trying low carb again

[steena]

Hi everybody.

I am a believer in low carbing, but I admit to being a little discouraged at the moment. I am a midwestern girl, always was active but just a little overweight, but I never figured out a way to really lose any significant poundage. Even when I went to teach English in China for a two year period, I did not lose any weight the first six months, despite walking everywhere, drinking green tea, and eating tons of spicy vegetables. Then after a ton of research, I tried to low carb. Basically, I just ate normal Chinese dishes of proteins and vegetables, but wouldn't eat the rice. I often ate a little oatmeal and fruit in the morning, sometimes fruit as a snack, and I drank even more green tea. I lost about 25 pounds this way in a few months. I had a lot of energy and I was determined to keep eating this way even when I got back to the states.

In the US, I ate low carb for the first six months I was back, still walking everywhere and drinking tons of green tea. Then I got involved in a relationship with an overweight guy and really slowed down. I also would eat more "normal" US foods like lasagna and other pasta at his house to be polite. I did gain a few pounds, but I was still at a very healthy weight.

After that relationship ended, I met the man who was to become my husband. Also, significantly overweight. He did low carbing several times and would lose about twenty pounds each time, then gaining it mostly all back when he resumed eating potatoes, cous cous, pancakes, etc. I slowly gained more weight while I was dating, teaching in a stressful situation, and also . . . he really enjoyed my more curvy figure from the addition of a few pounds. So I didn't try much to take any off.

Now that we're married, I'm back to my pre-China weight. For being about 5' 9", weighing in the upper 160s to low 70s isn't awful, but I am far healthier at about 150. I'm also not fitting into my beautiful tailored suits and other fashionable clothes I bought! My face looks older and I've got cellulite to deal with.

So now I'm trying low carbing again, this time with my husband's support. I am a little afraid of trying actual Atkin's (which worked wonders for my husband) because fruit has always been part of my plan. I'll just take vitamins and fiber supplement for now. I do take Zoloft for depression and tend to get irritable when I'm doing very low carb. I plan to switch to something more like South Beach after a few weeks of induction.

Any advice? Any similar experiences?

cea

[SunnyCarol]

Since you did well eating fruit when you lost 25 pounds before, I would think you could do it again. Atkins is not right for everybody--even Dr. Atkins said that. I have to do Atkins and even after losing over 100 pounds, if I add fruit back in I gain. I love fruit, but can't even handle natural sugar. You may not have that problem.

Since you are not very overweight, you can experiment until you find out what works for you and what you can live with for the rest of your life. What makes you healthy and feel good is what you should go for.

Sunny!

[KvonM]

kudos to you for having a husband who supports you and is willing to do atkins with you. my fiance doesn't necessarily "do" atkins, i still serve him noodles and rice occassionally, but he helps keep me on track.

i'll tell you what i tell everyone else... re-read the book, use the list of induction foods as your permanent shopping list until you've got that list burned into your brain (i've got it tattooed inside my eyelids ;)). just refamiliarize yourself with everything so that you know you're doing it right.

there's also a thread on antidepressants in the "newbies questions" section... you might want to check that out.

[lisaz8605]

I've been all over the charts trying different diets and came back to LCing too. I think you've had a chance to try a variety of things and know what you like. I would try to figure out what triggers there are for you and make sure that you examine more than just what you're eating -- because it's always about more than food, right? It's wonderful that you have a supportive hubby! With that, I would suggest to you finding what works for YOU. Just because he had success with Atkins doesn't mean you should do it unless that's what you want. Diet and weight loss is SUCH a personal thing. If SB is your deal because of what it offers, then start with it and stick with it. I guess there are those that move around between the different diets and I'm admittedly one of them, but I think the greatest success comes from consistency. Also I think if you don't take some time with a WOE that you can't truly determine if it works for you. So my suggestion is find what works and stick with it. Good luck!