Will I lose weight if I stay under 20 carbs a day...no matter what I eat...just as long as I stay under 20????

Its different in different people. For me, I stall if I eat less than 20grams and I lose if I eat at least 30 grams.

There is also the question of the quality of the carbs you eat. You should get these 20 carbs from salad items and veggies - not from sugar or starch - and they should be spread out through the day.

Apart from that you should eat unprocessed meat, poultry, eggs and fish (in all cases with the fat left on).

You eat until you are satisfiied - not stuffed and drink at least 2 litres of water a day.

On this the majority of people will lose weight.

I was just wondering...I have been doing Atkins for about 6 weeks now....and have been having CRAVINGS!!

I am no expert, but.....

Here's my .02. I believe that you can loose weight as long as you stay under 20 carbs no matter what you eat. Now here is the real question.. Is this healthy?? I think not. I believe that is important to balance out your meals and eat tons of veggies. Dr. A didn't say that most of your 20 should come from veggies for no reason. Plus if you just eat whatever you won't experience all the benefits of being lc. Like energy and regularity (if you know what I mean). Also so what's to stop you from going over your carbs with eating whatever??

Now I don't know your situation but this is just my thoughts on the subject. I hope this helps KristiB.

Good Luck!!

On the Atkins site there are some articles about the glycemic index, check those out. Basically some foods will be converted into glucose faster then others, causing a larger insulin spike. Starches and sugars would cause an insulin spike larger then veggies or other fiber rich foods of an equal carb amount. Insulin rushes can result in cravings, weight problems and so on. The goal of Atkins is to balance blood sugars for better health.

If you stick to the induction list of acceptable foods, it should be ok. If you eat nothing but meat and then enough chocolate to equal 20g, there is a good chance you aren't going to be losing.

Some people do well with just cutting out refined sugar and flour and not watching carbs or GI. It depends on the person, how insulin resistant they are and so on.

If you eat 20 grams of carbs a day but eat 4000+ calories, you will gain weight. There are a lot of discussions on here about a calorie is not a calorie. But at the end of the day, if we put more fuel in our body than it can consume, it will store it as fat.

The important thing about LC is the metabolic advantage, but it can't be abused and still expect to lose weight.

H

Another note.....your metabolism is a machine so to speak (one of precise chemical reactions). The idea of spreading your carbs evenly throughout the day makes. sense. Think of your body as a car. A car's engine runs smoothly when there's enough fuel for it , right? Well imagine your "car" if you put a bit of fuel in the morning, nothing in the afternoon, and then a ton a night. It wouldn't run very smoothly, it might even stop completely if it runs out. I think that is one reason why the "processed" type foods are worse for you, most of them have lots of carbs. I mean you could probably still have chips say....but the rest of the day you'll have to have only meat.

I don't think your body is so simple that it can't compensate and adjust a bit, but if you are taking most of your carbs in at one meal, you may stall even if your under 20 g. That's one reason why little meals several times a day are best for your metabolism. Food is fuel....it keeps your metabolism working when you keep feeding it. Just make sure that frequent feedings don't mean too big of feedings.....cause calories do matter. If you don't drive off your fuel (exercise) than there's left overs at the end of the day....and we end up holding it all in our tanks don't we????

Have you read the book? If not, please do so. There is no reason to stay below 20 grams of carbs a day.

Eat your veggies, stay away from the frankenfoods, load up on water and enjoy!