I have kind of started 3 days ago on this low carb diet in hopes that this will work where other plans have not. I have read some stuff now saying that I need to have only 20 carb a day for two weeks but while this might be what they say I find it very very unrealistic for me to do this. I have cut my carbs to 70 - 100 a day. I guess I am wondering that because this amount while lower then what I had been taking a day ( I would guess around 500 a day) it is not the 20 have have read that I need. I have cut out all breads, pasta, sweets totally but I guess before I keep going on with this am I ok with 70 - 100?

Thanks for your time,
K7Maker

Various low-carb plans are available, ranging from ultra-low carb (Atkins) to not-so-low carb (one example is Carbohydrate Addicts). My strong suggestion is that you arm yourself with knowledge; go to the library and/or bookstore and read up on the various plans until you find one that you can live with. Simply cutting down on carbs without much of a clue what you're doing or why will only lead to frustration and disappointment. My humble opinion, anyway.

Rachel

Yep! Listen to Rachel. It's really important to know what you're doing and why you're doing it. Cutting out all breads, pasta and sweets is a good start. Low carb is a way of life, not a diet and any movement towards a low-carb way of life is a good one.

Karen

K7= "am I ok with 70 - 100? "

That is one the frequently asked questions listed in Protein Power. Here is their response:
"If you are overweight or have any of the other problems we have been discussing, cutting back a little on your carbohydrates won't accomplish much. If you indeed have one of these disorders, you have damaged insulin receptors. The only way to repair them is to get your insulin level down and let them heal. A little bit of carbohydrate cutting won't do that-it has to be fairly drastic, as in the Phase I Intervention. Only then can you expect the long-term benefits you really want."

I know that it is hard but you really do have to somewhat shock your body into healing itself. Good luck.
Donna

k7maker,
if it helps , don't cut cold turkey from 500g carbs to 20g in 1 day.. give yourself some time - say 4-5 days to go down. While i don't know how much carbs i have been eating before, while i was reading Dr Atkins New Diet Rev. book, i was slowly cutting down and when i finally finished the book - i went on the 20g carb. The first two weeks are the hardest in my opinion, so plan it, what to eat, what not to eat, when to start etc.. keeping a log helps very much.

As was stated before knowledge is a must. I find when I eat eneough protiens I'm really not hungry for the highe carb foods. Eggs and cheese at staples for my non carb meals and I have some kholrabbi or cauliflower to crunch on. Alsso I am becomming addicted to piggy puffs(pork rinds) for a snack.Right now while fresh fruit is in season I save all my carbs for them.
Good luck and have a ggod one.