This is a story from a friend that meant something to me, and I thought I'd pass it along.

This is a friend who, about two years ago, started talking about doing an "atkinsesque" diet. He was not very overweight, just a little middle-aged spread, and was going Atkins to keep a friend company. He didn't read the book, but asked good questions from the friend who did. He lost 15 pounds very quickly.

I talked to him today and asked if he was still Atkinsing. "Yes," he said -- very happily. He calls it "atkinsesque" because he will have treats occasionally when dining out, but eats bacon and eggs for breakfast and avoids all sugary foods on a regular basis, as well as bread, pasta and potatoes.

What struck me was that this was someone who didn't need to "diet," who had no health problems, but who gravitated to this way of eating and liked it so much he stuck with it. Painlessly, happily. He hasn't lost any more weight -- doesn't need to -- and feels wonderful.

I thought it was a different perspective than we normally read, and worth sharing.

Alto, that is indeed an inspiring story. (Did he mention what the results were for the friend he was supporting?)

I am so happy on this WOL and so-o pleased with the weight I have lost. But, if I never lost another ounce I'd still be committed. The other benefits I have realized are too great to ignore. My digestion, alone, is 100% improved.

Have a marvelous Monday,
Nancy

Thanks, Nancy. The friend, who did need to lose a little weight, wasn't successful, oddly enough. We talked about that, and apparently the difference was sodas. The successful man switched to Diet Coke, the unsuccessful one clung to his Coke habit.

It's funny, but I have a similar story with smoking. A friend of mine decided to quit (this is years ago) and her roommate went with her -- reluctantly, grudgingly, grumbling all the way. They did Smokenders. My friend was gung ho. Gonna change her life. HER friend was a totally contented smoker. The Gung Ho Girl dropped out after three weeks. The Grumbler never took another puff!

Ah, the power of friendship!

I'd just never really thought of a "normal" person (he looked normal to me, back to my first story) going on Atkins and staying on it for two years, with no intention of going back to the way he'd been eating. I mulled that over most of yesterday

I enjoyed your story. My reason for low-carbing actually wasnt weight loss altho I did need to take some off. I have aging parents with diabetes, heart problems, high blood pressure..ect. I thought if I dont change something soon I will be headed down the same path. Well after 25 yrs of dieting I finally found the answer. to STOP DIETING and to just enjoy the low-carbing WOL!! Yahooooooo!

I’ve been dipping in and out of various posts to this forum, which, btw, I think is utterly great, thanks Mr Tamarian, and it seems to me that for some people, low-carb is easy and natural and for others, it’s a struggle. I’m one of the former group, something that amazes me still after 20+ years of yoyo dieting and failure at the more trad diets. My definition of failure here is going from 81/2 stone to 14 stone over a couple of decades..
The point is, I have taken to low-carb like the proverbial duck to orange sauce sorry, water. I’m losing weight very slowly at the moment but I know I’m not trying too hard. I know I won’t mind going back to induction levels when I’m ready to shed again.(Hey, it’s nearly xmas.) Quite a few of the people posting report similar experiences and have absolutely no doubts about low-carb being their way of life forever.
Yet for others, it’s like pushing sticky brown stuff uphill. They get sugar cravings, they get hungry, they don’t like all the meat, they don’t lose much weight. I don’t think the difference in experiences is due to attitude or, they ain’t doin’ it right. In some cases, they ain’t, like the guy who couldn’t give up Coke, but others go by the book, hate it and give up with relief.
My theory is that it works best for people who are true carb addicts: desperate cravings, binge eating and so on. However, this doesn’t mesh with Alto’s anecdote. Could the successful bloke have been a carb addict and not known it? Dunno. Open for discussion: why do you all think it works better for some people than others? Perspiring minds want to know.

ezandreth, I think you've asked some very good questions. I'm pushing icky brown stuff uphill And I wasn't a true carb addict or binge eater. I ate a lot of carbs, but these past few weeks, on the occasions when I ate something not "legal" it did not trigger a binge, and I've always scored a few points under those "are you a carb addict? quizzes?" So I have no excuses I'll finish a plate of nibbles, whether it's nuts, cheese, or cookies -- I think it's reflex action, like a smoker who keeps lighting up, even though there are three ciggies in the ashtray (which I also did when I smoked). I got here by undisciplined eating patterns, too much junk food, and being a couch potato, and I once lost weight quite successfully (and kept it off for five years) using the old, higher-carb, no junk food or substitutes, Weight Watchers.

Of the few people I've known personally who tried different diets, it WAS the carb addicts and bingers who did the best, and they found, through trial and error, that they really truly could not eat a carb.

On the other hand, there's a theory that, binger or not, after a life of dieting (and I've started lots!) your metabolism is so messed up, that only low carb will work.

I do wish there was more science on this, something that really explored the variables. Is it the one slice of bread a day that kills you, or the fact that you're unlikely to eat just one slice of bread? Etc.

I know what you mean, after 20 years of up and down, mostly up. But I'm looking forward to what other people say about this. I just wonder if only those whose systems are most out of whack are the ones who most benefit from such a strict? rigid? woe. I put the ? in because both those adjectives have rather negative connotations and I find low-carb anything but negative.

Ezandreth,
Those are some good questions. As for the answers, unless we did some kind of study we might never really know, but I think you do have a good point with carb addicts. I do think that carb addicts can do better on this type of diet. I'm one of them. I lost 60 pounds once doing low fat, but nearly killed myself in the process, had blood sugar ups and downs enough to create a tidal wave, and was truly miserable. I gained it all back plus more.

I tried every weight loss plan known to man, and failed at every one.

When I first tried low carb 2 years ago, I immediately noticed a difference, in my energy levels, and in my cravings. They did lessen. I lost 85 lbs, and have been able to keep all but 25 off (gained that back when I stopped paying attention what went into my mouth and got addicted to chocolate and carbs again).

I do believe there are some that succeed better on this plan. We are all designed just a little differently from one another, so it stands to reason that we would not all be successful at the same types of eating. Another reason I'm tweaking mine to suit what works for me.

I think everyone would benefit from cutting flour, sugar, and some starches from their diets - they're just not healthy - WORMS won't even eat refined sugar! But all of us succeed differently and at different rates.

Shalom,
Sh'ra

Lynne Axiak had a wonderful article about the causes of obesity on her web page, but I just did a search and couldn't find it. (I found the page, but the page is no longer up.) She was definitely of the "if you've messed up your body, you can only lose through low carbing" school," and lost something like 160 pounds, 100 through CAD and 60 through Atkins.

I agree with you that the wording is unfortunate -- strict and rigid do have negative connotations, at least for our contemporary society, where we're not strict about anything But I agree that strict, especially, can be a good thing.

I'm also interested in what others have to say -- any diet/WOE experimenters about?

My thoughts lately have been we are being turned into carb addicts by the food processing companies and the media.

Go look at the frozen meal, processed meats, etc, they often contain starch (cuts costs). Low fat is a marketing ploy. They substituted fats with sugars, starch. Added sugar is present in most things. One can barely find breakfast cereal that is not candy coated. Flours, starches are used as cost-cutters and extenders of food.

I really learnt how put a good meal together fast from basic ingredients, since I started low carb. I am eating more healthily, and taking less time than before.

Have a look at the ingredient list in recipes, they are often long. A few years ago I looked at a cookbook by Rozanne Gold, "Recipes 1-2-3", a minimalist in cooking, using only three ingredients. It was interesting reading. One has to bring the flavor of the ingredients out ingredient used, not mask it with something else.

Our taste buds are being manipulated by the manufacturers to some extent.

Look at ethnic food, it's often simple. Many only have dessert as a treat and special occasions, not daily.

LOL, I'm playing devil's advocate a bit here.

zellie

What am interesting thread, it has really got me thinking about why some people stick to this WOE and others don't (I won't say "can't").
Being a carb addict myself, I think carb addicts do have a better time with this WOE, because if we do eat carbs we feel so awful the next day, that eventually we decide it's not worth feeling bad. I'd imagine that if there was no 'punishment' as such (eg feeling like something the cat sicked up) for eating carbs (besides the scales) it would be easier to rationalise eating them. That is why I started this WOL, my eating was so out of control I started doing the CAD, then went on to Atkins when CAD wasn't doing it for me, and have never looked back.

What also occurred to me is that how well people do on low carb may correspond to their expectations of it and their level of committment to making it work. If someone believes anything less than a 4lb loss a week means the diet isn't working, they're going get pretty frustrated and may give up, cos it "didn't work". Similarly, if someone isn't prepared to 'tweak' a bit and see what works best for them, also they'll get frustrated and quit. It took me a couple of months to get happy about this being a way of eating for the rest of my life, so each day I told myself "I only have to do this for today", then the next day I told myself the same thing, until I got to the stage that I WANTED to do this for the rest of my life.

I got this G-D awful book out the library yesterday called "the 9 truths about weight loss", it's truely hideous- extremely low fat, low cal, high exercise (I didn't know it was low fat or I wouldn't have got it out) but it did have one interesting thing in it about the stages of dieting. The first stage is the Honeymoon stage, where you're all excited about your new diet, losing weight, and everything is dandy. Then comes Frustration, where you go thru the "it's not fair, why do I have to diet and they don't" or similar mentality, your weight loss may slow or stop. This is the stage where many people give their diet. Next comes Acceptance, where you make the commitment, and kind of become at peace with your new WOE. Reading this board I see people in all of those stages.

My ponderings
Angela

Angela, I think you've hit something there. Some people DO expect to go back to their old way of life, and low carb as a temporary sacrifice not as a WOL and a WOE. There is no reform in their thinking.

From day one I told myself "it's my choice, I'm here because I want to be, so I better educate myself, understand, decide for myself".
It's about responsibility and acceptance of responsibility for the consequences of our actions.
I used to binge out on 1 or 2 large bitter chocolate slab, I am responsible for putting that stuff into my mouth. Nobody forced me.

Sorry, I'm a bit incoherent, I got up early and not my best early in the mornings!

zellie