questions questions

[LivingLow]

I think I"m going to be a regular in this forum.. ;)


1) Am keeping track of my food intake on fitday - am I supposed to/can I subtract the fiber from my carbs?

2) How much of the weight that first comes off will be water and for how long will it be water?

3) Does it matter that my fat intake seems to be about 65%-75% and my protein about 20%? Like, should the protein be higher??


Most grateful for the advice/answers, thank goodness this exists and am glad to see so many people from Vancouver!

[Natrushka]

Originally posted by LivingLow
1) Am keeping track of my food intake on fitday - am I supposed to/can I subtract the fiber from my carbs?

2) How much of the weight that first comes off will be water and for how long will it be water?

3) Does it matter that my fat intake seems to be about 65%-75% and my protein about 20%? Like, should the protein be higher??


Hi there Low :) To answer your questions:

1) Yes, subtract fiber from carbs for your effective carb count. Fiber is non digestible and will not effect insulin levels.

2) A large % of what you first lose is water weight, however it is not ALL water weight. You are losing some fat as well. Water weight usually comes off during the first two weeks of induction, then you switch to fat loss. This is why the loss slows down. You can expect to lose 10% of your goal w/in the first two weeks (on average) and roughly 5% per month after that. Fat loss for women is safest at a maximum of 2lbs a week, 3 lbs a week for men.

3) Your percentages are perfect. 70-75% should be FAT; 20-25% protein and the rest carbs.

Nat

[LivingLow]

Thanks so much!

Thought of another one..

Am hoping eventually that once I reach my goal I'll be able to occasionally indulge in things I already miss (sushi...pie...mm) - but will the weight come back if I do? In other words, do our bodies get used to living without the carbs to stay thin so that when we eat them again (even reasonably) it will come back? I feel like I initially gained my weight by overindulging and eating ridiculously for about a year. I'd like to think that once I lose the weight I'll eat sensibly and include some carbs but am worried that by doing this I won't be able to...thoughts? :confused:

[AngelaR]

on your last question...

By the time you are at goal you should have gone thru Induction, then ongoing weight loss, then pre-maintenenace, then maintenance. At the point you will have been raising your carb levels to your critical carb level, the level at which you stop losing weight. That number depends on your body. Some people can manage 60, 70 or so carbs a day. That gives you some room for higher carb foods.

How you use those extra carbs is up to you. If you decide to add in things like white rice, potatoes etc, occassionally, you would have to see how your body handles it. Some peole can't tolerate those things anymore, some people can.

The great news is, that after eating low carb for a while, you don't really want to go back to eating those other things anymore. I used to think I'd die if I couldn't have bread or pasta or rice anymore. Now when I have choices, they are not the first on my list.

As for the sushi..you can always eat the fish without the rice. I happen to love sushi. the place we go to has other interesting dishes that are so appealing. One is a salad of seaweed greens topped with the fish pieces. (no rice involved) Another is deep fried tofu. I b et if you checked out that sushi menu there would be some things that you could indulge in after Induction without cheating!!!

[LivingLow]

Thanks so much for the reply ANgela, but must admit I'm now even more worried about whether I should be following this plan for weight loss.

Maybe I don't understand the maintenance aspect very well, and I *do* want to generally eat less carbs for the rest of my life since I believe lots are unhealthy, but I'm concerned that if I want a piece of pie a few months from now in addition to my regular diet, my "newfound carb intolerance" will mean that this will make me put weight back on as soon as I incorporate more carbs than the standard level I need to manage the weight. In other words, to what extent will extra carbs make me gain weight when I'm in the maintenance phase? Will it happen easily??

Thanks again :confused:

[Lisa N]

Living...

Most of us can't go back to a higher carb diet once we start on Atkins not because we develop an intolerance to carbs while doing low carb, but rather because we had an intolerance to carbs (and the corresponding insulin resistance that goes with it) that got us fat in the fist place and to go back to a higher carb way of eating as a lifestyle will only bring us back where we were when we started. Does that mean you will never ever be able to have a piece of pie again in your life? No. Does that mean it shouldn't be a weekly (or even monthly) habit? Probably. Angela is giving you good advice. If you follow the plan correctly and take your time going through all the phases (remember, this is not a crash diet or a race), you will then have a pretty good idea of what you can and can't handle. Low carbing as a way of life isn't for everyone, although I firmly believe that everyone can and does benefit from cutting out the highly processed foods and refined sugar. It's good that you are evaluating if this is right for you. There are, however, many low carb plans that vary in the amount of carbs and types of carbs that you can have. Have you checked the "which low carb plan is right for me?" link on the board? If you do decide that low carbing is not for you, I would highly encourage you to then ask yourself, "How am I going to lose and control my weight?" and then ask yourself "Did this work for me in the past?"