Tomorrow I begin. I have read most of the books including Grain Brain and Wheat Belly.

I was going to try to keep my calories around 1200 ( we arent supposed to count calories, right?), no baked goods and no processed sugar, fruit from the low glycemic ones (berries, apple, pear). I will have starch but no more than one serving a day: Potatoes (white or sweet) with butter to offset the glycemic load, rice, beans, peas and carrots. One serving = 1/2 cup. I will also add intermittent fasting. 2x a week I will only do 500 cals. Probably Monday and Thursday.

Everything else is ok.

Thoughts?

Wish I could help, but I do Atkins so I'd have to nix the apples, pears, starch, potatoes, rice, beans, peas and carrots.

I'm not sure what "combo" diet means. Definitely not low carb based on what I'm seeing.

Hopefully someone else will come along who can relate to your program.

Best of luck to you.

For me, one of the best things about eating low carb is not having to worry about counting calories. I eat low carb and that's all I have to think about. As long as my carbs are low, I will lose weight. It's so simple, even I can understand it!

I wish you all the best, but I must admit I wonder why you are planning a 'combo' instead of just low carbing. And why are you asking about your plan here?

Hope it works for you. But if it doesn't, be aware: as described, this isn't "low carb for weight loss."

It's more like "low carb maintenance for an athlete in training."

That would be fine if you weren't looking to lose weight, but your stats say you do. So you will probably need to re-examine if and when you don't get the results you seek.

Just don't blame low carb!

Thank you for the responses.

When I went into ketosis last time, my heart was palpitating. I could try again and see what happens. Thought I would keep the carbs to 50- 70 a day. Isnt that low?

Maybe I'll save the starchy veg and fruit for maintainance ...(God willing.)

That can be a lack of salt! Nancy LC has been doing marvelous work on informing us all of that importance. A cup of salty broth a day should help a lot with that.

And most people have magnesium deficiencies; this is vital to all our "electrics." Look up "chelated magnesium" which is the kind I take.

My advice would be to eat according to the plan as you've outlined it--but without restricting the protein and fat. Count the calories, but don't restrict them, and see if you're losing weight. There's really no use in applying draconian measures before you're even certain that you need to.

I could see either holding to 1200 calories a day (for a while), or eating to appetite 5 days a week and doing 500 calories the other two days, but not both.

I had all that stuff my first time on Atkin's. I ended up breaking the diet with a big pot of boiled potatoes.

Later, eating the same diet, even without extra salt, didn't cause any symptoms. The first time on that sort of diet, your body doesn't know what to expect. You can eat however you want--but don't think you can't
do ketosis, like WereBear said, you just need the salt.

Your plan sounds like a regular calorie restricted diet. Most regular yo yo dieters will tell you they are hard to keep to and depressing. Worst of all when you go back to eating normally the weight returns with a vengeance.

I find Atkins induction a cake walk after the first 5 or so days. When you went into ketosis previously were you taking all your (quality) vitamin and mineral supplements as detailed in 'Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution? They are important for obvious reasons.

Whatever you decide, I wish you luck and resolve. YOU CAN DO IT!!!

Ok. Thank you all and Im convinced. Atkins induction starting today, new journal, and a cup of salty broth every day. Woo Hoo!! Feeling hopeful!

I think that you're making a very wise choice. Doing 2 weeks of Atkins Induction with a cup of salty broth daily, will teach you a lot about your body.

Your original post, with your plan, is close to South Beach phase II. The food lists and phases are outlined on the first page of my journal or in the South Beach section. SBD phase I for 2 weeks has carbs levels around 60 grams a day if you eat all that it allows.
50-70 grams carbs a day is still considered low carb.

Good Luck! I wish you great success!!

i thought this WAS a site for semi-lowcarb???? i keep my carbs to the 72 gram level as in Dr. Lutz's "life wihout bread" and i am losing, slower than atkins but way more livable for family gatherings, ect. also i am 70 years old and dont want anything exreme any more. i say good luck on anything that anyone is trying because at least they are TRYING!

Atkins is less extreme than the level of calorie restriction the OP originally planned on. Nothing against 72 gram programs for people that works for. The original plan, with two five-hundred calorie days, would have been an average of a thousand calories a day. She asked for our thoughts and we gave them.

If somebody showed up and just said "I'm doing Dr. Lutz's life without bread," I hope we'd just wish them good luck and welcome them to the forum

Checking in. Have been losing so slowly as to not even seem real. Havent fixed my stats but this morning I am 172. This is what makes me jump ship and off to races again, pizza and ice cream being big temptations.

Here is what I am eating:

bulletproof coffee and egg and bacon for breakfast 1-2 eggs, with 3-4 slices bacon

around 11 I have tuna with a tbsp of real mayo and a handful of cherry tomatoes

around 2 roast beef slices around cheese (3 of them )
1 c salad with 1 tb maries blue cheese

4p-5p chicken breast with 1 c hot veg. (broccoli or chopped spinach with butter)

8p-9p 1-2 tb almond butter


Two weeks of that and I lost 3 lbs. Ill keep going and tweeking. Maybe more water. Ketostix says "small". My body just likes being overweight for some reason!!

That 3 pounds could be mostly water, mostly fat, or anywhere in-between. Are your clothes fitting any different?

I hate to say this, because I love nuts and am constantly doing the old Wile E. Coyote routine to try to find a way to safely eat them without derailing my diet. But nuts and seeds can be tricky.