Hi Cupcake!
I am surprised you have not had more responses!
I low carb but don't follow any particular plan. in 2009 i lost over 30lbs by reducing carbs and this in the space of about 3 months. i only nearly obese at 13st 3 and ended up in the healthy weight zone at 10st 10. I was only 23 at the time so this may have had an effect on my success.
I am wheat intolerant anyway so it seemed like a good match as i needed to avoid bread and pasta anyway.
The main benefit i have found is that by avoiding starch and sugar, you naturally avoid a lot of processed food and so i always feel much healthier on it, my skin has improved (still get spots at 27) and feel much more in control as you don't get the sugar highs and lows (i never noticed them until i cut out sugar)
i have never gotten close to the weight i was at my heaviest as i have got the old plans to fall back on. The modern diet is so full of food that we have only recently been introduced to. Pure sugar and fat and an unlimited supply of it too, so i do feel like it is a more natural way to eat.
If you are interested then do some research, atkins, GI and the palio diet are all variations on the low carb diet. I don't follow any one in particular but it may introduce you to the basics, let me summerise the theory.
I am no scientist so please correct any mistake if you see any, this is just how i understand it!
The low carb diet is often a Ketogenic diet. Ketosis is the state the body enters when it goes from burning the excess glucose (from carbs and sugar) that are in the blood and starts burning fat. By reducing the amount of carbs and sugar you eat you can enter ketosis and stay there resulting in (sometimes dramatic) weight loss.
The pros are that the weight loss is pretty good (i lost 8lbs in my first week) and you can eat lots of things not allowed in other diets, cheese, butter etc.
Cons: This kind of diet is not something you can dip in and out of. In order to get into ketosis you need to cut out enough carbs and sugar to about 50g a day though this can vary person to person. You then go through sugar withdrawal which can last a couple of days. In fact i have just gone back into this diet and spent yesterday with a headache and feeling a bit shaky and unwell before realising it was withdrawal.
You need to keep your sugar/carbs down or you will fall out of ketosis and have to start the process again, withdrawal and all.
i discovered this diet when i went on the go lower plan which is one of those plans where you order the meals and they send you a months worth at a time. i did this for a month and lost over a stone but honestly got really bored of the food and started making my own using the same principals. By then i had a good introduction to the basics. There are loads of recipes and website online specifically for low carb, and lots of low carb substitutes of you cannot bare the thought of going without a certain food.
If you are new to the idea of low carbing i would stress following a plan rather then going it alone at least at first so you can get your head around the ideas.
I work with a lady who has done low fat for years and she simply cannot understand what i am saying about cutting out the sugar, she is so against fat, she has a pretty poor diet of low calorie biscuits, crisps and ready meals but constantly complains that she doesn't feel healthy and doesn't lose weight. It is a new way of thinking.
You have to find the right diet for your lifestyle. i hope my advice has given you an idea of what has worked for me. i would be happy to answer any question you have. Please read more before embarking on this if you make that decision.
Anna x
