How I Finally Made a Low Carb Diet Work

Our manager at work decided we should have a “Biggest Loser Weight-loss Challenge” amongst the staff. A number of us were at least 10kgs over weight and he had a relatively serious health concern that was exacerbated by poor diet and overweight.

Being a self proclaimed diet expert, who had begun her education at the tender age of ten I relished the challenge, especially as we had thirteen weeks to achieve goals that we could set ourselves. What's more we could lose the weight how ever we wanted as long as it didn't involve purging or pills. I knew I probably wouldn't win, given that men more over weight than me were involved, but I was confident of putting in a good effort and clocking up some welcome kilo losses.

My best weight loss achievements had, until this time been via Jenny Craig, but I was determined not to revisit that experience - main reason: unsustainability. As long as the food was relatively new and exciting, i.e. I had not been on the programme for a few years; I could generally stick to the diet on the weight loss phase. My main problem was maintenance and here's why:-

1. The excitement and motivation of seeing the scales fall by around a kilo a week and having previously unwearable clothes suddenly fitting had generally faded.
2. Instead of three people a day commenting on how well I was doing and how great I looked only the odd acquaintance who hadn't seen me in the past six months seemed to notice any more
3. No more of the above-mentioned “warm-fluffies” but the effort involved to maintain the weight loss seemed just has high
4. By this stage I would be revolted by anything that came in little black plastic trays, singles serves or squishy heat and eat bags. Maintenance requires two days worth of this now tortuous cuisine
5. I am useless at math and over-organisaton. With problems 1,2,3 and 4 already causing me anguish having to count all my portions and make my own food to fit within those portions was beyond me.
6. I was hungry!

So after having lost and re-gained over 60 kgs of weight via Mrs Craig I knew I needed a new solution. My other major diet successes have all revolved around a low Carb diet but ultimately they had been no more successful in the long term. If this diet was going to be different I knew I had to take a serious look at why:-

1. Boredom (I naturally like protein rich food but I get sick of them served up au-natural)
2. Constipation
3. Energy dips
4. Absence of sweet and yummy
5. Health concerns
6. Weight plateaus/unrealistic expectations
7. Depression (My mind starts becoming obsessed with the fact that I will never eat like a normal person ever again)

I started to think about how I could solve my problems:

Boredom: I would make a point of making myself the yummiest low-carb food on the planet. This meant that I wouldn't be able to count the carbs very accurately because of all the ingredients that are required to make food interesting but I knew it was a necessity for me.

Constipation: Good fibre supplements are now available that can be stirred into drinks, don't globulise into jelly and don't make you sick.

Energy dips: These generally passed if I road them out and maybe they would be better if I ate plenty of low carb vegetables as well as berries and continued with milk in my coffee. If they got really bad I would experiment with adding a few more carbs. Maybe I could even find time to rest!

Absence of sweet and yummy: Nice low carb sweets and chocolate are now available as well as jellies and splenda which is great to sprinkle over berries or add to coffee. Also my favourite choc diet drinks only had about 5 gms carbs and so I would make them allowable (just 1 per day).

Health Concerns: I would have my bloods checked after the challenge to make sure I was still healthy. I would make a point of eating lots of low carb vegetables, some natural yoghurt, focus on lower fat proteins, as well as eating some nuts and avocado for good cholesterol. Once I was at my goal I would actively work toward making my diet even healthier and hey what's healthy about being fat anyway?

Weight Plateau: Many of my problems occurred with this kind of dieting when the weight loss slowed or stopped. Maybe I was expecting too much? Could I be happy with just losing 8kgs and maintaining that rather than aiming at 20 and putting it back on again?

Depression: This was only an eight week challenge, the high carb food that I knew I would pine for was not going anywhere in eight weeks. I would treat myself like a carbaholic and take one day at a time.

As I expected I didn't win the challenge but six months on the guy who did is already putting his weight back on. I lost the eight kilos, then another three and for the first time in my life I feel that I have control of my weight rather than the other way around.

I don't consider that I am finished with my weight loss journey because on the way I have learnt so much, but I am happy where I am for now. I may be essentially following a low carb diet but my success is due to the fact that I actually became conscious about the carbohydrates in my life and my relationship to them.