Hi everyone, I just joined and have just returned to low carb dieting. In the past this was the only way I could lose weight, as my weight is extremely resistant. I'm the only person I know who goes on a diet and puts on 3lbs the first day. I hate it, but what can you do? What worries me is that when I went back to normal eating last time, the pounds piled on so fast it made my head spin. Now I am wary. Can I eat like this for the rest of my life? I'm not sure, but I'm desperate. I am hoping that since it's been a lot of years since I did low carb there may be some new foods out there that make life a bit easier. What's new and what are some happy dieting tips that will keep a big smile on my face?

"What worries me is that when I went back to normal eating last time, the pounds piled on so fast it made my head spin."

This is always a huge tell whether or not someone succeeds. When they talk about eating normally, the way they did as they gained weight, versus how they intend to lose weight, this nearly always spells failure. There isn't any magic that lets you end a diet and maintain the loss.

You can't go back to normal. You have to find a way you can eat for life. Why go to all the effort if you're just going to revert? I would postpone dieting any longer until you can see your way to making permanent lifestyle changes not just for weight loss, but for your health too.

As Nancy suggested - if you go back to eating the way that previously made you put on weight you will put on weight again - so it is better to make your new way of eating one that you don't give up once you reach your goal weight.

I am following Atkins where we gradually test our body's reaction by adding new foods in to discover how many carbs and which foods we can eat without gaining weight.

Most lowcarb plans have a similar progression phase that enables people to settle on a menu that is likely to help them maintain their losses, so they never actually "go off" their chosen "diet".

So maybe this time around you can plan towards that situation as you lose weight and approach your own goal.

All I can say is that if you gain weight in such a short space of time - then theres nothing to worry about - its going to be water. My advice would be to ditch the scales and concentrate on losing inches.

As for gaining it back when you eat normally again - well, you need to change normal, cos normal is what made you overweight in the first place, so you're bound to become the size you were before.

Jo xxx

Thanks everyone. It wasn't that I expect to eat in an unhealthy way, because I have already changed those habits... but the weight is still not budging. I am eating healthy carbs like brown rice, quinoa, oat milk etc. So I guess that's my body's way of telling me that my new normal has to be without them. I am not giving up trying in every way I can to make positive changes. Anyway, I am resourceful and smart, so if there is a way for me, I will find it. Thanks for the comments and support xox

If you want to lose weight, dump the "healthy" carbs - they cause glucose in your blood, which in turn causes insulin to come along, scoop it up and deposit it as fat around your body. Get down to your ideal weight and then maybe introduce them slowly???

For me, healthy, unhealthy carbs make me crave more and more and more and more and....... and make me gain weight

Jo xxx

I feel for you about all the weight gain. I am only 8 weeks in and fear this will happen, which pretty much keeps me "scared to stray" BUT i was very bad last weekend i went away on a trip and had chocolate and mashed potatoes even a amazing roll and butter. I got right back in low carb fight on Monday, and I actually lost a lb!!!! Again, I am new at this..does anybody want to comment that is a veteran low carber. Did i just get EXTREMELY lucky to not have gained, or is this something we can do once in a while..say every couple months..or ever month (fishing for that one lol)

Personally - no way! You're lucky, you had a cheat and got straight back onto it. Do that too many times, you'll stop losing and wont break free from the carb addiction. Its not low carb if you have to keep running back to carbs once a month - or even every couple of months, or even ever!



Jo xxx

i gotcha. I certainly am not planning on going off like that. I was a special vacation and yea, i was off, but because i was on for that 5 weeks, I have to say, I felt different about food. I think I can beat this thing but I will prob have another couple of bad choices on Thanksgiving, but not terrible. I think moments like these are enought ot keep me low carbing for life. The things like pasta and potatoes etc etc I thought I couldnt go even couple days without, I have gone 5 weeks, and even tho i ate some of that this weekend, it wasnt like a huge thing, which makes me feel like this is where i belong. The only thing I TRULY miss ..is cereal, any suggestions? I mean any cereal..bad sweet like coco puffs or not so much like crispix etc. I would LOVE somebody to let me know if I can have cereal ( with unsweetened almond milk..i know!) of any kind and what they like best

Don't fall into the "Healthy Carb" trap. Read some of the new research in "Wheat Belly" and "Grain Brain". Both excellent books.

I remember when I was about 6 weeks in to atkins, the weight was falling off and I felt great and I wondered if/when I could start having cake and chocolate again. It kinda dawned on me that actually I probably could never ever have it again. That was a sad moment, but I dealt with it. Afew years on and I did start to slip the odd icecream in, and then the odd cake, and then a few more things.... before I knew it, I was out of control and putting on weight fast. I finally stopped just over a year ago and went back to strict induction and lost the weight again. I now realise, for me anyway, carbs are addictive and like any addiction, you cant pick it up and put it down. I know not everyone is like that, but for most......!?? Sorry, I dont mean to nag (altho I'm told I'm an expert nagger by my husband lol!!)

As for cereal, luckily I've never been a great cereal eater, but flaxseeds have been mentioned on the forum?? or have a look on the recipe pages???

Jo xxx

That's the thing about change. It changes everything.

You start eating low carb to lose weight, and it does that. But you also wind up feeling better; more energy, better sleep, fewer digestive issues, shinier, stronger hair and nails. But your moods are also better; cheerful and positive. Blood pressure normalizes, blood sugar stabilizes, you even find yourself more confident. And it's not just the change in size.

It's the change in you.

OR

You can have cereal in the morning.

I know I am a carb addict. The moment I have cereal for breakfast I am ravenous, whereas if I eat nothing I can go for hours without feeling hungry. And a few days ago I saw a comment about carb addiction and this person suggested a book called Carbohydrate Addicts Diet and so I ordered it from Amazon to see where that info takes me. Having delved in and out of carb free, I understand about ketosis and all that, so most people would take one look at this plan and say "no way"...but I am open minded enough to have a go. It seems to be advocating 2 no carb meals per day and one 'reward meal' where you have to consume the whole meal within 1 hour. They say that the timing is crucial. I just thought I'd mention that book, as the authors are researchers in the health area. Anyway, here's the link about it that got me curious...lol. Take a look at what it says:
\http://welltellme.com/discuss/index.php?topic=13210.0

And I just found this link, which gives so much info about it you probably don't need the book...The second post on the page gives all the details of how they came up with this way of eating and how research done elsewhere seems to corroborate it:
http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/o...t-cad-calp.html

There are people on this forum who have had great success with that diet - it helped them to lose weight, while not having to forego food they loved. The books also get quite good reviews on Amazon (although the number of reviews is very low.) On the other hand, other people have posted here to say that they tried that diet and found they couldn't stick to it because it triggered cravings and carb fests. The response and efficacy is therefore very individual, and the only way for you to see if it works for you is to try it for yourself. If you find yourself craving or binging, then you can try something else.

There's a section of this forum which is dedicated to those diets here:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=100

If it doesn't work, then you could switch to a lower-carb diet. The great thing about cutting out all the carbs is that the cravings diminish the longer you're on the diet.

Best of luck.