Several years ago when the Atkins diet was super popular and food manufacturers were falling over themselves to flood the supermarket shelves with low carb foods, I jumped on the bandwagon and lost 35 pounds in 2 1/2 months.

I ate eggs fried in butter with a side of all the bacon I could eat (sometimes a whole pound!) for breakfast, shoveled bun-less burgers (lettuce instead of a bun please but don’t forget the cheese, mayo and bacon) into my mouth at lunch, cooked huge hunks of beef, pork or chicken for my dinner with a side of broccoli or salad, and in between snacked on lots of cheese. Bread, pasta, grains of any kind and fruit were shunned.

The weight practically fell off me. I was in hog heaven. Who knew a person could lose lots of weight while eating all the bacon they wanted and without every being hungry? My piggish happiness lasted until I couldn’t stand not having any bread or fruit. One bite of it and the weight stated to pile back on almost as fast as I lost it.

The sensible part of me knew that eating a diet consisting mainly of saturated fat wasn’t healthy and eventually my body made its unhappiness known because it got to the point where I was always tired and sluggish and could barely get through my normal day, much less a vigorous workout.

That was 2004. Since then I’ve tried the South Beach diet (another low carb diet), the Zone diet (yet another low carb diet), the Sugar Busters diet (giving sugar up completely makes me really crabby – just ask my husband) and for the last 2 years, Weight Watchers.

The only diet where I’ve had success, meaning I not only lost weight but have kept it off, is Weight Watchers; but I’ve been backsliding with Weight Watchers recently and have gained back 15 of the 57 pounds I’ve lost. I’m so sick of counting “points” for every bite of food I eat and have stubbornly refused to do it for the past several months hence the extra poundage that’s slowly finding its way back to me.

So it’s back to “square one” for me, looking for an eating plan that will help me lose weight but this time I want one that I don’t have to convert every food I eat into a “points” value. A lower carb diet still appeals to me because I know they work, but I’m not going to going on an unhealthy low carb diet again and to me Atkins is definitely not a healthy way to go.

A few days ago I decided to try a lower carb eating plan along with 17 other people at the Curves facility I work out at. The meals and recipes I’m using are from the Curves Complete diet plan, which while encouraging more protein (but healthy lean protein like chicken breasts and fish instead of fatty cuts of meat like my beloved bacon). It’s going good so far even though I’m not following it completely – I’m eating a lot more fruit than what the plan recommends. Fruit can be high in carbs, but they’re good carbs and they help me have enough energy to get through my workouts.

It’s making me think that there can be a lower carb diet that is healthy. The meals I’m having this week are filled with lean protein (including nuts – yum!), low fat dairy, whole grains, vegetables and fruits. There’s no soda, sugary desserts or junky snacks without any nutritional value. That may sound boring and hard but it’s not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be (okay, I have had a couple bites of chocolate but a girl’s gotta live right?).

Honestly, I don’t think I could eat like this every week, but I don’t have to. I can add in some dessert and even chips if I want to next week but small amounts or I won’t be able to meet my protein, fat, fiber, carb, and caloric intake targets.

Maybe I’ll even take the plunge towards super healthy eating and try the “Eco-Atkins” high protein, low carb diet. The the “Eco-Atkins” eating strategy (sounds much nicer than “diet” doesn’t it?) has been developed by David J.A. Jenkins (he’s the person who developed the glycemic index which you may or may not giving a “flying hoot” about).

It’s a high protein meal plan filled with protein rich plant-based foods instead of animal foods. It’s a completely animal free vegan meal plan. That blows my mind. I didn’t think it was possible to eat a high protein diet without eating any animal products (at least eggs and cheese).

According to information on the Web MD website, people who tried the “Eco-Atkins” eating plan got their protein “primarily from gluten, soy beverages; tofu; soy burgers; veggie products such as bacon, breakfast links, and deli slices; nuts; vegetables; and cereals. The diet emphasized viscous vegetables like okra and eggplant, along with other low-starch vegetables.”

Maybe low carb eating, but the healthy kind (words I never thought I’d put in the same sentence), will find a new resurgence of popularity and we’ll all to a healthy normal weight!