I won't call this a success story ...

vingogly

... because the story isn't over yet.

I lost 50+ pounds a few years ago doing what I'd call a reduced carb diet. My family doctor works with a lot of cardio patients, and for years advocated a low-fat diet. That wasn't working for me or his other patients. After a lot of research, he tried low carb with some of them (including me) and saw fantastic results in their blood workups and overall health. So he became a low carb advocate. I was skeptical, but tried it and it worked. After losing that weight, I kept following some of the principles but stopped logging food and got kind of sloppy in monitoring what I'd eaten and my hunger/satiety clues. I kept most of it off for a few years, but some of it creeped back on. I started at about 257lbs, am now 198lbs, and figure I have 20-30lbs to go yet.

Last fall, after a cancer diagnosis and struggling with periodic gout attacks, I decided to complete the project and make permanent changes in my lifestyle. I started with the South Beach Phase 1 low carb diet, since that program advises adding carbs back in and monitoring how you respond with regard to cravings and rate of weight loss. That seemed to make sense, so I've done that ever since. I've been doing what I'd call reduced carb ever since: Nov last year, around 75g per day; Dec and Jan, around 125g per day. I've averaged 30g of fiber per day during that period, so my carb count minus fiber has been 45g to 95g per day. My weight loss during this period has been a steady pound per week. I haven't changed my low level of activity lifestyle.

I've focused on making dietary changes I can commit to for the rest of my life rather than trying to live in an artificial period of time called "Dieting" where I punish myself and look forward to the day when I don't have to do it any more. Here in a nutshell is the "program" I've followed:

1. Avoid sugars and keep simple carbs to a minimum
2. Eat a variety of whole grains, good fats, and veggies (and more of them)
3. Be mindful of when I'm hungry, eat slowly, stop when I'm full
4. Never eat because I'm stressed or depressed or bored
5. Log everything, and pay attention to the numbers
6. If I eat a big lunch, I don't have to eat a normal dinner
7. (ditto for breakfast)

These sound simple, but it's been a struggle internalizing the behavioral part. I have a script in my head that says, "it's dinner time so I have to eat what I'd consider a full dinner" and I've had to rewrite that to "I had a big lunch, and I'll eat a snack; I can always eat more in a half hour if I still am hungry". What I've done in the past is just stopped dieting; instead, this time I'm going to follow the advice of programs like South Beach to gradually add in more food as I approach my goal and monitor my response. Also, I plan on logging my food for quite a while afterward, until I'm convinced I've internalized a new set of rules and attitudes for eating.

I think some of us just have to follow a regime like logging what we eat because we don't have the same on/off switch for eating that "normals" do. Or we eat emotionally. In both cases, the important part isn't what we're eating -- it's modifying our behavior and attitudes toward food.

grinning_chick

I have no idea what/where the program is now but before the good doctor died, Atkins absolutely had a ladder of carbohydrate reintroduction one climbed. This was done in order to determine the highest amount of carbohydrates one could eat each day and maintain their desired end weight once they reached it. Point of posting? South Beach Diet is not the only carbohydrate restricting plan advocating finding at what gram amount of carbohydrates per day one loses weight, slows weight loss, maintains weight, or gains weight.

OT, well done. As long as it's sane and benign as far as adverse health risks, whatever works for you personally to achieve your weight goals.

I, too, also log everything I eat these days and am averaging a higher rate of loss than I budgeted for as a result. The only difference is I fell off the low carb bandwagon and now eat whatever I want. At the end of the day (aka, years) I just could not sustainably live with restricting an entire food group. Every time I relaxed even a little in my vigilance, the weight piled back on at a screamingly obnoxious high rate of gain. I just count calories now. So far, so good; been on/exceeded target for almost six months now with no true plateaus (knocks on wood).

vingogly

Atkins is still around. They have a line of foods, in fact, which isn't too bad. South Beach is pretty similar to Atkins, I've taken what seemed wise in both programs and rolled my own along with the behavioral components of mindful eating. A friend is a big fan of Judith Beck's behavioral program and has had great success with it (Judith is the daughter of Aaron Beck, the "father" of cognitive therapy).


For me, the behavioral part is the hardest. It's the reason why losing weight is a lot easier for me than keeping it off.