mcp6453 said:
On the advice of my doctor, I started LC about four years ago
Good for your doctor to suggest low carb.
Quoted message said:successfully losing from 209 to 174 in six months. It is the only "diet"
or technique that has allowed me to lose weight. Things have gone well,
until recently.
Good for you for losing well and for keeping it off for much longer
than average.
Quoted message said:After I lost the weight, I stayed on less than 50 carbs per day. My wife
(who also lost weight on the plan) will tell you that I almost always
stayed below that amount.
Why so low in maintenance? Less isn't more.
Quoted message said:In fact, they convinced me to increase my carb
intake slightly in the possibility that there are yet unidentified
adverse effects of perpetual LC eating.
Dumb advice. You lost better than ever before, kept it off better
than
ever before, so clearly that stuff can't be good for you. Classic
illogic!
Quoted message said:Then my belt started shrinking. Knowing how LC works and understanding
the human body at least to some degree, I went back to rabid LC. Today I
am particularly bummed because I had to let my belt out a notch.
Yup. This is *the* major reason that less isn't more. Stay low
enough and eventually you need to go lower and lower in reaction
to anything. The original plan would have been to eat more like
80-100 during maintenance so you do have room to back down in
reaction. Not to worry, there's an approach to resolve this.
Quoted message said:The system is clear to me: Too many carbs, too many calories, or not
enough exercise will cause a weight gain. Obviously I am eating too many
carbs or too many calories
Calories in equals calories out. *Both* are variables. In the
best circumstances the body adjusts the metabolism within a
wide range to avoid gaining or losing. In the worst circumstances
the body starts to store fat even without excess calories by
dropping metabolism. Of course you can always big hammer the
problem by eating under 1200 calories, but there are better ways.
Quoted message said:as my exercise level (zero) has not changed.
Exercise is not optional. Definitely start doing something.
there is no downside to adding exercise to your process.
Quoted message said:My question is, does the human body adapt to a lower level of carb
intake such that it takes fewer carbs to gain weight? The body clearly
adjusts to other external influences. Does the metabolism adjust to very
low carb consumption?
Yes. Do some googling for leptin reset. Leptin is a driver hormone
that is released by stored fat and by the liver. Lose down to a good
weight and the stored fat source drives up. The liver releases leptin
based somehwo on the highest daily carb intake in recent months.
This is why weekly cycling works - There's always a recent high carb
day. It also suggests that a day a month of reversed high carb low
fat will also work as a reset. That's what I suggest at this point.
Maybe even several days of low fat.
Quoted message said:I still do not eat bread, sugar, trench fries, or any of the other
garbage carbs.
Right. Select the most boring source of carbs for any high carb
low fat reset. Like fruit? Then eat boring root veggies.
Quoted message said:It's really disheartening because I gained all the weight
before eating this stuff (which I love), and now I am gaining weight
WITHOUT eating this stuff!
Too much of a good thing isn't automatically a good thing. On
the other hand, as you learned you could have stayed at 50
essentially forever without problems not knowing you'd adjusted.
Quoted message said:As we age, our metabolism certainly changes,
but how do those changes affect LC, or how does LC affect those changes?
It isn't as simple as "if low is good, lower must be better". And as
you have learned it's possible to get yourself into a realm that works
but that is not stable. Try a leptin reset, then relose, then set
your
new maintenance higher than 50, then ignore future advice that what
works is bad for you.