Why did you quit low-carb?

[PhillyDude]

First, let me say this is an excellent topic for a thread!

I lost 41 pounds from late 2006 to mid 2007. By January 2008 I was back up to my starting weight from 2006. And I have been struggling ever since. I credit this to:

1. Not understanding the Atkin's Phase progression. I stuck on Induction the whole time and when I had to transition to the next phase I was not prepared.

2. I think my body has begun to reject certain meat prudcts that I relied on the first time through. Which has been confusing for me. I have considered Low Carb vegetarian approach, but can't seem to embrace it completey yet.

3. I think the biggest problem is not being prepared. This time around I am researching recipes such as ones on Cleo's site, Linda Sue's site, Ms. Woods site, Vanessa's site, etc. for ideas. BTW, thank you all who have Low Carb recipes on yoru site they mean a lot to me! I think it would help me to find maybe 5 or 6 staple low carb meals that would be easy to make and that I would consider yummy.

4. Oh yeah also losing my original motivation to do low carb in the beginning which was the fear of getting diabetes. My three brothers (one younger than me) all have been diagnosed with diabetes. That was my original motivation - I was scared. But here I am 7 years later and I don't have diabetes yet, which lessoned my fears. I need to be motivated by something more pro-active and optimistic if LC will work this time!

At any rate here I am again doing Atkins. I started this time 10 pounds heavier than my 2006 starting weight!

I'd be remissed if I didn't say that God is with me through this all and prayer helps. So I need to lean on Him everyday for strength

Thanks and Viva Low Carb!
-Phil

[luvmybabyhead]

For me, it was a gradual carb creep sort of thing exacerbated by medical conditions.

I lost 100 pounds in 2005 (got down to a size 14 at 200 pounds) and I started eating normally. I was happy with how I looked, started eating the SAD more often, and stopped exercising. It was very gradual. I had gained 40 pounds by my wedding, had trouble losing weight after a baby, and lost my thyroid a year after that. Took 7 years for 140 pounds to come back on.

I've learned my lesson. To me, LC is a WOE and not a quick, temporary fix.

[Rhubarb]

I just want to tell everyone how much I appreciate your sharing the experiences you've had falling off the wagon (or not.) I've been on many a diet in my life and always worked at controlling my weight, but for some reason I'd never tried Low Carb before this time. I am so thrilled with the results and the ease with which I've been able to get them, (even with some fairly serious electrolyte issues off and on.)

But I know that just like most diets, the majority of people slip and gain back some or all of the weight. And, like a couple of earlier posters, I'm worried about whether I will be able to do this long term. I'm in one day at a time mode at this point and treating this as a carb addiction rather than just my usual gluttony (which I believe is true -- my eating patterns changed in the last couple of years in an unrecognizable way.) But I know it's going to be a challenge. It's very helpful to read these stories and see the pitfalls that await.

Here's hoping I'll be able to get back on the Low Carb horse as successfully as many of you have done if or when I slip.

[socaligirl714]

i am someone who has quit a few times...
I think sometimes i got tired of meat/greens i kept eating the same thing over and over and got tired of it...

im a Cabr-ivore LOL i love carbs ugh but i can totally tell a difference i dont feel bloated or super stuffed but im satisfied.. i think i just have to teach myself to like vegetables, im always like i dont like it without giving it a chance.

and i always go back and forth to low cal... but when i do go back to low cal all i eat is carbs lol and i really have no self control on low cal i always think oh i will be alright when im not

[thealything]

I get too freaked out. I have some autoimmune health problems that some "alternative" medicine practitioners say are the result of what people eat. so I gave up nightshades, and found giving up gluten and sugar to help with some stuff. but most Drs I spoke to also cautioned me about eating too much protein.

I realized that I was eating like 4x as much protein as my doctor wanted me to (he was going with, say, 50g per day). so I started trying to eat less fat, less protein, and more carbs like he suggested. it didn't end well! I find it harder to control my eating that way, and inevitably gain weight.

it also didn't help that I used "I can eat carbs now" as an excuse for "I can eat cake for breakfast now"

THEN I got a new doctor who was pro low carb, but his idea of "low carb" wasn't exactly 20g per day. more like 100g. anyway I also started getting really interested in bodybuilding, and pretty much everything I read told me that you HAVE TO eat carbs in order to build muscle. so I quit atkins again.

anyway, now I'm not trying to be a "beefcake". I want to be healthy, feel good, lose fat and maintain as much muscle as possible. and I know LC can help me do that.

[Patkid]

I quit for comfort.
Eating carbs dulls my senses and sooths my emotions.
But carbs are poison for me. Poison.
They always bite me.
I am happily back on LC for good.
I will find comfort in prayer, friends, good books and peace of mind and body.
Amen.

[CurveControl]

Travel and fast food.

[Portia]

Just plain old addiction.

[evas]

I fell off the LC wagon just because I got lazy and petulant and gave into the things that I WANTED to eat rather than the things that I SHOULD eat. There's nothing I love more than a bagel or a big fat sandwich on a loaf of french bread or pizza or potatoes, dear french fries how I love thee. I know there are substitutes out there for each thing I named, I've tried them and they just aren't the same. I'm like a spoiled brat when it comes to food. I've also tried cutting them out altogether and not even bothering with the substitutes or "mock" foods and I did a little better with that, but still went back to my old ways. This time I am again cutting them out and not bothering with trying to find an adequate replacement but I am also trying to make a deal with myself where once a week I can have something that is "off-plan." Not a whole day, and hopefully not even a whole meal of carb-loaded crap, but something that I can give into here and there in hopes of not just completely giving up again. Weekends are my hardest so that's when I figure I will allow it, this past weekend I had pizza for dinner one night. I got 2 slices of ultra thin crust and paired it with a salad, could have been better had I eaten ONLY the salad but it sure could have been a lot worse too so I'll take it. I'm just trying to avoid the "all or nothing" mentality which is very tough!

[limetwist]

This is a fascinating read, folks. Thanks for opening up and letting others have a peek at the unfortunate falls from glory we sometimes encounter while journeying towards better health. I think the failures are just as important as the successes. It's the basest learning tool, after all. Animals and humans alike learn the correct way by first failing.

To those who are struggling, remember this: no matter how badly you may have fallen, you can always pull yourself back up. No time is ever too late, and no hole is ever too deep.

[sweetpoison]

Originally Posted by evas

I fell off the LC wagon just because I got lazy and petulant and gave into the things that I WANTED to eat rather than the things that I SHOULD eat. There's nothing I love more than a bagel or a big fat sandwich on a loaf of french bread or pizza or potatoes, dear french fries how I love thee. I know there are substitutes out there for each thing I named, I've tried them and they just aren't the same. I'm like a spoiled brat when it comes to food. I've also tried cutting them out altogether and not even bothering with the substitutes or "mock" foods and I did a little better with that, but still went back to my old ways. This time I am again cutting them out and not bothering with trying to find an adequate replacement but I am also trying to make a deal with myself where once a week I can have something that is "off-plan." Not a whole day, and hopefully not even a whole meal of carb-loaded crap, but something that I can give into here and there in hopes of not just completely giving up again. Weekends are my hardest so that's when I figure I will allow it, this past weekend I had pizza for dinner one night. I got 2 slices of ultra thin crust and paired it with a salad, could have been better had I eaten ONLY the salad but it sure could have been a lot worse too so I'll take it. I'm just trying to avoid the "all or nothing" mentality which is very tough!

Could have written this myself.

[Grinsnits]

Originally Posted by biancasteeplechase

Reading through the forums, I see a lot of people who quit eating low-carb - often regaining weight - and are starting over. Some people have done this a couple of times.

I'm wondering - why did you quit?

I don't mean to criticize anyone. I was just thinking that if I knew what kind of obstacles other people ran into, I might be better prepared when I faced the same thing.

Any comments are appreciated!

It's a fair question. One I was wondering myself. Like some, I'm sure it wasn't a conscious decision to stop but a slow backslide into old habits. It happens. Some things in life will trigger it. And then by the time we realize what happen, we are discouraged, can't believe it happen and then the cycle continues. That quote stating something like, "If you hate starting over then stop giving up," makes a lot of sense to me these days. Trite, of course, but is a nice little motivator when I need it.

Looking back, the things that caused me to backslide was having girlfriends and being in relationships. I'd lose weight, social life would uptick, I'd meet some girl and 6 months later after going out and doing this or that and not keeping a steadfast eye on my food intake I'd gain weight. It was frustrating. Best way to combat it would be to do research prior to heading out to particular restaurants and take a look at their menus. It would help if the person you're with was also a Low Carber too but that's probably another conversation.

[kitnmom]

Originally Posted by sweetpoison

BECAUSE I AM A FREAKING IDIOT AND NEVER SEEM TO LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES!!! Now I am trying desperately to get started again and keep blowing it....

Boy did you ever say it, i have lost more than my current weight on Atkins! It always works, never lets me down and i screw up. the first time i went from a size 20-22 to a 14 and blew it. i was perfect for 3 years, and F'd up BIG.! I went to dinner with a "friend" and 2 of her friends, after a long, long day without bieng prepared for that long of a day. They chose Bertuccis, they have amazing food fresh hot rolls in a big basket with butter. Anyway i fell into the basket head first and then a second....

I did Atkins again for her wedding and lost 40 quick lbs and looked pretty good.

She is very jealous of how well atkins works for me, she got me to try it the first time. she fails every time (i think because she eats all she can, like mayo in huge qty) but that is just my opinion.

This time i lost 170 pounds before starting the diet this was my 2nd attempt at losing her. It will stick this time.

[jennbeingme]

1) I was doing well so I went off my Wellbutrin- was good for a while then started to slide and "self- medicate" with carbs ( Doctor says this is common- carbs tend to give you a seratonin burst)
2) It's really hard to always be eating off the norm. In public- pretty much the only thing I could have was coffee or tea-- Chinese food in moderation ( yeah right) etc... It finally just became easier to say OK instead of constantly struggling and prepping.

[rubidoux]

Originally Posted by eterprincess

For me, I had met the goals I had at that point, but mostly I started law school, and it became an eat what you can when you can before another class, study group or review class. Started running to subway and McDonald's, since they were close to school, sandwiches from the cafeteria, not a lot of time to cook or work out, and living in NYC at the time in the east village, reduced access to good grocery stores with a lot of produce or meat selections. Then it was too hectic to try and I realized I had gained the weight back

My first year of NYU Law is the time that I think of as the real turning point in my struggle with carbs. I was already a little fluffy by the time I started, maybe 25 pounds overweight, but things just went haywire in law school. A big part of that was no control, as you're saying, like you just have to run and grab what you can. And also I think I was too scared to try to eat well, like I had to make sure that I had satisfied the carb demon so that I was more able to keep up with my work and not be distracted by it. But there was also a second problem for me, which is that I lived in Brooklyn and we were about a block away from the most AMAZING deli that made these to die for muffins that were about as big as my head. I used to get two of them and a big container of chicken escarole soup (which is still one of the things I look forward to eating LC) and bring them to the library to study and eat it all.

When I was at law school I thought I liked it, but 13 years later, looking back, maybe not... I just don't feel so good thinking about those times.

Originally Posted by Bamboozled

After 8 long months of low carbing and NEVER ever indulging in cheats I had a cheat weekend with the girls and ate as much sugar as I could. After that I found it impossible to ignore the sugar cravings and found myself at a 24 hour grocery store buying jellybeans at 1am. This was many years ago and I have gone off and on low carb ever since. It is the only thing that works but yes it can be hard to stick to. The hardest thing is living with a partner who is not low carbing. I think having that food in the house is very hard and I am glad I don't have to worry about it anymore since my SO is doing this with me.

My kids love carbs and my husband is dead set against restricting them because I have a problem... Ugh. It's hard!

Originally Posted by jennbeingme

1) I was doing well so I went off my Wellbutrin- was good for a while then started to slide and "self- medicate" with carbs ( Doctor says this is common- carbs tend to give you a seratonin burst)
2) It's really hard to always be eating off the norm. In public- pretty much the only thing I could have was coffee or tea-- Chinese food in moderation ( yeah right) etc... It finally just became easier to say OK instead of constantly struggling and prepping.

I also have a hard time maintaining not eating like a normal person when with others. I have been getting a little better at that lately, but it's always a struggle.

[hopewell]

The first time I did LC in '97 I lost 53lbs in 8 mos.
I felt great, looked great and was only 7lbs from goal. I thought, "oh its ok if I gain a couple of pounds, I can just take it right off w/ LC." Well that worked for a couple of months and then...it didn't.

I was using the LC WOE as a quick fix to carb binges and my body rejected the idea after a short period of time. It's been a long time since I did LC in any meaningful way but I am now 54lbs HEAVIER than I was at the BEGINNING of my 53lb loss in '97. I've almost hit 260lb, I'm uncomfortable and tired of being tired so I'm back.

This is gonna be fun!!!!!

[Portia]

Originally Posted by rubidoux

My first year of NYU Law is the time that I think of as the real turning point in my struggle with carbs. I was already a little fluffy by the time I started, maybe 25 pounds overweight, but things just went haywire in law school. A big part of that was no control, as you're saying, like you just have to run and grab what you can. And also I think I was too scared to try to eat well, like I had to make sure that I had satisfied the carb demon so that I was more able to keep up with my work and not be distracted by it. But there was also a second problem for me, which is that I lived in Brooklyn and we were about a block away from the most AMAZING deli that made these to die for muffins that were about as big as my head. I used to get two of them and a big container of chicken escarole soup (which is still one of the things I look forward to eating LC) and bring them to the library to study and eat it all.

When I was at law school I thought I liked it, but 13 years later, looking back, maybe not... I just don't feel so good thinking about those times.



My kids love carbs and my husband is dead set against restricting them because I have a problem... Ugh. It's hard!



I also have a hard time maintaining not eating like a normal person when with others. I have been getting a little better at that lately, but it's always a struggle.

I have the same issues - and the same thing issue back in law school (U Penn for me). I like you're little icons for days on plan - may steal that idea.

[BAM]

Originally Posted by limetwist

This is a fascinating read, folks. Thanks for opening up and letting others have a peek at the unfortunate falls from glory we sometimes encounter while journeying towards better health. I think the failures are just as important as the successes. It's the basest learning tool, after all. Animals and humans alike learn the correct way by first failing.

To those who are struggling, remember this: no matter how badly you may have fallen, you can always pull yourself back up. No time is ever too late, and no hole is ever too deep.

Well said....

I peeked into your journal, great progress you've made and some yummy looking food!

[DeeLen]

Originally Posted by jmc305

You know that squishy red thing in your mouth? It has taste buds on it. And dag nabit, those taste buds REALLY REALLY like the taste of sugar. Then that stimulates your brain to release some "feel good" endorphins and you are compelled to eat MORE sugar. The spell can be broken, I've done it before and I'm sure thousands have. But those taste buds will always have a desire for sugar, so it's VERY easy to relapse, at least for me. Also, boredom can be a factor. You better get a good knife set, cutting board, pots and pans and prepare to become a pretty dang good chef on this diet. Prepackaged stuff? Out the window. Everything from scratch, baby. It gets to be a daily grind after a while. Sorry, not trying to be snarky in the least, I'm just saying. Those are the things that always happen to me.

[DXcoupe20]

I quit because it was easy. It was easier to just go grab something then spend the time cooking or really watching what i was eating. Ive reagined 20 from the 50+ i lost but I'm working on it again.

[Beeb]

I haven't actually "quit" LC I just do a more moderate form of it where I eat more veggies, fruits and whole grains than a lower carb diet suggests.

I took away a lot of good things from LCing and I still apply them to the way I eat now.

[ItsOverSugar]

I've quit and continue to have problems staying on plan for many reasons:

1. I am an emotional/binge eater.
2. A lot of the time, I just want to eat like a normal person. Lunch time at work is a huge trigger for me, because take out is ordered on a near daily basis. Hard to turn that stuff down.
3. I am a type 2 diabetic, so low carb is definitely what I need to be doing, but I don't always like low carb. I think my main problem there is that I get into making substitutions of my favorite high carb things and expecting them to taste the same .. They don't, in a big way! Then I get to thinking, I'll never be able to have regular bread, cakes, muffins, biscuits or whatever again. And off I go, binging on just that.
4. I get tired of all the constant prepping and cooking from scratch.

[Psmileyf]

It scares the crap outta me to think that 18 months in I could fall off the wagon at some point!

[kittycitygirl]

Originally Posted by Psmileyf

It scares the crap outta me to think that 18 months in I could fall off the wagon at some point!

Just means that we will always have to be working on that "inner beast". Like any addict, it can raise its head at any time. As you go, you will gain tools to tame it. It gets easier as you go, but it's never going to be an easy ride.....