1) Okay, the first problem you ran into was related to being scared to eat fat. Obviously without carbs, and being relatively moderate with fat, you're going to lose weight because that's a rather low energy diet. I imagine it must have been mostly vegetation (no energy) and protein (poor energy).

So then you started eating fat, and the weight loss stopped, and you felt strong again. Okay, great.

2) However, eating fat did not satiate you the way your carb diet did, and you found yourself eating more calories. You started to gain fat. Is this correct?

See, point 2 is where I just get totally confused. A high fat diet should be more satisfying than a high carb diet.

I think what is happening is that you display a greater intake-consciousness on your carb diet... but you did not display this same restriction on the high fat LC diet. You do not eat completely to hunger on carbs because there isn't the expectation that you can. On the other hand, there was the expectation you could eat all you want on a high fat diet. So, because you were psychologically expecting this tremendous satiety, and this ability to eat whatever you wanted, you just let loose with the fat.

That you gained weight on LC is not a failing of the LC diet. It probably reflects that you are under your ideal body fat percentage (many athletes are). You maintain your unnatural leanness by restricted eating of your low energy, low fat, high carb diet. Your mind expects moderate satiety on this diet, and you are behaviorally conditioned to not eat to complete hunger. Therefore, you do not over eat. However, when you attempted to eat LC, you expected the same profound satiety experienced by the obese and normal-fat dieters. Of course, this did not happen, as your metabolism actually wants to put on some fat. So, you found yourself over eating, and gaining. Without the psychological expectations to experience hunger and be "moderate" (conditioned after years of low fat , high carb propaganda) you just went with your bod, and your bod is saying "we're too skinny... we want more fat".

I've been underweight myself, presently am a bit under my ideal body fat levels... trust me, LC does *not* satiate when you are underweight the same way it does when your body has a comfortable level of body fat. The more over ideal fat you are, the more extreme the appetite suppression (the inverse is also true). LC balances metabolism. Body fat is a key regulator of metabolism. If your body has too little fat, this imbalances metabolism. Therefore, a healthy metabolism will not permit over *or* underfatness.

Unfortunately if you want to stay as lean and "cut" as you are, it means under eating - of carbs or of fat, whatever the energy source, you've got to consciously restrict it to some degree.