I'd been having a lot of problems with hunger since starting to eat lower-carb. I was trying to keep total daily net carbs under 75g or so- which included some higher carb meals and some lower carb meals. I found I was incredibly hungry after the super-low carb meals- I just didn't feel satisfied that way. But I was afraid to eat too many carbs because I remember how hungry and weak I used to get after high-carb meals.

I think the combo of lower carb and higher carb meals was confusing my body. My insulin level wasn't going super low since I'm not doing Atkins induction. So I decided to eat a small amount of carbs with every meal, instead of having some VLC meals and some moderate carb meals.

Reading "Life Without Bread" gave me the idea to think of carbs in terms of "bread units"- so I'm now having 1 bread unit each with breakfast and lunch, one or two with dinner, and maybe one more with a snack, for 3-5 BUs a day. I'm also lowering my total carbs from 75g max to 72g max, but although I'm trying to stay closer to 50.

So far, so good with the hunger and general level of satisfaction!

Ruth,

Glad you found something that works for you - good job. I've also struggled finding something and maybe I'll give that a try.

Hi Ruth,

I think Life without Bread is one of the best low carb books out there -- very informative. I also like the plan because it avoids ketosis -- I don't do well in ketosis, get wicked tired, hungry, irritable and depressed -- kind of the opposite of how most people feel!

Are you still following the plan, and if so, is your hunger still under control?

I'm now doing a modified Protein Power- making sure to keep my protein intake high along with keeping my carbs down. But I haven't been able to keep the carbs under 30g as PP suggests- I'm aiming for 30-40g per day.

I think I needed to cut back on the carbs slowly, instead of jumping into super-low-carb the way Atkins recomends.

I'm also a believer that one does not need to drop so low in carbs to force ketosis in order to lose weight, and several plans out there have shown that to be the case. The important thing is that you have found something that works for you!

Hmm. I strayed from this, inching towards lower and lower carbs thinking I would lose weight more quickly, but the result seems to be just that I'm feeling less satisfied and getting frustrated with this whole WOE.

I think I need to focus less on what the books say I should be doing and more on what my body is actually telling me. I was losing weight and feeling satisfied with 50g of carbs a day; I'm stalling and feeling frustrated with 35ish grams of carbs per day.

You need to stick to one thing for more than a few weeks, try it for a month. Go back to a clean Induction with no substitutes, frankenfoods, etc. Just eat what is allowed on Induction to flush out anything that shouldn't have been in your system.. try that for 2-3 weeks. I try to stay between 20-30 grams a day, every day.

No. I'm starting to feel deprived and my birthday is in a couple of days. I'm going to "shake things up" by having SLIGHTLY higher carbs than I've been doing for the past few weeks, but strictly avoid wheat (which I suspect I may be allergic to.)

Dropping down to 20g a day (which I never did anyway) and not having any cheese or nuts would NOT be a pleasant WOL for me.

When I say clean Induction, I just mean no frankenfoods really.. When I did Induction, I ate cheese, you're allowed cheese. I also ate nuts. That's why under plan, I don't put Atkins, because I don't do atkins. I just eat what I want, when I want as long as its low carb and I stay between 20-30 a day. I eat quite a bit.

You might consider the Insulin Resistance diet. Basically it allows up to 32 grams of carbs in any three-hour window as long as you have at least 1 gram of protein for every 2 grams of carbs. It is a very flexible plan--you can eat just about anything you want as long as you always link the carbs with protein in a 2:1 ratio.

Her rationale is that unbalanced carbs concentrated within that 3-hour time frame cause an insulin surge which is at the heart of fat storage.

I find the flexibility of this plan to be really appealing. It doesn't lead to dramatic, quick weight loss, but slow and steady. And it is a nearly effortless way to maintain. Consider any food you want, reduce it to a max. 32 gram serving and balance it with at least 16 grams of protein.

You can eat up to 90+ grams of carbs or as little as 20 grams per day--it's your choice. The lower the carbs, the quicker you'll lose, the higher the carbs, the better you (might) feel.

why dont you add "Cinnamon" to your way of eating...read up on it you will understand..

http://thyroid.about.com/od/losewei.../a/cinnamon.htm

http://thyroid.about.com/gi/dynamic...es/cinnamon.htm

you dont have to take cinnamon in capsule if you can add it to your applesauce or whatever you want...

I don't exactly understand how cinnamon helps with weight loss if it increases insulin production, when LC is supposed to decrease insulin production, but I already knew that cinnamon helps prevent/treat type II diabetes and reduces insulin resistance.

It also tastes yummy and I've been using it regularly for years. Most days I have hot cocoa and/or mocha with cinnamon.

cinnamon helps with weight loss if it increases insulin??

no no, it helps your sugars (insulin) not to go up...

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/nu...amonbenefit.htm


cinnamom creates a thermogenic burn. It reduces cholesterol levels – in particular, lowering bad cholesterol while leaving good cholesterol the same. It is cinnamon’s effect on blood sugar that makes it a potential help in the war against obesity, insulin resistance, sometimes known as "prediabetes," and the "Metabolic Syndrome." Cinnamon can be used in its powdered or stick form, adding it to drinks and foods, or as a supplement.

hope this info helps

This is the best diet there is. You can learn different things to try from the books, but ultimately, it needs to be something that works for you. I also agree with the person who said you should stick with something for a month or so before you decide whether or not it is working for you. Sometimes it takes a body awhile to adjust, especially if a lot of changes have been made recently.

Im glad you found something that works for you that is awesome