Hi All,

I just thought I'd share this with you all. After some pressure from someone who is convinced low carbing is going to give me a heart attack I decided to do an experiment for a week which was to include wholegrain carbs in my diet and cut down on meat, cheese, eggs etc. The reason I did this was to see if a wholegrain carb diet with no white flour, sugar, sweets etc etc. would make me put on weight. I included whole oats, brown rice, beans etc but no refined products at all and I didn't eat that much at all, certainly my calorie count was lower than on low carb.

Result: I tried it for three days. My waist measurement went up by 1 and a half inches and I gained two and a half pounds. Besides that I felt bloated and uncomfortable and had a sickly sweet taste in my mouth.

I decided to abandon it after three days- at that rate a week would see me blow up like a balloon!

The moral of my story: I'm going to stick with what suits me. I look and feel better on a low carb diet and now no one can persuade me otherwise- I've done my own research on that!

All the best
Alison

An interesting experiment Alison. I think many of us find that the blowing up occurs. I think carbs need different bacteria to digest them in the gut.

I know I am happy eating this way and feel totally healthy. Good for you on returning to low carb and I'm sure those extra pounds and inches will be gone in the next week or so.

Alison

Everyone I know keeps on telling me it's bad cause of the negative press attention Atkins is getting. So I don't mention the A (Atkins) word and just tell them I'm eating a low carb diet. Most people just nod and go oh right cause the not sure what it is!

Mind you my sister is now a convert after being very unsure about it!

K

Hi Anne and Satine,
It's certainly a lesson in listening to my own body and not taking notice of other people's opinions. The next person who says anything will be told to try it for themselves before they knock it!

In the book I started off with 'Life without bread' there's a really good explanation of how the body deals differently with carb metabolism. I read it and it made sense and yet STILL I let someone talk me into doing something that I wasn't sure of.

It makes you think how much the negative publicity is scaring people away from something potentially life changing. It's very irresponsible of the scaremongers to do that with so little knowledge.

Anyway, I know the pounds and inches will go, I've just set myself back a bit.

All the best
Alison

Alison

Don't think of it as a setback - think of it a scientific experiment with a negative result?! And you know that as soon as you get back on low carb eating for a few days the bloating will magically go away and so will any weight gain.

I've had several plateau's since starting but now I'm not bothered about the scales cause I (and others!) can see my body shape changing even though the scales aren't!

I've also read "Life Without Bread" and I thought it was a great book. Bit scientific in places but as you said it explained what carbs do to out poor not so little (in my case) bodies. It also gave me the confidence to increase my carbs from an Atkins and self induced 20g and seems to have kick started the wieght loss a little.

Good luck and enjoy all those things you used to think were bad - I do!!

K

I have to agree about the bloating. When I went away for a weekend a few weeks ago, my eating went a bit awry. I noticed very quickly how bloated and uncomfortable I felt.

I'm sure more people would see the benefits if they just tried it instead of trotting out all the negative things they've read about this WOE.

Hi Alison!
I just hope you told the person who convinced you to eat carbs how your experiment turned out; perhaps he/she will leave you alone now. I am convinced people like that are weak minded and cannot stand for strong minded people to think for themselves nor for people to succeed. I just hope it wasn't a friend of yours who convinced you to eat the carbs.

I experimented with my body several times with breakfast foods long before I knew about low-carb eating plans and Atkins. I found that if I ate a bagel, toast, bowl of cereal-hot or cold-or fruit for breakfast, I would be ravenous within 1-2 hours. Fruit was the worst offender; usually I'd be stuffing my face with something else after about 45 minutes. But, if I ate two or three boiled eggs and/or some other type of protein, I wouldn't be hungry until lunchtime. Even by then, I would't be ravenous; it would be normal hunger.

Now that I'm on Atkins, I don't ever have to worry about being ravenously hungry again. In fact, the short week that I've been on Atkins I've only experienced mild hunger pangs. That in itself is a refreshing change from the normal sharp hunger pangs I felt when I was eating carbs. I felt like I couldn't get food down my throat quick enough. Because of that, I was constantly overeating. A typical order for me from Mc'D's was a large or supersize filet of fish meal, sometimes with a vanilla shake, a cheeseburger, and an apple pie. Now, I can't bare the thought of eating all of that.

I personally have been very guarded with whom I share my new way of eating. There are many people, friends and family being the worst offenders, who would take great pleasure in trying to sabotage my efforts. This is the main reason why I'm glad I found this forum. I KNOW the people on here will ALWAYS be happy and excited for my success and won't, in any way, try to sabotage me.

Hope to see you and some of the other posters in chat sometime.
Deeanna

I immediately get bloated if I have too many carbs!! That was the first thing I noticed when I started this WOE! Before I would bloat up after every meal and if I was going out to dinner I always wore a long top so I could unzip my pants to get some relief!

Isn't it awful that when you mention the "A" word around people or lowcarb in general how many folks that have never read the book start preaching to you!!! It just drives me crazy! If I get negative remarks I just say, "Well, gee, I feel better now than I have in years and I HAVE READ THE BOOK AND THE SCIENCE BEHIND THIS WOE, HAVE YOU?" Ugh! Don't get me started...........

Hi all,

The good news is- I've lost a pound and don't feel bloated any more (haven't measured my waist yet).

To be fair to the person who persuaded me- he is extremely healthy and fit and obviously has no problem whatever metabolising carbs. Also he is from a macrobiotic background and so is speaking with expertise gained in his own field, not just received wisdom. That's why I listened- he had good arguments not just hearsay. Also, he was/is genuinely concerned.

However, he is coming from a place of excellent health, very high energy levels, no hint of fatique or depression or any of the other problems I experienced. His diet works for him.

I am convinced now though that I do have a problem metabolising carbs, my body obviously works differently and I'm glad I know that!

It's still a good lesson in physical self awareness, not just taking on board other people's regimes however well they might have worked for them.

Best to all
Alison

Alison,

Glad to hear you're feeling better. I was really interested in your experiment, goes to show that we are all very individual. Like you said, what your friend eats suits him, but that certainly doesn't mean it will also suit you or me.

Btw, the weight gain and bloating you felt was mostly due to water retention. Once you stopped eating grains, it just went away. It wasn't actually a real weight gain.

carbs make me puffy as well I find when i fall from the wagon and go back to my awful eating habits of carbs I get the runs for the first day and cant get my wedding ring on I puff up like the michelin man. I have been of atkins for about a week and a half and have ballooned up so back to Atkins today!!

phew I am glad that someone else pops on and off atkins - some days I just don't seem to have the motivation I once did? like today doing really well - open tin of roses chocolates at my parents - so 5 or 6 later Then will be fine tonight - I think lunch times are my down fall actually!

if find it hard to resist chocolate when I have my TOM I am like a woman possesed!! lol.
I am back on this woe with a vengance today I have about three weeks to loose weight before I go to Blackpool to meet the other low carbers from this site!!

If you really need choc why don't you try Sweet and Low milk choc or Woodies Choc Orange bars? Holland and Barrett sell Sweet and Low and you can get both on www.avidlite.co.uk. Don't eat loads though as it has a bad effect on the tummy!

It might help you through abd stop you falling off though?

K