Do you have any experiences with low-carb or low-fat diets?

I tried low fat back in the 1990s when it was the fad. It left me often unsatisfied and I did not like all the extra sweeteners in everything.

I went low carb/low glycemic index about 7 years ago, and found it easy to follow, satisfying, and effective at losing weight.I was able to stay on a very low carb diet for a considerable amount of time (nine months).

I never lost cravings for fat when I was on a low fat diet, but I lost all cravings for carbs and sugar after about a week on a low carb diet.

I have done a low carb diet about 4 times. Each time, it goes like this:

- 2 full weeks of brutal cravings for carbs during the initial hardcore phase. Feel like complete garbage.
– After two weeks, I seem to lose cravings for carbs at the same time a small amount of complex carbs get added back.
– Cravings for carbs are completely gone, and I want to eat healthy food for up to one year.
– I have some crazy moment in my life and find myself eating garbage for a week.
– All cravings for carbs and sugar come rushing back, and I’m defeated and don’t attempt for some time.

I know that I feel much better eating a low carb/GI diet, but it’s intimidating getting back on it when I know how awful those first 2 weeks are. And when I say that I feel better, I mean that I have more energy, never go hungry, and possibly feel happier.

The low fat thing didn’t work for me at all. I was hungry all the time and I felt worse.

I’m on a Breakfast Cereal and Beer© diet right now, which has me 15 lbs overweight and feeling like dogshit.

I don’t feel well on a low-fat diet. I feel weak and hungry and have overwhelming cravings. I also don’t handle high carbs or a carb-heavy breakfast well, as I feel weak and hungry within a couple hours of eating. I’ve tried keto and found it stressful to count carbs and limit fruit, but I felt the best I’ve ever felt for the few weeks I kept it up (other than the initial flu-like symptoms).

I agree with @hmmmmmm about the eating trajectory.
Although now I’m on more of a gluten-free bread and chocolate covered almonds diet and 10 pounds overweight.

I was on a diet about 25 years ago called “The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet.” Weight came off really fast but when I cheated, it would go back on really fast. Also, when I cheated, I’d feel sluggish and lethargic.