Thanks for the heads up, porcupine. I’ll keep that in mind when it happens (and if it’s something normal, I have no doubt that it will).
Glory, that’s a bit oversimplified, but yes. The key is that your body uses the carbs in the carrots for energy, instead of your own fat cells. Bacon has no carbs (as long as it isn’t cured with sugar) and fat makes you feel full faster. Try it one day: eat two slices of bacon one time when you’re hungry and see how long it takes to get hungry again. Then eat the same number of calories worth of carrots and see if you last as long.
See, it’s not that you can never eat carrots again. It’s just that if you eat carrots today, you probably shouldn’t also have a baked potato and biscuits. If you eat a baked potato today, don’t eat a biscuit and then a chocolate cake. And so on.
Most of your carbs should come from veggies such as lettuce, spinach and broccoli rather than white bread, rice and potatoes.
I’m not on the atkins diet though. I don’t even think it qualifies as low carb though I’m certainly injesting less carbs then I was before the New Years. I agree with smalltowngirl that you have to change your lifestyle not just what you eat. Here’s what I’m doing.
I don’t go out to eat except with my wife once a month. This make a big difference in my eating habits and saves us quite a bit of money.
I now eat veggies or fruit with every meal. Instead of having fries with my sandwich at lunch I’ll have some carrots, raw broccoli, or sweet snap peas.
I no longer eat until I’m literally stuffed to the gills. I noticed last Thanksgiving that the “feast” was just a typical meal for me.
I allow myself one 20 oz. bottle of Coca-Cola per month. Instead of the 4-8 cans or more that I drank on a daily basis. I typically drink water or gatorade after a workout.
I’ve started to exercise again. I found that boxing is a sport that exercises the whole body so I’ve taken it up. I’m not actually fighting anyone but I’m training like I would.
When I have a snack it is a fruit or vegetable.
It has only been a week but so far I feel pretty good. I’ve not experienced any dramatic weightloss and I don’t expect to. It took more then a month to get this size and it will take more then a month to get rid of it.
I find it odd that I haven’t been craving Coca-Cola, potato chips, or a desire to eat as much as I used to.
I’ve been on Atkins since right after Thanksgiving. The first week or so were rough, but since then I’ve had more energy and felt much better than I have in years. I lost 10 lbs in the first 2 weeks and continue to lose steadily. I don’t crave high carb foods anymore at all. (I DO crave low carb chocolate though)
I agree with the posters who mention the expense and relative inconvenience of low car eating though. I learned really quickly that the freezer is my best friend. I cook enough food for a week and freeze it in batches. I also bake 1-2 dozen muffins (Atkin’s muffin mix) and freeze those. When I eat out, I have a salad or a burger without the bun.
And about calorie intake–I was doing the low-fat, low calorie thing for years before I started this. I am consuming more calories now on Atkins and losing. I gained weight on a low-fat way of eating.