Don't Call it a Comeback...
 

...or maybe I should have called this my "post of shame". I was active here a few years back and was successful with my low carb eating, losing close to 120lbs. Well, I'll spare you the typical details, got comfortable and have gained almost every bit of it back. I'm back on plan now for a little over a week and am already 6lbs down. I'm coming back just because I feel this was an added piece that kept me on track. So i'm looking to reconnect and meet some new people and stick with this for good this time.

I guess a little background for me - I'm 40 now, married, 3 kids, live in Mississippi. My heaviest this time was 350lb, I'm 5'6' and have a goal weight of 225lb. I made it to 245 last time and I was pretty happy where I was health wise then so we'll see. I have not been back to a doctor since I've restarted this time so I don't know where my numbers are this round. Previously had been diagnosed as diabetic, high cholesterol, high bp, sleep apnea, all that good stuff. My bg numbers have gone up but haven't been at the levels they were before, but honestly I haven't checked lately. I've had to start back sleeping with my cpap machine again as well.

Anyway, thanks for reading, hoping to continue this journey for good now, but honestly I try and tell myself this isn't a new journey, it's just a continuation of where I started 5 years ago. Yes, there was a BIG detour, but hopefully i'm back now.

welcome back B!!!! Good to see you here again, although I'm sorry for the context. Yes, here is the continuing path, and all the very best for getting rid of that cpap machine!!
:rheart:

Welcome back, B. You will find many of us still here...and I think the support of a community is one Technique that helps make eating low carb into a habit for the long haul. Sure that you remember Ken, re-read some of his posts about how he not only lost the weight, but what changes finally helped him Keep it off. Many helpful posts linked under his signature. http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=475679 The Success stories forum has other guys like Grav and Thud who can help you change your approach to food long term. You have a wife and three cute little darlings, good reasons to re-commit and re-find your health. All the best,

Hey, Jey! Thanks for the welcome. And I'll check out his posts as well.

B, here’s hoping you can hang around this time. Believe me I know your situation. I’ve been there and done that too. The weight seems to sneak on so easily if we stop being mindful. It was 2009 when I joined this group *after* I had just lost 100 pounds. Then ( as always over the last 30 years or so) I stalled around the 270-280 mark. I’d hoped that coming here would help me break my forever plateau point. Well, as you can see from my stats, it hasn’t. After 9 years I’m still stalled at the weight I always stall at.

BUT I have not gained all my weight back! In various diets I went on in the past I would get depressed at stalling at 270-280 for several years, give up, and gain all the weight back. But being faithful about coming here on a regular basis has at least kept me from that dreaded gain. Being stalled at 270-280 is still better than bouncing back up to nearly 400 again. And I still live in hope. 😀 But coming here faithfully has been key for me.

So good luck, you know you can do it. And stick around here for great support.

Welcome back. No shame here. We all understand the bumps in the road!!

Good to see you back. I think one problem is that the standard diet has such a great support group, everywhere you go, somebody's encouraging you to stick to it. You really do have to go out of your way to get support for something different.

You make a really good point with that. Though low carb/keto has gained more popularity it still is not the norm. You tell people you're eating bacon and eggs every morning for breakfast and avoiding fruit and they almost always look at you crazy. It's so easy to go back to the "old" habits, even though I enjoy the foods very much eating this way. I also enjoy the high-carb foods as well, but realize I can't have them any more, no matter how much someone says, "Oh, just one bite won't hurt".

Welcome back B! Glad to have you back with us.



I noticed that the "you're crazy" looks tended to dissipate somewhat as I approached a healthy weight eating LCHF.

I suspect that, when one is still very much overweight, anyone hearing you say that you eat eggs and bacon every morning ASSUMES (wrongly) that it is the eggs and bacon every morning that GOT you overweight! And they don't understand WHY you don't start a "healthier" diet, maybe have oatmeal and raisens for breakfast; or a nice whole-grain pancake with maple syrup and oleo. After all, that's exactly what convention wisdom teaches.

They don't understand that eggs and bacon are going to help "cure" you. So, of course they think you're crazy!

If I were you, I just wouldn't tell anyone (outside of this board) exactly WHAT you eat until you've lost enough weight again that people start asking you what you're doing differently. Then you can tell them that you've CHANGED the way you eat... that you've stopped eating "healthy whole grains, etc." and started eating lots of fat and appropriate amounts of protein. And, if they still look at you like you're crazy, you can say that yes you KNOW it is against all conventional wisdom and sounds crazy but it's hard to argue with success! :lol:

Welcome back B! I remember your posts from before, and am glad to "see" you again. LC truly is the best path back to health, and I'm glad you have rediscovered it.

Hi, bworthey. I remember you, too. Welcome back! Like Merpig, I find that sticking with this group of supportive people is one of the best strategies at any stage of the effort.

Best wishes.

Oh, I absolutely agree. Most everyone around me knows what/how I eat - well when I'm "on plan" anyway. And you're right, they can't argue with results.

I felt like I had someone doing the staring at me because of my size and the things in my buggy the other day at the store. It was just pretty much me on a restocking trip - I had bacon, sausage, eggs, pepperoni, all kinds of things that other people would deem "bad" and I swear the guy kept staring at my buggy, like studying every single thing I had in there. I was so close to stopping and asking if he wanted something. That's really the first time anything like that has bothered me. It was just weird. Anyway, thanks for the welcome back!

And thanks everybody that has remembered me, for the welcome backs - I'm glad to be back.

Hey B. I've only been here a couple of years so I've missed the earlier stuff, but as far as I'm concerned the most important thing is that you're here now, and the rest of us are all here to help.

Hope to see you in your journal. o/