Hi everone - newbie here :)

[hysteria]

Hey everyone! :wave: :wave: :D
I am so glad to find a message board on Low carbing that people seem to use :cool: ! I just began Carb Addicts / WW 1 week ago. Technically, I only starting low carbing 6 days ago and have already lost 8 pounds! Once I start something, I can be fanitical. Since I am mixing WW in (only b/c I had already paid before finding out about LC), I get my weekly weigh in's & journal keeping is easy. Something tells me I am going to get to my 10% goal w/ WW really quick!
I had always heard LC'ing was unhealthy - then when I started doing the research & reading into it, so many people are misinformed & personally, I believe it is up to the individual to decide what is going to work for them. I know I am a carb addict & prob will be one for the rest of my life - but I am in the process of making this a lifestyle. I am lucky - my dh is a meat man, so eating grilled meat all the time does not effect him at all! Also, as I get more receipes I will be able to experiment with things I think will be a hit in my household.
I have a couple questions - I am going to look over the boards & see if others have asked them, but I thought I would ask anyway...
1. Peanut Butter - one of my worst vices - even though I have seen that it is ok in moderation (and I believe it is w/ CA - I will have to go & check), is it really? Should I invest in the s/f kind?

2. Tiredness - I have read it is imperitive that a LC'er should make sure to get plenty of rest...what about those times you miss a couple hours? What works to stave off the tiredness & dizziness? I experienced this yesterday - I had a hard time sleeping & equated it to that...any advice? Things to munch on to bring me "up"?

3. Does this ever "catch-up" w/ you? - What I mean is that I have not had that many withdrawl symptoms, per se. Other than yesterday feeling like poop, I have felt good - a little sleepier in the evenings than normal, but otherwise, good. Have any of you ever found yourself, 2 or 3 months in just dying for a big slab of cake or a Snickers bar? Everyone is different, but I would love to have a general idea of what to mentally prepare myself for ;)

I will definitly be around on the boards!

Beth

[lkonzelman]

Well I do Atkins so I can't really answer with your particular plan in mind but it is important to note that mixing your low calorie and low carb will not be the proper way to do either.

You see the key to lc ing is that you eat enough fat for your body to feel satisfied and that keeps your calories down naturally.

Another great thing about low carbing is you are finally allowed to eat whenever you are hungry. Without guilt.... just keep under your carb level.

The best ratio for people to lose lc ing is fat 65%, protein 5% and carbs 5% daily. And 10-12X your body weight in calories.

I'm not sure you can achieve that using both eating plans.

Now with lc ing in mind:

1) SF peanut butter is ok (2 T is 6.9 carbs but -2.1 fiber so a net of only 4.8 carbs for a serving). But other nuts are higher in fiber and better for low carbing such as macadamian nuts and pecans...

2) Tiredness with LCing usually occures only in the first week due to your body detoxing from carbohydrates. After the detox is completed... most people have much more energy and have much clearer heads. FYI - your tiredness may also have to do with not eating enough calories based on your mixing plans.

3) We all have occassional cravings that we give into. The thing is when your body is clean - it doesn't do well anymore on carbs. You tend to feel bloated or stomach upset and headaches. So I do believe we all cheat sometimes but non of us like how it makes us feel.

All the best to you.

[hysteria]

Hi Lisa :wave:
Thank you for replying! Technically, I am trying not to "do" WW anymore, but by journaling, I am keeping in my points range anyhow, w/o feeling hungry! I am probably totally off on counting the points anyway because I do not have a scale to weight meat & cheese on, I am only "eyeballing" my portions. I am also eating tons of veggies which of course are 0 points. If I feel hungry, I eat. So far, it has been OK. I am not counting calories at all - just those carb g's & fiber g's. I am sticking to my "induction" period w/o too much of a problem. Just the tiredness (and some headaches). And that is only setting in late afternoons / evenings - this is when I would have normally been filling up with the starchy foods & carbs! So detox makes sense. It reminds me of when I quit smoking a couple months ago.
I was wondering about nuts - I love nuts in general & b/c of how I have dieted in the past, nuts have always been forbidden! Granted, eating an entire bag of macadamia's would prob be a not-so-good idea, but in moderation, it would prob help with the peanut craving. I need to go look up pistachios too - mmmmmm.

:roll:

Beth

[lkonzelman]

Glad to read your reply. It seems much healthier....

FYI: check out the atkins induction allowable foods to see if there are anythings you want to add or subtract. Note: no nuts during induction because they do stall some peoples weightloss. But of course this is up to you.

Induction Allowed Foods (http://atkinscenter.com/Archive/2001/12/15-464579.html)

[lkonzelman]

FYI - 1 cup of pistaccios in shells

Total Carbohydrate 15.74g Dietary Fiber 5.97g

[hysteria]

lol - ouch! Guess I will stick with the lower carb nuts like macadamia & walnuts. I think I am going to stay away from the nuts for the next week or 2 anyway - I'd really like to rid myself of the peanut butter "fetish" & think that since I've made it this far, I can use that willpower to overcome it! :D

Beth