Hello, Banting!

I'm new here as well. I think you might be interested in my "getting to know you" thread: http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=440407

I read the Elliot book last week (not all of it - just the beginning part where she lays out all of the pertinent details). It seems pretty cool, and I'm doing something fairly similar, but adapting it a bit.

First off, I'm vegan, so no eggs and dairy. Also, I'm currently doing c. 100-113 carbs a day instead of her suggested 60-80 (or less). Also, since she is a food writer and not a nutritionist, I'm not quite sure the nutrition of her eating plan is 100% optimal. I don't think she stresses optimal nutrition enough. Specifically, I have some concerns that the eating plan would be somewhat low in the B vitamins, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc (and possibly a few other things). I also think she unnecessarily prohibits legumes. I have been eating a decent amount of beans and lentils and still losing weight. Legumes are such an important protein source for vegans and vegetarians, so I think it's best to figure out how to adapt the diet to accommodate the carb content. After all, at some point most people that low-carb eventually get to a point where they start eating more carbs again, right? Why not include beans from the get-go? Same thing with nuts. Yeah, you should count the carbs from nuts for sure, but I don't see any reason to limit intake when you're low-carbing. I think one should cut carbs in other areas before they'd ever think "man, I'd love some almonds right now, but I can't afford to take in the 3 carbs!" That's ridiculous.

But in general, I like her approach to eating. Reading the book helped me confirm lot of the ideas that I already had.

Anyway, it seems that vegans and vegetarians are in short supply here, so hopefully we can share tips and info.

Best of luck to you!