My husband is one of those people who never gains a pound, no matter what or how much he eats.

He has been eating low-carb along with me on Atkins, and I'm worried about this. He says he's fine, and we are eating well, but I worry that it might be affecting him. He very rarely gets sick, but last week, he caught a brutal chest cold.

Should I try to encourage him to include some potatoes or noodles or breads in his meals? He says he's fine. (I suspect he doesn't want to tempt me, although I feel no such temptation.)

Are there people who should not low-carb?

I wouldn't worry about him following along, it is a healthy eating style. And I bet it makes him feel good to be helping you out!

My husband is also on it, but he needs to be, and in some weird way this is a good thing. I have never dieted with my husband before, but he is a great support! For the first time in our lives together, over 17 years, he finally knows what I weigh. And I actually trusted him enough to tell him!

Welcome his support, it is a very good thing! And if you are two worry about his eating, surprise him with a baked potato even now and then at dinner!

Hi Christine,

according to Atkins people with kidney disease should not do this WOE at all. I have a thin husband and he continues to eat his carbs as usual, that doesn't bother me at all.
How nice and supportive of your DH to do this!
Good luck!
Alina

I wouldn't worry about this WOE harming your husband unless he has kidney problems. I remember seeing another thread where a Forum Moderator posted that her immune system has ACTUALLY been boosted by this WOE, and that bad illnesses have just been bad luck.

colds are a virus strain - i would not worry about that.

my husband is tall 6'1" and thin 135 pounds. he is eating with me too--i suspect he also does not want to tempt me. breakfast he has carbs, i make bread and biscuits for him. in general he feels better and had to quit taking vitamins because they are keeping him awake/fidgety. we are eating so many vegetables that we did not eat before- we both think that is why he feels so healthy.

ally

If he says he's fine, he's probably fine, right? If he doesn't need to lose any weight, however, it would probably benefit him more to be on maintenance levels. Have you taken a look at Atkins for Life. Some good ideas of how to integrate more foods and create a workable way of eating that is not focused on weight loss.

So nice that he's joining you even though you're trying to get him to eat pasta!

My dh is thin, too...and so are all of my children. I have to cook an entire meal every night that I can eat very little of. Be glad he's willing to go along with you! I agree, though, that he should be eating at maintenance levels. I would go ahead and get him eating some grains...just go the whole foods route instead of the white, enriched, processed garbage. Buy whole grain breads and brown rice and let him have at it.

Tricia

Do some research on the Sugar Busters or Zone diets to get a better feel for complex carbohydrates and the like.

It is much easier to succeed on this diet if you main eating partner is doing the same diet, but I'd have him mix in some unappealing side dishes that only he eats, like multi-grain rice, or a small side of wholewheat pasta, etc.

Some carrots or the occasional banana may be good as well.

Research the carbs and pick a few that have top vitamins and have lots of natural fibers as well, and he'll be on the road to continued long term health.

Remember that Atkins isn't a well-balanced diet and it is missing a lot in the way of nutrition. That is why Dr. Atkins is pretty adamant on taking various supplements while on this diet.

Put your info in a nutrional counter, or perhaps use Fitday to see what vitals you (he) are missing.


Tom C

My DH is also trying to forego carbs, he thinks I'll suffer if I see him eating them. Found a box of chocolates in the garage - that explains why he's started going out there in the evening for no particular reason. He doesn't need to lose an ounce, so I just pre-empt him and fix a serving of rice or pasta or potatoes and then tell him if he doesn't eat it all, I might be tempted. I'm not really worried about his losing weight, since he's eating a lot more fat now instead of lots of empty carb calories. But I've noticed he's losing the love handles.

I'm so glad to see this thread. My husband is also eating low-carb with me, even though he's always been thin. He's 6 ft, and when we started he was 172 lbs. Now he's 158 soaking wet and after a meal ;-).

He lost about ten pounds quickly and then held steady at 162 or so for about six weeks. But now he's begun losing again -- and he isn't happy about it! He has always consumed more carbs than me, and I keep telling him that if he wants to stop losing then he needs to keep upping his carbs until he finds a good maintenance level for himself.

The funny thing is that he's become such a staunch convert that he can't stand the thought of adding rice or carrots or potatoes back into his diet. (He has a major guilt complex). I have managed to convince him to eat one slice of high-fibre bread every morning. But maybe I need to just surprise him with a baked potatoe on his plate every now & then, cuz I know he won't be able to resist it if it's right in front of him. And I'll keep drumming into his head "whole grains are OK!! Real food is OK!!"

Part of the reason he doesn't want to change is because he feels so much BETTER on this diet. Your husband is probably the same. If he's happy, trust that! I doubt very much that low-carb has anything to do with him getting sick.

And Mary... I hear you on the *sharing weight* thing. My husband has never known how much I weigh either (until now). I only revealed the awful truth to him a couple of weeks ago.... and he barely batted an eyelash. It's so FANTASTIC to have support... I can't imagine trying to be successful at this while living with someone who insisted on eating "the old way." Kudos to all of you who are managing to stick to it while watching your family eat flour sugar and starch!!

Aren't we lucky to have found wonderful mates My DH is supportive but being thin he needs carbs. I fix him whole wheat pasta, brown rice, beans and legumes that seems to have done the trick. The lowcarb treats and desserts seem to satisfy his sweet tooth and if I lose control it's okay I can eat it too.
Pat S

My skinny boyfriend is LCing with me, too... He actually wanted to lose a bit of weight (he used to be a super skinny 5'9" 135, and gained to 160 in the past couple of years). He lost a bit (down to 152) and is actually wants to lose more, although I think he looks just fine. If anything he just needs to go to the gym, not lose weight! So he's secretly hoping to lose weight and I'm secretly hoping that he doesn't. Do you guys think that the weight loss will just platuea off for him now that he's at a good weight? Or have you heard of people who just keep on losing and losing? He definitely is getting in enough calories, so I think he'll be OK, right? I don't think he'll let me add any carbs back in- he is such a major low carb convert now!