Mee toooo, I was just pointing out that apparently it's individual.
I HAVE to stay away from recipe threads, which are wonderful,btw, because it makes me think I can eat whatever I want. And "I" can't. I am not new to LC, I am very new to ZC because I failed at LC. I need to KISS, and how much more simple is meat and water. My health is fine and I am seeing numbers slide down, this WOE is not hard or unsustainable and it puts eating and food and insulin and moodiness and deprivation feelings way WAY behind me.
YMMV

Someone should start a Zero Carb recipe thread. Where should it go - buddies & challenges? Paleo? I dunno.

Maybe it's just silly. Do you cook your meat? Do you do anything special with organ meats? Bones? Do you eat it hot, cold, or frozen? Do you render fat? Do you use eggs or butter? Coconut oil?

I keep thinking of more questions. Do any zero carbers ferment meat, fish, eggs or fat?

Of course, technically eggs and organ meats aren't zero carb, but I didn't get the impression that they're banned from ZC.

I see that there are a lot of different answers here. So of course mine is going to irk some people. For myself for now, I am aiming at under 50 grams, I won't cry if on somedays it is lower than 20. I refuse to go higher than 50 until I have been at this for several months. I think I went into carb withdrawl for a couple of days, I couldn't get my raging hunger under control except by having something to eat of course. I think if I had been on a low fat diet I would have binged on pasta( I know I would have) my calorie count would have been very high instead of just high. I have no problem with putting away 8-10 ounces of pasta(dry), plus nearly half a jar of spaghetti sauce and lots of parmesan cheese. Then I will be hungry a couple hours later and have what ever.

Personally I don't think 150-170 is low carb, it's pretty close to what the food pyramid allows.

I think some people have an addiction to carbs that is bad enough that they need to go ZC and instead of harping at them that they don't get enough fiber, maybe they should be asked if they have any problems with elimination. If they don't then leave it be.

I will probably not go ZC, I like vegatables and fruit, I will however go easy on the fruit and stick to lower carb ones.

My limit was 50 carbs a day, then because weight loss got so slow (didn't help that the rheumatologist gave me a drug that caused carb cravings, which I had not had) I tried reducing even that. But now my sleep isn't as good -- I have fibromyalgia and severe osteoarthritis -- and I'm wondering if I should go back to my 50 carb limit. Most of those 50 carbs were from home-grown root vegetables. I don't know, just keep experimenting, I guess, and be happy that even in winter, with 2-1/2 weeks on a med that made me want to eat carbs, I still lost 2 lbs in a month. I'd love to hear any advice!

Tobysgirl - are you gluten free? I believe that can help with fibromyalgia.

I've heard that eliminating nighshade vegetables can help with rheumatoid arthritis, but I don't know about osteoarthritis.

Oh nooooooooooooooooes, don't take away the night shade vegatables. They are my favorites.

If you don't have a problem with them, then enjoy!

I never believed I could give up tomatoes, but I did. And I never believed that if I could give them up, I wouldn't miss them. But I don't! It's amazing what feeling better does to your tastes.

I still can't give up peppers, though. I keep the quantity small, and much of the time they're fermented, but I still have them pretty frequently.

Well since pasta is no longer part of my diet, my use of tomatoes is way down. But, my use of egg plant is way up.

Not each of us needs or wants to limit our intake of veggies.
I love my tomatoes and will never give them up!

I am so glad I gave up veggies. I feel so much better and no more IBS symptoms.

Meat, water, sometimes eggs, cream, butter and some cheese. It's all so good and no cravings. Awesome

Thanks, Capmikee, for this info. I've never heard of this, and it's always great to learn new stuff. I have been tested for gluten intolerance, and don't have it, and I've not been eating gluten since LCing. My husband is gluten-intolerant, so neither of us eats wheat, etc. I have heard that aspartame can cause fibromyalgia, and I personally can attest to its migraine-inducing powers! I've also heard that citrus and nightshades can aggravate arthritis; both of them are calcium-depleting. I've been eating tomatoes even without eating pasta: Italian sausages or my homemade meatballs (no grain) are very good in homemade tomato or eggplant sauce.

This site is terrific; it is so nice to know people who are interested in food and how it affects their bodies! I wish I had some friends who were interested in this stuff!

I rarely go below 20 anymore...and average anywhere between 35 - 80 carbs a day. Sometimes more, but rarely above 100 unless I am cheating.

Wow, that's dedication! Good for you. Are you dairy-free too?


I didn't know that. But I've heard that MSG has a lot of the same effects as aspartame. One of the studies "proving" that MSG is safe used aspartame in the control group!


I think the problem with citrus is oxalates. I'd like to learn more, that's about all I know now. Other foods containing oxalates are nuts, seeds, grains, and dark green vegetables. Sesame seeds are supposed to be particularly bad.

I've been trying for over 3 years to improve my health with diet. I've had enough success to keep trying, but there are always setbacks. It gets so frustrating!

Okay this is a REALLY long thread that I can't read right this minute but I have a question:

How many carbs is Atkins Lifetime Maintenance?

I always thought it was 30?

See, I am trying to get pregnant but when I do get pregnant I heard you can ONLY to do the Atkins Lifetime Maintenance Level of Low carbing so I was curious how many carbs a day that is

please answer in my journal (or here but mention my name so I see it)

thanks so much!

Capmikee, no, I confess I am not. I LOVE dairy, especially raw organic milk from beautiful Jersey cows. But I keep the milk consumption way down due to the carbs. I can buy nice butter in Maine from BGH-free cream, but I also love sour cream, cream cheese, good cheese which is my favorite dessert. Going without gluten hasn't really bothered me though I love good bread and pasta; as long as I have enough fat, I seem to have no cravings.

I'm not surprised that MSG has similar effects to aspartame. I know aspartame is made from an amino acid, which is supposedly why it makes you hungry -- your body is looking for all the other amino acids to go with the one in aspartame! Isn't MSG made from an amino acid as well?



I know what you mean! I totally believe diet is the key to feeling better, but I've had to get over my mother's attitude that what you eat is the root of all problems. I have had health issues for a number of years, many of them due to severe sports injuries (nothing like being fat and trying to convince someone that you have athletic injuries!). If it wasn't for my lawyer I would never have seen the rheumatologist who identified my fibromyalgia and severe osteoarthritis. At least now I can work on managing them and learning things like gluten's possible role (which might explain why I felt better when I started LCing).

What setbacks have you experienced?