Hi

[lissa]

Hi My name is Lissa and I am from Central MN. I am very new to the diet and I have read most of the book. It is very confusing.
I really don't like meat much but I need to lose at least 60 lbs by June of this year.
Is it true that you subtract the fiber from the carb count?
Any help woudl be greatly appreciated as I am very confused at this stage.
HELP :wave: :confused:

[LCer in NW]

Sure, it's possible to lose 60 pounds in 90 days, but rarely have we heard of such resounding successes. You'll need to hunt around the forum a bit to see examples. As body fat dwindles, the rate of loss usually slows dramatically.

Cheeses, fish and wild fowl are other excellent sources of protein and the all essential fats. But, you'll need some amount of red meat and other meats if diet is to be effective. After initial stage of the diet, suggest small amounts of nuts as well.

If you are really new to the low carb concept, you need to pay special attention to the water you consume. Based on your current weight, you should consume at least 14 glasses of water per day, but more if you are fairly active or thirsty, tired, or hungry. I drink about 16 glasses a day, and weigh 195 pounds.

I suggest that you eat only the carbs that the book suggests, and that you count the fiber. One of the essentials for starting is staying completely away from food that has a high glycemic index (this food converts right to glucose at a high rate within the upper intestine). Therefore, much of the carbs you eat will be fiber. Most fiber gets converted to some form of nutrition for the body, as well. At most, subtract fiber up to 20% of your total carbohydrate intake (5 g for the 20 g induction period).

[LittleAnne]

Welcome to the forum. Things can seem confusing as you start your low carb way of life because it is usually so different from what you have done before.

I would echo the post above and just count the carbohydrates as given. I live in the UK and there all our carbohydrate values are without fibre. So even though I have been on this way of life for over 6 months I tend to stick with less than 20 UK carb units which usually equate to between 30 and 40 US carb units. You can kid yourself into thinking you are doing OK, when you are not, if you ignore the fibre count.

You certainly have set yourself a tough task. I hope you reach your goal. Take heart from posts on this forum and once through the first week you will wonder why you have not done this before.

[wbahn]

Welcome aboard! :wave:

As pointed out by others - 60 pounds in three months is a pretty big goal. Only a few people have achieved a sustained 20#/month and most of them have been about twice your weight.

It is very common to lose about 10% of your excess wieght in the first month and for it to slow down from there. Your results may be more or less.

Don't get yourself hung up and frustrated if you don't make it all the way. Did you gain the weight in three months? Would you rather be where you are in three months (or even heavier) or down "only" 20 pounds?

If it takes you until NEXT June to get all the way down, would that be a disaster, especially as you look back on it three years from now?

You are bound to get frustrated, even if you are averaging near that 20#/month. Shift your perspective as necessary to keep the long term goals in mind.

I definitely recommend starting a journal here and staying active.