73 lbs Down, 10 Months Progress

yusineddy · July 2011

You look great, wtg!

LowCarbAmanda · July 2011

Great job! What is your diet? I'm down 55 since last May (2010) and I workout like crazy. Kind of at a plateau....started at 239....

55 lbs is great!

A very condensed answer is that I eat 20 - 35 net carbs (total carbs - fibre - sugar alcohol) per day. I don't have any sugar, flour, or root vegetables (potatoes, beets), or high carb fruit. I eat higher saturated fat, moderate protein, and low carb. I walk my dogs at a leisurely pace, but for now, I'm not exercising for weight loss (based on principles found in Gary Taubes' book, Why We Get Fat And What To Do About It). I do intend on adding in exercise for fitness and fun when I'm slightly closer to my goal weight.

I used to eat a low fat, vegetarian diet filled with whole grains, and I kept gaining! Now I have omelets with cream cheese and full-fat mayo, steak with butter, full-fat caesar salads (without croutons), broccoli with cheese, etc, and my cholesterol has gone down (along with my waist-line), while my energy has gone up! I haven't felt this good since I was a small child.

LowCarbAmanda · July 2011

Just wondering, did you happen to hit any plateaus during your journey so far? And if you did how did you break it?? You look wonderful by the way! Congrats!

I did plateau, actually. I started examining what I was eating, and experimented with removing certain elements. I found out that almonds and peanuts stall me, as do Atkins products, or any junk sweetened with maltitol (it has a super high glycemic index). Once I eliminated those nuts, and the frankenfoods, my weight loss picked back up, and I haven't really stalled since.

I do also have a sort of monthly plateau. My own body's natural rhythm seems to be that each month I have a two-week plateau, followed by a gain of 2 - 8 lbs before my time of the month, after which I promptly lose the gained pounds, and then proceed to lose another 2 - 10 lbs. Then I'm back to my two-week plateau.

HungryMom · July 2011

You are looking great! Way to go! And I LOVE the progressive pics.

LowCarbAmanda · July 2011

Thanks for the inspiration! Can you tell me what "low carbs" really means? Does it mean no carbs? I'm doing good on calories but I just simply like potatoes....besides other.

I don't count calories. I can have 1200 or 2200 calories and still lose weight, as long as I don't exceed 35 net carbs per day (total carbs - fibre - sugar alcohols). Everyone's carb tolerance will be different though. I don't have any potatoes, which was hard for me at first, but I have mashed cauliflower (steamed cauliflower blended with parmesan cheese, butter, and garlic), faux poutine using extra firm tofu and low carb gravy, etc. I've found that there are low carb recipes for basically anything you might be craving. It just takes some preparation. I use the website www.genaw.com a lot for recipes. I also make sure I have low carb snacks on hand, like Just The Cheese baked cheese snacks, and Salt & Vinegar pork rinds. I do eat a lot of veggies, just not root-veggies as a rule. Lots of full-fat caesar salad without the croutons.

LowCarbAmanda · July 2011

You look wonderful. Great job!

Are you going back to red hair any time soon? It looks fantastic on you!

Ha, ha! Thanks! I'm not sure... I'm actually applying for a team manager job at the end of July, so I probably shouldn't until I know if I get it or not. Either way, then I can! I just don't want closed-minded people to not give me the job because of some silly fun!

lookgood4ever · July 2011

Good for you .. you look fabulous. I just started and had my kids take pics of me too. Thanks for the inspiration. I am hoping and praying I stick to this plan.

LowCarbAmanda · July 2011

WOW!!! I love the pics! How did you drop 73 pounds?

Thanks! It was all solely through low-carb as described in the above quotes.

I also have only "cheated" once, and that was just 2 weeks ago. I went on a vacation shopping weekend with my sister to Grand Forks, North Dakota. We went to the Texas Roadhouse restaurant for the first time, and it was SO good! I ordered a rare steak with grilled shrimp, broccoli, garlic butter, and a side caesar salad without croutons (a usual meal for me); however, we also saw that they had deep-fried dill pickles on the menu! I'd never heard of them before, and I'm a pickle fanatic (I drink the juice!). So, I had some, and they were delicious! Now I'll make a low-carb version if I want them again.

LowCarbAmanda · July 2011

You are the incredible shrinking woman. What a great progression of pictures to keep tabs on your progress. You are doing do very well. Please share with us what programs you have been utilizing and what you have found the most helpful.

As you can see in my other quotes, I'm basically doing a modified Atkins diet. I would recommend reading the original book that was actually written by the doctor himself.

I really think that this lifestyle, combined with good planning is the key. Someone else said, "Failing to plan, is planning to fail!" I find that to be very true with this way of life. I make sure to read restaurant menus beforehand, and will bring my own food to relatives' homes for get-togethers, if I know there won't be food there I can eat. I have a drawer full of low-carb snacks at work in case someone brings in donuts, so I don't feel left out. LOL!

LowCarbAmanda · July 2011

You look great. Was wondering what kind of bra you wear? Nice support for the girls. I'm always struggling with support problems.
Brenda

Thanks! It's actually from Walmart. The tag says Sweet Nothings. I think it was $22.

LowCarbAmanda · July 2011

Thanks so much to everyone else for all of your kind words. I love you guys!

Jinji · July 2011

I am inspired by (and maybe a bit jealous of) your self-control and willpower. WAY TO GO! Good for you making the right choices for your health, day to day and week to week.

Stay strong, you amazing woman.