I lost 60 lbs 4 years ago, in about 5 mos. I maintained it for 3 years. It wasn't ONE thing in particular that caused me to gain 30 of it back. It was a combination of things. My Mom (age 66) was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Yeah, I said Type 1. It took about 9 mos of different combinations of meds/insulin/diet etc... for her Dr's to diagnose Type 1. She was Low-Carbing with me for a year before her diagnosis. She went "Carb-Crazy" on a month long trip home to Luxembourg and came home with BS of 500. She went to all of the nutritional classes and was really scared, trying to do everything they told her. I tried to support her, but they had her eating 45 carbs per meal, low fat, and her BS just got worse. Now, she's totally insulin dependant and she keeps it controlled somewhat.
Why did all of this make me eat out of control? I think I really started wondering if maybe our Way of Eating, was what might have caused damage to her pancreas? I kept reading all of her material and trying to help her, then the next thing I know, I just started eating more here and there, then ended up eating cheetos and oreo's 2 AM. So, why am I back? I'm allergic to carbs. I cant just have a little of this or a little of that. If I eat junk, I crave junk. Plus, I cant eat low-carb candy and stuff either. If it's in the house, I'll eat it all in one sitting. So, now I try to keep it pretty basic.

Its creamy, rich and contains no sugar. They use sugar substitutes. There are quite a few varieties out there some terrific, some not-so-good. I liked the Keto brand really well, also... I think Dreyer's or Breyer's or someone like that have a line called "Carb Smart" that were very tasty. Personally I can't eat it and expect to lose weight because it is still highly caloric.

Hey, you might want to check out Lyle McDonald's book called Flexible Dieting. It might give you some insight into a way of eating where you don't have to be 100% deprivational in order to succeed.

Personally, I really don't find LC deprivational any longer. I've been doing it for so many years it has become a part of life. Plus I learned how to cook around the limitations so I get my fill of treats and yummy things. They simply supplanted the old stuff. I've recently added some new strictures to my diet and they felt deprivational at first... but I'm adapting. I'm glad I can cook though, otherwise I don't think I would have adapted so easily.

Wow, RodgerB -- I would miss ice cream too if I didn't have a low carb version! I only find Edie's/Dryers low carb ice cream in the largest supermarkets in the U.S. now. Fortunately Farm Fresh and Harris Teeter still stocks it. (It only has 3g of sugar alcohol per serving and tastes really good). If you don't have a low carb ice cream option, you can probably find a sugar free brand like Breyers. It's not exactly LOW carb but is much healthier than regular ice cream.

I agree with the others about Atkins being a way of eating for life. If you haven't had a chance to read Atkins New Diet Revolution, you may find you agree with me that it's one of the best investments of time I have ever made. Through it I learned what a tremendous variety of food choices are available for eating the rest of my life.

I think this is the reason that a lot of people lose weight on low carb and then regain it; they stop doing low carb and go back to how they ate before.
If you think of this as a diet in the way that most people think of diets; something that you do for a while to drop a few quick pounds and then quit, then chances are good that maintainence will be a struggle at best. For any weight loss plan to be successful in maintainence, it has to be a lifestyle change and the changes need to be permanent.
If, on the other hand, you follow all the phases of the plan (not stay on induction all the way to goal), you will probably find that maintainence isn't nearly as much of a struggle because by the time you get to your goal weight you'll have a very good idea how you will need to be eating to maintain your losses.

no way-LC ice cream is evil, pure evil. if youre the kind of person who can actually STOP at 1/2 cup and put the rest away, by all means. but youre far less mortal than I am, pal. the only reason the ONE half gallon I bought back in august didnt get finished off is because the power went out and all the food went bad in the fridge. thank god. i wont let it in my house, because it WILL get eaten, too fast. wish they packaged it in pints.

ANYWAY,

penelope, I think im there with you. there is a certain vicious cycle to carbs. since I got back from the desert, I promised myself a few weeks of not being strict-til my birthday (sept 22) i got sick, and launched into the fritos, the chicken noodle soup, the grilled cheese on that brown wonder bread they call "whole wheat". I was a freaking emotional wreck. which only made me stress more, desiring more comfort foods.

been 100% (or at least 99.9%) low carb since monday and feel in control of...just about everything. finally got my student loans consolidated, taxes done, bills organized, house clean. damn. maybe thats the cure to world peace-outlawing carbs...

Wrong questions here: it is better to focus on what people did who kept the weight off.

What I did grasp during the time I was looking for answers (even before 'dieting' started), was the importance of the principle of NOT following any diet, but trying to get healthy by adjusting one's lifestyle.

In my personal experience I came to the principal need of Fun in your new diet. A too strict diet will succeed in loosing weight (fat?), but will not be maintainable in the long term. If you have Fun, you will succeed automatically.

I love your post, Rodger, but I'd just like to add to it.
There are lots of people here who have adrenal issues. I have a thyroid condition, hopefully to be treated soon.
Years ago after my second daughter was born, I did Atkins and lost a lot of weight, and got back to being healthy. I continued to adopt a low carb lifestyle after concluding that I had a gluten intolerance (If I hadn't done the diet, I'd never have known)

Then, three and a half years ago, I found out I was pregnant with my son.
It was a bit of a shock to the system and I didn't really want to have any more children.
Firstly, it was a very bad pregnancy. I was desparately tired, my hair was falling out, my skin was dry and flaking. I couldn't do the dusting without having to lie down afterwards. I craved carbohydrates ... I eat healthy ones and I attribute them to getting me through the pregnancy.
No-one tested my thyroid. To cut a long story short, we both got through to the end of the very risky pregnancy, where I hemorraged so badly having him, we both nearly died. I lost over half my total blood supply.
After abut 3 months (time in which I dropped a lot of 'pregnancy' weight) I started back on South Beach.
At first, I lost weight but it slowed to near nothing and stopped completely. Not for three weeks, but for 8 months!

My tiredness came back, my hair started thinning and the dry skin made an appearance.
Normally after pregnancy, thyroid issues take about 3 months to resolve, before the body returns to normal, but mine didn't.
For the past 9 months, I've been harrassing my doctor to take some sort of action but he told me 'I'll have to see you get a lot worse before I can treat you.'

Three weeks ago, I returned to Atkins, which had been so sucessful for me in the past. Bear in mind, 90% of the time, I eat a healthy, low carb, high veg, high protein, good oils diet. I drink the odd glass of red wine with dinner. I SHOULD be slimmer than I am.
I thought that Atkins would kick me back into weight loss.

It didn't.

I lost a few pounds in water and then nothing. I've been reading how stubborn fat cells are and why we may not lose weight, but after three weeks at induction levels, I still hadn't lost an inch.
The last time I did it, the weight dropped off at a healthy 2lb a week. Sometimes more depending on my activity level.

Then, one of the lovely ladies from the thyroid board here told me that the Atkins level of carbs on induction would 'crash' my T3 conversion (this is the hormone your thyroid puts out that drives your body) and that lots of people in this situation wouldn't lose weight on Atkins.

I've switched over to SB again, because I need a higher level of carbs.

At the moment my thyroid is currently unmedicated because I have an unsupportive doctor. However, I'm seeing someone new on Tuesday, which is at the moment, giving me great hope.

Anyway, my point after this long amount of rambling is that your statement above is not accurate.
I have a thyroid disorder, which makes me cling onto any available weight I can get hold of. I don't over eat. I don't eat junk. I don't eat bad carbs. i control my weight as best I can by using a low carb diet to my best advantage.
Even when medicated, i know that the weight may still not come off as I want it to.

I desparately want my thighs and belly gone. I want enough energy to exercise and I desparately want to be back to 'me' again. This is not a 'fad' or an 'excuse' or any other trendy thing I'm using to 'justify' my weight.
I am doing everything currently within my power to hold off getting any heavier and I have been doing that constantly for the past 3 years.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that there ARE legitimate reasons why people are overweight. Not everyone over eats. Not everyone is greedy. Not everyone is here because they eat junk.

Best wishes

Annabel

I recognize there are many who have "real" health issues. But there are a ton, no pun intended, who come forward with any and every new thing they see on TV, radio or in print that forms an excuse for the weight issues we have.

You girls have this pregnancy thing that we guys dont have to deal with and that is darn real no doubt. However, we guys do have "sympathetic Craving"...like when my wife was pregnant she couldn't eat cinnamon...how wierd is that? So I made sure to have a Cinnimon roll every time i could (not in front of her). I think it helped her have a sane pregnancy.

- the idea of low carb buying food, preparing food, bringing food is taking over my life.
-The fuss of always having to carry a huge lunchbox around, because I have a huge appetite .portion control is not in my dictionary
-The cost of eating out low carb and trouble of finding a place that actually sells low carb. If not, cost of buying double portions to throw away 3/4s of it, which is made out of carbs
-the cost of buying protein in the supermarket compared to cheap carbs
- always having to prepare, prepare, prepare
-all carby stuff are out, ready made Atkins/other low carb substitutes are expensive unless you take the trouble to make them (i.e.bake your own muffins, bread, etc..)

All these above are the reasons why I dropped out. I was thinking,either
a) psyche myself to thinking preparing is no hassle
b) hypothize myself to a smaller appetite
c) making more money just to support this way of life.
are the solutions to these problems...unless anyone else has a better idea?

I have gained back some of my weight, about 20 pounds of it. Most of mine happened when I moved back home near my family. We lived with my mother for a few months and she cooks with a lot of starches and carbs. I knew my target foods that made me gain weight but I ate them anyway. Also another important factor was the exercise. I used to live in an apartment where I had a little gym with a treadmill. I would go and combo walk/run about 4 miles each day. I don't really have an opportunity to exercise here. I am starting on losing again but it is harder the second time around, I do have to admit. I just wish there was some other way to lose weight without having to give up all the foods I love and sometimes want.
Belle

Hi Annabel,

There is a question here, why would you not try to solve your problems one by one?

If you mess around on several issues at a time (thyroid medication, Atkins/SB, exercise), no person can figure out what works or not.

I would bring diet and exercise to a normal standard pattern while working on the thyroid issue. Your normal diet (healthy, low carb, high veg, high protein, good oils diet, glass of red wine) seems fine to me.
If you exercise the advised half hour a day that will do no harm either.

I think you have to educate yourself by reading posts on these forums. You will learn that clean/healthy eating can be less expensive and less time consuming than you think.

I am convinced a healthy lifestyle gives you much, much more time and money for developing your desired lifestyle. Read, try and learn!

Um, four 15 minute walks a day, plus other stuff, adds up to over an hour a day, for the past 3 years.



Um, yes, been doing that, thanks. 8 months now in fact ...



That's the South Beach Diet. I thought switching to Atkins would help, but it doesn't.



Ummm, see above.

"After atkins, Butter, cream cheese, bacon, fat beef, fat chicken and all that has to GO."


Nope. The few times my weight started creeping back up was when I STOPPED eating those foods, and started eating low-fat stuff. A potato, a piece of bread. Skinless,tasteless turkey breast.

So, creeping OFF lc eating is what makes my weight creep back.

I gained weight while my husband was in the hospital for 12 days. I don't know how much, but my jeans don't fit anymore.