i see that most people follow books on LC. I really don't follow any book , i mean I read parts of the atkins book but don't really follow it step by step. only thing i am doing is not eating as much carbs. would it be as effective even if im not following a book

as long as you are well informed, you can modify the diet to suit your lifestyle.. I'm sure with reduced carbs (but make sure it's *greatly reduced*) you'll lose weight.. if say, you cut down to 100g carbs (from 300g) that's not gonna help you.

You can lose weight from just cutting out some carbs but that's because your just cutting out some calories. I cut back on the carbs for a while and lost one pound over a two month time. The whole idea of Atkin's is to cut carbs to less than 20g for two weeks to put you into Ketosis (the state where your body is using fat as the primary source of energy). I would highly recommend that you reduce your carb intake for a little while before starting a real LC diet. That way the LC diet wont be such a shock to your system. I thought I would go nuts on the 4th day the first time I tried the diet. This time I cut down on carbs for two months before I started Atkin's and I'm handling it very well. Today starts my 3rd week and I have had little more than a headache and a change in bowel movements (I know you could have done without the last part but I didn't want that to be a supprise if you start a LC diet.)

Reyna, I don't think you (or any of us) can educate yourself enough about low carb. By taking up a low-carb way of eating, you're making a major change in your life, from the way you shop and cook to changing the way your body processes the food you eat at a cellular level. Why wouldn't you want to inform yourself?

If you're thinking of buying a new house or a new car, wouldn't you do a lot of research before you put money down? Think of it this way, our bodies have to last us a lot longer than a car or even a house. Read and learn!

Rachel

Well said Rachel! And it's amazing how many people will put time and effort into the upkeep of their houses and cars and never do anything for the upkeep of their bodies!

Karen

I was thinking too, that many of us would knock ourselves out to read and research everything we could if our child or loved one needed a special diet to improve THEIR health. Yet, we can't seem to invest the effort to do the same for ourselves.

Hmmmm .....

Doreen

thanx for the info =) I have been learning new things about lc diets that's how i stumbled upon this site, I have done the atkins diet before but i just cut out carbs completely without reading the book or anything and i did lose weight. when i stopped it and began eating normally i put on even more weight than what i started off with. so far this has been the easiest diet for me to do so i am startign it all over again. I will keep myself informed and hope u all will also help me.
reyna