Low Carb Diet 101

For those of you who are new to LCE (LowCarbEating), or for those of you who have embarked upon this type of diet without reading up on it (for shame!),we are providing the following information. This is not a scientific explanation. Nor is it a diet. It's our own personal understanding of how and why LCE'ing works. We strongly urge you to do more detailed reading and check out more about the world of LC.

You are obviously here because we share a common enemy: fat.

• You want to get rid of said fat.
• There's only one non-surgical way to do that: use it up metabolically.
• Your body will not burn fat for fuel so long as it has sugars to use.
• Get rid of the easy-to-burn sugar fuel and your body will have to burn fat.
• Now you are in the state called ketosis/lipolysis or KETOSIS for short.
• When you are in this state, your body is releasing ketones in your urine. Ketones are the by-products of fat breakdown (lipolysis).
• Your pancreas used to be making lots and lots of insulin in order to convert the sugar you used to have in your bloodstream to fat. Now it doesn?t need to do that. Insulin levels drop to normal.
• So you have accomplished two things. Your body has stopped storing fat, and has started using it up.
  You are losing weight. Your blood sugar levels don?t wildly fluctuate. You feel great and, by virtue of the ketosis mechanism, you aren't hungry.
• Congratulations!!! You now know what all the hub-bub about Low Carbohydrate Eating is about.

Glossary of Low Carb Terms You May See

WOL = Way of Life Low Carb Eaters use this to let people know that this is not a fad for them, but is truly the way they have chosen to eat for life.

WOE = Way of Eating: Used to distinguish the WOL from a diet. People just don't like that word. It has nasty memories associated with it. Deprivation. Guilt. Cravings. We've all had enough of that, eh?

265/178/140 = My Starting Weight, My Weight Now, My Goal Weight

Stevia: An herbal derivative with a very sweet tastethat comes in either powder or liquid form.

Splenda: Sucralose, another low carb sweetener. Sucralose, unlike aspartame, is made from sugar.

Whoosh, or "The Whoosh fairy visited me." It seems to very common on this WOE to stay at a plateau for quite a while, then suddenly lose 3lbs, 4lbs, or even more seemingly over night. That's what we call a "whoosh". It's kinda like someone tipped you with a magic wand during the night... Anyway, if you take measurements instead of relying totally on the scale, you'll get a better picture of your changing body.

OWL On-going weight loss. Refers to the phase after induction where you are continuing your low carb eating, but with a bit more carbs. For full details, please read Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, or visit The New Atkins Diet Website.

KISS "Keep it Simple Sweetheart" - a philosophy of low carbing that encourages eating "whole", unprocessed foods rather than things like cold cuts, protein bars and shakes, bacon, and things like aspartame and sucralose. Lean meats, fresh veggies and the like are the order of the day on KISS. For more info do a search on KISS on our message board.

Other Questions You May Have

Why do some people seem so fanatical about Low Carb Dieting? If you spent your whole life addicted to carbs, overweight, with no energy and feeling like it's all your fault, you too would be wacko over finding out that there is a way out of the pit!

There are several low carb plans out there. Which is best? I think the question should be, "Which is best for me?" - which you can't find out without looking in to them a little. Why not check out the official sites of these plans and see what appeals to you?

• Carbohydrate Addict's Homepage
• The Atkins Center
• Dr. Bernstein's Diabetic Solution
• The Protein Power Plan

Do I really need to supplement? We are absolutely convinced of the need for supplementation, especially during the most intense phases of your low carb diet. We just feel better! You can find supplements for every budget and interest. Dr. Atkins has his own line of supplements that are very comprehensive. Supplementation is a whole other area and we could write pages just on that. Just remember: check with your doctor before taking anything for the first time. Just in case.

What are these Ketone Test Strips I've been reading about? The measure whether or not you've reached ketosis, a fat-burning phase of your plan.

Are they neccessary? NO! In fact, you may lose without ever showing ketosis on the strips. Then again, some folks will show ketosis and not be losing weight-wise, and get frustrated. But they do help when you are on OWL (see above) and adding in carbs, 5g at a time. Feel free to use them, just don't get hung up about the results. After all, your measurements and the scale(to a lesser degree) will tell you all you need to know in the long run.

I have more questions. Continue reading through our informative articles, and visit our forums, to see what other low carbers have to say. And for goodness sakes, ask your doctor or health care provider!