So what is the real deal about behind Low Carb success? Is it a metabolic advantage that Dr. Atkins claimed? Can you eat all you want till you feel satiated and still lose weight? Or can the weight loss be due to reduced calorie intake?
I will share with you some of my experience and thoughts…. While on the low carb diet my appetite did drop drastically to the point that I was skipping lunch and just eating a good hearty breakfast and dinner with a veggie snack in between. My calorie intake did drop and my food cravings were non-existent.
I was having muscle cramps due to not enough potassium so this past week I have been increasing my food intake to ensure that I get all necessary vitamins and minerals. Eating this way I eat 3-4 meals a day. I do not feel hungry but I eat anyway. My calorie and carbohydrate (veggie sources) intake have increased. I have not counted the calories, but have deliberately increased the amount of food eaten. I have not decreased portion sizes at all. My food cravings are still non-existent and I am feeling full all day.
I am eating a lot of low carb food but I am not bloated, or have digestive issues, or cravings and no binges! All of these nasty side effects would have happened if I had eaten grains and legumes.
Did this extra eating result in extra weight gain? – Nothing. No weight gain or weight loss.
But… I do weight bearing exercises.
So to me the metabolic advantage does not matter. The benefit to the low carb dieting lies in how my body physically reacts to it.
The critics can claim that low carb works because of calorie restriction yet I can easily balloon and gain 5 lbs in a day if I eat high carb and have all the above mentioned nasty side effects.
The diet to choose is the diet that makes you feel good. This is important because diets are meant to be a way of life and not “just a diet”. You should be able to continue with this way of eating even when weight loss stalls or you have reached your goal.
What about you?
* what has your experience been?
* Do you think that eating low carb has a metabolic advantage?
* How do you feel when you eat low carb?
