Low Carb "Look"

I've been thinking about posting this for months... put for
one reason or another never have til now. I've been low carbing for a
couple of years now with varying degrees of success. I notice that
when I've dropped a bunch of weight on low carb, and then fall off the
plan for a few days, that I look much better somehow. I just seem to
look more vibrant and healthy - and very hard to put into words and
thats probably why I've never brought it up. I can and have lost
weight different ways over the years. I've lost by excercise alone,
i've lost by restricting calories + excercies, etc. When I've lost
weight these ways I seem to "look" better. Nothing to do with weight,
just the overall look. Just like when I fall off plan when I'm low
carbing - about 3 days later I seem to look much better somehow.
Another thing - I've been bumping into quite a few people that
have lost weight - and so far I've been 100% accurate in determining
when these people have lost by low carb. They look smaller, but they
don't necessarity look better. I really don't know how to describe it.
Its not sickly looking - but its not the same way you look after say
calorie restriction or something. Has anybody else lost by a variety
of methods and know what I'm talking about? I like low carb for weight
loss and have found it effective - but there is something disturbing
about the low carb look that i just can't put my finger on.

On Sat, 06 Dec 2003 14:09:00 GMT, wrote:
[snip]
Another thing - I've been bumping into quite a few people that
have lost weight - and so far I've been 100% accurate in determining
when these people have lost by low carb. They look smaller, but they
don't necessarity look better. I really don't know how to describe it.

Well, I lost 50 pounds on WW from 1999-2002, doing low-fat and
exercising. I felt very hungry and dizzy a lot of the time and I would
hardly say I was the glowing picture of health. My skin broke out
often and was very oily, I had ezcema... it was a pretty picture ;-) I
was thinner though.

On Atkins, my skin has cleared up and gotten much less oily, my hair
and nails seem to be growing faster than before... probably because of
all the protein I'm eating now, versus my mostly pasta and vegetable
diet as a vegetarian on WW.

I know several people who lost weight on Atkins - who in fact inspired
me to try it - and they look GREAT. Thin, good color, high energy.
Basically bright shiny happy people ;-)

Sarah Jahn

Hello,
wrote:
I've been thinking about posting this for months... put for
one reason or another never have til now. I've been low carbing for
a
couple of years now with varying degrees of success.
SNIP
I like low carb for weight
loss and have found it effective - but there is something disturbing
about the low carb look that i just can't put my finger on.

Would you mind trying to describe it anyway? The only difference I've
noticed vis-a-vis appearance is that on low-carb I lost more surface
body fat. That, combined with advancing age-related changes, left me
with a different appearance as far as my face went. The buccal pads
lost more fat than at any other time, and my face looks "longer" and
is closer to gaunt than I would like.

Take care,
Carmen
PS. In the past we've had a troll who used this sort of approach to
segue into "Women on Atkins look like guys and the men look
effeminate.". If I've miscalculated and you're him fair warning - I
won't respond.

i'm not putting down low card at all - i'm on it now - been on it
before - i was just curious if anybody else had low-carb radar like me
- i honestly seem to be able to tell when someone has lost via low
carb - and i honestly seem to look different (in my opinion better -
like "wow self you look good!") for a few days after I fall off the
wagon. Mind you - I can't stay off the wagon too long because the
weight starts piling on again. On my body - the fat that stays behind
during low carb seems different than the fat that stays behind when
I've lost other ways. If i lose 20 pounds by a little calorie
restriction and a little excercise, and if i lose 20 pounds by low
carb - i look different with my clothes off i guess is one way of
putting it. The remaining fat i have while low carbing looks somehow
gushier and squishier than the fat i have left when i've lost other
ways. I look smaller - but I wouldn't say i look better. And i don't
know for sure, but i think this finds its way into the general
appearance somehow. All I know is half a dozen times recently i've
encountered people that have lost significant amounts of weight, and i
was accurate in determining who had lost low carb, and who hadn't. (4
lost low carb, other two lost by dr. bernstein which i believe is
based on calorie restriction plus injections, but i don't know much
about it). Maybe i do have low-carb radar... i dunno.



fOn Sat, 6 Dec 2003 09:11:25 -0600, in alt.support.diet.low-carb you
wrote:

Hello,
wrote:
I've been thinking about posting this for months... put for
one reason or another never have til now. I've been low carbing for
a
couple of years now with varying degrees of success.
SNIP
I like low carb for weight
loss and have found it effective - but there is something disturbing
about the low carb look that i just can't put my finger on.

Would you mind trying to describe it anyway? The only difference I've
noticed vis-a-vis appearance is that on low-carb I lost more surface
body fat. That, combined with advancing age-related changes, left me
with a different appearance as far as my face went. The buccal pads
lost more fat than at any other time, and my face looks "longer" and
is closer to gaunt than I would like.

Take care,
Carmen
PS. In the past we've had a troll who used this sort of approach to
segue into "Women on Atkins look like guys and the men look
effeminate.". If I've miscalculated and you're him fair warning - I
won't respond.

Carmen wrote:

Would you mind trying to describe it anyway? The only difference I've
noticed vis-a-vis appearance is that on low-carb I lost more surface
body fat. That, combined with advancing age-related changes, left me
with a different appearance as far as my face went. The buccal pads
lost more fat than at any other time, and my face looks "longer" and
is closer to gaunt than I would like.

Take care,
Carmen
PS. In the past we've had a troll who used this sort of approach to
segue into "Women on Atkins look like guys and the men look
effeminate.". If I've miscalculated and you're him fair warning - I
won't respond.

My face looks more gaunt too. Also, I seem to have more incipient
wrinkles on my face--maybe because my skin was more stretched out
when there was more fat there. Sort-of scares me when I look in
the mirror, because I have always looked very young for my age and
did not expect any sudden change in that.
--
Jean B.

Carmen wrote:
Hello,
wrote:
I've been thinking about posting this for months... put for
one reason or another never have til now. I've been low carbing for
a
couple of years now with varying degrees of success.
SNIP
I like low carb for weight
loss and have found it effective - but there is something disturbing
about the low carb look that i just can't put my finger on.

Would you mind trying to describe it anyway? The only difference I've
noticed vis-a-vis appearance is that on low-carb I lost more surface
body fat. That, combined with advancing age-related changes, left me
with a different appearance as far as my face went. The buccal pads
lost more fat than at any other time, and my face looks "longer" and
is closer to gaunt than I would like.

Perhaps it's a matter of ketosis. The muscles plump up somewhat when
you refill glycogen and regain that water - including facial muscles.


--
jamie )

"There's a seeker born every minute."

wrote:

:: about it). Maybe i do have low-carb radar... i dunno.

Sorry, I don't believe you do. LC is in vogue right now, so at lot of
people are trying some version of it. You just are hitting the precentages.

AFAIK, Dr. Bernstein is a LC advocate, even though his plan may differ from
Atkins.

Steve wrote:

On the other hand, I look like a stud :-)

hehe. Well, I can't exactly dispute or verify that. Actually, I
still look good, but I am afraid wrinkles are in my future.

--
Jean B.

jamie wrote:

:: Perhaps it's a matter of ketosis. The muscles plump up somewhat when
:: you refill glycogen and regain that water - including facial muscles.

No question about that.

wrote in message
...
I've been thinking about posting this for months... put for
one reason or another never have til now. I've been low carbing for a
couple of years now with varying degrees of success. I notice that
when I've dropped a bunch of weight on low carb, and then fall off the
snip

Almost like a "trolls" post??

I would have to say my experience and about 20 friends who have started LC have exactly the
opposite response!

Without question, people come up to me and say "Don't you look wonderful. You look like you
are glowing with health". This started soon after Atkin's and in fact still people say
this, rather than "Haven't you lost a bunch of weight"! This is now 6 months into a very
wonderful WOE.

--
Frenchy

Atkins since 8 June/03
252/206/180