But, the fact of the matter is not everyone who goes on a low-carb diet thinks this way. Many people go on a "diet" hoping to lose weight before they go back to their "normal" way of eating that got them in their weight predicament to begin with.

Why do we do that to ourselves and expect our weight to be controlled? I admit I used to go on diets just long enough to lose weight and then scratched my head wondering why I gained all the weight back after I began my old habits again. What a dope I was!

Don't we know that the ONLY way we can keep our weight off is to find a way to eat that satisfies us so much that we don't feel the need to ever resort to our old ways ever again? I didn't realize this before January 1, 2004, but I know that fact now. Livin' la vida low-carb was the way I began eating on that fateful day in my life that would go on to help me lose over 180 pounds and I fully intend to eat this way for the rest of my life to keep my weight managed.

Whatever you choose to do to get your weight under control if you are overweight or obese, whether it is low-carb, low-fat, or anything else, be sure you commit yourself to doing that for the rest of your life so you can make the weight loss permanent and keep your health in tip-top shape.

Let's go down a hypothetical road for a moment, though, shall we.

Let's say for some mysterious reason I decided to start eating like a madman again stuffing my mouth with sugar, processed foods, refined carbohydrates and the like. Plus I'd start washing down all that carbolicious junk with gallons of sugary soda like I used to consume daily. Although it sounds like a nightmare, stay with me on this for a second.

What's gonna happen? Besides getting sick just thinking about it, I'll undoubtedly gain all my weight back in no time and weigh well over 400 pounds (and my wife would kill me! LOL!).

AAAAAAAACK! Oh no, what do I do? How can I lose weight...AGAIN?!

Well, I could go back on the low-carb lifestyle by starting at the Induction phase, right? Will it work again? Or is low-carb living like a magic genie of the lamp granting you this one wish of weight loss and once you've been granted that wish you can never have it again?

If you are wondering what the heck I'm talking about, let me share with you an e-mail I received from a reader today who is in that exact same predicament and wants to know if livin' la vida low-carb is just a one-time deal or will it work again:

I went on low-carb diet about 2 years ago for a year. I very effortlessly lost a lot of weight and felt great!!!

But then I went off of low-carb and gained it all back.

Now I am trying to go back and try again but it is not as easy as the first time.

Is there any truth in the saying that low-carb only works well the first time you try it and is there any scientific truth to back it?

I have to admit the first thing I did was laugh when I read this e-mail. No, I don't think the situation she describes is a laughing matter, but I had never heard of low-carb only working one time. That's certainly a new one to me.

Since I have never lost weight on low-carb, gained it back and then attempted to lose weight on low-carb again, I don't have any firsthand experience with this. But it seems logical to me that if low-carb worked for you before it should work for you again.

Without the knowledge of knowing what you are eating on your low-carb plan, let me HIGHLY encourage you to get your favorite low-carb program (Atkins, Protein Power, South Beach, etc.) and READ THE BOOK again from cover to cover. Absorb the information like a sponge and then do it exactly as detailed by the author who wrote it. Don't stray from the plan or attempt to "do Atkins" on your own. Go buy the book!!

Then be very mindful of the carbs you put in your mouth and always be on the lookout for hidden carbs in foods you wouldn't suspect. For people who have read my book, hot dogs and Vanilla Pepsi come to mind! :)

When all is said and done, if you want to find an effective way to lose weight and keep it off, then make livin' la vida low-carb your forever and ever and ever and ever lifestyle change and don't you ever look back! It'll be the best decision you ever make in your life and you've got so many people rooting you on to success because we've been there ourselves. GO FOR IT!

I'm sure I've got some readers who lost weight on low-carb, gained it back and then found success again. You learned your lesson and now you've realized this is the only way you need to eat for the rest of your life.

Please share your comments with my reader to assure her that she's not losing her mind and that she WILL lose weight the low-carb way again. Click on the comments link below and tell us your story.

http://www.commonvoice.com