Just wondering what everybodys carb limit is for losing and maintenence.
I know everybody is different, but I was just curious to know if there is an average?
What I know is...
Induction 20
owl ?
maintenence ?

I am trying to get a feel about how ACE and CCL is for different people.

Thank you
Melissa

I've been testing the waters since I'm on month 5 of induction... I don't think it'll be more than 25-30 though, kinda dissapointing, maybe it'll be better when I'm closer to my target weight

I would have thought 25-30 would be low for a man, after reading DANDR. But my "H", who is at goal and has been for awhile, can't take in, on average, more than 30 a day without seeing a weight gain, though slight, at the end of the week. If he goes over 30 a couple of days in a row, he will see as much as a 2-lb weight gain. He gets back down below 30 and the weight drops right back off. (And he exercises...bike, running, weight resistant machine...at least four times a week.) He also isn't young anymore, which may have a lot to do with it.

I think very very few people have CCLM that low, certainly not a physically active male. Immediate weight gain after raising carbs is probably from glycogen being stored in muscles, not fat. I don't think it is possible to gain 7000 calories of fat just by eating 35 more carbs a week .

IMO, to find your true CCLM it is best to go based on how you feel and *not* the scale, the scale will just show you water weight. When your old symptoms start to return, energy drops, etc you know you are eating too many carbs.

By the way, I do think it is very important to raise carbs slowly, starting with the lowest glycemic first. Adding too much stuff too fast might "shock" your metabolism (and in a negative way; not like induction). It will give a false positive that you can't handle many carbs because you went from a very low carb intake to a moderate one instantly.

Type of carb, I think, matters a lot more than quantity, so does what you eat a long with it. 3 grams of super high glycemic maltodextrin (EVIL EVIL) from 2 tablespoons of fake sugar will bring back some of my symptoms, whereas 8 carbs from half an apple with peanut butter will not. So composition and not just quantity is very important, start with whole foods first then add in "fluff stuff" like VLC grain products, fake desserts, grains/tubers, etc.

I think we are going to experiment...on him ...and see if a month on increased carbs, slowly added again, makes a difference. Maybe the weight gain is just a temporary thing and the weight goes up and THEN goes back down and stays there. He does, BTW, have low thyroid and is on hormone replacement. Do you think that could make a difference? (Although it certainly DID NOT with the weight loss...he lost it a lot faster than I did! )

Heck, yes, it could make a huge difference. Not so much if he's getting the right meds, by thyroid issues are notoriously hard to medicate well (too many factors to consider, and a lot of doctors don't bother looking at them all). You may want to see if the meds need to be updated.

I hate it when people say 'but I am sure my limit will only be 25 or so'. WHY? How on earth would you have any idea if you've been on induction for 5 months and haven't advanced through Atkins steps as written? More to the point, there is a BIG difference between CCL and ACE, which you can't know until you're done. At best, it is a stab in the dark. I think ppl maybe say this becuase they like the strictness of induction, and fear being on their own and working it out.

I went through OWL and at some point stopped counting exactly, but probably around 65g most days (I called it 40-80). I didn't know if this was my CCL but didn't add more carbs simply becuase I had difficulty finding ways to add them, without adding too many at once (i.e yeah I could add more bread, but that would be an extra 12g not 5).

The last 3 weeks I have taken a jump and started adding carbs (fairly generously) again in the forms of rockmelon and rye bread and larger yogurt serves, and am now about 80. I would like to go higher still, but rather then eat more fruit etc my next additoin will be more legumes so I am going to wait until I am looking for an ACE rather then pushing my CCL.

To be honest, I think there is a lack of guidance about what to do as you're approaching 100g of carbs in the Atkins books, including Atkins for life.

We have yet to add anything but berries and yellow and red veggies (along with lots more green ones...we follow the list). I will tell "H" to get his thyroid checked again. His synthetic hormone has been adjusted once (lowered) since we started this WOE, and maybe it needs to be adjusted again. It hasn't been 6 months yet, but I guess it won't hurt to see if they will do it again. Thanks for the advice.