The future of low-carb dieting?

Hi, people. Doug in Tokyo here, back again after yet another hiatus.

Things are going.... pretty awfully. After dropping from 131 kg to 116
kg on low carb my first year, for over a year now I continue to
oscillate between 112 kg and 120 kg, and continue to go back and forth
between low-carb and low-cal diets.

I found (for people not used to my plight) that low-carb only takes me
down to about 116 or so, after which I level out. Obviously I just eat
too many calories even when low-carbing.

Low-calorie alone though causes hunger spikes and digestive problems
(which I will not detail here ).

So I go back to low-carb after being on low-cal for a while and the
cycle starts all over again.

I also frequently go off both diets altogether. A miserable lack of will
power.

Currently I am back up to 119.5 kg and am "back on low-carb" this
morning. sigh

I still wonder whether anybody has successfully gone from extremely
obese (like me) to perfectly slender (like a BMI of, say, 22) by just
eating low-carb. I never really have heard of this happening. Most
people seem to be like me, where they lose 30-40 lb in the first six
months and are all excited about that, but then it doesn't go much
further. Are there verified true success stories out there?

I have been trying to exercise more lately as well - basically much more
walking.

doug@feeling sort of down

Doug Lerner wrote:

I still wonder whether anybody has successfully gone from
extremely
obese (like me) to perfectly slender (like a BMI of, say,
22) by just
eating low-carb. I never really have heard of this
happening. Most
people seem to be like me, where they lose 30-40 lb in the
first six
months and are all excited about that, but then it doesn't
go much
further. Are there verified true success stories out
there?


Doug,

I have reached and maintained my goal weight of 175 pounds
by exclusively doing low carb. However, I have made it
clear since the beginning of my weight loss effort that I
have also exercised portion and calorie control. I can't
speak for any but myself but this has certainly served me
well. I attribute the ability to maintain the portion
control for many months without feeling starved to the
low-carb WOE. I don't know if this qualifies for your
definition of becoming slender by "just eating low-carb"
but it meets my definition just fine.

I'm not sure of your qualification of perfectly slender
requiring a BMI of 22...my BMI happens to be 25.1 and I
consider myself slender at this point...just a tad on the
muscular side. I'm actually in the process of intentionally
trying to put on a few more pounds of muscle to get back to
around 180-183 as that is a weight where I was most
comfortable and happy with my appearance. (Read between the
lines here...I am not currently being nearly as restrictive
of calories as I have been but I am getting lots of weight
lifting exercise, and a bit of cardio, to be able to add
back on those few pounds, but as muscle hopefully.)

I'm 15 months into this at this point, a full 12 months
longer than I was ever able to even maintain a weight loss
program at any time in the past. I still have to be careful
not to eat too much but so long as I keep my carb level
within my personal limits I maintain just fine.

I'll let others decide if I qualify as a "verified true
success story." For the record, there are two of us in my
family who have been equally successful at this, and doing
things pretty much the same way...my wife too would likely
be another success story (Ladies, I took her to dinner the
other night where she borrowed and wore my oldest daughter's
black leather pants...oh my goodness, what a wonderful
look...I'll try to get a picture next time ;-)

--
JJ.
275/175/180 - as of November 1, 2004 (adjusted target
weight)
Atkins since Sep 1, 2003
http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jjsmythe/my_photos
1, 2, 3...98, 99, 100. Done!

Eat less and exercise more.

--
You take stupid to a new level. -- MFW


"Doug Lerner" wrote in message
...
Hi, people. Doug in Tokyo here, back again after yet another hiatus.

Things are going.... pretty awfully. After dropping from 131 kg to 116 kg
on low carb my first year, for over a year now I continue to oscillate
between 112 kg and 120 kg, and continue to go back and forth between
low-carb and low-cal diets.

I found (for people not used to my plight) that low-carb only takes me
down to about 116 or so, after which I level out. Obviously I just eat too
many calories even when low-carbing.

Low-calorie alone though causes hunger spikes and digestive problems
(which I will not detail here ).

So I go back to low-carb after being on low-cal for a while and the cycle
starts all over again.

I also frequently go off both diets altogether. A miserable lack of will
power.

Currently I am back up to 119.5 kg and am "back on low-carb" this morning.
sigh

I still wonder whether anybody has successfully gone from extremely obese
(like me) to perfectly slender (like a BMI of, say, 22) by just eating
low-carb. I never really have heard of this happening. Most people seem to
be like me, where they lose 30-40 lb in the first six months and are all
excited about that, but then it doesn't go much further. Are there
verified true success stories out there?

I have been trying to exercise more lately as well - basically much more
walking.

doug@feeling sort of down

"Doug Lerner" wrote in message
...
Hi, people. Doug in Tokyo here, back again after yet another hiatus.

Things are going.... pretty awfully. After dropping from 131 kg to 116 kg
on low carb my first year, for over a year now I continue to oscillate
between 112 kg and 120 kg, and continue to go back and forth between
low-carb and low-cal diets.

I found (for people not used to my plight) that low-carb only takes me
down to about 116 or so, after which I level out. Obviously I just eat too
many calories even when low-carbing.

Low-calorie alone though causes hunger spikes and digestive problems
(which I will not detail here ).

So I go back to low-carb after being on low-cal for a while and the cycle
starts all over again.

I also frequently go off both diets altogether. A miserable lack of will
power.

Currently I am back up to 119.5 kg and am "back on low-carb" this morning.
sigh

I still wonder whether anybody has successfully gone from extremely obese
(like me) to perfectly slender (like a BMI of, say, 22) by just eating
low-carb. I never really have heard of this happening. Most people seem to
be like me, where they lose 30-40 lb in the first six months and are all
excited about that, but then it doesn't go much further. Are there
verified true success stories out there?

I have been trying to exercise more lately as well - basically much more
walking.

doug@feeling sort of down

Doug, low-carb is not a means to an end, it's a way of life.

I have not consistently lost weight, I have plateaued and sometimes gained
weight, but stuck with it because I'm into it. The net result is a
continuous weight loss, but not consistently. It no longer bothers me.
This is the way I eat and live. I know that I will continue to have control
over my weight, as well as health and well-being. It's a long-term thing,
not a day-to-day thing.

"Doug Lerner" wrote in message
...
Hi, people. Doug in Tokyo here, back again after yet another hiatus.

Things are going.... pretty awfully. After dropping from 131 kg to 116 kg
on low carb my first year, for over a year now I continue to oscillate
between 112 kg and 120 kg, and continue to go back and forth between
low-carb and low-cal diets.

I found (for people not used to my plight) that low-carb only takes me
down to about 116 or so, after which I level out. Obviously I just eat too
many calories even when low-carbing.

Low-calorie alone though causes hunger spikes and digestive problems
(which I will not detail here ).

So I go back to low-carb after being on low-cal for a while and the cycle
starts all over again.

I also frequently go off both diets altogether. A miserable lack of will
power.

Currently I am back up to 119.5 kg and am "back on low-carb" this morning.
sigh

I still wonder whether anybody has successfully gone from extremely obese
(like me) to perfectly slender (like a BMI of, say, 22) by just eating
low-carb. I never really have heard of this happening. Most people seem to
be like me, where they lose 30-40 lb in the first six months and are all
excited about that, but then it doesn't go much further. Are there
verified true success stories out there?

I have been trying to exercise more lately as well - basically much more
walking.

doug@feeling sort of down

Doug, low-carb is not a means to an end, it's a way of life.

I have not consistently lost weight, I have plateaued and sometimes gained
weight, but stuck with it because I'm into it. The net result is a
continuous weight loss, but not consistently. It no longer bothers me.
This is the way I eat and live. I know that I will continue to have control
over my weight, as well as health and well-being. It's a long-term thing,
not a day-to-day thing.

You're burned out on simple dieting, doug.

IMO, what you really need is to do some serious exercise if you really want
to make a near breakthrough on your weight. Start running, power walking,
and/or lifting big weights. Do some serious cardio, like an 1 hour a day at
a challenging pace (heart-rate wise), burning at least 500 caloires a pop.
Push it to 2 hours a day after you've been at it a while.

If you're not willing to do anything exceptional, you won't get exceptional
results.

:: "Doug Lerner" wrote in message
:: ...
::: Hi, people. Doug in Tokyo here, back again after yet another hiatus.
:::
::: Things are going.... pretty awfully. After dropping from 131 kg to
::: 116 kg on low carb my first year, for over a year now I continue to
::: oscillate between 112 kg and 120 kg, and continue to go back and
::: forth between low-carb and low-cal diets.
:::
::: I found (for people not used to my plight) that low-carb only takes
::: me down to about 116 or so, after which I level out. Obviously I
::: just eat too many calories even when low-carbing.
:::
::: Low-calorie alone though causes hunger spikes and digestive problems
::: (which I will not detail here ).
:::
::: So I go back to low-carb after being on low-cal for a while and the
::: cycle starts all over again.
:::
::: I also frequently go off both diets altogether. A miserable lack of
::: will power.
:::
::: Currently I am back up to 119.5 kg and am "back on low-carb" this
::: morning. sigh
:::
::: I still wonder whether anybody has successfully gone from extremely
::: obese (like me) to perfectly slender (like a BMI of, say, 22) by
::: just eating low-carb. I never really have heard of this happening.
::: Most people seem to be like me, where they lose 30-40 lb in the
::: first six months and are all excited about that, but then it
::: doesn't go much further. Are there verified true success stories
::: out there?
:::
::: I have been trying to exercise more lately as well - basically much
::: more walking.
:::
::: doug@feeling sort of down

You're burned out on simple dieting, doug.

IMO, what you really need is to do some serious exercise if you really want
to make a near breakthrough on your weight. Start running, power walking,
and/or lifting big weights. Do some serious cardio, like an 1 hour a day at
a challenging pace (heart-rate wise), burning at least 500 caloires a pop.
Push it to 2 hours a day after you've been at it a while.

If you're not willing to do anything exceptional, you won't get exceptional
results.

:: "Doug Lerner" wrote in message
:: ...
::: Hi, people. Doug in Tokyo here, back again after yet another hiatus.
:::
::: Things are going.... pretty awfully. After dropping from 131 kg to
::: 116 kg on low carb my first year, for over a year now I continue to
::: oscillate between 112 kg and 120 kg, and continue to go back and
::: forth between low-carb and low-cal diets.
:::
::: I found (for people not used to my plight) that low-carb only takes
::: me down to about 116 or so, after which I level out. Obviously I
::: just eat too many calories even when low-carbing.
:::
::: Low-calorie alone though causes hunger spikes and digestive problems
::: (which I will not detail here ).
:::
::: So I go back to low-carb after being on low-cal for a while and the
::: cycle starts all over again.
:::
::: I also frequently go off both diets altogether. A miserable lack of
::: will power.
:::
::: Currently I am back up to 119.5 kg and am "back on low-carb" this
::: morning. sigh
:::
::: I still wonder whether anybody has successfully gone from extremely
::: obese (like me) to perfectly slender (like a BMI of, say, 22) by
::: just eating low-carb. I never really have heard of this happening.
::: Most people seem to be like me, where they lose 30-40 lb in the
::: first six months and are all excited about that, but then it
::: doesn't go much further. Are there verified true success stories
::: out there?
:::
::: I have been trying to exercise more lately as well - basically much
::: more walking.
:::
::: doug@feeling sort of down

I still wonder whether anybody has successfully gone from extremely obese
(like me) to perfectly slender (like a BMI of, say, 22) by just

Well, I was not extremly obese, just overweight at BMI 29.5 and after 11
months of low-carbing I am at 22.

Anyway, you have to realize that low-carb does not mean stuffing yourself.

Mirek

Doug,

It's NOT a failure of willpower. It's very likely a metabolic problem that
can't be solved by diet alone.

Hunger is a symptom, not a moral failing. It's caused by things like
fluctuations in insulin levels, insulin resistance, and swiftly changing
blood sugar levels.

Get yourself to an endocrinologist and have your insulin levels tested. You
may find that the addition of an anti-insulin resistance drug makes a huge
difference.

Myra who posted here for many years went from severely obese (over 400 lbs)
to normal, but she needed metformin to get the last 100 lbs off.

I'm currently at my lowest weight, well within a normal body size, but it's
taken metformin to counter the intense hunger that developed after a year
and a half of my second prolonged stint of low carbing. I started regaining
eating a low carb/low cal diet before my visit to the endocrinologist
pinpointed the problem.

If you go, demand that your fasting insulin and/or C-peptide be tested along
with fasting glucose as that can tell whether your insulin resistance is a
serious problem.


--
Jenny - Low Carbing for 5 years. Below goal for weight. Type 2 diabetes,
hba1c 5.7 .
Cut the carbs to respond to my email address!

Jenny's new site: What they Don't Tell You About Diabetes
http://www.geocities.com/lottadata4u/

Jenny's Low Carb Diet Facts & Figures
http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/

Looking for help controlling your blood sugar?
Visit http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/...0Diagnosed.htm


"Doug Lerner" wrote in message
...
Hi, people. Doug in Tokyo here, back again after yet another hiatus.

Things are going.... pretty awfully. After dropping from 131 kg to 116
kg on low carb my first year, for over a year now I continue to
oscillate between 112 kg and 120 kg, and continue to go back and forth
between low-carb and low-cal diets.

I found (for people not used to my plight) that low-carb only takes me
down to about 116 or so, after which I level out. Obviously I just eat
too many calories even when low-carbing.

Low-calorie alone though causes hunger spikes and digestive problems
(which I will not detail here ).

So I go back to low-carb after being on low-cal for a while and the
cycle starts all over again.

I also frequently go off both diets altogether. A miserable lack of will
power.

Currently I am back up to 119.5 kg and am "back on low-carb" this
morning. sigh

I still wonder whether anybody has successfully gone from extremely
obese (like me) to perfectly slender (like a BMI of, say, 22) by just
eating low-carb. I never really have heard of this happening. Most
people seem to be like me, where they lose 30-40 lb in the first six
months and are all excited about that, but then it doesn't go much
further. Are there verified true success stories out there?

I have been trying to exercise more lately as well - basically much more
walking.

doug@feeling sort of down

"Doug Lerner" wrote in message
...
Hi, people. Doug in Tokyo here, back again after yet another hiatus.

Things are going.... pretty awfully. After dropping from 131 kg to 116
kg on low carb my first year, for over a year now I continue to
oscillate between 112 kg and 120 kg, and continue to go back and forth
between low-carb and low-cal diets.

I found (for people not used to my plight) that low-carb only takes me
down to about 116 or so, after which I level out. Obviously I just eat
too many calories even when low-carbing.

Low-calorie alone though causes hunger spikes and digestive problems
(which I will not detail here ).

So I go back to low-carb after being on low-cal for a while and the
cycle starts all over again.

I also frequently go off both diets altogether. A miserable lack of will
power.

Currently I am back up to 119.5 kg and am "back on low-carb" this
morning. sigh

I still wonder whether anybody has successfully gone from extremely
obese (like me) to perfectly slender (like a BMI of, say, 22) by just
eating low-carb. I never really have heard of this happening. Most
people seem to be like me, where they lose 30-40 lb in the first six
months and are all excited about that, but then it doesn't go much
further. Are there verified true success stories out there?

I have been trying to exercise more lately as well - basically much more
walking.

doug@feeling sort of down

Hi Doug. Welcome back.
I remember you had problems sticking to lo-carb because of your fear for
eating too much fat. You can do lo-fat or you can do lo-carb, but you will
have difficulty doing both together. On lo-carb 2/3rds of your calories
would come from fats. Proteins are the body's building blocks and are
inefficient for energy use.
You've stated in the past that you believe you have blood glucose
sensitivities. Have you checked for sure? If you are possibly diabetic, than
your carbohydrates will get deposited more as fat instead of used as energy.
High blood sugars are dangerous to health.
Also, increasing activity level helps a great deal. Weight training
would develop more muscles and help to burn off more calories. Doing more
walking is great, but you will have to increase that in a more serious
fashion to achieve any meaningful results in your weightloss.
Read "A beginner's guide for lowcarb living". It's posted in this
newsgroup everyday and has lots of links to lo-carb sites. Lots of these
sites have success stories.
Tom
210/180/180