Got to tell you my story

I was very anti-atkins, mostly from not knowing much about it beyond the fact that it limited fruit

Well, as a marathon runner who has gained 7 pounds in the process of training due to overconsumption of carbs (I have no fat on me but I am larger and I do weigh more), the light has gone off. After browsing atkins.com, I understand the program. I have changed much of my snacking from high-carb to low-carb, which has been miraculous in controlling my hunger. And I intend on starting atkins as soon as my marathon is over - which is in about 3 weeks (I've come too far at this point to start experimenting with going to really restricted carbs and finding out it affects my marathon performance!)

Anyhow, thought I'd provide that story, because I know a lot of people tout the "exercise and eat a high carb" diet routine, including me. But all the exercise (50+ miles a week of running plus biking) drastically increased my hunger, and unfortunately, I turned to carbs to get over that hunger, which really was increasing the total amount that I was eating each day, because I was never satisfied

What a difference it has been with low-carb snacking. A HUGE difference

Cool. With the amount of exercise you're getting, you'd naturally require a higher level of carbs than a less-active person. It IS great how much better you feel on less refined carbs, isn't it?

There are a lot of very well-informed people hanging out in the exercise forums. You may want to go check it out, since they've done a lot of work getting their plans just right!

Bravo! Exercise and low carb are an excellent combo!

Thanks for the responses, I really appreciate them. I just thought it would be interesting for everyone to hear the perspective of someone who's incredibly active but still have weight issues, however minor they may be

So now that I've said that, I'd love some TIPS, after all, you guys are the experts!

LOL! Tips? Read lots here! That's the best one I can give. Even when my weight isn't doing what I'd like, everyone here keeps me encouraged and moving in the right direction.

I'm really glad you took the time to see what this WOL is really about, because oh my, we do have a bad rep!

And that was really my thing. Oh, a diet that restricts fruits? Eggs and bacon every morning? yeah, healthy.....RIGHT

but I was missing the whole point - obviously. Atkins isn't about going to Mcdonalds and ordering 12 Big Macs and throwing away the bun. It isn't about clogging up your arteries, and it certainly isn't about banning fruit consumption

It is about (and beware, this is my newbie, never actually been on atkins YET opinion ) allowing you to both restrict caloric intake and eat healthier, more natural foods by eating in a way that controls the hunger/craving response

I get you.

I used to exercise an hour & 1/2 a day, with half of that serious aerobic workout...and I ate low fat/high carb, as I was supposed to.

And I was a size 12. And happy to be there!

Now I live on the third floor. And I'm a size TEN. And I'm glad to be there.

If I were to up my exercise, I'd undoubtedly lose a few more pounds. I'm a little too stressed and busy to fit it in now, but I'd like to in the future.

Atkins, to me, means eating the way my body wants. And if I get more exercise, great.

It's all about eating no more carbs than you can burn off, it seems to me.

And that is worth the world to me.

In a way, yes. But it's not all about calorie control. Sure, if you consume too many calories your body isn't going to want to turn loose of the weight as readily. However, you can eat quite a bunch more calories on this and still lose weight at a reasonable clip.

Overall, I haven't lost a lot, but then I also had a health issue crop up after the first of the year that limited my activities, and at the same time I felt so cruddy I didn't bother monitoring my FitDay account. For me, keeping track is crucial. I found, though, that when I was losing it was at a faster rate (I'm 44 years old now) than when I was on a low-fat diet 16 years ago.

My biggest problem is blood sugar. If I eat low-fat high-carb I end up with low blood sugar--this just doesn't work for me. And as it turns out, my husband has the same problem, only it was even more severe for him than for me. Then our daughters started having the same problems. Low-carbing has completely nipped that problem in the bud.