You may not drop as quickly at first, but it will certainly work to
gradually cut our excessive carbs from your diet.  Over the longer term, the
results will be very likely the same and  you'll reap the same benefits
relative to weight loss.

You really need a high fat diet when you cut out the carbs.  Are you
doing that?   Probably why you are sick.
Lots of olive oil, butter, bacon, mayonaise etc is needed to fuel
your weight loss.

PJ

YES, of course you can!
there have been many here in ASD-LC who started out with a
SUGARBUSTERS type woe and "graduated" to the atkins approach!

Wilson,

Just remember one thing, the more carbs you eat, the less fat you can eat.

That's because carbs cause an insulin release which will store dietary fat
on your body as body fat. It will also mess up your cholesterol because the
excess glucose in your body bonds to the receptors on your blood fats and
keeps the body from being able to remove them.

Only when you cut carbs way down can you eat the high fat stuff associated
with a low carb diet.

I'd say the cut off is probably around 60 grams of carbs a day. Over that
level you better not eat a whole lot of fat.

-- Jenny  - Low Carbing for 4 years. At goal for weight. Type 2 diabetes,
hba1c 5.2.
Cut the carbs to respond to my  email address!

Low carb facts and figures, my weight-loss photos, tips, recipes,
strategies for dealing with diabetes and more at
http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/

Looking for help controlling your blood sugar?
Visit  http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/Newly%20Diagnosed.htm

Yes, you can go slowly.  That's exactly how I did it.  For the first step,
I didn't really eliminate many specific foods (except fruit juice and
sugared sodas); I just reduced the amount that I was eating (or overeating,
I should say).  One bowl of cereal instead of two; one plate of pasta
instead of two, etc.  Then gradually replaced the more refined carbs for
slightly less refined carbs (whole wheat pasta instead of regular, brown
rice instead of white, cereals higher in bran and flax, etc.)  And then
slowly eliminated the pasta and rice and bread and potatoes and cereal
altogether, after finding subsititutes for them  (cabbage or zucchini or
tofu for pasta, cauliflower or turnip for potatoes, Wasa for bread, etc.)

I also started exercising at the same time (treadmill at first, then
alternated treadmill with resistance exercises on a crossbow).

I only lost about a pound a week, so it took just over two years for me to
lose all I wanted to lose (110 pounds).  I never had a big
8-pounds-in-a-week loss that helps to keep some people motivated,
especially early on.  And I never had a magical moment after two weeks when
I said "Hey, all my cravings are gone!"  But I was never in the misery some
people report when they do a drastic diet change, either.  And no prolonged
stalls, since any time my weight loss slowed down, I just cut back on carbs
and calories just a tiny bit more.

I think that what made it work for me was that because it was so gradual,
at any given point along the way I was eating at a level that, at that
time, I would have been willing to continue eating at forever.  There
weren't times when I was dying to get out of whatever "phase" of the diet I
was in so that I could have some temporarily-forbidden food again.  The
whole thing was sort of a two-year-long "pre-maintenance" phase that
gradually turned into "maintenance" by itself.

These aren't exactly recipes, but here's a few low-carb vegetarian meal
ideas.  This is assuming you eat eggs and cheese and soy-based products.
And Quorn, if it's available where you live.

- Shredded cabbage, stir-fried or boiled, with a lower-carb spaghetti
sauce, Boca Italian sausage, grated parmesan cheese

- Stir-fried veggies and Quorn "chicken" tenders, in a low-carb spicy
sauce, over reconstituted TVP (as a substitute for rice)

- Quorn "chicken" cutlets simmered in Trader Joe's spinach Punjab sauce,
with steamed broccoli and butter

- Veggie burger with cheese in a low-carb tortilla, plus a salad

- Egg salad on a Wasa, plus a selection of raw veggies and dip

- Stuffed peppers (boil red or green bell bepper for a few minutes, drain,
fill with ground Quorn or soy protein crumbles that have been simmering in
lower-carb spaghetti sauce; top with mozzarella cheese; bake)

- Shepherd's pie (ground Quorn heated in a skillet, add some spices,
mushroom gravy, lower-carb spaghetti sauce; stir in some cooked fresh green
beans; dump it all in a casserole and cover with mashed cauliflower; bake)

- "Handwiches" -- soy deli slices and cheese (and optional condiments and
veggies) rolled up in large green-leaf or romaine lettuce leaves

- Chowder made from cream, low-cabr milk (Hood Carb Countdown), tofu,
turnip, cauliflower, and onion

- Lo mein made from spaghetti squash and various crunchy vegetables,
scrambled egg, soy sauce and seasonings, and either tofu or Quorn "chicken"

- Lasagna made with very thinly sliced layers of tofu to replace the
noodles, plus whatever other normal lasagna fillings you use  (eggplant,
spinach, cheeses, lower-carb pasta sauce, etc.)

Em