Do you have to skip carbs forever to keep the weight off?
 

I am going to try this diet next month for the first time. I understand the VLCD and the low-carb maintenance phase. However, I don't understand how things go afterwards. I am a firm believer in a balanced omnivorous diet and I'm kind of a foodie. However, I have a very poor metabolism, am hypothyroid, and need to lose a lot of weight. I am NOT realistically going to give up potatoes, bread, and all desserts for the rest of my life. Just not going to happen -- and this has been the source of some weight regain after other low carb diets. I do NOT binge, eat all organic and natural foods, but do like carbs. I also hate red meat, and a lot of meat in general, and tend to feel awful after a few days on low carb diets.

Is the HCG diet going to put me on an endless cycle of weight regain if I eat carbs again in the future? Interestingly, I LOST 30-40 pounds during each of my pregnancies, but put the weight right back on while breastfeeding afterwards.

You can have carbs, but you may not be able to have gluten if that is what made you gain. You will just need to introduce one carb at a time to see how the scale treats you, and have treats on occasion.

That said, I feel so good now not eating everything I used to eat that it does not even cross my mind. I started the same way though: I want to be able to eat pizza and ice cream on occasion. The idea of not being able to was not appealing at all. Now, things are so different! So give yourself time. It will all be fine.

+1!!!

You'll be amazed at the things you'll crave.

I remember when I was normal weight-you know, before Leptin and insulin problems-I craved fish! LOL!! Chilean sea bass! Yummy!

I eat carbs when I'm not on P2 or P3. I eat pasta, bread, rice, legumes, grains, the occasional dessert. I'm not low carb. I'm not Paleo or Primal or any of that. I don't like low carb and it makes me feel absolutely horrible. I'm in week 3 of P3 and am sick to death of low carb. Fortunately, I can start adding in starches soon.

I think everyone has a slightly different body chemistry. Some of us do well with one type of eating, and some with another. I do well with more carbs and starch. Craezie, I'm also hypothyroid, and I had a slow metabolism before this diet. Now I eat a lot.

I can't say how it will be long-term, but I am eating small-to-moderate amounts of starch and carbs. I haven't had pasta yet, but I have had oatmeal, toast, (i slice at the time), french toast (1 slice at a serving), pizza, popcorn the very occasional beer. I have been in P4 for 3 weeks, and stay pretty close to my LIW. I don't intend to cut carbs/starches for typical eating; I just intend on portion control and keeping an eye on the scale.

I'd guess you're going to need to cut gluten out of your diet. The majority of hypothyroid people have Hashimotos which is an autoimmune disease. People with an autoimmune disease should never eat gluten. It's quite possibly the source of your weight problem and always has been. But there are great replacements for gluten items now. They are not low carb but they don't have gluten. That said, I'm a firm believer in a paleo diet for long term health. http://hcgdietinfo.com/hcgdietforums...lies/smile.png I finally got all the inflammation gone from my body by following a paleo lifestyle the last year.

I am glad that there are at least some that are eating carbs after the treatment without major regain. I understand the Paleo diet, but it is not optimal for me being a person who dislikes meat. It will be hard enough getting through the 6 weeks of carb free diet! I am concerned about what will happen to me, as I have just completed my year of postpartum breastfeeding, and gained 40 pounds in the process--negating my 35 pound weight loss during the pregnancy. This has happened to me 3 times now, so I am afraid that simulating pregnancy with hcg might cause the same rapid weight regain after I stop.

As for gluten free, I am open to the idea. I did try a GF diet for over 6 months to help my thyroid a few years back, with no noticeable changes to weight or general health. I will probably try staying GF for a while after this diet, though, and see how things go when I start bread again.

crazie just an obervation you state that you have a lot of weight to lose but you don't binge and eat organic. So how did you get to be large? Accepting oneself is the start to a road to recovering from your eating disorder that has put you where you are now, needing to lose alot of weight. In order to maintain a weight loss you DO need to change your eating habits and it might include restriction or the types of carbohydrates you eat(breads, pasta, potatoes and desserts). Take time to look at yourself and see what road you really want to take.

Amazon13, I got plenty fat while eating very little and exercising like a crazy person. It happens, especially if your hormones and thyroid are messed up. Weight isn't always a result of overeating, no matter what we've always been told.

Well, hcg isn't the same as pregnancy. U take only a very low dose here & u eat a very controlled diet, so u ve a very controlled hormonal response. And u never did a P3 after ur pregnancies, rt? This is actually the phase where ur hypothalamus gets reset. & since u add everything back slowly, u ll figure out exactly the things ur body doesn't do well on. U might ve another sensitivity besides gluten. U ll do just fine.

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I gained through over-eating, and possibly through a slowdown of my metabolism as I aged. But I have always said my goal was to change somewhat (not drastically) my prior eating habits, to include eating more fruits and veggies, eating fewer snack-y foods, decreasing portions of "bad" things, drinking less beer (and more vodka/sodas http://hcgdietinfo.com/hcgdietforums...ies/tongue.png) and increasing my activity/exercise level.

Hopefully, I revved up my metabolism, and with keeping a watchful eye on my weight (will ALWAYS weigh every day, unless I am traveling where weight of luggage is an issue) and my intake, I plan on staying around LIW. That's the plan for now, anyway, until proven otherwise!

Thanks. I gained about 30 pounds in college through too much "fun", which was 10 years ago now but have never been able to get rid of them permanently once they were there. I have gained another 30 pounds while breastfeeding. I lost 20 or so temporarily 4 times, twice by low carb dieting, once by starvation dieting, and once by working out every other day with a personal trainer. I always have the classic problem of not being able to lose more than 20 pounds before a diet stops working, and then not being able to maintain the lifestyle. As soon as I eat normal food in normal portions it gains back. I am not saying that I have never eaten too large of a portion or too many desserts in one week, but that is not part of my normal lifestyle. I have been living a whole foods organic lifestyle for 5 years now, and everyone else in my family is crazy-healthy and skinny on the food we eat, but not me. http://hcgdietinfo.com/hcgdietforums...lies/frown.png It seems like I have a reverse metabolism--the more calories I need, the more I gain. Supposedly breastfeeding burns an extra 700 calories a day, and I swore I would not gain this time and have really watched the food calories. However, I still gained a steady 1-2 pounds a week the whole year. You can say what you want, but I DO NOT HAVE AN EATING DISORDER. I would gladly stack my diet up against 95% of people out there, and I guarantee that I am eating less calories and more healthy foods than most skinny people.

My MIL does have an actual eating disorder, though, and that is part of the reason why I am not willing to cut out large groups of food from my family's diet long term. I have 3 children and I do not want to raise them in an environment where they think that real food is bad or something to be afraid of. (chemical "food", absolutely, is bad and you should be afraid of it) They need to be able to function and make healthy choices out there, and being in an environment that only includes a few foods is unrealistic. Also, family mealtimes are times of bonding and celebration, not stress about diets. I really want to get away from that.

I eat carbs - I sometimes eat quite a lot and I'll see a gain of 1-2 lb overnight but a day of eating lower carb usually sorts that out. Some carbs seem OK like potato or rice but sometimes if I eat too much of them I will see a gain - or perhaps it is when I mix them. I love Indian food so potatoes and rice feature together quite a lot, but I have been trying to avoid the poppadoms and naan bread. But Indian food can be quite oily in restaurants too so it could be that. Either way, I just have to be careful and have a low carb day next day and it's usually OK.

It is very much experimentation when you get past the P2 phase and introducing things slowly. Bread seems OK if I eat dark wholemeal or rye - white bread makes me gain (and it affects a lot of other people too from what I've read).