Hi Tony, a bit puzzled about your experience with foil kites?
As what you experience is perfectly normal for new foil kite riders, in lighter winds.
You dive the kite, it pulls perfectly, and when down low all power is gone, and you stand there parked
Everyone without exception experience this on their first ride(s) with a foil kite, if new.
Two things to avoid this, okay maybe three as the first one is practice practice practice:
Learn to fly the kite a lot against the riding direction, before diving for a start, and avoid flying too low down.
Use longer lines, now you have a lot longer powerstroke, and everything is easier, alse in marginal wind when you loop, longer lines are way better.
If you get pulled "head over heels" when you loop, there is more than sufficient wind for a "normal" start, and no reason to loop the kite.
But IF you have to start this way, just remember to bear off with the wind, so the gigantic pull will just accelerate you in forward speed, and not sideways - apart from the fact, that it will pull less when you bear away - a win win if a lot of loop power.
When you bear away and gain speed, the trick is that when you head upwind with speed, no matter where the kite is, you will have line tension and easy to ride now - because of your speed.
Pulling in to stop the power in the loop is possible yes, but I can see absolutely no reason to do this, because you as said can either start normally if okay wind, and in marginal wind you want all the possible power you can get, looping.
And bearing away you can adjust the pull very easy, just head a bit up for more power or bear away for less - it will come naturally quite fast
Peter