O.k., you can all get ready to flame me for what I'm about to say. I'm a 39 y.o., healthy, athletic male who chose the low carb approach to diet after reading how healthy they were....not to lose weight. In fact, at the time I was preparing for a bodybuilding contest. I was following my usual very low fat diet and I just over-did it....my bodyfat was at 3% but I lost to much muscle. I started low-carbing and followed all the rules. I knew I was bound to gain weight because up was the only place to go in the state I was in. However, it snuck up on me and I had gained 10 lbs, most probably fat, in 9 weeks! I just didn't get it! Then it hit me.....most of the people on these diets are some real fatties....they weren't eating a healthy, low fat diet before they started. Low fat diets have been blamed for obesity and flamed to death! I believe that most people who go on a low-carb diet ate burgers, fried, cherry pies, twinkies, and oreos by the box before they started.....so any diet, even Atkins, will make them lose weight. It's real simple....before they stuffed their faces with fat and sugar. Atkins takes away the sugar and there you go.....no miracles here! I'm going back to my old healthy diet where I will be lean and actually have the energy for my workouts. I believe most could profit from a low-fat diet.....low-carbers just don't have the discipline to give up sugar and fat!....end of story.

You're wrong about some of us, at least. I never binged, never overate significantly (couldn't stand the feeling of being stuffed), don't even like sweets particularly, but the weight just crept up on me over the years. I know why--I ate slightly too much and most importantly, I didn't move enough. I accept the blame for that and now I am doing something about it. I use keto dieting because I don't get hungry and therefore I can stick to it and lose fat. I love weightlifting and keto means I can't lift as heavy as I otherwise would, but it's a small price to pay right now because the weight is coming off. And I'm managing to keep up with my workouts, although I am making slower progress than I would on a higher carb diet.

You're welcome to your opinion of course, but that's a vast overgeneralization. Yes, some people who begin low carbing weren't following any particular diet and ate very unhealthy. However, if you do a search and read some of the posts here you'll also find many from those who followed low fat for years and had very little or no success with it or even gained weight on it.
Myself? Twinkies and all that other crap were far from my list of allowed foods. I was following the prescribed diet for diabetics..ADA which is low fat and gaining weight on it as well as having poor control of my blood sugars. That's why I began low carbing...to gain better blood sugar control, which I did in a matter of a few weeks. The weight loss has been an added side-benefit.
Stay away from sugar? You bet! Stay away from fat? Why, since fat is a necessary dietary component for health?

Naturally, in your case, low carb is the way to go! I don't understand why doctors ever thought that low fat was the way to go for a diabetic...their problems with blood fats are directly related to their problem metabolizing sugar....I think that anyone with an insulin problem will do best on an Atkins type diet. My point was, if you are lean and healthy, don't sabotage yourself with a low carb plan.

Burgers -- Only had them once or twice a month.
Fried Foods -- Rarely ate fried foods.
Cherry Pies -- I've NEVER had pie in my entire life.
Twinkies -- I can't remember ever eating a Twinkie except one time in 2001.
Oreos -- Only ate them occassionally and hadn't had ANY since 1999.

From 1999 - 2002, I normally ate a very low-fat diet (5-25% Fat). I ate Pasta, Rice, Bread, Crackers, and drank Soda most of the time. Soda was my one weakness. I almost never ate Candy. I had red meat once every week or two, and even then I kept below 30% Fat. In this same period I gained over 100 pounds and over 1 Foot of waistline.

If you are lean and healthy, a low carb plan can still be of benefit health-wise. Nobody needs the highly processed, sugar-filled crap full of hydrogenated oils that passes for healthy food these days, including those that are already lean and healthy. Thin people get heart disease and have strokes, too. However...there's also no need to go on an ultra low carb plan such as Atkins induction if you are already lean and healthy; maintainance levels of carbs would be appropriate there. What level is maintainance level? That depends on your age, gender, level of activity and a host of other factors. Some who are excercising strenuously can eat up to 100 grams of carb per day or even a bit more and still maintain. Others find that something in the range of 50-80 grams suits them better.
I'm sure you can agree that eating less processed food and more veggies, nuts, lower glycemic fruits, whole grains, adequate amounts of protein and healthy fats while avoiding sugar and transfats couldn't be considered unhealthy? That's what maintainance on low carb is.

There's your problem. For men, 3% is the Essential Fat. I.E. the amount you to live. 5% is considered the lowest safe level of Body Fat for men. If you BF% was really 3%...you were putting yourself at risk. Also, you do not state that you are sure the gain was fat. You say you figure it was. Has this been tested ? What is your current BF% ? LBM as compared to before ? If your BF is still below 5%, you need to put on a little more fat. If your Body Fat is really 3% and you are trying to reduce it, you need professional help...as you likely have an eating disorder.

Walken, I have another set of issues to address. I've never been overweight in my entire life, certainly not by any of the standard measures. However, I suffer from a very high cholesterol and triglycerides level that's part of a family syndrome. I've been on a low-fat, low-cholesterol, high-carb "diet" for about thirty years. (And just to add, most of my carbs were complex carbohydrates--whole wheat bread, whole grains, etc.). And I've exercised religiously for most of that time. My cholesterol and triglyceride levels INCREASED as I got older (still on my stringent--not to say, utterly depressing--low fat diet). My doctor finally put me on a totally vegetarian diet. Lots of beans, buckwheat, whole wheat spaghetti, etc. What do you think happened to my blood lipids? Take a wild guess. Bad enough for me to start on Lipitor.

So here's the deal: I've decided to low-carb (had a few pounds to lose to get to my absolutely ideal weight, anyway). I'm due for another blood test in two months. If, as I expect, my blood lipid levels are BELOW normal--total cholesterol under 150, and triglycerides in the low double digits--I will merrily toss the Lipitor in the trash and continue to eat my protein and monounsaturated fats. And wonder why I was suckered into that horrid low-fat and high-carb eating for most of my life.

Wow , that was a very very broad generalization about fat people and their eating habits...not unlike the general population attitudes towards fat people in general. Actually Atkins has been quite difficult for me so far...Because of all the meat and eating. Before Atkins I ate pretty good (Salads for lunch, no dressings, light dinners with lean meat...blah blah blah). I did drink milk and would have the occaisional chocolate treat. It never worked for my body...My brother in law is a bodybuilder and a personal trainer, actually he placed 2nd in his last competition and does some personal training. He subscribes to alot of the Atkins approach, especially for someone like me that has tried it all and just FAILED again and again and again..Before doing Atkins I was training for almost 2 months with very little change whatsoever. I am sorry Atkins doesnt work for you, you must naturally have a good carb burning metabolism...I however don't....I found your ending a little gruff...It goes a little more to the beat that people on Atkins will succeed and maintain low sugar and high protein diets, maintaining their weight loss and live happily ever after with an open mind and a new lease on life...THE END

Alright, you have all made some very good points here. Let elaborate more on what I am talking about. I WANT TO BELIEVE THAT LOW-CARB IS THE WAY TO GO!.....I mean for atheletes as well as the sedentary for a long term health solution. I don't like going out to eat at restaraunts with my wife and having them all look at me like I'm some kind of nut because the salad is the only half-way healthy thing on the menu. On a low carb diet, there's lots of things you can have. On my regular diet (not low-carb) my meals are very filling, but Spartan and boring indeed! It's a very effective diet. One misconception is that low fat equals low protein....wrong! I eat very little meat but I use alot of protein powders (made with whey, egg, and milk proteins...all are virtually fat free, carb free) to supplement my meals. My carbs consist of only the low-glycemic variety....chickpeas, beans of all sorts, boiled barley, boiled whole rye, oatmeal, boiled whole oats, and green vegetables of all kinds. NO refined carbs whatsoever. Many of you who said you failed on low-fat diets thought you were eating good carbs and you were not....bread, rice, potatoes, all have high glycemic ratings, most more than sugar. The ones that don't have a high glycemic LOAD, which is just as important. Also, here's the news....25% of calories from fat is not low fat! When carbs are present, you're body will not burn this fat, it will become fat on your body! 10-15% is low fat....just enough to allow you the essentials you need to function. Another problem I have with the low-carb/high fat approach is the satiety factor. The logic says that the high fat food will make you full so you eat less. I have not found this to be true. If I'm famished after walking six miles with an 80 lb. backpack I have a huge appetite. After eating my meat veggies and cheese, I'll have some nuts 'cause I'm still hungry....more than likely, the whole can! On my regular diet that allows for high fiber starchy carbohydrates, I can eat till I feel like I'm going to explode even though I have consumed half the calories of the high fat diet.
The bottom line is my regular diet works very well at stripping body fat while allowing you the carbs to have good energy levels. However, it's very Spartan and bland. Also, if you count calories on this diet, it's easy to over do it based on whatever majic number you think you should have.
I can't close without references one comment that was made to my original post....3% bodyfat is unhealthy and you have an eating disorder. In competetive bodybuilding, 3-5% is necessary to place, to even belong on the same stage! Ideally, you stay under 7% year round. I have gone whole summers at about 5% with no effort...I just overdid it when I decided to count calories based on someones recommendation. People who say that low body fat is unhealthy say so because they look like crap and they want to feel better about themselves! Also, I know what I gained on the Low-Carb diet was fat 'cause I can see it....when your bodyfat is below 5%, you can not only see your six-pack but your whole abdomen looks like a road map of veins and striated muscle....I still have a six pack but it looks puffier and the legs look fatter and less defined. As stated earlier, I want to adapt to a low-carb approach.....to maintain year round low body fat and to be healthier. Early homo sapiens did not eat starch foods. They ate lots of meat, fat, and healthy green vegetables. This is the ideal for our genes. Why can't I make it work for me? I'm hoping that maybe my weight gain was just a "rebound" due to lowered metabolism of calorie restriction I had accidentally induced upon myself. I just don't know. Maybe years of eating miniscule amounts of fat have damage my fat burning metabolism? I know that many on this website are good for throwing out studies and stats to back their claim....well, my mind is open and I want to hear them all! I would much like to be a lifetime low-carber!

I'd love to know which restraunts you're going to. LC Friendly restraunts are few and far between. The only LC foods are usually the Salad and Entree. The choices for sides are usually Hi-Carb, Hi-Glycemic, Starchy Foods. Though, I have found a few who will substitute something LC for the High-Carb Starches. Hopefully, more restraunts will catch on and start offering more LC Choices. But, looking at how you ate (Low-Glycemic)...I can understand the trouble finding acceptable foods at restraunts.



It does if you follow the USDA Guidelines, which call for 30% Fat/60% Carbs/10% Protein...which you obviously aren't doing.



That is a step in the right direction. Studies have shown that eating only Low GI Foods is an effective diet...But, as you said earlier, it is hard to find restraunts serving Low-GI foods.



The problem here is that the AHA, USDA, and most Dieticians/Nutritionists don't preach Low-GI. They preach LF/HC with lots of Grain, Fruits, and Starchy Vegetables. Those following their suggestions will be eating lots of Hi-Glycemic Carbs.



30% is the level set by the AHA/USDA/et al. It is the level we've all been told to eat below for optimum health. As I stated, my intake was 5-25%. It could be anywhere in that range. Some days, I would eat 5% Fat, other days I'd eat 25%.



When I exercise heavily, I find that I'm famished. That is a side-effect of exercise. You need some carbs after a heavy workout, but not too many. I prefer to eat these (LC Beans and LC Fruits) first, then eat meat and vegetables.



3% is the essential body fat for a man. The essential body fat is that around the organs, that protects them. If you go below 3%, you will lose some of the protective fat around your organs.



Even when I was rail thin, I was above 3% Body Fat. I felt fine about my body fat until I went past 16%.



That there is the reason I never wanted to have a BF% that low. A 2 inch waist, veins bursting out of the arms, and muscles the size of a small car may look good to some people. But, to me it just doesn't look right. A 32-36" waist, ABs that show, and visible muscles is all I want.

Gee, I read a post written by you dated July 11, 2003. You indicated that you switched to low carb diet and gained 9.5 pounds. Your face looked healthy, but your body was still lean. Which is it? On one post you indicated that you gained some weight but your body did not appear fatter. However, on this post, you indicated that you gained 9 pounds of fat. I'm confused. Did you change your mind?

I think you have entirely missed the point that the carb level each of us needs to consume is different based upon lifestyle while each of us is following a low carb approach. At 5'l" with a desk job often consuming 80 hrs per week I CANNOT consume the same carb level of my 6'3" husband who is walking constantly on his job. We both eat low carb. You are right on point about glycemic load. Dr. Atkins goes into great detail about that. When I deviated from the nutritional approach that I was taught in high school (oops my age is showing) to follow the low fat edicts of the late 60's to present, the pounds began to creep on while I remained extremely active physically.

I think that it is a personal choice as to which way of eating you believe works for you. We are all different and for some low fat does work better than low carb - case in point, my DH. He tried low carb for a while and the higher fat content seems to cause him to gain. I on the other hand cannot eat low fat - I did it all through college and ended up 40 pounds heavier. (Exercised about 3x/week)
So he does low fat, I do low carb and we are happy that way without one trying to convince the other of who has a more correct way of dieting.
Walken, you will have to decide for yourself what you believe is best for you, and obviously put up with the good and the bad of that lifestyle.

Nope, no flame from me... it's not worth the effort!