I'm Geri. I am 48, married with three daughters. I follow a very low carb diet with intermittent fasting in order to lose almost 100 pounds to get to my high school weight. I also want to lose my diabetes and HBP meds.

I'm Tia. Years ago in college I lost weight eating 1300 cals a day. Went from 156.5 (not my highest weight) to 135 in 3 months. Kept it off with help of daily jogging. About 9 months later I lost another 12lbs with intuitive eating + eating for nutrition. I gained back some of it 2 yrs later by stress eating, and now I just want to get back to where I was (and even better!)

A couple years ago I tried the primal way of eating and absolutely loved it. I have a big problem with inflammation, especially in my legs, and hypoglycemia. When I ate primal, the inflammation disappeared and so did my crazy hypoglycemic highs and lows. It was nice not to have food control me. After going back and forth, back and forth, to what I *thought* might be the best methods, I realized I need to stick to low carb (which primal is, essentially). This is the first time I am actually counting carbs, and I find it very insightful and easy.

And that's the short version to prevent a 'tl:dr.' Happy to be here and nice to meet you all

Hello, 35, married, two kids. I've been LCHF since mid-January. I'm having a rough night so I'm not posting my weight. Overall I've lost 7.5 lbs and according to my measuring tape about 14 inches. Yet I'm not really losing much in size, which is why I'm frustrated. I go back and forth on counting calories, right now I'm counting. I have stuck to this WOE almost to the letter and a lot of things have improved so I'm going to keep on. Good luck to all.

I'm Laura, 30 years old, 5'6". I started low carb at 240 lbs and my most recent weight is 167.2. I'm about 17 lbs from my goal weight. I've tried many different diet approaches in the past, but I didn't find success until I discovered low carb. I've fallen off the wagon more times than I care to admit. Mostly because I thought I could handle a healthy balance of starchy carbs and I just can't. I eat bread, rice, potatoes, etc and it's all downhill from there. This time around I have a much better handle on things.

I'm 19, transferring to state in the fall after 2.5 years of junior college, biology major. 5' 2" on a good day, 145.4 down from 170 in January. I went form carbivore to low carb to keto and haven't looked back. I'm never hungry, constantly thirsty and an absolute tea and coffee addict. I fit into all but two garments that I've had since I was 12. I love my body and I appreciate what it can do. I walk around 13000 steps per day, lift hay bales that weigh more than me, and work side by side with a veterinarian(I'm going to vet school come hell or high water!) on calls at dairys and I can keep up with her.

Goals:
140 lbs- Freshman in high school weight
135 lbs - healthy bmi weight that is also a round number
130 lbs- wiggle room for wearing clothes when being weighed at the doctors office
120 lbs-if I'm still losing easily at 130 I'll keep going to my supposed ideal set by my docs

Fitness goals:
Jog a mile without stopping
Look bad-*kitten* naked
Lift more heavy things(stronglifts five by five in the fall)
A butt that looks like it belongs to a 19 year old

Howdy! I had a vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG)a year ago January. I have lost 132 pounds since then. I am seeking a long-term WOE - not super happy with the mod. protein, low carb, low fat plan I received post op. I have tried just counting cals, but my choices were often not nutritive. I also tended to avoid eating most of the day so I could eat whatever I wanted at night--VERY not healthy. Anyway, I have low carbed in the past and really liked it-- so I am "trying on" keto and if it goes well, will make it my long term plan. I would not mind losing another 10 pounds, but I don't care if I do or not-- primarily I just want to find something I can do long term without it turning into another job. I also know that sugar makes me CRAZY-- moody, super outrageous cravings, headaches, joint aches, etc.

I am tracking calories, but not "married" to having to be under a certain number every day, as long as I am in the ball park of 1800-1900.

I exercise pretty much every day-- cardio a few days per week, hot yoga three times per week, and weights a few times per week.

Hello, I'm Sharon I am 61 and have been up and down with my weight all my life. In June 2012 I had to have open heart surgery for a heart murmur and birth defect the 2 valves were replaced with cow valves. After the surgery I went to a nutritionist to keep me in check and make sure I was eating healthy. She put me on MFP told me not to go over 1200 calories a day. Nothing was ever said about carbs, fat, sugar and etc! I was gaining (she left to have a baby and never came back).

In July 2014 I tripped over tennis shoes lost my balance and hit the front door and broke the bone near my left shoulder. I couldn't do anything for 9 months. They wouldn't operate because I was on blood thinners. Oh well I healed traditionally at least that's what they called it.

This past October I decided to go to a new nutritionist she has me on 1200 calories, 120 carbs a day. I've lost a couple of pounds but not getting anywhere. Last Friday I joined Atkins and I am doing 1200 calories and under 22 carbs a day. I am beginning to lose. Surprise Surprise. I think I am allergic to carbs. Since last Friday I've lost 3 1/2 lbs. I now weigh 227.5. I think I have been on MFP for around 740 days or so.

My dh has never had a weight problem he has weighed 135 since high school, he might weight 150 lbs now with work boots and jeans on. He is a very good supporter of my weight loss journey.

I really enjoy water aerobics and try to go 4 days a week.

It's great to get the little bios and goal sets for everyone!

I'm 32, 5'7, and 278lbs, down from over 320. I'm following 20 net carbs, and I don't really track calories on purpose, but I am eating between 1200 and 2400 calories a day, depending on hunger.

I had precocious puberty (we're talking hair and development and stinky pits when I was seven), so I'm significantly shorter than I was supposed to be as my growth plates fused too early, but I have all the muscle mass for someone over 6 feet tall. I am much more heavily muscled than a normal person my height and weight and I suffer greatly from muscle tension because I am unable to stretch my muscles to their full length. It also affects my cortisol production and reproductive hormones to some degree. LCHF is affecting all of these positively. If I keep on top of my electrolytes, I have almost no muscle stiffness to speak of, and my hormones are slowly coming back into balance.

I also have PCOS, and pain/inflammation symptoms are almost completely absent since I started LCHF. I am struggling with hereditary female pattern baldness which is exacerbated by the (probably also hereditary) PCOS. I've noticed a huge reduction in rate of hair lost over the last month, which is extremely exciting. I've heard good things about regrowth when following a low carb PCOS diet, so fingers crossed.

My overall inflammation has decreased significantly. I had chronic inflamed gums that my dentists and I have been trying to solve for over 20 years, and it vanished completely within four or five days when I started LCHF. The transient edema in my feet and lower legs have all but disappeared, and I've dropped two shoe sizes since my highest weight and have had to buy all new shoes. Expensive NSV...

I've never been a proper weight as an adult, but I'm aiming for 160, which is half my highest weight, and then re-evaluating. My higher muscle mass makes estimating a proper goal weight difficult.

I am 64, 5' 1.5" and currently 133 pounds, down from 148, 5 weeks ago. I have been living in Tokyo, Japan for the past 40 years. My whole nuclear family is morbidly obese with type 2 diabetes. Japanese life style (no car - walk to train stations and grocery stores) has given me a way out so far, but I constantly struggle with my weight. I am very insulin resistant. At my recent medical checkup, the doctor reviewed my medical history and said, "At some point, you will definitely get diabetes. When you do, we will give you appropriate meds." Nope, nope, nope - not going down that road.

I am also celiac, and have been gluten free for the past 30 years. But I still have a lot of autoimmune issues. (skin problems, digestive problems, inflamed joints, and debilitating post menopause symptoms). About 2 months ago, I came across research by Terry Wahls, and started on her protocol. It is essentially a primal way of eating, utilizing ketosis in the 3rd stage. I have been unwilling to give up dairy, but 5 weeks ago, I finally did. My skin is better, my digestion is better, my joint pain is almost completely gone, and even my hot flashes are less severe. I have also lost 15 pounds. I am not new to Fitness Pal, but am new to the forums. I look forward to getting to know you.

I'm 43, 5' 3" and 11stone 12lbs (and in the UK!) I've lost 3 stone this year and hope to lose another 2. I started off on Atkins but have now adapted it slightly - largely to accommodate Sauvignon Blanc. I count calories to help me with portion control but it's carbs I focus on, I'm always under 20g net.

When I was younger I didn't really struggle with my weight, exercised a lot and was quite fit. Then came marriage, domestic contentment, too many takeaways and a couple of babies and I gained weight. However, I managed to lose it, all was well.

Then mid 30s everything seemed to change. I would put weight on sooooo easily. All the conventional CICO, slimming world, weight watchers, 5:2 etc just didn't work. I'd put all the effort in and lose 0.5lbs in a month. Yet if I stopped making an effort, I'd pile weight on at an alarming rate. With hindsight I think I had/have IR. Once I started LCing it was like a miracle, suddenly my body was behaving as I'd expect it to. I'm now losing weight at a sensible rate and really, really enjoying the food.

I don't post a great deal on here but I do lurk and read a lot

Love reading these.

I'm 57, two kids (20 and 23), one husband, one dog. I was your typical eat-anything-and-stay-thin type of person when I was younger. Until I had my kids....never did lose that "baby weight" and then I kept gaining. I'm 5'7" and 207 pounds when I started this weight-loss thing again (although I've lost a couple of pounds already, yay!)

Some years ago I lost 50 pounds on Weight Watchers but then it just gradually crept back on. I'm sure many of you can relate to that.

Then a few years ago I suddenly developed all sorts of intestinal "issues" -- indigestion, bloating, other tmi things. A friend of mine suggested I try going off gluten, so I did. I cut out all bread, pasta, etc. which I had been eating a lot of. I discovered Udi's bread but I ate quite a bit less of it than I had been eating of regular bread because Udi's is so expensive. My symptoms disappeared completely. woo-hoo! So gluten had to be the culprit, right?

Fast forward to about a year ago. I noticed that I was again getting indigestion and bloating (although thankfully not the other tmi symptoms) even though I was still gluten-free. I was on a celiac/gf message board and a lot of people there mentioned that they'd developed other sensitivities, especially to corn because of all the corn products that are used in gluten-free things. I went to my doctor at that time and she just told me to take antacids.

Then a few months later we changed insurance plans which meant I was able to go back to a wonderful doctor who I'd had years earlier. Her first advice was to give up all grains for at least a week or so, see how I felt, then add them back in one at a time so we could see if there was one in particular that was bothering me. After blood work she also told me that my A1C was high in the range of "pre-diabetes". Her prescription was to lose weight, and exercise (she said just walking would be good, since I am not the "sporty" type, lol).

So I went grain-free. In two days I felt like a new person! Seriously. omg. No sudden shaky kind of hunger mid-morning. No afternoon falling-asleep-at-my-desk, no morning headaches, no joint pain. Seriously, gone! Then I started reading some information that the doctor had given me and one thing it said was that indigestion and bloating can be one sign of pre- or actual diabetes. Who knew? Certainly not that first doctor I'd been to. ugh

So now I'm very careful to pair carbs with protein, and I've cut out all processed white carbs -- bread, pasta, cookies, etc. And guess what? I can eat wheat without any symptoms! Guess it wasn't the gluten after all, but was just an overdose of carbs when I was developing pre-diabetes.

Well, that was long, sorry. I'm just happy to have found this group and all the resources here, because I want to make more changes in my diet since I've just started understanding it all. I want to incorporate healthy smoothies (good way to get those leafy greens that I really don't like as a cooked veggie), and learn more about eating more protein, etc.

kinrsa wrote: »

I'm in rural Ghana. It's very, very hard to do low carb in rural Ghana, but I'm looking forward to moving back to the US in a few months.

About 2.5 years ago I was very healthy, using mfp, and still living in South Africa. Then I found out I was being transferred here suddenly i

kinrsa wrote: »

I'm in rural Ghana.

The overall goal is to get to 130lb by next April when I'll be hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico .

I worked in Accra for 3 weeks in Aug, 2012. I loved it, such a gorgeous country. I can imagine how difficult it is to eat LCHF. I remember a lot of rice.

I have wanted to hike the PCT ever since I read the book Wild a few years back. What an adventure. Good luck!

mamichula1173 wrote: »

I worked in Accra for 3 weeks in Aug, 2012. I loved it, such a gorgeous country. I can imagine how difficult it is to eat LCHF. I remember a lot of rice.

Oh yeah, plenty of rice, yams, cassava, and tinned tomato concentrate. Accra is great. It reminds me of Johannesburg. I'm about 6 hours away from there now but I go down to get cat litter every 2 or 3 months. I was going to go last week for litter and cheese- oh how I miss cheese- but there was a massive flood there and all of the roads were under water.

I'm May, 58 years old (not for much longer), wonderful husband of 40 years (marriage, not his age), sons 35 and 32, grandchildren Georgia 9, Andrew 7, Emma 5. I was English born, but have lived in Perth, Australia since I was 15.

I was last naturally slim when I was 11 years old and have been on some **crazy** diets in my time. Aged 17 I was having a cup of black tea for breakfast, a tomato with a little salt for lunch, and a pig out at Hungry Jacks for dinner. Did that for about a month. Counted calories so many times my head hurts trying to recall half of it, and always longed for that mythical creature 'goal weight' so that I could go back to the way I was eating before. Obviously not as bright as I think I am Truthfully, food was my emotional comfort for a lot of years, which led to a sugar/carb addiction and I've only broken that for the first time since going keto on 23rd January this year.

My heaviest weight was 100 kgs (220 lbs) at 5' 5" tall, but I have a solid, muscular body type and people said I didn't look that heavy. Maybe they were being polite, bless them.

Sedentary until age 50 I now love jogging on the treadmill or rowing on our new rowing machine. I try to do some body-weight or dumbbell exercises as often as I remember, or the 100 squats as per the challenge thread. I used to jog outdoors but have ear-damage balance issues and fell a few times. Grandmas sprawled on the footpath is not a good look so I stick to my tready now.

Amazingly, I am fit and healthy despite all those years of food abuse, but well aware I have many apologies to make to my body and need to treat it well from now on.

keemra wrote: »

... About 2 months ago, I came across research by Terry Wahls, and started on her protocol. It is essentially a primal way of eating, utilizing ketosis in the 3rd stage. I have been unwilling to give up dairy, but 5 weeks ago, I finally did. My skin is better, my digestion is better, my joint pain is almost completely gone, and even my hot flashes are less severe. I have also lost 15 pounds. I am not new to Fitness Pal, but am new to the forums. I look forward to getting to know you.

So...how the heck do you get 9 cups of veg in per day? That's my current sticking point with her diet!