yes i did see it, however i all read a research paper done in i think sweden that did the same thing and got totally different results and with a larger sample size. interesting film about supersize but as for it being scientific enough to be at all relevant i think not

Slimmingsi~

Well, I wouldn't say that the results are COMPLETELY irrelevant...but they do have to be taken with a grain of salt....as in all fairness, who eats ONLY McDonald's every single day, every single meal? If he'd even added a regular salad daily or exercised a little more....it could have altered the results.
They did show that one guy who ate Big Mac's daily and seemed relatively fine....but who knows what else he ate during the day? Perhaps the rest of his diet was healthy. He did say that he rarely ate the fries. And perhaps he got adequate exercise. There are so many other etiologies to factor in to get a fair picture.

For me...the relevant part would be mainly related to the percentage of the population who cannot afford good, healthy food (or think they can't) and eat a diet high in processed foods and fast foods....because it's cheap and filling. I found the part of the film related to the contracts that public schools here have with companies that provide unhealthy food choices to school children very interesting. I'd not known much about that until I saw the film.

I mean, I certainly don't want to become some sort of extremist or anything...I tend to be an "in moderation" type of person. But I do find that when I'm eating healthy....I will begin to look at some of the junk people are buying (when I'm at the grocery store) and it begins to look like just pure sugar and chemicals to me and I can't see the sense in eating it....or feeding it to your family and children. I doubt I'd ever go overboard with the raw foods or the organic foods, etc.....but heck, store-brand frozen veggies are quite inexpensive and often on sale and very affordable. I think alot of it is education....many of these folks just do not realize how unhealthy some of these choices are and that there are ways to eat more healthy food choices that are affordable.

Sorry for being MIA so long....was tied up with family stuff, including being responsible for the annual family Thanksgiving dinner for around 40, which I've done for approx. 30 years. It's a huge and time-consuming undertaking every year for me.....and quite difficult now with having to care for my dad...as he becomes progressively in need of more and more care.

I was going to post that I am still jumping around in the 155-156 lb. range....but just looked back and saw that I was at 161 lbs. when I was last here. It's funny....but when I bounce around in the same weight range for a while, it seems like it's been forever....but I can see that I have actually been moving downward. It just doesn't seem like it when you keep hovering at one approx. level for days or even weeks. So today was 156.3 this am. but I weighed in pj's and a robe. The scale had even gone down to 154.9 a few days ago...but is right now just bouncing around within this 155-156 range.

What's also funny is that looking back, my other successful dieting endeavors all happened while going through the holidays and I always had no problem with this....though I know many do. For some reason, the glut of foods everywhere makes it easier for me to diet....not sure why. Might be because of me having to do so much cooking over the holidays and all the cooking smells make me lose my appetite. Several years, I thought I would gag if I had to smell turkey roasting one more time. This year, it's the smell of all the onions I sauteed for the dressing....I can still smell it, despite burning numerous scented candles and scrubbing down the entire kitchen.

I did have 2 temptations, which I did resist...but they were: 1) this pumpkin pie spiced bread pudding I made for my dad using challah...and it smelled so delicious....and 2) this chocolate cake at the Thanksgiving dinner. It was this huge dark chocolate cake from Costco, with huge shavings of dark chocolate on it and it looked meltingly delicious when they cut into it....and everyone was swooning at how luscious it was for a store-bought cake. My sons brought back huge slices of it and they've been sitting in the fridge. I've not had ANY sugar or anything with sugar in it for over 6 months....and these two items have been the only two things that made me stop and take notice. Other than them, I've been relatively oblivious of sweets...once I went through about a 2 day detox off sugar back at the beginning.

It was very nice to finally show up for the annual family Thanksgiving at a relatively normal weight. In fact....the one photo I have that would qualify as my "before" photo is one taken of me at Thanksgiving back in 2006 (if I can figure out a way to get the photo scanned in). It's the ONLY photo of myself I allowed to be taken of me at 195 lbs....though I'm wearing a man's shirt big enough to practically camouflage my body...it's me and two of my sisters in my sister's kitchen.....and I couldn't very well be so ungracious as to refuse to allow the photo to be taken back then (though I wasn't thrilled about it at the time....but now it at least gives me ONE "before" photo...otherwise, there would have been none).

Family gatherings (Thanksgiving, weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, etc.) are the classic times when all the women in the family compare our weights.....women are like that....checking each other out to see who is heavier or skinnier. I'm sure other women here can relate to that. So when heavy......we women dread these family gatherings....and usually make them our goal points (ie: I HAVE to lose 40 lbs. by Thanksgiving, etc.). This is the FIRST Thanksgiving in at least 3-4 years, that I was not dreading...because I was STILL heavy.....so that was a BIG deal to me, at least. Having to do that whole dinner yet again was stressful, of course....but at least I wasn't dreading the "showing up heavy again" thing....which was a huge help.

One thing that happened while I was MIA was that I discovered that almonds seem to be the nuts with the least net carbs.....is this true? I've been using these Marcona almonds as crunchy snacks here and there. I calculated all the usual nuts....and almonds and macadamias seem to have significantly less net carbs than....cashews, pistachios, etc. I'm not a huge fan of macadamias....but do like the Marcona almonds. Peanuts are sorta in the middle....though I'm not a huge peanut lover either.
Pork rinds were always the option I'd use if I was out somewhere and needed something fast and easy to eat on the run....but I'd rather eat something healthier so I've substituted almonds.

Sorry for the long absence. I see I returned in the nick of time, as someone decided to advertise watches on my thread here. Time to get the thread back on track again. How is everyone else doing?

deena

This morning, the scale said 154.4 lbs. (woot!).....but shoot, just when I finally got my son to make me a ticker yesterday, the number's not exactly right. I need to be less OCD and enjoy the fact that my posts now have all sorts of pretty blue decorations....between the sparkly avatar and the ticker....both of which I love. Not to mention the fact that the scale, as usual, will be bouncing around for a few days and could easily show 155 or even 156 until it eventually settles in at 154 and then begins fixin' to go even lower....so better to have the ticker a little high...until I stabilize at the lower number.

I LOVE my new ticker.....but I can see that it may tend to rattle my perfectionist tendencies....since the numbers will probably rarely be accurate on every single day.

However...now that this whole ticker/accuracy issue has occurred to me...it reminds me of how fascinated I've been with this whole fluctuation/bouncing around issue when it comes to the scale. AND the whole fluid balance/water weight issue.
Yesterday, I spent some time here reading a section on this "metabolic research center" diet (it's on the main page but lower than this section). I have to say....this particular diet looks like a variation/step-child of the Atkin's diet but IMHO....is MUCH more expensive and much more difficult to follow and to adhere to....but then, I have already freely admitted to being a huge Atkin's cheerleader so of course, I am somewhat biased.

I don't know if the rest of you are familiar with this diet...but it's one that you have to go to a center and pay quite a large fee, use these special mixes (along with limited regular food) and drink these shake mixes between meals....but it's modeled on a low carb/low calorie concept. There are many more restrictions than we have on Atkins (it seems to me).

Here's the part that kinda flummoxes me......they can have a very limited amount of certain (low-calorie) bread and these tortillas. Now, from my experience.....low carbing seems to be an all or none phenomenon, based on metabolic principles (which Dr. Atkins explained in great detail in his books). And this is ABSOLUTELY how it works for me.
Strict limiting of carbs equals amazing success but just add one bad carb and it throws the whole thing off.
So......I have never been able to understand all these low-carb step-children of the Atkin's diet.......where they allow certain NO-NO carbs. To me....this should surely blow the entire metabolic concept. I can't even figure out how they even get these diets to work, to be honest. In fact....this MRC/metabolic research diet...to me....seems to work more on a low-calorie principle than a low carb principle. And I cannot figure out why one would want to strictly limit carbs and strictly limit calories at the same time....as this results in a VERY spartan diet.....where one is, IMO, really depriving oneself. Especially when, instead, one can enjoy the nice luxuries of butter, mayo, etc.

Like I said, I am a HUGE Atkin's advocate....so maybe it's just me. And I have also freely admitted that I can see that different diets work for different people....I get that. And I also get that maybe this diet doesn't work quite as well for others as it does for me.

But I've noticed that I often feel like a frustrated cheerleader/advocate when I read some of the other sections here. I want to cry out, "WHY would you SO restrict yourself just to add in this one tortilla...not to mention mess-up the whole metabolic burn concept.....when you could be eating much more food and much richer food....and probably losing even faster?"

What can I say? I like to spread the joy and the success....and hate to see anyone struggle. Maybe, as I continue to read more and more sections here and learn more....I'll get a better understanding and calm down.

Oh...and what does this have to do with fluid balance? (I tend to veer off on tangents at times...sorry about that). There was a whole post there written about this issue....explaining that when we gain weight, we increase our number of fat cells. And that when we lose weight, these fat cells decrease in size but never decrease in number. AND that the body, during dieting, feels compelled to maintain the size of these fat cells....so will fill them with water in order to compensate...temporarily.
This was an entirely new concept to me.....this compensation based on wanting to temporarily maintain the size of the fat cells....and I want to learn more about it. I just happened to find it in that particular section of the forum.
I'm really very interesting in learning as much as I can about this whole phenomenon.....and in all things having to do with metabolism, fluid and electrolyte balance, etc...related to weight loss.

deena

heya welcome, i personally havent followed the atkins but know people who have and found it unsustainableand went carb mad when they came off it , if it works for you then great but from what ive heard its not good long term. I think its important to have all food groups n from what ive heard atkins doesnt favour carbs.

Im on the slimming world plan and whats great about it is you can have as much of the free foods as u wish its a very filling and satisfying plan and you loose weight once more its all healthy hearty food from all food groups.


Each to their own at end of the day , and i wish u luck on achieving your weightloss goals however there are other plans out there you may reap more benifits from

Best wishes Lucky

Hi lucky8....so nice to meet you.

I've not heard of the slimming world plan and would love to read up on it. Is there an area here on this site that relates to this specific program? I will google it so I can learn about it.

Back in the early 1990's, I used the Atkin's diet to lose the weight I'd gained from 3 pregnancies (between 1980 and 1988). I was able to maintain at my goal weight for around 10 years without much problem. Then I gained around 60 lbs. when I was put on a medication, in 2005/2006 after my youngest son was killed in an auto accident. This medication totally shut-down my metabolism and against medical advice, I finally stopped it....but it took me approx. 3-4 years to get the Atkin's diet to work again for me....as apparently, my body was now recognizing artificial sweetener as real sugar (or something along those lines) and I had to severely limit the use of it in order to get the diet to work again this second time.
The medication was not a medically necessary one and looking back, I think the doctor simply did not like the idea that I was disagreeing with him and decided to balk and kept insisting that the medication wasn't the problem.....and that somehow, me being depressed over my son's death was responsible. The reality was that the horrific weight gain was seriously compounding the depression...and the medication was therefore just making things worse for me. Unfortunately, I'm not the most assertive person out there and really wished I'd put my foot down much earlier than I did and had stopped the medication before so much damage was done. But then...I could also have stayed on even longer and multiplied the damage....so I try to look on the bright side.

But the point I was trying to make amidst all this rambling was that I was able to maintain the weight loss for approx. 10 years.
Now...what I basically did was 1) added all sorts of fruits back in and 2) made a strict rule that if/whenever I gained back 5 lbs., I would immediately go back on strict Atkin's induction and lose it. Of course, it wasn't quite as simple as that......as of course, I did allow myself the no-no carbs in moderation (ie: bread, pizza, cake, etc.).....and this was quite tricky, as "moderation" can be a very vague term and difficult to really specify with accuracy. I mean, it can be difficult enough, even when strictly adhering to strict induction, to track your weight loss accurately....due to all the small fluctuations and bounces that occur. This is why I decided on my 5 lb. rule....and this seemed to work well for me.

I have tried to reflect on why this specific diet has always worked so well for ME.....and to also reflect on my particular quirks, etc....that might make me understand why other diets work much better for other people...but not for me. For one thing, I am not a picky eater and have always tended to eat and to like a lot of healthy foods (esp. fruits and veggies). MY huge bugaboo, when it comes to diets...is being HUNGRY. In other words, THAT is way more important to me than what things I can and cannot have/eat. I also think that I am definitely a carb addict....because I always physically feel SO much better when I don't eat simple/refined carbs. In fact, I almost feel that I may be allergic/intolerant to them.....because I feel so much worse when I eat them. This may be a huge factor in terms of why this particular diet works so well for me....perhaps my body/metabolism just works so much better without them. It seems like no matter what diet I've ever tried, if there are simple/refined carbs involved.....things don't go well and I'm not successful on them.

I need to just keep reminding myself that not everyone is like me.

It's just that I've had SO many failures (because I have sure tried a number of different diets over the years)....yet this particular diet seems to work so damn well for me. And like I said, I like to spread the happiness and success. If I see anyone struggling...I want to tell them the good news...as if I'm some sort of missionary or something.

Speaking of "picky eaters"....I've been thinking about this topic recently. My oldest son's fiance has gained quite a bit of weight over the past 8 or so years and though my son doesn't seem the least bit bothered by this (which I love...as I like to think I raised my sons to value WHO someone is, not what that someone looks like). But what does bother my son is WHAT she eats. My son is the cook in that relationship. He loves to cook and she doesn't. And he's rather a "foodie"...loves to try all sorts of exotic recipes and restaurants.....whereas she loves burgers and fries and pretty much always orders the same thing whenever they eat out. Her diet is probably 75-90% carbs.....burgers, fries, cookies, candy, etc. She says she's very unhappy with her weight and I want so badly to help her and keep offering to.....but she is an extremely picky eater and says she hates most veggies and doesn't think she could do Atkins.

Then.............I recently happened to be reading a particular xanga journal...written by this lovely woman who happens to be very overweight. Her journal has nothing to do with weight or diets or anything of that nature, but I observed, while reading, that she's an extremely picky eater. So picky, in fact, that it causes some difficulty with some extended family members she is living with. She's extremely picky about eating what they cook for meals and one of them is bothered by this.

So....this made me start wondering.....do overweight people tend to be picky eaters? Or is the opposite true? Because often, people seem to be of the opinion that overweight people will eat anything and everything....that this is what is causing them to be overweight in the first place. People who don't have problems with their weight can often be highly opinionated...and often unfairly so....and make all sorts of assumptions that are prejudicial and often, untrue....and unfair.

But...I've been wondering about this lately.....mainly because I've had the experience, so many times, where I would attempt to explain the Atkins diet to someone who really wanted to lose weight.....and they would reject the idea, mainly due to what boils down to the fact that they were very picky eaters and had a big problem with the restrictions involved in this diet. It's often..."I hate veggies" or "I cannot live without bread at every meal"...and on and on. And I've always been rather befuddled by this, wondering WHY, if someone really wanted to lose weight and here was a diet that would work....they would reject it out of hand due to being such a picky eater. It's always very hard for me to understand because I am so NOT a picky eater...and never have been. However, I HATE being hungry. As long as I am not hungry and am losing weight, I'm 100% happy. The fact that I can't have certain things doesn't even faze me...to me, it's a small price to pay for being able to lose weight without being hungry.

But you have raised an interesting topic.....and I would love to find out, if it's possible....if there are any statistics that relate to the percentage of people who maintain their weight loss....for those who used Atkins, as compared to a whole variety of other diets. I would love to know where Atkins places...in terms of success after reaching goal.

I will go and read up on this slimming world plan.....and then I'll let you know what my opinions are...okay? Thanks so much for visiting me. I'll try to find your threads and pay you a nice visit too.

deena

There are so many misconceptions regarding Atkins.

This is SO very true, JerseyGyrl. I honestly don't eat any more protein than I would normally eat. And most of the protein I do eat is quite healthy, as I love fish, especially. On Atkins, I eat quite a bit of veggies and also a huge variety of veggies. In fact, my veggie dishes are my treats every day....roasted veggies, sauteed and steamed veggies with a bit of butter and cheese...nice salads. On Atkins, I am eating an extremely healthy diet, actually. Once I reach goal and add in a variety of fruits, it will be the perfect daily diet, as far as I'm concerned. I maintained for about 10 years the first time and it was not difficult at all.....and my diet remained very healthy.

You know, I think that some of the misconceptions may be related to how many will promote the program....telling people they can have huge steaks, lobster dripping in butter, eggs and bacon every morning....so it gives the impression that this is what one live on when they're on Atkins.

Sure, one CAN have these items....but this is certainly not the norm for me. In fact, Atkins so controls my hunger that I'm not even sure if I could eat a huge steak...as I'm satisfied with relatively modest portions. That's one of the things I really love about this....all those awful cravings and bingeing tendencies just become a thing of the past for me. In fact, 6 months later, I can't even imagine why I even did those things...or wanted to. My eating habits just gradually change on Atkins...craving, bingeing, etc...all disappear.

Like I said...maybe I'm just a true carb addict and really NEED to eat the Atkins way to feel good...because I sure do feel good when I eat this way. Whenever I was on diets where simple carbs were involved, I was in trouble....constantly hungry, craving, etc. All I can say is that if anyone is like me...this is the perfect diet. Lose weight while you feel great...what's not to love? And I eat an extremely healthy diet....and eat no more protein than what would be normally recommended on any healthy diet. I eat mainly fish, poultry, lots of different veggies, nuts (mainly almonds) and use butter, mayo and cheese as additions but not in huge quantities....but enough so that I'm never hungry.

All these impressions of huge steaks and dripping butter are not what Atkins is about, actually.

deena

Well, I am hesitant to even post this....but I got on the scale and it read 153.0. I was shocked myself......and I KNOW it's gonna be several weeks before I actually settle at this weight. I must have dumped some fluid...because I immediately ran to see if my rings fit me...I can generally gauge fluid retention by how my rings fit....and they fit...so I obviously dropped some fluid.

And what's funny...is that I actually expected the scale to be up a little...because I ate more yesterday than I'd planned. My son's girlfriend had gotten sick over Thanksgiving....and could not attend our big family dinner...so we'd decided to cook a little mini-Thanksgiving last night here for her....just me, my dad, my son and his girlfriend. So...she brought the bruschetta and cheesecake she'd made for the big dinner she missed....and I made turkey breast, cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, cranberry sauce.

Meanwhile, I'd already eaten what I'd planned for the day because I'd planned on my dad eating in his room in front of his TV (as usual) and my son and his GF having a cozy little dinner out there alone in the dining room, while I was on the computer in my room....due to unforseen circumstances (a visitor), the dinner ended up to be much later than planned.

BUT....son's GF insisted I eat out there with them....so I took some turkey, a little mayo and also a little of the bruschetta topping (chopped tomatoes, oregano, chopped black olives, olive oil)....and had a small snack with them. And I was kinda upset that I did....as I make it a rule not to eat unless I'm hungry....so wasn't really happy I was kinda breaking this rule....and figured it would show on the scale today.

But that just goes to show you how strange this weight loss thing can be....there have been quite a few times when, due to circumstances, that I've not really eaten as much as I should have.....and the scale will drop due to that. But there are other times when I eat more than I should have....and the scale just might also drop....OR it could go up. OR not eating enough could make it go up a little. It can be very unpredictable....and this fascinates me, to be honest.....just wondering what strange metabolic things are going on in my body.

BUT...because I always stick to plan...meaning never eat foods not allowed...the scale always eventually makes sense...meaning that in retrospect, the weight loss is always at a consistent rate....even though, day-to-day, it looks like it's kinda jumping around all over the place.

But hmm, let me just indulge myself for a minute....153 lbs....subtracted from 195 lbs....equals 42 lbs. lost.....ahh, yes.

One other thing I wanted to mention (I really should make a blog since I seem to be randomly pontificating so much)......but I never had a digital scale before. Always had those cheap little scales with the needle that bounced all over the place. And they always seemed to weigh me a bit lower than the scales at the doctor's office.
So...my dad suddenly decided he needed a digital scale (don't ask...long story) and he has Parkinson's disease so we put it in the hall bathroom instead of his because we like to keep his bathroom floor clear for safety...so I took the cheap, "needle" scale, put it in my room and right now, my "too-big" jeans are piled on it. BUT....the digital scale weighs me approx. 4 lbs. heavier than the "needle" scale.....and my "goal" was based on the needle scale, mainly because that was the type of scale I used my whole life and my goal was always based on it. However, the reality might just be that my actual goal of 135 might just be 140....I'm not totally sure...will have to see what I look like when I hit 140.

The main reason I mention this is that....most of my life, it was literally impossible for me to maintain below the 135 of the "needle" scale. I'm not sure if I'm making a "set-point" argument here...but I am very big-boned and have hands like a peasant.....and my body never seemed to want to stay at a weight below what was always my healthy weight....and I was never one to struggle to be any sort of "skinny-minnie"....and was always perfectly satisfied to look normal/good. So...would 135 on the digital scale possibly be over-shooting for me?

I really do have to get my son to take and post some photos here so you guys can tell me. I can carry a lot more weight than more delicately/small-boned women can. It would be easier for me to show you...if I can get him to post some photos here for me. I'd appreciate some input regarding how much more I should lose.....15, 20 or 25 lbs. more? I'll have to work on getting photos posted so I can get some opinions on this. I'm not into the anorectic look or anything....just want to look nice and normal...and don't want to struggle to be less than that. Life is too short and I sure don't want to struggle for something I don't even really want. But let's face it....I'm just like every other women who's struggled with her weight.....so I'm not totally sure what normal is supposed to look like for myself when I look in the mirror, to be honest.

I mean, people are now telling me I look "great". Well, I know I don't look "great"...but that I sure look a **** of a lot better I looked 6 months ago. And I appreciate them being so nice and complimentary. But I really would like some honest opinions on exactly what I do look like and how much more I should lose so I really do look somewhat "great" when I get there.

deena

I wanted to post on this board cause I have tried many diets over the years...and I always felt better on low-carb. It is just SO hard for me to stick to. Last Monday.....I made it a goal to lose the weight and I started a 1200 cal/day diet. I have stuck to it but I feel bloated, swollen, and sluggish. I believe it is because of cereal, lean pockets, pasta, etc. While the calories have been low the reaction my body has to these things isnt good. I am considering going back to low carb but I will definitely need some support and encouragement and some good easy recipes! i am a busy single mom and need some quick meal ideas. I hope someone can help me! Thanks in advance Leslie

Congrats deena! That is awesome!

thanks jerseygyrl..... I did read the book a few years ago when I did it and I did lose weight....but I restricted myself too much and got bored with the food. I'm gonna look into some of the recipes! thanks!

JerseyGyrl,

Wanted to thank you for posting that recipe link, I already used 1 of the recipes that's okay for the Induction phase.. Wow, with just using a little bit of imagination mixed with common sense, there are so many great recipes and foods to eat! I really love this diet!

Toby

Deena,

There is a book called "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes which for me was the best explanation as to why some people respond so well to carb restriction. It was the reason I tried low carb eating -- his discussions on obesity & hunger hit home completely with me, and while I have dieted successfully in the past, it's always been a real struggle -- and always been low calorie/low fat until this year.

I've read Atkins too, but I found Taubes' explanations clearer & scientifically more accurate (in part because the science has moved on since R Atkin's death - the basic tenets of Atkins are true, and he did an excellent job of making the low-carb diet easy to understand for people). Taubes also discusses differences between people & why some of us might need more or less strict carb levels (like Atkins OWL phases) and how some people are more sensitive to sweet tastes even if it's "carb free" (I remember another thread where you posted that you avoid all sweet, not just sugar). I do the same.

Anyway, if you enjoy reading science, it's a good book (it is not, however, an easy book -- so you have to be something of a science nerd like me!)

Hi everyone. We temporarily lost our internet...and also our cable TV...due to come major cable problem...which they finally remedied. Quite eye-opening to realize how dependent we've become on TV and internet...very disconcerting to be without both.

I guess I could make an analogy here....people managed for years without TV and internet...so didn't miss them. And now, having eaten nothing sweet for many months, I don't miss them either.....which is QUITE a change from having literally craved binges of them in the past.

Thank you so much for the book recommendation, sarahinparis. That particular book sounds like just what I'm looking for, actually. I just started reading the M. Pollan book, In Defense of Food. When my dad was no longer able to drive and my son started using his car, we found over $200 in gift certificates to Borders Books in the glove compartment...that dad had forgotten about. I bought several of the Atkins books to replace the ones I'd had but not taken with me when I fled my marriage over 4 years ago....plus this Pollan book....but I am definitely going to go back and get this Taubes book.

As I said, I've become fascinated with not only current thinking regarding food and nutrition but in particular, the whole issue regarding carbs and processed foods. Having worked as an RN for many years, it's alarming to see the epidemic of diabetes that has occurred since around 1970.....and the current opinions blaming much of this on diets heavy with sugar and overly processed foods sound medically sound to me.
I'm very interested in trying to understand whether this feeling SO much better on a low carb diet is unique only to me and others like me....OR whether everyone would feel better if they made these dietary changes.

I have, during my lifetime, used a whole array of different diets...including WW, Cambridge, cabbage soup diet...you name it. And I have never had the success I've had with Atkins. Sure, I would lose weight on these other diets...but with much difficulty...struggling with constant hunger and cravings, feeling deprived. Later in life, I've found that probably due to aging metabolism, I can't even lose weight on other diets...including the classic low calorie, low fat, exercise combo....which is supposed to work for everyone.
Why is it that no other diet works well for me except for Atkins? Why is it that I feel so horrible on any eating plans that involve significant carbohydrates? Yet feel SO much better eating the Atkins, low-carb way?

I really want to understand WHY I feel so much better eating this way. And would also like to have a better base of knowledge in order to contemplate whether this is just unique to a certain percentage of the population or would this apply to everyone. The Taubes book sounds like just what I'm looking for...can't wait to go and get it.

Well....had an odd experience during the past 2 or so weeks. The scale had been dipping down in the 153 range....and suddenly, for no apparent reason (meaning NO cheating or change in eating)....shot up to 157....which really upset me....and it upset me THAT it upset me that much (as I don't want my entire mood to be directly related to the number on the scale). Then it very gradually started edging downward again and is now back in the 153 range....though what upset me so much was that this was not just a sudden and temporary jump...it stayed up and came back down very slowly....and I can't figure out why it happened as I'd been sticking to the diet the exact same way I've been doing the entire time....so it didn't look like some temporary water retention issue, etc. I just have NO idea what caused it....but I just hung in there, of course, and back down it's come. But I feel like I lost 2 weeks there....and it's made me apprehensive that this may suddenly happen again....and it's shaken my usual calm assumption that the scale would remain consistent as long as I stuck to the diet.

I'm just trying to convince myself that it was a fluke....or that there WAS some reasonable explanation that I've just not quite figured out yet.

Wanted to be sure to include that, though...in case it happens to others here. Don't worry, stick to it and the scale will go back down again.

deena