Hi all!
I posted some of this in the semi-low carb thread but thought I'd also post here since
I'm new to this forum. I have battled my weight my entire life but actually maintained a 130 lb + weight loss (cut out sugar but not other carbs) for over 15 years. However the last few years it has become harder (pre-menopause and other lifestyle issues are big factors) and I am now at my highest weight since my big lost. Still 80 lbs from my highest but like any addict, its a slippery slop!

I did not enter real stats, since I was not really sure how they were used. I've since tried to change it but it does not seem to be saving the new info? My immediate goal is to lose 60 pounds.

I spent the last week researching the Wheat Belly and other low carb options. I tried Atkins many years ago with some success but found it hard to maintain for the long haul. I was drawn to the wheat belly (which I'm surprised I have not found mention of here?) because of it's claim to help with joint and arthritis pain, along with weight loss.

It is pretty extreme though... so I made some slight modifications. I am only in day two so it is too soon to tell but I am hopeful that this could work well for me. My big issues are bread and processed sugar. So I'm removing these from the equation and keeping my daily carb intake at below 70grams.

I am allowing my self up to 3 times a week 1 serving of rice or potato but only if I also exercise that day. (This is great incentive to me to exercise), I don't want to give up sushi! LOL! I am keeping it simple. I found a great app to help me keep track of my carbs called Daily Carb. (Love this app!)

Here is my own breakdown notes (please forgive spelling, was pretty sleepy when I wrote it out... should be have not half!):



Any feed back appreciated. Anyone here familar with the Wheat Belly book? I actually found another version by Natalie Ray that boils it all down more concisely and is free to borrow on a kindle if you have Amazon Prime. It's called Wheat Belly Diet: Ultimate Guide to Eating Wheat Free

It is also where I copied the food chart from... I only read the sample of the original book. He goes into a lot of detail about his research and how the process of wheat has changed so much since the 50s, which is why he believes modern wheat is so bad for us. Even in whole grain form.... but from reviews I read, he goes on too much. So I switched to the Ray book. She encourages you to take the principles and make it work for you, since a lot of people find it extreme... this is what inspired me to create my plan.

I just came back from 40 minutes of playing tennis, my favorite exercise though it is hard on my knees and back. I'm highly motivated and excited to find such an active community.

Hi there, and welcome to the forum.

First of all, congratulations on your big loss, and maintaining it for so long. You're not alone in having weight-gain during the peri-menopause: we get a lot of people joining this forum because of that issue. People usually look on it as a measure of success if people can just stay at the same weight at that time.

You're asking for feedback on your dietary plan, but obviously it's for you to decide if it works.. A lot of people here would need to go lower-carb than that in order to lose weight, but the best thing would be to try it and see how it goes.

I personally have to avoid starches like potatoes. I find them more fattening than sugar. If you are allowing yourself potatoes and rice, I'd suggest that you limit the serving size to a very small portion - one piece of sushi or a small piece of potato.

A ketogenic diet, such as Atkins, tends to help the body to burn fat, so it depresses the appetite, making it easier to keep to the diet and not to be tempted by carbs. Once your body is burning fat the allure of carbs diminishes a lot: especially the starches like bread and rice. That's what I find anyway.

That said, it's more important to find a way of eating that you enjoy and that will help you to control your weight.

Good luck.

P.S. Lots of people here have read Wheat Belly - it has really motivated people with their diets.

Hello and good luck! I have been on and off low carb diets for a few years after reading Gary Taubes and then about Paleo diet. I am not familiar with Wheat Belly, so don't take my own advise as anything more than my opinion of LC generally, but personally I would cut all starchy carbs as I find it harder to limit myself than just say no, and if I have a bit of rice one day, a spoonful the next of a little peice of bread 'doesn't seem like it could be too bad' and before I know it I'm off track!
That also seems like a lot of nuts too? Personally I'd go a stricter for a few weeks, and then slowly add things like nuts or the odd small peice of fruit into your diet. But hey, this is just me Best of luck to you!

Edited to add: I also don't snack anymore, I don't think its particularly bad, on high fat, low carb diets I don't need to eat or think about food every couple of hours like I used to and this is one of the benifits for me.

Welcome.
Saw your other thread first and answered there

It's been awhile since I've prowled the Introduction forums so I thought I'd stop in and see what new folks we have...

Hey, glad to see you're getting on more of a direct path. I think You're perfectly fine taking it easy, at least for now as you get started with this lifestyle change. I personally would start gaining again if I ate 70 carbs a day. If you can lose on that, go for it, but don't sell yourself short. I eat 10-15 carbs a day and I feel fabulous! But, I'm also a twenty something male with the planets aligned to aid in my weight loss. lol. It's much more difficult for the fairer gender.

Giving up sugar is/was a great change for your overall health, but now that you realize that a potato and a cup of sugar do about the same thing once it's in the body... Now it's time to cut out the OTHER sugar, carbohydrates!

Wheat Belly is a great book! Once you can see the damage that carbs do to you, it's a bit easier to make bold decisions like giving up the "healthy" whole grain crap (oops, I said crap). If I may, I'd like to suggest that you look at dietdoctor.com It's pretty much what I follow and have lost 30 pounds in the last month. My post-menopausal, morbidly obese, diabetic mother lost over 90 pounds following those guidelines and keeps her blood sugar in normal ranges with no medication at all. She's gone from 3 blood pressure meds to 1. Her cholesterol is near perfect, again, with no meds.... All I'm saying is, this s*** works!

Lastly, GOOD LUCK! We're all here to help and support as needed.

I agree with this completely! I'm never hungry, so telling myself "no" is never an issue. As long as the carbs are low enough, and the fat is high enough to reach ketosis, you're golden!

Thanks every one. Great info! I am not sure where I got the 70 carb number... I have been under 50 these first 2 days... less than 20 though seems a little impossible to me.

As far as the snacks, I am hypoglycemic and can get very shaky when my blood sugar drops too low. So I always have to prepared with something on hand just in case. I do think this way of eating helps a lot though.

The chart by the way is not my creation... I just copied it from the digital book wheat belly book.

p.s. I think the advice to hold off on adding any carbs back.... is a good suggestion.

Just to be clear, it would only be sweet potatoes and brown rice in very small amounts and only on days I exercised....No bread, no wheat.. and yes sadly, no soy sauce...!

Day 4 and I have to say I am really having my doubts. I just don't know if this is the lifestyle for me. I miss my carbs... ! A few years I just did no "white foods" meaning no white sugar, potatoes or sugar... This worked really well.

I am going to try and make it to Monday, give it a full week then decided. There is a plus side, as you get older time goes by quicker and quicker... this is making it drag a little bit!

Welcome to the forums, you're off to a good start. And, you know, the longer you eat this way, the easier it gets.

I don't know if you've read Atkins' books and I don't know if they factored at all into your plan, but one of the most brilliant parts of it is the carb ladder. It is designed to reintroduce (some) carbs in a slow and methodical way, and in an order that causes the least upset for most people. Different foods are assigned different rungs on the ladder and unfortunately both brown rice and sweet potatoes are quite high on the list and probably don't want to be reintroduced till you are 10-20 pounds from goal. It is so easy to say "I'll only have a tiny bite" but once insulin rises and cravings begin (a completely natural and physiological response), it is not so easy to control.

As for the hypoglycemia, it is probably a rebound effect from eating too many carbs than your body can handle; your pancreas squirts out too much insulin, your blood sugar plummets, you feel weak and generally awful. Fortunately for you, the best remedy is to not eat so many carbs. It will take a while to transition, a week or more, but if you can wait it out, you will likely be relieved from that hypoglycemia.

You are in the worst of it right now, there is a definite withdrawal from carbs. Don't think about how bad you feel now, think about how good you'll feel when the weight begins to come off. Are you supplementing with salt? Look for any of Nancy LC's posts - she has a link to a salt thread below her signature. It will alleviate much of the "unrest" you feel as you're starting out. Good luck to you!

I'm on day 4 of Atkins induction too, and in the middle of last night (I sleep weird hours), I had the first real snack attack since I started. Because I strictly track everything, I was able to have a surprise snack of smoked salmon (that was previously destined for a bagel and cream cheese in my pre-Atkins life.) Just about an ounce and a half of salmon (all that was left!), with a tablespoon of cream cheese slopped on.

Add a huge glass of water--and I was full!

Of course, your preferred nosh will vary, but although people use the term "craving carbs," I don't look at it that way. I think you're just HUNGRY!

Anyway, I'm just a newbie too and no one to give huge advice, but so far, I think the hardest part of low carb dieting is finding the fairly healthy low carb and no carb foods that you LIKE.

That being said, I've been treating myself every evening to an Atkins snack bar, and although that takes 3 carbs from my daily total of 20, it's like a reward to me. That, with a glass of Almond milk, and I feel like a human being again.

Liz! Thank you so much, that is just the pep talk I needed.

I just returned from the market and was able to get a few low carb products I've been researching. Also some sf jello!! Which may sound silly but is really a very helpful thing to have around. I just had some and already feel better.

I also treated myself to a nice steak. A lack of variety has been part of the problem I think...

Thanks IraRat... all great points!

I am not doing Atkins exactly (20 carbs, wow!! I remember that now when I did do Atkins about 10 years ago) but I did get some of those Atkins bars while at the market. So expensive but I'm glad to know they are worth it. I also got these japanese noodles with very little carbs... I am really missing pasta which was a big staple for me. I have read people either love or hate these... they are tricky to work with but well worth the gamble!

I had no idea this would be so easy for me. Granted, it's only been 4 days, and I fear the long-term, but for now, it's been a breeze:

I haven't worked a "real" job in 3 years--just at home freelance stuff. so every day for the past few years, I have eaten every piece of s**t known to man, and drank 3 to 4 beers every day. (EVERY day!)

Pasta twice a week (cause it's cheap)...untold cookies, donuts, bagels, chips, etc. morning, noon and night...and of course, bread glorious bread! Plus bagels!

And I'm not missing any of this after 4 days, going cold turkey? And I'm a man with zero willpower in my life?

I have no weight loss to brag about yet because I'm not WEIGHING myself yet, but I just can't believe that after 4 days, I am craving nothing by following Atkins Induction as close as I can.

And try some spaghetti squash if you're craving pasta! When you shred it right, at least it LOOKS like spaghetti!

Personally I find strict low carb easier because of the appetite-reducing effect of ketosis but I know a lot of friends and family that do really well on paleo or low glycemic load or wheat-free diets (all of which are lower carb than standard American diets, but not as restricted as Atkins or other ketogenic approaches).

I think it's important to find something you can live happily with long term - otherwise this will be just a down cycle in a yo-yo pattern and you'll be miserable and then gain weight back. Better to find something you can live with long term - lose weight on, and then maintain your loss.

I do think one of the hardest parts of low carb is the first few days, so hopefully you'll get past this part and settle in - but if not know there are some very decent reduced-carb approaches that may be better suited to you.