Am I Playing With Fire?

You all know how my weight has been stuck and barely creeping down for soooooo long. I had a carbless day (by accident really) and I dropped 1.5 pounds. I liked seeing that scale move! So I had another carbless day and I dropped another pound. I'm thrilled but I'm afraid of a sudden rebound. I lost 100 pounds on the Atkins diet and then gained it all back in about twenty minutes when I went off the diet. Everyone that I know that lost the low carb way gained it back almost immediately. So now I've been basically carbless for three days. I feel like I'm standing here holding a snake and I'm afraid I'll get bit when I try to put it down. Any thoughts? I would love to continue for another 8 pounds because that would put me into the normal category! I'm 19 pounds away from goal weight.

Hey Wanda! I like to read the posts from a lot of different forums, especially the WLS grad forum. I have been reading a lot lately about the "time out" plan on that board. It is supposed to help jump start weight loss again and steer you away from the carb cravings. It is something like 3 Nectar shakes a day (all have no sugar or carbs - I think) and all the water and crystal light you can drink. Some people are doing a modifed version with one or two high protein, low carb meals with it. And the people on that plan seem to be dropping weight really quick. That being said.. I don't doubt it's difficult not to want to eat something... and I don't know about regain once you start to eat more solid food. But, what I have heard is that there is less cravings for carbs and it is easier to get back on track eating the protein first RNY rules of mentality for eating. When I feel like I'm veering off track, I will admit I start to decrease the carbs I'm eating (even the complex good ones) just to help jumpstart myself again. Hope any of this was helpful! Leah

I know I can lose weight on the super-low carb "diets", it's that dreaded re-gain after I start to eat carbs again. But maybe I can be smarter this time and very gradually add back carbs. All I know is that I haven't gotten anywhere lately so this is worth a try. Thanks for your response, Leah.

I hear what you are saying. It scares me to think about regaining the weight also. I think that is one reason why I struggle so hard with the carbs. I, too, have had success with Atkins only to regain the weight plus. It totally scares me to think about losing "carbless" again. I know what happens when they creep back in and it is inevitable for that to happen to me at least. I think we may have to go to the main board with this one. We might need some advice from "long timers" although I am interested to see what our NOV buddies have to say. Val

Valorie, I hear you! Losing carbless is way too much like dieting. And we've all dieted and ended up regaining. When I did Atkins I spent 8 months with less than 20 carbs per day. I didn't increase it like I suppose to after two weeks. I've thought about this more and I've decided that I'll start adding back healthy carbs within the few days.

I had been stuck on a plateau and I contacted the dietician at my doc's office last week to get some advice. I too was tempted to begin restricting. My doctor has been warning us about going back to the "diet mentality'. We have to remember this is NOT a DIET...it is a new way of life. We will hit plateaus while our bodies re-adjust to the new weight. The dietician advised me to increase my excercise by 15 minutes a day and to be sure I was eating 3 meals a day that included breakfast. I had been only drinking V-8 for breakfast. I have followed her advice adding a boiled egg in the mornings and doing strength training in addition to my daily activities and I have lost 6 pounds in 10 days! The other thing we have to remember is that it takes fewer calories to run a normal sized body than it did to run our larger ones, that is what will help us to stop losing too much when we hit the ideal weight. It is important for us to remember this is a lifestyle NOT a DIET. I eat some carbs but I make sure they are complex....whole wheat bread and Barilla plus pasta and I don't feel deprived. As I write this I am realizing it is as much for me as for you...I am reminding myself what the dietician says. hope this helps, Desiree

I think your doc and dietitian gave the right advice. I have a feeling though that if I ate whole wheat bread and pasta, I would immediately gain weight. My carbs since surgery has been vegetables, fruits, soy crisps, low carb cereal, or yogurt. I just can't handle many without gaining. My husband has never had a weight problem and he eats nothing but carbs! I guess everybody is different.

Hi Wanda, I also had tremendous success with Atkins... I lost 70 lbs in about a year and thought I had found the answer, but when it mysteriously/suddenly stopped working for me, those 70 lbs came back (and brought all their friends). I all but gave up... so I do know exactly what you mean about the carbs... but having "been there done that" I really don't think it's about carbs anymore... (and I used to be a true believer). But I've since defected from a carbless world - I think it's all about calories - not carbs. Carbs are easy to pick on because probably the most common ones are sugar. Since my RNY, I have (obviously) been eating considerably less than before, but it's not all protein. I do eat some (good) carbs too. I know that I am not in ketosis (and haven't been since surgery, trust me, I was such an Atkins fanatic, I still had those test strips) but I'm still closing in on -100 lbs since November - therefore, it CAN'T be about going carbless... (if that makes any sense). I'm trying to say it's only about eating fewer calories (which the surgery helps you do) - if those calories are carbs, if those calories are protein or sugars or whatever... it's about eating less of them than you burn. Nothing else. In one of the other responses, someone pointed out that this is not a diet we're on... and I think it's unreasonable to think you have to live your entire life without any carbs at all (diet mentality)... rather - this is the NEW, healthy way of eating fewer overall calories every day - so we can better maintain a healthy weight... I hope that helps. Marilyn

You are so funny. I've been under such stress lately that I've almost forgotten that I have a sense of humor too. Since my original post, I have added some carbs just to get through the day. I found it amost impossible to concentrate at work and to spend time at the gym. You have really done great. Congrats on losing close to 100 pounds. You look great. I'm glad you're back. You've been away for awhile! We missed you.