Question about atkins, carbs and time of day
 

For the past two weeks I've been sticking with low-carb, low-calorie diet restrictions pretty much the induction phase of atkins (no worries though folks I'm just doing the induction phase to get the first few pounds off quickly, and then I'm dieting just on calorie stuff), I've been sticking to roughly 20-25 carbs a day and I noticed a potentially hazardous trend with my eating habits.

I notice that I almost always 'save' my carbs for dinner, I'll eat absolutely no carbs during the day and when dinner time comes around I'll 'cash in' my carbs and eat my daily limit with/for dinner. I notice I feel much more full after dinner when I do this and it keeps me from wanting to eat anything after dinner.

What I'm asking is whether or not this will hinder my weightloss or if this is bad for me/my diet in anyway?

EDIT: Also, I was wondering if ingesting a lot of salt the day previous to weighing oneself could cause someone to retain water/bloat, my scale is saying I gained 3 lbs in one day.

Yes. Ingesting salt can cause you to retain weight. However, you need some sodium in your diet so that your body organs work correctly--lack of sodium can also cause headaches and flu-like symptoms. We usually get enough sodium in our foods (even non-processed foods), so you don't have to add a lot to avoid these symptoms.

As for only doing induction, if you're not following Atkins instructions, you aren't doing Atkins induction. This can be dangerous to your body. Most of the people on my group page have vegetables at all 3 meals of the day--try a spinach-mushroom omelet for breakfast, a salad with your lunch, and a cooked veggie from the list with your dinner. You should get a minimum of 15 nC (carbs minus fiber) from vegetables each day or you are NOT doing Atkins.

I don't know why you would switch to calorie counting after induction. That's like buying new tires for your car and then throwing them away for retreads.

Eating your carbs at night is more likely to hinder your weight loss efforts. If you eat the same food, and set that diet on its head, and consume the carbier things in the morning, you will see a significant difference. Actually, we were discussing this phenomenon last night at a TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly) meeting.

What are your sources showing the effects of carbs at night vs. carbs morning?

I don't believe it matters. I have been eating low carb for a few years and eat most of mine at night. It works for me. Everyone is different so do what works for you.

How are you eating "absolutely no carbs during the day"? Is that total carbs minus fiber?

Years ago, I went to a weight loss doctor whose credentials were awesome. To top it off, he was 75 years old, looked like a 45 yr old, and still ran 5 miles a day. He said that he'd spent more than 20 years making fat pilots fit into thin planes (USAF)...and his number one rule was make breakfast your largest (or most fattening) meal. For the guys who said they couldn't give up their pizza, he had them eat it for breakfast...it gives you the whole day to burn it off.

I can't eat a large breakfast. I've tried. I have a protein shake for breakfast and a large lunch. I pack my own lunch for work--so I get plenty of veggies. This last week, my lunches were baked cod, spinach, and mashed cauliflower (cauliflower mashed with butter, a tiny bit of cream, sliced green onions, and a little cheese). That's my most 'carby' meal...dinner was a meat dish and a salad.

Read Wheat Belly, if you haven't already. It will open your eyes to the toxicity of the 'grain craze' this country has been on the last couple of decades. When I was a kid, doctors told you to cut out bread, pasta, potatoes, and sugar if you wanted to lose weight. The idea that whole grain is good for you and can help you lose weight is a marketing ploy--and not backed up by research.

Boy, did I digress. :rolleyes:

I spent many years in the don't eat carbs after 7pm world because someone in better shape or looked younger ect... said so. In the last year I have been reading up on a few experts in their field and the best, most logical outcome was.... It does not matter. Our bodies don't work on some magic clock and meal timing or frequency does not matter.

For the past 2mo I have been following a IF-intermittent fasting. I don't eat breakfast and consume most of my calories in the pm. I go to bed everynight full. I have done zero cardio and am down 20lbs. Last year-I ate 4-6times/day with my last meal around 7ish. Same weight loss because I have the same caloric deficit.

I have spent most of the time in a lower carb state and gained weight not because I doubled my carbs but went over my caloric baseline.

The best thing I have read was from Alan Aragon.
It's a 80/90% rule:
Get 80 to 90% of your calories from minimally processed foods. The rest really don't matter. I can post more on this later as I have to leave. But eat in a way that keeps you sane and in a deficit and the fat shouldcome off.

While it is certainly possible to lose weight without eating whole grains, the statement you made here is 100% untrue.

Harvard:Mayo Clinic:CSIRO (Austrailian national food research group)Wake Forest School of Medicine:Penn State:American Society for Nutrition

Whole grains as compared to processed grains and white flour...not the same thing. I stand by my statement and there is plenty of research to support it. Read Wheat Belly--just the latests in a long line of books outlining the latest research.

Yes, I am well aware that whole wheats and processed grains are not the same thing. Not sure what your point was there. Processed foods in general are not very healthy and should be eaten in moderation or not at all. I wholeheartedly agree that processed wheat/grain foods are not only not good for you, they contribute significantly to many health problems including but not limited to obesity and diabetes.

My post had a link to some very scientific studies carried out by universities or agencies that are not selling anything looking at the health benefits of WHOLE GRAIN foods...including all Grains like Oats, Barely, Rice, etc. These included 10's of thousands of individuals and were screened to pull out other variables. Among the findings were that with all else constant People whole ate whole grains were significantly less likely to develop heart disease, diabetes, or be overweight.

I will see if the Wheat belly book is available at my library and will read it, but from what I can tell it's more of a book about how unhealthy whole wheat and processed wheat can be. whole wheat is NOT the same thing as whole grain. The reviews seem to indicate whole people are healthier when then exclude all wheat products....all this would prove is that it is better to eat no wheat products than to eat a combination of processed and whole wheat/grain. I think the better test would be to eliminate the processed crap and switch over to Whole grains.

In the end I think we probably agree more than disagree...but I do think your statement that there is no research showing benefits to whole grains is absolutely false. You may disagree with the findings....although I have a very hard time coming up with a decent argument that would stand up to the scientific rigor of these studies.

Not I did not include any research/books/literature from anyone selling anything. Just peer-reviewed, published (in the scientific sense), research.

Sorry so long but like so much of nutrition there is no simple explanations.