Hi!

I am researching the low carb, high protein diets. I am a lifetime WW member. I changed my ways on April 26, 2001. I went from 226lbs to 130lbs following a lowfat, low calorie diet. The problem is I am now 135, which is fine, but it is a constant struggle to maintain my weight!!! I was wondering if making the switch to an Atkins-type diet might help??? I am hoping to cut out my mindless (carb) snacking! Has anyone else been in this situation and made the switch successfully? I am so afraid that I will gain weight. I excercise 5 days a week fairly intensively. I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant 8 years ago which was a big motivation to get the excess weight off! I feel that I have low blood sugar now, but have not been diagnosed with it.

Can anyone give me some guidance?

Thanks so much!!
Clancy

In terms of helping with the desire to "mindlessly snack", Atkin's can be a god send. However, if you are very active and about at your goal weight you might want to look into more moderate low-carb plans. My friends who are athletes who do low-carb say they prefer Montingnac, Susan Sommers, and Body-For-Life. I personally was forced to do WW as a teen by my parents. It was always too much of a struggle for me b/c I always felt starving. I find this WOE much easier to follow.

I did Weight Watchers several times in the past. It just never worked for me, I couldn't stay on the plan because I was always so hungry.

Atkins, in that respect, is SO much easier to do. But, although I guess technically you can have anything you want, practically it just doesn't work that way. Day in and day out you need to eat meat, fat and vegetables. If your weight doesn't go up you can also have fruits and some low carb products and grains. I have found that after being on Atkins for a few weeks, I really didn't even want the other things. When I get hungry, I crave meat.

I hope you find what you're looking for with low carbing.

Most people on the boards will be on Atkins. I am on a South Beachish plan. It doesn't stress ketosis quite as much as Atkins. It really depends on how willing you are to strictly control carbs. I'm not obsessive and don't feel I need to go ultra low carb to have an effective weight loss. I'm also rarely hungry on my plan.

Welcome!

I advise that you that read the posts on this forum as much as you can - with only one thing in mind -

TO SEE HOW HAPPY PEOPLE ARE WITH THE LC DIETING METHODS

And compare this to how happy you have been with the WW's methods, while I am glad that it worked for you, I bet that you have felt deprived with the menu that you had to follow.

Well, LC is different, there is not a lot of sense of deprivation for many people and that is what I encourage you to think about.

One final thing, I have been on this diet for only several days, and I am already burning fat, and for the FIRST time in my life, I am eating 3 meals a day and 1 or 2 snacks - and this is something I need to get used to, because I am used to feeling guilty and feared gaining weight if I ate more than once or twice a day. So not only am I losing weight, I am eating like a normal person should.

Just something to think about - and I hope you stick around!

Be sure to check out the Glycemic Index and its plans. All LC plans recommend foods at the lower end of the glycemic index.

The truth is that "carbs call to carbs". that means that the more 'empty carbs' made of sugars, starches, flours and highly processed foods that you eat, the more you can and want to eat.

Eating meats, fish, eggs, cheeses along with vegetables and salads helps stabilize your blood sugar and avoid the sudden insulin spike that carbs cause.

It has been proven in recent studies that LC dieters can eat "more calories" and lose than low fat or low cal dieters.

You are to be congratulated on losing so marvellously. Now look into the Maintenance levels of each LC plan. They all have information for you. And will help you avoid regaining.

If we go back to how we used to eat, we will soon weigh what we used to eat. And that is true of EVERY diet that ever was.

I used to maintain my weight by eating low fat (25 grams or less a day) and exercising 1 1/2 hours a day.

It did work! I enjoyed the exercise. I was happy at a size 12 and 150 pounds at 5'7".

Then I moved, went back to school, etc, and could no longer do that amount of exercise. And even though my eating habits stayed the same, the weight crept up!

On low carbing, I got back down to 150, I'm a size TEN, and I feel just as good as I did on all that exercise.

I'd like to exercise more, now that the six feet of snow has melted. But low carbing is great for me, I don't have to worry that injuries or lifestyle changes will make me gain weight again, and I'm never hungry. Not only that, I feel it's a better way to eat if you want to head off diabetes and heart problems.

So, as a person who did what they were told and it worked for them, I have to say low carb works BETTER!

Former Weight Wathcher here. I got tired of being hungry.
I love LC now and now do CKD.

jag

i am a WW in transition to the low carb way ....on WW i was constantly hungry thinking about food, now i'm never hungry!

I appreciate it so much! Yesterday was my first full day and I am down a pound this morning! I went on the carbohydrate addict's diet several years back and lost 7 pounds in a week. I couldn't do it back then. There is so much more support for lowcarbing now!! It is so much easier! I am using South Beach and the recipes I have made so far have been delicious!!

Thanks to the former WW members and to you adkpam (sounds like what I was doing). Your posts really relieved my mind.

Clancy

on WW I always thought about food, also!!!!! I didn't yesterday! Hopefully, I am free!

Clancy

And no more humiliating public weigh-ins! I don't think weigh-ins should count unless you are naked!