problems, no cravings, no big deal. And I'm three years since beginning with straight Atkins. It's like my body has finally figured out what to do with what I eat, as long as I'm reasonable with it.

[tagcaver]

I also am concerned with people doing "lo carb" for a small weight loss. I was at a pool party last night and was the leanest woman there. The others were all a little chubby, although not really overweight (probably at the top or just slightly above the "accepted" weight range for their height). Just a little too much BF. We got onto the topic of weight loss (as my partner made the sausage/cheese dip and pulled out the bag of regular chips for him and the low carb ones for me) and two of the women said that they had tried or were doing some variety of low carb but they couldn't give up their bread so they didn't stay on it. To them it was just a "diet" they tried to use to lose a few lbs. These women probably will add to the "Atkins doesn't work" because, only having a few pounds to lose, aren't motivated enough to make it a way of life. One woman, who said she was on South Beach, was eating regular chips, crackers with the cheese, and ate her burger on a white bun. Modeling good eating behavior but saying nothing I ate my bunless burger off the plate with a fork, limited myself to one serving of the low carb chips, and chowed down on the fresh veggies and fruit that were available.

Hmm..... I think that's the key..... "because, only having a few pounds to lose, aren't motivated enough to make it a way of life." I guess that they haven't taken the time to truly educate themselves about the principles behind low carb and, along with much of the general population, view it just as a short-term diet.


I, on the other hand, have embraced this woe as a permanent change, and have maintained these changes for quite a while now. I wasn't even considered overweight for my height when I started over two years ago, and have successfully lost to a good weight for me. (I'm not down to what I've listed as my "goal" but have been concentrating on exercise for the last 3 months in an effort to get leaner that way, and it's working.) I use this woe to help keep my BF in control, and for the overall health benefits. My lipid profile has dramatically improved since I started this woe and I have more energy than ever before. I did learn, the hard way, that it's not a temporary diet, and once I realized that I focused on eliminating the bad eating habits and developing new ones so I wouldn't have the desire to return to my old eating pattern. That has worked for me.

I once thought I could never give up my bread or pasta - I'm Italian and pasta & bread have always been daily staples. But I now look at the pasta aisle in the grocery and have NO desire for any, even the low carb varieties. The same goes for (white Italian/French/Cuban-style ) bread, although I will occasionally (twice a month maybe) use high-fiber/low-carb bread for sandwiches for convenience.


Unfortunately there are those who have little to lose who will use low-carb for a while, and after gaining the weight back will bad-mouth the lifestyle. I think that the best for us (the true low-carbers who just have a little to lose) to do is to just be good role models and to show by example that it is a lifestyle change, not just a temporary quick-weight-loss diet.

[steveed]

She still thinks I shouldn't do it, she told me "Who would follow a diet /way of eating made by a man who died of health problems?"

Well, Atkins didn't invent it at all, he merely resurrected a very old way of eating and popularized it. Almost every old world tribal people living today eat this way too. How many Masai do you know getting open heart surgery?
:lol:

I'm far from maintenance and have slipped many times, but I always get back on the horse again. I think by the time I do get back to a weight that I am happy with that I will allow myself a once a week treat and be able to get quickly back on the path agin since my taste for carby food has changed and I can only stand a bit at a time these days.

[AndreaBash]

I admit, when I see people who only have 10-15 pounds to lose, I get jealous... then I get annoyed when they want to lose 5-10 pounds in induction like those who have 40+ pounds to lose.

Then I come back to reality and realize I'm just upset with myself that I didn't have my act together enough to start Atkins when I only had 10-15 pounds to lose. :)

I feel like a horrible person now!

[hifive]

...she told me "Who would follow a diet /way of eating made by a man who died of health problems?"

Dr Atkins died from a head injury sustained by slipping on an icy sidewalk. Um, hardly a health problem.

[JayRob]

I agree part of our response is jealousy, perhaps we also wonder if some of these folks (usually women) aren't anorexic, etc. However, if others misuse the program, don't stick with it, then they will have to bear the consequences.

Harvey makes an excellent point about TypeII diabetics and pre-diabetics. Remember as we get older, our risk for Type II diabetes increases, regarless of weight. So even if one doesn't have Type II diabetes, it would be smart to eat right for your long term health.

I had a step-mother who was 5'2', maybe 20lbs overweight, but Type II diabetes caught up with her at age 60. Just kinda blew it off. Resulted in heart bypass surgery, later a stroke, ulcerated wounds, attempts to surgically increase blood flow to the wound area, resulting in death.

[ItsTheWooo]

I don't worry so much that they'll regain the weight and return to "normal" eating habits... I expect the failure rate is just as much for small dieters as it is for big ones. If anything,the problem is less serious than those of us who are genuinely over weight and obese who cyclical diet. Regaining and losing 10-20 pounds is way better than regaining and losing 50-60 or more pounds. It's less stressful to the body and it implies the difference in eating patterns is not that stark. Constantly putting on your body what feels like relative starvation and then what relatively "binging" (like those who regain large amounts of weight) is probably worse than moderately restricting and than eating normally (like those who regain the lost 10 lbs).

What I do worry about when I see girls with already low/normal weights who want to lose more is that they have some sort of undiagnosed eating disorder, or on the road to one. Come on, even if you are short with low muscle mass, 120 lbs isn't fat. It might be chubby or not as toned as you liked, but if that small of an amount of extra fat is bothering you THAT much, it is indicative that your thinking processes aren't right.

I'm sure there are plenty if not most losers who only have to lose 10 or so, and are doing it genuinely because they enjoy being healthy and lively. I see so many who become fantastically more fit, muscular, and enjoy good health started out only needing to shed a few pounds. So I don't mean to say that anyone who has a modest fat loss goal is eating disordered. I just think that for a subset of small losers, their desire to lose weight is more indicative of eating disordered tendencies and thoughts than it is a genuine desire to be more healthy.

[mcsblues]

I think some of you are missing the point here.

Low carb is NOT just about weight loss. There are a great number of health benefits that come with adopting this way of life. Eating healthy fats and protein while cutting out the high carb junk foods is good for you no matter what your weight is. I would recommend it to anyone (and I have), even if they have no weight to lose.

Cheers,

Malcolm

[Ladycody]

Again...my concern has never been with low-carb per se...just induction low-carb levels for those who have little amounts to lose. Low-carb maintenance is great for the world and should be (in my opinion) the basis for the food pyramid instead of the travesty that we exist with right now. I just wonder if having people who dont need to severly limit their carb intake would be better served with pre-maintenance levels.

[RoeC]

I actually agree with you on that point. It actually came up today in my household with my stepdaughter who has about 10 - 15lbs to lose. She dosen't have the will power or desire to stay on this way of life forever. For her, obesity is not a factor, just looking better in her jeans. Barry keeps trying to talk her into doing Atkins. I disagree cause although their are lots of health benifits, thier is also a mindset that one has to get into to follow any low carb plan. For most who only have a few pounds to lose, any healthy way of eating can bring across the same effects. For them to give up certain things they love sometimes is just out of reach.
For me the reason I love Atkins is cause it's so black and white. I know what I can have, and I know what I can't have. Their is no a little of this a little of that. This WOL makes sense to me.

[zedgirl]

I started Atkins 18 months ago with only 10lbs to lose. Looking back I think for me to start on induction levels of carbs was important. The immediate health benefits were so amplified that after one week on induction I was converted for life. The rapid weight loss helped but it was my acne clearing up for the first time in 25 years, no more moon face, IBS or headaches and my husband, who also low-carbs, finally got relief from his chronic gastric reflux virtually overnight. I think if we’d started on maintenance levels the health benefits would have been much slower to show themselves and it would have been too easy to keep eating bread etc. and doing it sort of half-hearted then failing. I look at it as similar to doing an elimination diet for allergies. You start off with the basic plan, feel the benefits and then reintroduce certain foods until you are happy with they way things are going.

[KoKo]

Sometimes I worry / wonder about folks who are using Atkins to lose 10-15 pounds....just wondering if anyone has the same thoughts.

I worry because I honestly think that if weight weren't such a major issue for me (my top weight ever was somewhere around 230...and I was 210 last September) that low-carb for life would probably not be something I'd commit to. Hence my concern.

We all know that low-carb is a great way to lose, but we also know that a return to high carb eating can return weight very quickly. I worry that those who lose 10 pounds will go back to normal high carb eating, regain the weight, and spread the word that Atkins (or any low-carb program) doesnt work. I'm fairly confident that most people with a large amount of weight to lose have experienced enough of the horrors of obesity to be motivated to stay the course...or at least try...but I do worry about the little losers.

I know there is nothing that can be done about it...but when I see people who are losing small amounts of weight...I'm always tempted to make sure they understand that it's a way of life and that they really shouldnt pursue it unless their willing to view it that way. Even having those thoughts makes me feel like a busybody though. I mean, why assume that some people arent approaching it with the right mentality....but I do.

Thoughts?


LadyCody, what plan could we do then that would make you feel more comfortable?

I have to say that although 10 or 20lbs may be insignificant to you, it's not always as EASY as you may think so it's not necessarily less of a battle for someone to lose 20 than it is for someone to lose 100.

Most people who only have 10 or 20lbs to lose probably don't have horrendous eating habits to start with and therefore don't have really bad habits to return to. A lot of the people on this forum who fall into that category are not here because they ate Big Macs and fries every day for years. We are getting older, or have stopped smoking, or become less active for one reason or another.

When I first came to this site, I complained that I wasn't losing the way everyone else seemed to be, I didn't have the huge induction loss that everyone else did (lack of induction loss is usually an indication that you haven't been on a highly processed high carb diet to start with)- I was told repeatedly and sometimes in a rather rude manner that I hadn't gained the weight over night and so couldn't expect to lose it over night - the sad fact is that I did gain the weight ALMOST over night - in a two week period when I quit smoking.

I hear what you say about your weight being such a concern that you will not return to your former eating habits - but my weight was always of such a concern to me that I never had bad eating habits - I know you didn't mean to offend by this post, and I don't feel offended - just sort of puzzled as why you would think this way??

[GabrielleG]

I WISH I had the will power and or had known about this woe when I had only 20 pounds to loose. But in answer to your question Ladycody. Yes, I do belive those people should start atkins with induction simply because I think going through the carb later is important to success. Some people will not be able to get past eating legums. I think the 2 phases that I have been on have been important to me learning more about my body.

[CindySue48]

I also think induction levels are important. It breaks the sweet cycle, and the sugar cycle. If, at the end of induction they go one to OWL or maintenance doesn't matter.....and if they go off and gain it all back, well there's nothing any of us can do about that! Some people are just not willing to give up certain things!

[fatburner]

Again...my concern has never been with low-carb per se...just induction low-carb levels for those who have little amounts to lose. Low-carb maintenance is great for the world and should be (in my opinion) the basis for the food pyramid instead of the travesty that we exist with right now. I just wonder if having people who dont need to severly limit their carb intake would be better served with pre-maintenance levels.


It fascinates me that even people who agree with the basic low carb theory still see induction as not very healthy. I've been on 'induction' carb levels for over two years, and I'll happily stay that low for the rest of my life. I love food , cooking and eating and with a little creativity I am never bored by such low carb food options . I eat cakes (cheesecake almond/hazelnut), all sweetened with erythritol and sucralose (that's sucralose, not Splenda), dark chocolate , icecream etc. And that's just the desserts. Vegetables? 15 g carbs goes such a long way with the many low carb veggies. And fatty food is SOOOO!!! much tastier than lowfat low calorie food, and IMHO SOOOO!!! much healthier as well that for me , it's a no brainer. The fact that (in my opinion) it is much more satisfying as well shuts the gate. I was on the Pritikin diet (for optimum health not weight reasons) for a while in my missspent youth about 25 years ago. Anyone who tries to tell you that really complex carbs are satisfying is dreaming. I was ALWAYS hungry. Carbs are easy energy, complex or not, that's why we evolved to never be satisfied by them . They are a metabolic 'free lunch'. The preschool mentality of thinking that just because fat is more calorie dense it can't possibly be more satisfying than carbohydrate truly beggars belief (makes you wonder how we got to the moon doesn't it?).
Anyway I think we are still very conditioned in ways that we find hard to admit that under 30g of carbs is somehow unhealthy. It certainly is if you cheat a lot, so that this 30g is a nutritional desert - leaving precious little room for nutritious carbs. Not that I'm judging anyone for cheating. High carb food is certainly delicious. But there are so many really low carb options for the many benefits found in some vegetables that I really wonder why you'd bother?
Your main point about the insanity of YoYo dieting is well taken. But the 'health risk' myths of even Atkins Induction, however long term it is adopted, need to be dispelled before the anti Atkins rumour mill will grind to a halt. The broader population will never slip easily into a lifelong lowcarb diet (to live longer, healthier, just as gastronomically interesting lives, not just because they want to fit into smaller clothes! ) if they think that anything under 150g carbs is somehow unhealthy. I'm probably sounding ridiculously optimistic, but I'm quietly confident that it will only be another 8 years max before an attempt to lose weight on anything BUT a low carb diet will be accepted by the medical/dietary establishment as being unhealthy (Far from Asian diets being the proof of the health benefits of high complex carb I would have thought the opposite - any longevity advantage of the Asian diet over the western diet is due to the masses being hungry most of the time, and eating far less SUGAR, not because they eat a lot of rice or less fat) and that's how it will stay for however long the human race survives ;) , unless someone completely redesigns the human body. I'm actually pretty happy with this model anyway.

[rloveman]

I think my only concern with folks with very little to lose is that some - not all - are not in this for the health benefits, but instead see this as a quick fix and figure they'll drop the pounds quickly and then go back to what they were eating before, which may or may not have been healthy. Just because someone is a normal weight, or close to normal, doesn't mean they have good eating habits. If they eat so well already, then maybe all they need is to exercise a little more or cut back a little. A co-worker is always looking to drop 5 or 10 pounds; so most of the time she eats candy and fast food and all kinds of junk. Then every couple of months, she cuts out the candy, cuts back on soda and eats more salads ... and poof! she's down to where she wants to be and goes back to her old eating habits.

I too worry that some folks see this as just a diet, and as soon as they lose the weight, they'll go back to their old habits - and then blame low-carb when they gain the pounds back. It works the same on low-fat, but for some reason people don't blame low-fat diets when they gain the weight back; instead, they think THEY failed (in fact, many of us felt that way till finding low-carb, I'm guessing).

[tam01]

I am one of the people that chose this woe- wol. not having that much weight to take off. Overeating was never my problem alcohol was. I used to drink every day. I do not mean small amounts either. This wol- woe- has been a godsend to me. I have not taken this path without a great deal of thought and research. It has to be a wol for me. by keeping carbs to a minimum I no longer feel cravings for beer which was my drink of choice. I think I would feel the same as you do if I needed to lose a larger amount of weight and saw others following atkins just to drop a few pounds. Want you to know there are people like me out here as embarassing as it is to admit. That have a problem that has been greatly helped by this way of eating. Sugar is such an addiction. I am on my way to eating healthier and taking charge of my own destiny! Best wishes to you on your journey!

[Malindi]

Hey everyone...


This is an interesting thread for me. I've never really been overweight, I used to exercise a lot so I was actually a bit on the skinny side. My eating habits have always been really bad so when I started Atkins, sure i wanted to see the scale go down because I have gained about 15lb in about 1 year, since I ate everything that was zero fat I couldn't understand, so when I picked up a copy of the Atkins diet Revolution I finally found the answer I was looking for, it was the carb overload that was causing my weight gain.

I want to loose 20lb (maybe 15) but that's what my weight has always been until last year and I do realise that this is NOT a diet and I have to eat LC forever. But that's exactly what I was looking for and I'm GLAD that I found it. I can eat and be full no bingeing for me anymore and not feel guilty about it and not gain weight.

Do you really have to be severely overweight to understand the dangers of obesity? some of us fortunately realised at early stages what the extra weight can do to someone's health and decided to take action against it.

Thanks all for the support on this site.

[Ladycody]

Hey Zed...hadnt considered some of the things you spoke of... thanks for the viewpoint. It was good to hear a definitive opinion from someone who's been there. Makes me not worry quite as much.


fatburner...I dont think that induction is unhealthy at all. I guess I simply hadnt seen a reason for people to go into induction and deal with carb withdrawel, when many could accomplish the same basic goals by simply tackling pre-maintenance.

I see plenty of people who have been doing this for quite a while (myself included) who dont feel restricted at all eating this way. I also, however, see plenty who have been doing it for awhile who still dream about the stuff they'll be able to eat in pre-maintenance & maintenance.

I guess I thought that if someone was able to accomplish their goal without the hardline carb restriction, that they might be more likely to succeed long term if they were eating in a way that seemed like less of a "diet" which it still does to some. None of that has to do with thinking induction is unhealthy...I dont...I've been on it almost 6 months myself.

Again, though...I hadnt considered the points that Zed made either...and those too made a good deal of sense.

KoKo...I dont think 20 pounds is insignificant at all...matter of fact...my last 20 is giving me a real headache:lol:. And I wasnt suggesting a different plan...just a later stage in Atkins as opposed to induction. Again...after reading Zed's post, I may have rethought my opinion about that.

[potatofree]

I guess the only ones I worry about are the ones using extreme measures like the fat fast to lose 5 lbs, especially if they don't HAVE 5 lbs to spare. Try to express an opinion most times and I get accused of being jealous or of "not understanding".... of course, I'd be concerned if they were starving themselves on low-fat too.

I do understand, since I used to BE 120 lbs, thinking I was "chunky in the middle" and used crash diets and pills to try to get down to my "ideal"...and successfully wrecked my metabolism to the point of giving up and just eating my way to 300 lbs.

Other than that, I'm not too concerned with the mindset of others or why they chose low-carb.. even if they go off it and badmouth it. <shrug> I know a lot of people who've badmouthed every plan they've been on, and 99.9% of people they whine to are smart enough to see it's not the PLAN, but the doughnut in their hand to blame. :D

[fatburner]

I am one of the people that chose this woe- wol. not having that much weight to take off. Overeating was never my problem alcohol was. I used to drink every day. I do not mean small amounts either. This wol- woe- has been a godsend to me. I have not taken this path without a great deal of thought and research. It has to be a wol for me. by keeping carbs to a minimum I no longer feel cravings for beer which was my drink of choice.....

That's fascinating about the alcohol and low carbing tam01. Awesome!

Ladycody and others....I probably sounded as if I was disagreeing with you about Yo Yo induction. I wasn't, but I think I was coming at the issue from a different perspective. My sister in law (who I love dearly) spent a considerable amount of money recently on one of those detox kits from a healthfood store. Then she went straight back to eating what is not a really crappy diet by conventional standards - highcomplex carb/ low fat. She's finding it more and more difficult to not pack on the pounds as she enter's her forties. She talks about controlling calories and resisting the urge to eat and thinks the Atkins diet is dangerous. Pretty typical anti low carb prejudice. I tease her about not getting too close to me in case one of my kidneys explodes and takes her arms off! My point is that in wasting the money on the detox kit she was perpetuating the myth that people get sick (or fat) naturally and then they treat themselves with medicine, whether it is herbs or supplements or modern pharmaceuticals, and that's life, instead of discovering that if you eat low carb, your body doesn't get sick because the food you eat is the only drug you'll ever need.
...Well maybe sunscreen.....

[zedgirl]

...Well maybe sunscreen.....

maybe.....maybe not??

http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/sunlight.html

[fatburner]

maybe.....maybe not??

http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/sunlight.html

Excellent! Actually I always found the chemical sunscreens stung my eyes so much I couldn't wear them, so I'm not really surprised they are dangerous carcinogens/mutagens My face is the only continuously exposed bit of skin so it's the only place I'm worried about. The new microfine zinc which doesn't leave a shadow on your skin seems pretty innocuous. Getting burnt by the Queensland sun is no joke for someone with fair skin, cancer inducing or not. When I'm out sailing reflected glare can blister my skin in an hour even with a wide brimmed hat on. I wish I could gradually tan enough to cope but I'm afraid that's why the original locals were black. We certainly found other ways to kill them than ultraviolet radiation....but that's another story.

[zedgirl]

Certainly food for thought isn't it? You just can't believe anything you're told these days...........

[nikkil]

I personally, don't feel that any amount, such as 5 or 10 pounds is too little, or trivial, or whatever. When I see someone with only a few pounds to lose, or even at goal weight, starting a low carb plan...I immediately think...here is a person taking care of themselves before any problems develop or get out of hand. Here is a person with wisdom and foresight, and I usually applaud them in my heart!


Eddie (from NY)


Well said, Eddie!!! I have a girlfriend who wants to lose 10 lbs. I congratulated her on working on it NOW before it has a chance to get out of hand. I sure which I'd done the same ;)