As I write this, watching the circle of pointlessness spin on my work computer to remind me that it is too busy to allow me to work, I thought I would take a few minutes to say: hi, I’m back.
A few things have changed, however:
For a number of reasons, some known as well as some probably unknown, I have gotten fat again – really, really fat. This morning I was 257.8 – the highest I’ve been in a decade. If you’re going to fail – fail big – and that’s what I’ve done.
The weight gain has been phenomenal. It appears I have no set-point. For the past year and a half, I’ve averaged a 1.6 pound weight gain per week. It doesn’t ever seem to even plateau – like the energizer bunny, it just keeps going and going.
Clothes have become a bit of a problem – like they don’t fit anymore, but I stubbornly stuff myself into them regardless. I refuse to buy new ‘fat clothes’ because I refuse to cave to the obvious: I’ve gotten fat and my clothes are going to experience stress-failures soon. Buttons will pop and seams will be bursting soon if I don’t get new clothes or reverse the course of my weight fast.
I have also mostly abandoned low carb, which had worked for me so well in the past. At present that seems a mistake. When my doctor saw me recently he commented that this proves low carb doesn’t work because it is unsustainable – this despite my keeping the weight off for nearly a decade.
Needless to say I don’t follow my doctor’s diet advice.
I honestly think it had something to do with my appendectomy. Since that time in October of 2013, I’ve gained 50 pounds. My doctor said that it had nothing to do with my weight gain – but this guy also said that gaining weight after a 10-year weight loss maintained by low carb show it to be unsustainable.
It really doesn’t matter if it was my appendix that caused the weight gain or space aliens – what I need to do right now is STOP IT.
When I say it doesn’t get any worse than this I mean I am drawing a line in the sand. 257.8 is the highest weight I’ll be. I am going to lose the weight and will do so by looking back on how I did it the first time. I’ve got a lot of notes, at least 3 unfinished books, and this blog which contains about 500 posts (some of dubious quality) that document just what the heck I did to succeed.
So it’s back to low carb.
The circle of pointlessness has completed its turning – I’ll catch ya later.
Low Carb Confidential 
I seem to be having the same problem re: weight gain. I went off track during the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays last year and have had a hard time getting back to where I was. I haven’t had your long term success yet but was losing, albeit slowly, until the holidays. Now the weight is creeping back up. I guess I’m going to have to shake myself out of this slacker mindset and get down to doing low carb right again.
*I* am the Slacker Mindset Your Mother Warned You About. A low carb diet is only healthy, in my opinion, IF YOU DON’T EAT CARBS! I kept eating ‘low carb’ but then tucked in enough fast food to make my diet more unhealthy than if I just stuck to junk food alone!
I wish you luck.
welcome back. I’m sorry to hear of your weight gain. Your doctor is an ass. LC definitely worked for you in the past. It’s very difficult to get back on the wagon but it’s also hard being fat again. Pick your hard. Good luck.
Thank you.
Welcome back and I am sorry to hear that you are in a “rut” and have gained the weight back, but each day is a new day and you have done the low-carb successfully before, you can do it again. You need to get your head back in the game and I think you are there and want it badly enough. I am lucky to have found a doctor who believes in the low-carb and cheers for my success. Maybe it is time to find another doctor who will support you. You need people around you that are your “cheerleaders” not the negative non-believers. Good luck and I will waiting to hear how it is going for you. It is 2 years and 2 months for me and 50 lbs gone and I true believer in low-carb lifestyle.
I get a charge out of proving people wrong. I haven’t had the same experience with doctors as you, though it does seem that fat doctors are more willing to entertain new thinking about nutrition than naturally thin doctors.
Thanks for writing and good luck yourself.
So glad you are back! Sorry about your gain ~ I am up at least 25 pounds. I see my doctor next Wednesday. I have been “off plan” for a little over a month ~ and see what has happened?! LCC, I was looking at the new Atkins 40 Plan where you have 40 carbs a day vs. 20. Three tablespoons of rice, etc. ~ uh, I think this might not be for me. Please let us know how you are doing. You have had so much success in the past and I know you can do it again!
Forgot to ask how your bloodwork was?
Awful – but that’s another post.
Welcome Back! Do you think the gain could be age related? I’ve experienced a similar phenomenon. I admit, I haven’t been sticking to low carb much in the past couple years but I’ve gained back 40 pounds that I had kept off for about ten years as well. At first I thought it was because the doctor gave me a new blood pressure pill and took me off my diuretic that I had been using since my twenties to control blood pressure. But, now I wonder if it could be something to do with aging. I’m 51 and this started about 2 years ago. I’m looking forward to hearing more about your journey and I will do my utmost to journey on with you. I don’t want to buy new “fat clothes” either.
Yeah – it’s probably a contributing factor. More than an extra decade on this body has to play a part. It probably also means that any progress will be slower. As they say: sucks getting old – but it beats the alternative.
Welcome back, sir. Don’t admonish yourself for gaining the weight back. Just reset your goals and start cooking the delicious low-carb recipes you’ve posted in these blogs over the years. And, as others have said, “get thee to a new doc, asap!” I know you don’t have naturopaths in your state, so at find one who knows at least a little bit about nutrition. Remember, protein and the right kind of fat are the good guys. And, stay away from the white-colored carbs. You know the drill. Good luck!
I think it’s wonderful your documenting your weight struggles with us. Maybe some future doctors will read your blog and not be ignorant like the MD you reference here. I follow James Fell, Body for Wife and LOVE how he goes against the the non-sympathetic decriers of the oversimplified catchphrase of “Eat less. Move More” for weight loss.
I love someone who sounds eerily similar to you and his struggle is real as well. It’s not a joke. AND he moves. He moves a LOT and still has struggles of uncontrollable hunger and so forth. If the medical/scientific community could STOP thinking this is some made up ‘thing’ and really look at the brain/physiology of people who struggle, maybe progress…REAL progress could be made.