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Picking the Right Low Carb Diet Plan

November 24th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

After doing a lot of research, I have learned that the best low carb diet plan for me is the one that I am most likely to stick with over time. I know my diet weaknesses and my strengths, so this helps immensely in narrowing down the field of diets to just those that are both effective and reputable.

Know Thyself

One of the first steps in determining which diet plan will work best for you is to try to determine what types of foods contributed most to your weight problem. On the flip side, what healthy foods do you most enjoy and in what quantities did I eat these particular foods.

The next step is critical to your weight loss success and requires total honesty. Do a little soul searching and identify those foods that you actually “crave” and are also high in carbohydrates (most likely almost all of them). The answer to this question will point you to a diet that will most likely work for you and evoke the least amount of stress.

Low Carbohydrate Diet Selection

Selecting a low carb diet plan that allows you to eat those foods that you have a natural craving for adds another hurdle to your weight loss success. Ask yourself — Will a very small portion of these foods satisfy me, or will it lead to an out-of-control eating binge? Only you know the answer!

If you are completely honest and understand the diet risks and feel that you can control your eating habits, then this diet may work for you. But if you have any doubts about your will power, find another diet that excludes these food items (if at all possible). Your chance of success will be much higher and you will be able to reach your weight loss goals without the added burden of worrying about controlling your cravings.

A Lifetime Dieter Speaks From Experience

As a lifetime dieter, I know what I’m talking about. Give yourself an edge and don’t put the temptation right in front of you. Because I am the victim of serious “cravings” for certain foods, I would rather avoid these foods altogether. A taste here or a “smidge” there usually leads to cheating on my diet on a wholesale level. I have found it’s just not worth it!

So, performing a self-assessment can go a long way towards helping you determine what low carb diet plan is right for you. If you are looking to experience a quick weight loss, give yourself the “edge” by being honest and doing your diet plan homework. It will pay off in an easier, less stressful weight loss experience and greater satisfaction with all of the pounds that you lose.

How I Began My Low Carb Diet

May 16th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

My name is Katie and I thought that I would share my dieting experience with you. If you are overweight and have gone through the same diet merry-go-round that I have, you will appreciate my story. However, this story is far from over. I am still losing weight with my low carb diet and still have a ways to go to meet my weight loss goal.

So, why not join me in my journey to a “thinner” me? And don’t be shy about leaving your feedback and comments, it makes the experience even more rewarding and fun!

So here’s the start to my weight loss quest:

I suddenly woke up in the middle of the night – I remember the date was March 31, 2007. I just couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about how overweight I was and how so tired I was of thinking about it and worrying about it all the time.

I laid in bed thinking about my sister-in-law, who had just lost 40 pounds. It took her 8 months and involved workouts at the gym five days a week. It was a slow agonizing process for her, but in the end she did it. She has always been a person with tremendous will power though, and I am sure that was her secret.

As I laid there, I couldn’t help but think about how my mother would brag to me about my sister-in-law’s success. She would tell me how great it was that she was now so slim and how she would work out everyday (my mother likes to exaggerate a bit). I know what she was up too, though. This is her way of shaming me into losing the stupid weight.

But it is my husband that takes the more direct approach. After seeing me agonize through more diets than I can remember (and fail at each), he told me he is taking the “show me” approach before he would get very excited. He was looking for me to show him the “I want it at all costs” attitude that had been missing with all the other diets. Of course, who could blame him. I can get pretty cranky and ornery when I am dieting. I also have been known to vent my frustration with the food cheating and lack of results on him. Poor fella!

But what made the difference this time? I can trace it all back to that one particular night when I had finally decided to take control once and for all. It was that “I want it at all costs” moment for me!

How To Determine The Best Low Carb Diet To Lose Weight

May 14th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

A low carb diet has many levels and variations, but the common characteristic of almost all low carbohydrate diets is a dramatically reduced intake of certain food types. Now, it’s no secret that the best low carb diet to lose weight isn’t going to work for everyone. But this can be said for any type of restricted diet for the purpose of weight loss.

Regardless of what type of weight loss plan you select, you need to consider various aspects of the diet from a health standpoint. Even with the high protien and low carbohydrate diet, certain health considerations need to be addressed.

A controlled carb eating plan will certainly affect your physiology and your system’s balance. You are well aware of your eating pattern and habits before you decided to try a low carb diet plan. Now consider the significant change in food consumption with your diet, including the types and quantity of food you are now eating.

You will obviously note changes in the functioning of your digestive system, waste elimination, and energy levels. This should be expected. But you also need to consider the following when starting a controlled carb eating plan:

Diet History

How have you responded to other diets that you have tried? Pay particular attention to how your body reacted to the diet, how long you stayed with the diet, and why you abandoned the diet plan. Be honest with yourself and you will gain some real insights into your dieting mentality (strengths and weaknesses).

Medical / Family History

If you have a family history of diabetes and have been told by a doctor that you are displaying early symptoms of the disease, a low carbohydrate diet may be a proactive approach to controlling the onset of this progressive disease.

Eating Habits

Are you particularly sensitive to carbohydrates? If you have experienced 1) strong food cravings even though you weren’t hungry, 2) a feeling of fatigue between meals that could only be overcome with a “quick “snack, or 3) felt sluggish right after a meal (especially one high in starches and sugars), this is very symptomatic of people with carb sensitivities or glucose intolerance. If you fit this profile, a low carbohydrate diet may be the preferred weight loss option.

Regardless of your good intentions to start a diet, you need to search your soul and try to find the answer within to one critical question; “Am I willing to make a permanent change in my eating habits?” If the answer is not a resounding “YES”, then it will not matter what diet you select. Without this steadfast commitment to dietary change, any weight loss will be short-lived. This is the time to suck it up and decide to change your life, and health, for the better. Don’t you really owe it to yourself?

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