So as you can see that carbs are not all that neccessary! Mind you, carbs are still neccessary, but just not in quantities that people think they should have.

And thats great that you are IF also. I have tried that to see if I could do it, but its not as pleasant as having my low carb meals! I may however, try it over the weekend or better yet, my 2 days of not cardio, just to jump start my weight loss again. I had a meeting for work today and all that sitting around made me sleepy and just plain psychologically worn out. So I have to start low carbing again tomorrow. Then the IF in the next few days. I'll let you know how I do!

Campmikee: I read your public profile. Have you tried a really good yogurt, such as Chobani, which has about 5 different live cultures. It is a Greek type of yogurt, so its much thicker than the usual store brands. Sometimes taking too many antibiotics will cause overgrowth of the "bad" bacteria...yogurt can help fix this problem...Also, have you seen a product called, Shirataki noodles? they are low in glycemic index, gluten free and basically is a soluble fiber. Alot of people who are diabetics can use this. I cant post the website on here, but just Google Shirataki and it will pop right up. Ive bought this at Whole Foods for about $1.50 per bag. Its in the refrigerated section.

Probiotics are great, but I don't eat any dairy except for ghee. I have tried several different kinds of yogurt, including making my own from raw milk. I cannot tolerate any of it. I eat homemade raw sauerkraut which is has probiotics and Vitamin C.

I've heard of Shiritaki noodles. They're made from yams, right? I'm not eating any starchy vegetables right now. I may try some later, but probably in a less processed form.

I'm not sure I'm convinced of the value of the glycemic index. Fructose has a very low glycemic index, yet it destroys the liver, causes overgrowth of gut bacteria, and even leads to insulin resistance. I am extremely dubious of fiber as well. Have you read "Good Calories, Bad Calories?" Taubes tells the history of fiber, how it was proposed that maybe the reason refined carbohydrates are harmful is because the fiber was removed from them. So far, no studies have shown clear benefits from fiber, but researchers cling to it as an excuse to hold on to the lipid hypothesis, and thereby keep their funding.

Shirataki is made from a yam type of root. Heres their website if you want to read about it.

http://www.house-foods.com/Tofu/tofu_shirataki.aspx

Soluble fiber is helpful to keep you "regular". So I guess if you are "regular" then you wont want this!

They also sell just probiotics, so you wouldnt have to ingest the dairy.

Update on my IF today. I decided to give it a try today since I was not going to be doing any physical activity, bc I had a bad tooth extracted. So here I am with my newly removed tooth and a piece of gauze in my mouth. The novacane hasnt worn off yet, so I dont know if it will be very painful later. Ive had pretty good luck with this kind of thing before, so hopefully it will be the same again. So I went all day without any food. Only drank alot of water. I will eat food in about an hour. To break my fast, Im having broiled fish with vegetables and an avacado. Im trying to do the fasting part of IF today and then Sunday. I have to skip Sat bc Im eating out with my daughter. Then I can get back to it alternating days. Do you do IF on a regular basis? As in all the time? Or is it for a certain amount of time? Well so far, so good!

Yes, I have a pretty regular IF schedule. I eat when I get home from work, usually 5 or 6 PM. I eat as much as I want until bedtime; sometimes I'm done by 9, other times I eat till midnight. On the weekends sometimes I start a little earlier.

Soluble fiber means "food you can't digest, but it ferments in your gut." I have a problem with too much fermentation going on in my gut! I am just as regular with fiber as I am without.

Oooookkk...cool about your regular gut! Ok so skip the Shirataki! Just throwing it out as info...anyway, on Taubes, heres the NY Times slamming Taubes book!

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/07/b...w/Kolata-t.html

I didnt read his book, but I get the idea from all the various sites I visited on his book and beliefs...and you dont think you need fiber?? of ANY sort?? Im sure youre eating fiber and you dont know it! Im not saying we need to pack our colons with fiber, but some is good...

How long have you been doing IF?...What do you think of me trying to do IF for a longer period of time, like for a month or 2...

BTW, I finally got food in me and the gums stopped bleeding. YAY!

No, I'm pretty sure there's no fiber in meat!

Yes, I am eating some fiber again now, since I've brought back sauerkraut, parsley and a little salad into my diet. But I'm not sure it's enough to be worth counting.

I don't mean to discourage you from trying shiritaki noodles - plenty of people here swear by them. They're just not for me.

There are a lot of different sources of information on fiber that have brought me where I am. If you get your hands on GCBC, you could do well by reading the chapter on fiber. I've also been reading a lot about the low-FODMAP diet, which touches on a few fibers such as inulin. There's also a smattering of other sources out there, such as the book "Fiber Menace" (haven't read it) and some articles and blog posts.

I have been eating Shirataki, or else I wouldnt suggest it to you. They are good as a fiber source for me and I like them as a soup with veggies. I have heard of inulin. As a matter of fact, if you eat pasta ever, its in a product called Dreamfields Pastas... tastes really good. Inulin is also another one of these root type fibers!

Yes, I'm definitely avoiding inulin.

I forgot to answer your question about how long I've been IFing. I started last summer. It was hard for about 2 months, then my body adjusted and it's felt totally natural ever since.

Do you find that you lost more weight once you were on IF? Or is that you eat alot more during your window so the weight doesnt just fall off? I cant eat that much with a small window. So today, I ate basically 7-11am and nothing since, but Im hungry now! Its almost time for bed, so maybe I can hold off.

IF has had absolutely no effect on my weight. The reason I like it is because it keeps my blood sugar very stable.

I don't think it affects my daily caloric intake either. I have no difficulty eating over 3000 calories during my eating window.

If you have trouble eating enough, use a longer window. 4 hours is very short! Also, many IFers consume pure fat (or fat in their coffee) during their fasting times. Metabolism when eating fat is pretty much identical to fasting metabolism.

Fat consumption is one reason I am doing a modified Atkins. I am new to Atkins and his concepts. I have been living on the "modern" thoughts of low fat or better fats...so its difficult for me to just start consuming fat! I have to see it works and wont clog up my arteries etc. I do have 1/2 and 1/2 or sometimes heavy cream! in my coffee..is that considered fat?

Oh I see why you are doing IF. My sugar levels were nice just being on Atkins. I ate throughout the day, lost weight, and had no dips or peaks of sugar. Mostly I guess bc I wasnt having much!

My aim is to jump start this diet again. I stopped losing weight all of sudden. But since I started the IF couple days ago, I started losing again. I also added a cardio, so maybe that helped too. I may have to increase me window a little, just to get a little more food in there. Well, I'll see how this goes.

Yes, half&half and heavy cream are both pretty high in fat.

Good for you for keeping a scientific attitude about your health. You might be interested to read "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes. It's a very comprehensive review of diet research from the last century, and a big eye-opener about how the "lipid hypothesis" became medical dogma.

I'll look for it in the library next time.

You think that its ok to eat not much fat in general? When I do eat fat, such as cooking or added to my cooked foods, its usually something along the lines of the "good" fats...olive oil etc. Or if its already in the meat naturally. But again, I dont eat beef much, but stick to turkey, fish, eggs, and chicken. I still cant get myself to eat butter, not gobs of it anyway. I'll have maybe a little bit like to just fry an egg. Do you think eating the bad and good fats has something to do with weight loss or anything else vital?

BTW, Im not liking the IF, with fasting for that many hours, so Im going to make a few windows during the day, as in breakfast, lunch and dinner! So its like a 6 hour window in between each meal. Not IF at all huh?

Look for Kerry Gold or other European butters. They are delicious-taste more like cream than butter. They're also from grass-fed cows so they're full of Omega 3s.

I feel more satisfied when I eat Sat Fat from meat or butter vs. olive oil.