Hi everyone,

This is my first time to post as well. I was needing some advice on which low-carb diet was the most effective. I was on the Dr. Atkins diet last year and lost 15 pounds!!! But, during the holidays, I totally blew it and gained 6 pounds back. I thought, "No Problemo", I'll just get back on the diet. Well, I did that and it's been 3 weeks and I haven't lost a pound. I've been reading the "Carbohydrate Addicts" diet and was wondering how successful it was. Any suggestions or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome aboard Jules! Every diet usually works better the first time. One of the reasons is yo-yo dieting, where your body becomes more resistant to weight loss. In addition, lowering calories slows the metabolism. But metabolism can be rebuilt with frequent meals, and exercise.

As for which diet, you've read both books, chose the one that makes more sense to you. You can always change. But keep in mind that 3 weeks is not enough. Give it more time, and make sure you take your measurements, this will ensure that you notice body changes even when the scale is the same. This can hapen when you gain muscle and lose fat, your weight might be the same, but you are less fat.

I look forward to hearing about your progress! :)

Wa'il

Hi Jules and welcome!

Wa’il beat me to it. I was going to mention that personal experience has shown me that it is harder to lose the same pounds the second time around, even on the same program. (The moral that I learned is, when you are not losing, at least maintain or you’ll be sorry you didn’t.) But the pounds will go away eventually when your body makes its adjustments. The worst thing you can do is drop the low-carb way of eating and gain back the other nine. Just keep on being faithful.

As far as plans go, I want to give honorable mention to the Protein Power Plan. I like it a lot, although I have learned a great deal from the other two as well. You might want to include it in your research.

Say hurray for Protein Power. I lost the first 50 lbs. that way with a few modifications. No fruit of bread substitutes.

I wish I had never found out that whipping cream was LC! LOL! Thanks Dr. Atkins.;) Thank God I'm able to maintain, if not lose any weight for now.

I personally wouldn't go near CAD because I'm, um well, um, an addict!

But seriously, Protein Power is very well written and explains everything thoroughly--even for the physiology-challenged. He even tells you that it's not easy. Protein Power Life Plan is a good read too.

Karen

hi Jules, and welcome
 

I lost 35 lbs. last year following Protein Power (still have another 35 to go). I'm like Karen, and find the high-saturated fats of cream, cheese and fatty red meats a bit problematic. Otherwise, meats, fish, chicken, and vegetable fats are unrestricted. I like the PP principles of ensuring to eat protein at every meal and snack, and spreading the carbohydrate allotment evenly through the day. With Carb Addicts, you have all the day's carbs in the "reward meal", which may help to cope with insulin surges and blood sugar swings, but may not be helpful if you are very insulin-resistant, or if the carby foods trigger cravings. Everyone is different; a lot of folks have been successful with Carb Addicts plan.

Good luck, and happy lowcarbing to you .. :)

Doreen

Carbohydrate Addict Diet is Great
 

Jules ...

I'm new to the low-carbohydrate dieting myself. My husband and I started 2 1/2 months ago - beginning with the Atkins Diet. We loved the Atkins Diet and I think we both got a good kick-start with it. I even think I got over my addiction to caffeine because of it! But, with our schedule, it didn't work too well for us. We have four small children (8 mo, 3 yrs, 4 1/2 and 6 1/2). We've found that the Carbohydrate Addicts works best for us because we can sit down as a family and eat "normal" for one meal out of the day. I've lost 16 pounds and my husband has lost 24! But, as the others have said -- it's personal choice. I feel that with CAD I can stay on track for the rest of my life. :D

Hi, Jules. I can also vouch for weight coming off much more slowly the second time around, alas. This would probably be true no matter which plan you follow. As Wa'il (aka tamarian) says, though, stick with it a while; three weeks really isn't very long. You may also find you're losing inches and not weight; that is, you're losing fat, but putting on muscle, which is more compact. So you get smaller, though the scale may not show weight lost. This has been happening to me recently (much to my surprise!).

Really which plan you decide to follow is up to you - your temperament and your body. Some people can't handle having unrestricted carbs at one meal, since it triggers binges. For me, that one hour turns into an hour and five minutes, then ten minutes, then I'm off plan. I'm much better with Atkins than with the relatively less restricted CAD. But I have a friend who's doing CAD and loving it.

It might also depend on how much weight you want to lose. My friend is fairly heavy (200ish) and is losing weight on CAD. I'm lighter (150ish) and have less to lose, so it's coming off much more slowly, and I suspect CAD is too 'liberal' for me; though I'd consider it once I reach maintenance!

Best of luck, keep us posted!

Rachel