Finally finished the book!! and i am confused. It doesnt comment on correct carb intake does it?? I’m sticking to under 30 as that’s what everyone on here advises. But where does that come from? Xx

Happy, I wholeheartedly agree that the all important subject of establishing a carb limit that works for each individual is
a shortcoming in the book. I did a lot of independent research when I began, and learned from that that a low carb
diet was defined as <50g per day. The objective is to achieve a ketogenic state where we burn our own fat for fuel, rather
than glycogen. A true ketogenic diet is one centered on 20g per day. Some can ,
do well on <50g a day, but many of us
have had to go considerably lower than that. Some use keto sticks as a way of measuring if we are in ketosis, but they
are notoriously unreliable. Breathilizers are a more reliable way to do it. Anyone who commits to <20g a day can feel
reasonably confident that they are functioning in a state of efficient fat burning, or are “fat adapted”. I listened to my
own body, and I immediately knew when I was there by the enormous increase in energy, and the slight metallic taste
in my mouth. The metallic taste is only temporary, and doesn’t persist for more than a few days. So you see, there is
no correct number, and a lot of it is trial and error, and you have to discover which gram count works for your body.
When I began, I was eating @40g/day, but after an 18 day plateau, I did more research, learned about insulin resistance,
and dropped to 20g. That broke the stall, and I sailed through the rest of my 10 month journey with no other fits and
starts. I highly recommend Gary Taubes’ book, “Why We Get Fat…and What To Do About It” for a comprehensive
understanding of insulin resistance. I never looked at our food supply the same way again, and I’m positive this
knowledge made my road considerably easier than those who begin and end with the info in MMosley’s book(s).
I hope this helps, and that I’ve not confused you further 🙂

Allie

I agree with Allie that the book would be improved/more accurate if carb levels were set. But on the other hand my impression with the version of the book I read, which was the one available in 2017, was that the book was focused on being a short kick start of 8 weeks of weight loss. after which he advised moving on to the 5:2 diet to continue loosing weight. Just cutting out sugar, bread, pasta, pizza was a big change for me and it took thinking it was only for 8 weeks to help me step off the cliff.

In practice some of us with a lot of weight to loose realise after a few weeks of this WoE that it is possible to enjoy a low carb WoE and inspired by the rapid (if misleading because its a consequence of water loss rather than fat loss) changes in the scales want to continue on a faster weight loss program.

It is when we decide to go on multiple rounds that care is needed on levels of carbs.
If you cut calories long term without cutting down the carbs to a level where you are in ketosis then your body will adapt to the lower level of calories and reduce your metabolic rate. This is why with eating programs such as WW people loose weight but then regain it and more once they stop dieting. Its obviously going to be an individual issue and I am not aware of any research into the topic but I would guess that 8 weeks of calorie counting would not have a massive impact on metabolic rate. (The information on the long term results came from the TV program The Greatest Looser because that was one of those situations where both calories and exercise was carefully logged in a residential situation rather than relying on self reporting by participants. )

So I think as well as improving the accuracy of the calorie and macro counts for the recipes the book should be enhanced with two options post the initial 8 weeks. – Drop down to 5:2, or step up to keto. –

I”m not the first person to comment on this but it would have been useful to have a nutritional analysis of the recipes in the book. An indication of carbs would have been very useful. And I too have found that the calorie counts are often way off the calculation of my app. Has this ever been addressed by the authors?

JGwen so if I keep my carbs at 20g or below I can continue this 800 cals a day until I hit my goal? I would hate for my metabolism to get used to it. I need to be 14 Stone or below. I am 16-7 at the moment. Thanks Birdy💞🦜

I don’t calculate my carbs at all and if I’d been told it was important to stick to a certain number of grams I’d never have started the diet – and so wouldn’t now be in the healthy weight range for the first time in 30 years. I’ve lost the weight by cutting out (nearly) all refined carbs and high sugar foods (juice, honey etc).

Working out carb levels is quite complicated. I expect I could do it, if I tried, but it would take me quite a while and bore me silly. I don’t mean people shouldn’t be doing it – no doubt the calculations get easier as you get used to doing it and I do understand that for some taking this level of care and control is helpful, perhaps even interesting or enjoyable for those with an analytical mind.

I don’t count calories either. Initially I kept portion sizes low, but not really low. My weight loss was slower than many have reported on here, but I got there. My method might not work for or suit everyone – we’re all different and may need to make adjustments to suit our bodies, lifestyle and personality.