Hi there Jandbsmom,

Abbe has given you some great advice there.

The main bit I'll enlarge on is the WOL (way of life) issue.
The main thing that struck me about your post was your mention of going on and off "the diet."

For low carb eating plan to be successful, you really have to adopt this way of eating for life. If you think you will be able to eat "normally" once all your weight has gone, you will be dooming yourself to failure. Reread Dr A's book about maintenance, and you'll see it will be very easy to eat this way permanently.

Personally, my weight loss has been very slow (on some meds that keep me slow, among other things), but I think of this as the way I eat now - weight loss is just a bonus!

It also helped me greatly to clear my house of all unnecessary carbs. No white flour, pasta, white rice etc.
If you have other family members who are not LCing, it may help to only buy whole grain products in future.

Some plans (Schwartzbein, Sugar Busters, Sommersizing etc) allow a lot more carbs than Atkins. Maybe one of those plans might suit you better. Have a look at "Which low carb plan is right for me?" at the right side of your screen, and have a think about it.
I'm just reading Sugar Busters at the moment and may well incorporate some aspects of their plan into my eating in the future.

Hang in there!

Rosebud