Howard,

Low carb worked better for me the second time around because when I started
up again I analyzed what had caused me to fail the first time (after three
years of compliance.) By finding out what caused my problems I was able to
structure a food plan that avoided those problems. I periodically review
what is going on now to see if I can head off new problems that might be
emerging.

Diet is not static. The typical new low carber goes through a period of
months when they are so thrilled to be eating fat again that they can't
imagine not being thrilled at eating this way. It may only be years later
that problems emerge, or where they get to the state where they are craving
brown rice, polenta, or who knows what food-that-isn't-meat-or-cheese.

For me the big problem was low blood sugar attacks that were caused by
eating too much protein once my blood sugar had come down. My body still
produces too much insulin and the excess protein caused a huge problem.
After six months of low blood sugar after every meal I had zero energy all
the time and my legs felt like lead. The bad breath caused by the excess
protein was a big problem too, since it made my Sweetie do all he could to
undermine my diet, hoping it would go away. (Cutting protein solved the low
blood sugar and the bad breath problems this time.)

Another big problem was feeling deprived at holidays and special events.

A third huge problem was fear of regaining weight which made me feel trapped
on the diet. When I went off low carb I was able to maintain a weight for
six months with the help of a diabetes medicine, so this time when I went
back on the diet, I didn't feel that I had made a devil's bargain and was
trapped by this way of eating. It's something I choose to do, not something
that I have to do or face punishment.

Finally, burn out on the foods was a huge problem for me. This time now
that I'm at goal I'm eating more carbs and a wider variety of carbs and
watching my calories much more closely. I'm also burning those carbs off
with near-daily exercise.

I have to low carb for the rest of my life or until they come up with a real
cure for my type of Type II diabetes. I'm not holding my breath for the
latter. So it's very important to learn how to maintain the diet.

I've written up some of my ideas about how to maintain when you have to
maintain in this article:

http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/diab-diet.htm


--Jenny

Cut the carbs to respond to my new email address!
New photo: http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/jennypics.htm
Weight: 168.5/137
Diabetes Type II diagnosed 8/1998 -
HBa1c 5.2 10/03
Low Carb 9/1998 - 8/2001 and 11/10/02 - Now

http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean
How to calculate your need for protein * How much people really lose each
month * Water Weight Gain & Loss * The "Two Gram Cure" for Hunger Cravings
* Characteristics of Successful Dieters * Indispensible Low Carb Treats *
Should You Count that Low Impact Carb? * Curing Ketobreath * Exercise
Starting from Zero * Do Starch Blockers Work? * NEW! Why the Low Carb Diet
is Great for Diabetes * NEW! Low Carb Strategies for People with Diabetes


"Howard" wrote in message
...
(TonyD) wrote:

Been off L.C. for about three years.

Why?

Ready to go back on.

Why?

Diets fail. *ALL* diets fail. When you go back to eating the way you
did before, lo and behold, you gain all you excess weight back & then
some, surprise, surprise, surprise. LC diets typically don't work
quite as well the 2nd & 3rd time. If you can't stay on it, it's
probably best to stay off it. What'll happen is that you'll be
disappointed & give up, and then you'll bad-mouth low-carb.

Before you go back on low-carb, try low-fat for several months; better
yet, go for one of the *radical* low-fat fad diets like Quack
Ornish's... then at least you'll have more appreciation for low-carb.

I've been eating low-carb for over 4 years now, and don't ever plan to
eat sugar, bread, or potatoes again for the rest of my life. Losing
100 lbs was just one of many pleasant side-effects.

--
Howard -- doing low-carb 4 years, lost 100 lbs.
http://www.SuzyQShop.com -- We still have the Eades book,
carb counter, & wall poster; now $1!