Hey everyone -
I realize this post is not a weekly support post but from looking around it seems like most of you hang out on this part of the board and I wanted to make sure I got some feedback.
I have been doing Atkins/LC on and off for quite a while now and have had very limited success. I'm not sure what my problem is - it seems like it is very successful for many people -- but I haven't lost much weight eating that way, no matter how low I bring my carbs or tweak the diet.
Looking around on the web I came across Sugarbusters and I thought I'd give it a try. I've ordered the book but I won't get it til the end of the week, but I think from looking around the web I have the jist of it. I have a couple of questions:

1. Has anyone had any luck switching from an Atkins-style lc plan to Sugarbusters and losing weight?

2. What's the deal with eating fruit by itself? Anyone had success ignoring this rule? (I can do it - it's just that several SB recipes I've found combine fruit and dairy, for example)

3. Any tips? encouragement?

Thanks you all! Good luck to everyone. I am amazed by the support and encouragement on this board.

Agee

Hi Agee,

Please join us over on the WEEKLY SUPPORT BOARD, that way, more people will see your message and respond to it. I know we have quite a few members on the board who've switched over.

The fruit rule is explained best on our FOOD INFORMATION BOARD in detail. Some people don't have trouble eating fruit with a meal, some does. Berries can be eaten by all in a meal. What bothers one person doesn't mean it bothers all of us, you have to see what works best for you, but it's not something you HAVE to follow.

Tips and encouragment-you'll find it all right here on the boards!!!! Lots of info each and every day and encouragement AND friendship abound on this board.

Hope you'll join us on the regular weekly support board!!!

Debbie

Hi Agee, I have switched from LC to SB and am doing fairly well. I did better eating meat than without. I went vegetarian and over did it in carbs. I am too impatient and have struggled with weight loss for years (I am insulin resistant and have the metabolism of a sloth) so I am going back to eating meat for now, then will probably go back to no meat for maintenance.

Anyway, yes, it is possible to keep on losing, but you should still investigate why you did not lose on LC to see if there is anything that will hinder you with SB. It could have been as easy as consuming a few too many or a few too little calories.

I am curious, you said you were on LC off and on. How long were you on it non-stop? It is really important to go straight through with LC in my opinion. Not something you can toss in the occasional piece of bread to and still lose weight. It is really strict in the sense that you get high fat and low carbs, and anything in between is disaster. At least that is how it worked for me when I did low carb. If you have problems losing on SB, post your menus and exercise logs and the nice peeps here will point out anything they see that might be doing it.

I switched about 3 -4 weeks ago and so far so good.

I dont expect to lose right away.. but I can do it.

Its a huge deal emotionally.. or I found it to be so.. the world opened up when Ic ould have a class of milk, some trisquits and an orange without feeling "bad".


I just made the switch last month. Debi is right.. join the weekly boards and you will learn a ton.

If you use AIM.. give me a message or something. Gothshell is my nick

MeeshRenee--I posted this adage from my husband on the Motivational Monday Board a few weeks ago, and IMO it bears repeating: Inch by inch it's a cinch, yard by yard it's hard
I'm back on SB after a hiatus last year. (no Dawn, pizza, 2 bowls of Cheerios daily, and on-sale candy is not legal!)
I'd started in April of 2000 and lost 30 pounds over the summer. Last year I gained those pounds back, but I think they're starting to come off again. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that if SB works for a big ox like me then it can work for anybody!

Agee, I switched from LC to SB. I had been doing LC for about three years when I decided I had had enough. During those three years, I lost maybe ten pounds, at most. I was frustrated, since others I met online were losing 10 pounds a month! Once I switched to SB, I did start losing, but very slowly. Now, a little over a year later, I have lost a total of 43 pounds. Now, let me give you my humble opinion on the reasons!



The first thing you need to do is get your thyroid checked. The AAEC (the endocrinologist group) just officially lowered the normal range for thyroid TSH tests. It is now .3 to 3.0. If your TSH is about 3, you definitely have thyroid issues. If you eat soy, you may want to eliminate it from your diet. It can hinder proper thyroid function. Getting thyroid problems properly addressed by a doctor is not easy. Check out the thyroid pages at about.com and especially their top thyroid doc list. A good doctor makes all the difference in the world!

If you have thyroid issues, then LC may not be a good diet for you. I have read that the thyroid needs carbs to convert T4 to the active hormone, T3. If your body can't do the conversion, you are not going to be able to lose.

This was my problem. Once I increased the amount of carbs I was eating, I was able to lose. Now I keep my ratio pretty much at 30-30-40. It seems to be helping, along with another key element.

That is exercise. I am insulin resistant, and take a medication to help combat that. If you gain your weight around the middle and are apple shaped, you may be insulin resistant too. Exercise is the best thing for that. Also, following a low Glycemic Index diet plan helps keep the insulin levels low, and will hopefully add in healing.

Because my problems are severe, my doctor will occasionally put me on a diet pill to speed up my metabolism. I know some people have advised me not to take them, but it is a toss up as to which is more dangerous: The excess weight I can't seem to budge, or the pill that solves the first problem!

If you have not lost on LC, then probably it is not the right diet for your metabolic type. I think you made a good choice in investigating SugarBusters. I love it. I hope you find success with it, as I have.

Hey there -
I stopped getting notified via e-mail when someone replied to me so I had no idea more people had written...
I feel like I should answer some questions.
About doing LC "on and off" -- I have gone as long as 3 months doing LC and have seen few results. The reason I have gone off hasn't been because I couldn't take it any longer (I actually like eating that way) but because I've been pregnant 5 times (with 5 miscarriages) over the past year and 3/4 and in the first few months of pg not only do I become ravenous, but the idea of meat makes me feel ill. I'm sure those of you have been pg know what I'm talking about. Anyway, I will not be getting pg again any time soon (we are going to adopt) so I am ready to really get to the bottom of this. The only time I have had success doing LC was the first time I did it - the Carbohydrate Addict's Diet - I lost 14 pounds over 4 months. But then I got married and went on honeymoon and gained it back. I went back on CAD but no luck, tried Protein Power, the got pg and then the rest is history.
About my thyroid - when I was seeing a reproductive endocrinologist for the miscarriages I had a thyroid test and apparently everything was fine. I have no idea what my levels were, however, but in reading about thyroid issues I have none of the symptoms except lack of weightloss. But it's definitely something to consider. If I go a month or so on SB and don't see any results I am definitely going to get a test.
Also - I do exercise. This winter I slacked a little, and when I've been pg I slacked a little, but most weeks for the past 5 years I've walked between 9-15 miles/week and I do other forms of exercise as well. I should probably ramp it up - I've trying to the past 2 weeks. The smallest I've been in the past 5 years has been after I trained for and walked a marathon. I'm not sure I'm ready to do that again, though.
That said, this is my 2 1/2 week anniversary on SB. I lost 2 the first week, but I was up 2 this past week. Same as on LC. But I'll give it 4-5 weeks and try to think longer term. I'm probably doing a slightly LC version of SB - I don't eat wheat at all. But I'm enjoying the fruit and the wider variety of bread, and I'm definitely eating less fat. Two days ago I decided to quit dairy for a couple of weeks, too - I was reading info on the False Fat diet and thought I'd give that a shot. So far, nothing, but it's not hurting me to eat this way so why not try it (plus with SB I'm already avoiding corn, wheat, and sugar)
Thanks to everyone for their replies. It's encouraging to hear about people in my same situation who have had success!
Agee