I been LC for 2 weeks and I see no difference.
Well I did my own LC diet. I eliminated pasta, and bread. I bought a low carb cook book and excersiced the whole 2 week, missing about 3 days out of it. I binged only once, but yet and still. I look the same. it's depressing. The only thing I can say is that, now it is easy for me to pass up bread and pasta.
i wanted to loose 60lb by august. I don't know if I can do it now.

"I binged only once, but yet and still. I look the same. it's depressing."

Um... I don't know what to say here. Were you "binging" on Low carb approved items? Like did you eat too much turkey? Or were you binging on ju ju bees and vanilla ice cream? If this is the case, you my dear, were indeed NOT low carbing. Aside from simply buying a low carb cook book and exercising, you need to read either The South Beach Diet book, or Atkins... those will explain step by step what you can and cannot eat. It's not surprising at all that you didn't lose when you weren't actually following the diet as outlined. Buy the book and try again! We're here to support you! Good low-carb luck!

I would suggest that you actually buy a book particular to a diet..ie..atkins or SB or CAD..be it whatever one you chose...and do an honest, clean, proper Induction phase to that diet. Simply cutting bread and pasta isn't going to do it. You should probably adjust your goal to....60 pounds by august is unrealistic and if you lose the weight that fast, you'll most likely be unhappy with the amount of skin that you have just hanging there....you need to commit to this and know that its not a shortterm thing. I'd say just give it another shot..no binging on "illegal" foods.....and hang in there...you can do this..it takes time...but the progress you will see is well worth the wait! Goodluck....i do hope that you find a plan that works for you!

The recipes in the atkins book is nasty. So I just decided to use another cook book. I kind of skimmed through the atkins book long time ago.
however, my boyfrined took me to "long horns" and I had a chili cheese fries with ranch dressing, that is when I messed up. But I didn't think one time would hurt, but I guess it did.

The problem I have with following Atkins or any diet, is that I'm a broke college student. And I would be spending lots of money buying food.

Reading any of the books would give you the education you really need even more if your budget is tight. Without knowing the basics of what to look for, food-wise, you're wasting your time along with your money.

Many of the recipes I have found in LC cookbooks are for the maintenance stage.....either for the amount of carbs they contain or the types of foods that you progress to once you met your weight/health goals.

There ARE many LC recipes out there that are geared for the weight loss stage, but the best advice I received when I first started was to keep it basic and simple. Much more economical too. It doesn't take a "recipe" to put some chicken, steak, hamburger, shrimp, etc. on a plate with two servings of healthy, nutriant dense, LC approved carbs. There are plenty of spices and tasty good fats to keep your meat and veggies from tasting bland.

A cheat now and then probably wouldn't hurt you that bad later on, but in the beginning stages when you are trying to change your motab. and your body is going through carb withdrawals, it can prevent you from losing any weight.

It is really worth it to choose a plan and purchase the book for that plan -- the books aren't expensive. There is so much more with the LC lifestyle than just "low carb" in order to reap the weight/health benefits from it.

I'm on a tight budget too, and haven't found my grocery bill to be that much different. Definitely MUCH cheaper than eating out! I tend to go the store every few days to prevent spoiling/wasting my fresh food -- salad/lettuce is cheap, fresh veggies/fruit go a long way for the money considering the portions I am allowed. I buy family packs of meat, cook it in advance and refridgerate/freeze -- saves a lot of time and I always have a meal handy.

I haven't lost 60 pounds in 2.5 months which is what you stated is your goal.....but I DID lose 60 pounds in 5.5 months ;-). I've never seen a diet work as well as LCing does, both for the immediate health changes and the quick weight loss. I haven't even bothered to shop for new clothes yet cause I'm not staying in one size long enough to warrant it. Easier to just wait until I reach my goal weight.

This really DOES work, give it another try -- this time without even one binge and getting yourself a LC book. I'll bet you'll see a difference in your results
:-).

Being a broke college student didn't cause you to pig out on the chili cheese fries. Buy, read, and follow one of the books or admit to yourself that you are just playing games.

We are here to provide encouragement and support, not to validate fairy tales. If you want to do this seriously then you'll get all the help you need. If you are going to waste your time with the kind of silliness you have engaged in so far then you probably won't find too many people who will waste their time trying to help. The problem isn't even the one time you cheated, it is that your message screams out that you are not taking this seriously. You can make all of the excuses you want, but if you want to stop being overweight you need a different approach. Setting a silly goal followed by adopting a non-plan and then not even following that and then being surprised that you didn't lose - well it speaks for itself.

I really don't seem to sound harsh, but you need a wake-up call.

Rich

When you say you don't "see" a difference, do you mean on the scale, or the fit of your clothes? Both? Neither?



What did your "own LC diet" consist of? Just eliminating pasta and bread, while a step in the right direction, won't necessarily do that much. What were you eating? What was it made from? You exercised, that could mean you're swapping out fat for muscle. A pound of muscle takes up a lot less room than a pound of fat. Do your clothes fit any different?



Well, it's hard to tell, without knowing what you were eating, if you were in fat-burning mode to begin with or not. But the "cheat" would definitely take you out of it. It normally takes about 3 days to get into (or back into) fat-burning mode, out of your two weeks, you would have probably been out of it for 6 of those days, almost half of it.



60 lbs in 3 months? If you were a lot more overweight than you are, maybe. That is a highly unrealistic expectation and you would only be setting yourself up for disappointment.

I agree with everyone else. Find a plan that fits, that you can live with. Low-carb isn't about quick fixes. It's about making permanent changes in your relationship with food. You didn't put it on overnight, it won't go away overnight. Don't conpare yourself with others (I'd be pulling my hair out now if I did that). Your body will lose at its own pace.


Debbie

You dont have to follow the recipes..trust me. This lifestyle..if no other..can be so simple. You can buy cheap cuts of meat and any vegetables..they are especially cheap in the summer...and you really save money by not buying junk food. If you have a college cafe, eat at the salad bar, or get a burger and toss the bun. If you are really serious about this, then you need to check out the book at the library (free), and commit yourself....and not make excuses about the recipes being nasty and the groceries being expensive....i too am a nursing student...and my grocery bill is less now than it ever has been....you need to give this an honest shot if you want to see results and you want everyone here to help and encourage you.....if you make excuses..you're only hurting and short changing yourself. Sorry to sound so straight forward...goodluck

I am a grad student, so I understand about having little money. I also am married with a house and have all the bills that come with that (utilities, house payment, phone, etc). But here is the thing: you have to eat whether you have a little money or alot, right? You have to buy groceries either way, so do a bit of research and find out where/what you can buy that is Low Carb AND inexpensive.

I found a meat market near my house that I will start frequenting alot more. Their prices are wonderful. I got a WHOLE chicken for about $3.00 - that will give us 2 meals for 2 people (or a total of at least 4 servings). Add some asparagus (get it at a local veggie stand or farmers market if at all possible- usually cheaper and better quality) with a bit of bacon and goat cheese, and you have a wonderful, cheap LC meal with leftovers for 2 that is much less per serving than if you'd gone out to eat. This WOE takes a bit of getting used to as far as grocery shopping, but once you commit to it you will find that you feel so much better that it is totally worth it.

Well thanks people for the harsh reality, but I was very very serious about losing weight, and I was very very serious about my diet plan. I don't think I'm being silly or any thing or unrealistic about my weight goal. I'm serious and not playing around.
However I will go out and purchase the Atkin book today, because I now know I'm doing something wrong, but I was very committed to LC. I had a hard time those two weeks. I think it really help me because it introduced me to foods I never ate before.
Anyways Thanks for all the comment it was a wake up call.

Zigga, 10 years ago I was diagnosed as a diabetic and went on a low glycemic diet. I lost 35lbs that I maintained about 10 years until I went on heart medication. BUT I only ate 1200 calories/day and worked out 2 hours per day. The more carbs that you eat the less food you can eat.

You have done a good job quitting bread and pasta, especially if you regularly ate those daily. However your results are showing that you need to cut the carbs more. No need to be depressed, now you know that is the type of metabolism you have. You'll probably have less carb withdrawal and have already taken a healthy first step with what you've done.

Like the others have said its good to start out with a plan when you do lowcarb since there are carbs in things you would never imagine. If you want to drop weight fast you will have to make deep cuts and minimize your cheats. The atkins center website has the induction plan and you can get the book at the library.

I eat a lot of eggs, tuna, chicken, butter and mayo and shop the sales. When you break down the price per serving most of my meals are less then $2.

I hope this encourages you.

Please do not buy the book! You don't have to!!!!!!! I began low carbing while on unemployment and trust me when I say that was tough! Everyone was talking about all these really cool recipes made with items I couldn't even begin to afford! I researched on the internet, visited journals and asked lots of questions! One of the things I looked at when visiting the journals is the stats on folks! I know that sounds wrong, but I wanted the dirt from folks that had been there and were doing that! So, if they showed great success in weight loss then I read their journals and asked lots of questions. Now, I know that folks early in their weight loss have lots to offer, but seriously, I needed info from folks who had already figured it out and made tons of mistakes! Those early in their weight loss are really still trying to figure it all out! For instance, if someone who has lost not even 20 pounds is telling someone to go ahead and eat pork rinds during induction then I think hmmmmmmm...they really don't know yet! But, when someone who has lost a lot of weight says to step away from them until you are closer to goal! Well, who do you want to believe? The one that had been there and done that! I am not putting down anyone's weight loss no matter the amount, but seriously, there are a weath of info available out here that can be tapped into without buying books! I bought an atkins book only to find it focused mostly on the later stages! There is an official atkins site that I found that had the rules of induction and owl and I posted them in my gym log! Feel free to check it out. One thing to watch out for is the self promotion of their frankenfoods! Keep it simple and as natural as you can get it and you will surely lose! Best of luck on low carbing because it is completely worth it! Oh, and a bit of advice...post what you are eating! Sometimes that helps others with their advice and maybe someone will be able to see what is causing the stall!

Miss Scruff thanks for the great advise. but I just came back from buying the book (ooops!) I can always return it within 30 days. But that was great advice. I wish you were the first person to respond to me.

Scruff, your post above makes a lot of sense, and rings true for me as well. I, too, found the best advice from those who had been doing this for awhile, and there are many things that the LC plan books do NOT tell you. My PP books didn't talk about induction flu, symptoms of vitamin deficiency, hair loss, as well as other little tidbits, some of which are normal and others that are signs that you are doing something wrong. If it weren't for this forum, I wouldn't have made it as far as I have.

However, I still disagree with you that purchasing a LC book isn't necessary. IMO, I think the book, research, and a support forum like this one are all equally important.

This is really an individual WOE. Not everybody has the same tastebuds, preferences, and motab. Granted, asking a question in a support forum, visting web sites for the plans, and following others who have been successful are wonderful in too many ways to count, but someone who is new to this can easily not know the right questions to ask or the right information to look for, and risk making some big mistakes.

The LC books give a foundation, explain the "whys" behind the plans, and allow the individual to make educated choices on what they put in their mouths. There is simply too much info to be digested or explained by watching the paths of others.

I checked out the 30 Day Low Carb Diet Solution from my local library to get me started -- a book I was able to read from cover to cover within 48 hours that explained the do's and don'ts without all the scientific jargon. I did purchase the PP books within a month, and they are used more as a reference guide as well as an interesting read on all the technical stuff being the 30 Day gave me great info on the basics....but I don't regret that I have them, and there IS quite a bit of info that I haven't been able to find anywhere else.