Hello to all here.
I'm new, today.
Have any of you folks found a LC diet works better than the others?
Thanks.

First, in answer to your question: yes. However what works for one person will probably not work well for some randomly chosen person, in other words you'll need to experiment somewhat. In my case, I found out that highish protein (100g a day) reduced my appetite, then I really didn't care about the carbs and I just drank olive oil when I was hungry. This works well for me, it may not work well for others.

You're best bet would probably be to read up on a few lc plans and then decide which one fits your lifestyle the best to the point where you feel it's something you can do for life. What works for one person might not work for another. It's an inidividual thing. I tend to follow my own plan (which leans towards Atkins) but some people feel they need the set guidelines (as outlined in whichever plan they chose) or they'll be doomed to failure.

IMO.....no plan works better than another. It all comes down to what you feel you can live with for the rest of your life in order to succeed.

I agree with what the others said. I haven't tried any other LC plans, but after reading up on a few, I decided that South Beach sounded like something that I could live with for the long-term, with a few minor modifications here and there. So far it's been working for me.

I would advise you to do the same - just pick something that sounds reasonable to you, work with it for a while and see how your body likes it, and make modifications as needed. This whole process of experimentation seems to make us all become very much aware of what our bodies need - and it seems to be different for everyone.

At the very top of the screen on this forum is a green bar. The second link from the list gives a description of the various plans.

Here's a link to a similar thread I started when I first begain LC eating. http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=336920

I started Atkins because that's what my friend was on at the time (she'd lost over 80 pounds.) I lost on it but I do find it difficult after 3 years because it's so limited on variety plus I've become allergic to many of the things I ate in the beginning. I'm fixing to start tweaking my maintenance plan so I can actually stick to it.

All legitimate lc plans work well over the long term. The thing you need to look for is a plan that is compatible with your food preferences and your lifestyle. For example, if you travel a lot, you would probably be happier on a plan that allows you a wider choice of foods, so that you don't have to spend a lot of time cooking.

In order for it to be most effective, you will have to make lc a way of life, a permanent lifestyle change. That's really difficult, even impossible, if you don't like the foods you can eat.

Do some research and find a plan that looks like it is something you can stay on for the rest of your life.

Different plans focus on different things. I don't know all the plans, but my sense is that South Beach and maybe Bernstein focus on whole grains and fiber, and recommend limiting fat. Paleo is totally anti-grain and not very pro-fiber. Paleo has moderate fat and high-fat varieties. Atkins is very pro-supplement and reasonably pro-fat. Paleo and Weston A. Price are pretty anti-supplement. The latter two don't actually require you to keep low-carb, but many people who follow them do.

Most plans acknowledge that many people have issues with food intolerances and candida. Whatever plan you follow, it would be worth finding out if these are a problem for you.

In the end, the way you eat may fit into more than one plan, but the plan you start with will give you your basic education. I'd suggest picking one book and reading it all the way through. Then you'll start to pick things up from other plans and other people on the forum.

I started with Atkins, but if I was starting now, I'd probably read "Good Calories, Bad Calories." I saw it in a bookstore recently and it looks great.

Atkins is extremely low carb - Phase I starts with 20 grams of carbs per day, and some people never get much higher. Other plans go up to 60 or 80. A few people follow "carnivore" diets that are close to 0 grams. Generally, as carbs go down, fat goes up - you have to get your calories somewhere. A near-zero carb plan might have 80 or 90 percent calories from fat, while a 60 gram carb plan might have only 30-40 percent calories from fat.

Great information, thanks people!
I'll get busy.

Bernstein does not advocate whole grains:

http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.co...chapter10.shtml

He also advocates restricting med carb veg such as tomatos, onions, plus many artificial sweeteners. Summary is here: http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.co...apter10_4.shtml

Edited to add: he's not anti-fat either

I've edited my post to reflect your corrections.

I'm an all or nothing kind of gal so Atkins was the best plan for me. My appetite was out of control and I couldn't possibly do moderation in any form.

South Beach doesn't advocate grains but allows them later on.

I've read and followed for various periods of time Atkins, South Beach and Protein Power. I think that if I had to choose one -- I'm a Protein Power follower. I like high fatting. I like having some fruits. I like being able to subtract my fiber (something that Atkins borrowed from PP).

But what I have really learned is that I have to stay gluten-free. That's been what has made the difference in my success this time 'round.