I find the older I get, the harder it is to lose and keep it off. My problem is that I love BREAD. And living in Louisiana, everybody has bread or rice or pasta with everything. Too much temptation.

I need to get off my rear-end and exercise and it may be easier to lose the weight.......just cant afford a gym and it's too dang hot to go outside and exercise.

So - going to attempt to do the IRD again and see what happens - I'll give it 6 weeks to see - then go to plan B (not a clue what that is yet)

Just want to say I've been eating low carb for 2 days now, following mostly South Beach Phase I, BUT, I am not following the low fat idea of it, in fact, I am UPPING the amount of fat, including animal fats, a LOT... just read some things by Dr. Eades (Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It)... and I have to say, day two, I am LOVING what I am eating, and I feel GREAT!

Checking back in... is anyone here still interested in doing this? I am finishing up week one of my higher fat version of South Beach. Feel great, have lost some weight (not sure yet how much have not weighed).. but I am going to do another week of Phase I. After that, I am planning on going back on IR diet. I will be restricting carbs to 15 within a 2 hour period, balanced with at least 7 grams of carbs. That is lower than the 30 max in 2 hours, and we'll see how that goes, but it does mean that I can have a piece of WW toast with breakfast, or maybe even a small piece of chocolate with dh at night (he loves chocolate).. anyway, is anyone still out there wanting to do this? I won't be on it for another week, but after that, I'll be here!!!

I changed my mind this afternoon. I got a new scales today and weighed and I am just under 140 pounds! That is a great start, at 4 pounds for one week!

I have decided that tomorrow I am going to start the IR diet again. I have a good start on my weight loss, I'm not craving anything, and I think I am ready to start the IR diet again. I lost a LOT of weight on it before, and I think that now that I have my eating under control, I am ready to jump back in to this gentle way of eating that allows us to have good food, and treats in moderation. It is a simple plan, worked for me before, and I am confident that with my new eating patterns, I can stay on it and do well! Will keep posting!

this is where I stop listening, I haven't eaten fruit for years, I eat certain veggies because I like them and never never eat pulses and legumes because they ruin my digestion. I think that's why the book is just sitting on my shelf for years now, unread.

What are pulses? I don't remember anything about this in the book and I've read it a few times... not familiar with what that is...

This morning's IR breakfast:

1 egg fried in bacon grease (I may be going back to olive oil because I like the taste better)

1 piece of Whole Wheat toast (10 grams of carbs) with butter

1/2 cup of 2% milk.

coffee with half and half

This is both linked and balanced with more than enough protein for 10 grams of carbs. On the IR diet, the carbs in dairy do not count because they don't raise the blood sugar like other carbs do.

I'll be here!

Today has been a wonderful day! I had an egg with a piece of WW toast and butter, and 2 slices of bacon for breakfast.

Morning snack was a cheddar cheese stick and crackers (9 grams of carbs)

Lunch was a turkey dog (no bun) with diced onion, tomato and orange bell pepper and mustard, a glass of unsweetened iced tea (no carbs for lunch, I am not entirely back in the IR diet it seems...)

Afternoon snack was 8 Bing cherries, a cheddar cheese stick and a cracker (even though the bing cherries do not need protein with them)

I'm having seltzer water right now.

Not sure what dinner will be, but I'm going to have 30 grams of carbs and 15 grams of protein.

Was down another .4 pounds this morning for a total weight loss so far of 6.8 pounds for one week.

I will try to get out my book and re-read some of it over the weekend....also am reading Ray Peat articles at the same time, very very thought provoking.

see here if you're interested. Sounds similar to how you are balancing protein/carbs but with a twist

Still linking and balancing and loving it. Today I have had:

3 chick fil a minis (linked and balanced)
coffee with half and half

Hummus
1/2 a pita bread toasted (15 grams of carbs)
yellow pepper and cucumber strips and some cherry tomatoes
unsweetened tea

A snackwell's Peanut butter bar (linked and balanced)

Seltzer water

Tonight I don't know what we will have, but I plan to get some more veggies in.

Today I weighed 138.6, up a little bit from my lowest weight so far in the past 2 weeks, but well below my 144 starting weight.

No cravings, and I'm getting plenty to eat and feeling satisfied with the carbs I am getting.

I've been away a while, but used this diet, combined with some of the South Beach instructions (looks like a lot do this) a few years ago before surgery. I lost over 40 pounds in just about 2 and a half months. Obviously, the surgery was successful, but I've backslided and need to get with the program again. It is very possible to make this a life style. Back to the mall for more walking and to the gym for the rest of me.

I've been linking and balancing since July 21 and I have lost 9 pounds as of today. That is an average of about a pound a week. A very good rate, and I have not had to go without things I like to eat.

Hi Mudley et all,

You still on this? Hows it going? I think I need to try this as I had been doing Atkins but having insane sugar cravings and binges recently. The dietician says it's because my carbs are too LOW so my body doesn't think I'm getting any - and I need to up them a bit. She saido 50g carb per meal, which there is NO WAY I am doing, but the IR diest seems like a happy medium.

I started yesterday but was having wholewheat bread for my carbs - never again, I felt like a truck had parked in my stomach - so I'm leaving the bread right out.

So far today my carb snacks have been a couple of rye crackers, some sun-dried tomatoes, oatbran, fromage frais along with my normal low-carb veg, protein and fat - I'm already up to 100g carbs for the day - god that feels weird and wrong after low-carbing it so long. But no sugar cravings today, so we'll see...

~K x