What made you
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I was on board because after so many years of harping on my husband to do something about his failing health,he finally agreed to talk to our doctor about it and the dr's recommendation was low carb (100g max total carbs/day). So I enthusiastically said I'd go along with that if it'd help. And it has. Along the way I've realized benefits for myself as well, a nice little bonus!6
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I found LC 17 years ago or so after a year in the gym eating low fat high carb and having almost no success. Admittedly I was doing more wrong but the structure of LC (and the fact I could eat all the bacon and sausages I wanted) made me take the plunge. I read Protein Power by the Drs Eades' and I was hooked. Lost 32lbs in 3 months before i eased off.
I used it when I need to drop 20+ lbs, not a WOE for me but I'm a big proponent of it's benefits and I do try to help others that struggle by educating them on it and debunking the myths.3 -
I'm a T2 diabetic and ate low carb (100 grams), high protein, low fat for 10 years. That kept my blood sugar under control along with medication, but frequent binges prevented me from losing weight, causing depression and eventually more weight gain. My bestie had WLS in 2015 and het doc put her on a VLC diet before and after. I decided to do it along with her and started researching VLC diets, which led me to The Art and Science of Low Carb Living by Volek & Phinney, which led me to up my fats and reduce my protein. It took 3 separate attempts over a year, but it eventually stuck as of 11th December last year. I'm 85+ lbs down now and am still losing and I rarely need meds anymore for my diabetes.14
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I used to be able to lose weight by the calorie-deficit-only means, back when my body actually worked the way it's siupposed to (i.e. when I was about 18 years old).
Fast forward 40-odd years, and I can no longer tolerate how hungry I get if I try to include high-carb foods into my daily diet while still attaining the calorie deficit I need to lose weight. It's all about feeling full and staying that way. If I have oatmeal in the morning and a sandwich for lunch, I'm hungry again in a couple of hours. But if I have a full-fat breakfast, I only need a noonish snack until dinner; no need for lunch at all.3 -
A little over 4 years ago i got on the scale and it read 230lbs i threw out the scale .I started cutting carbs slowly first sugar in my coffee and then out went the pop. I started losing weight. I then cut potato chips and popcorn and exerciseing. I lost 70lbs in 2 years. I was in an accident and gave up. it took almost a year before the Dr. Ok'd any exercising other than walking. I was at the point of having to buy larger pants. So instead, I went back to cutting carbs. Untill a work mate asked if I was following keto. I reaserched for days. I was almost eating keto just had to up my fat intake and cut the rice and oatmeal. And now it is more fat loss I see the weightless but no complaints about that!
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I used to be a weight watchers success story. 80 pounds lost using points. I even became a leader. I maintained a while, then gained, got put on some meds that made me hungry; had some setbacks that made me depressed.
Fast forward to 18 months ago when I tried ww again and nothing happened. Didn't lose a freaking ounce.
So I went to the dr. He checked my blood, ordered a fasting glucose tolerance test, and would you believe that I'm now hypothyroid, insulin resistant, vitamin d deprived and lacking iron.
Holy moly. 3 Years prior my bloodwork was perfect and now all this?
But now I had a reason, and we made a plan, and the plan was to lower the carbs and raise the protein and carbs.
I lose slowly but I lose, and I exercise daily, and I've dropped over 26 inches. I still need to lose more, and I'm constantly learning more about this woe. But any diet where you can eat cheese and bacon is the right diet for me
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I chose this type of foodstyle (which I am still learning about and playing with) a few weeks ago. Since having my twins in November 2014, I have encountered a plethora of health issues leading to disabilty. Recently, my Ortho informed me that PT and diet changes were necessary to regain the abilities I lost. So as weight loss is necessary, I knew that ensuring protein consumption must occur to not lose more lean muscle mass thus becoming counterproductive to the PT. Upon research, the LCHP route matched my needs most closely. So here I am. 3
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I love reading these. I'm so glad we're all here for one another. WE ROCK! 5
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I dropped 60 lbs doing the low fat, lots of carbio thing in preparation for military training, and as soon as I got under 200 lbs I swore I would never see that number on the scale again.
Fast forward to multiple injuries during training that sidelined me for months due to my age. i got sent home to recover and I just sat around. No exercise plus lots of carbs quickly piled on, and one morning last October I stepped onto the scale and saw 199. I kept my promise to myself.
Back to the gym I went, and back to careful low fat high carb eating, and while I did manage to drop to 180, I couldn't seem to go any lower and I was hungry and miserable all the time, constantly snacking to fill the void. It just wasn't working anymore! Nothing I tried was working.
I stumbled across a blog one day in June when I was goofing off on the internet at work, which detailed the journey of a husband and wife with low carb "Low Carb Island", and it piqued my interest. As is my way in this kind of thing, I researched everything I could get my hands on, and in July I decided I was going to give keto a go.
Its been about 6- 7 weeks, and I've been sitting now at 167 for just over a week. This is the lowest weight I have ever recorded - even right before I left for military training. One goal accomplished! 11 -
Many reasons brought me to keto. I seen a coworker literally melt away in a matter of months on a low carb diet. That got me reading. I always was strictly a CICO believer. It's basic nutrition 101! You eat too much, you get fat! Right?
I wanted to learn more. I read soooo many amazing books, Sugar Blues, Wheat Belly, The Art and Science of Low Carb Living.... Wheat Belly not only opened my eyes to wheat stimulating your brain's opiate receptors (addictive) but also it opened my eyes to the crap they are trying to feed us! GMO's, courtesy of Monsanto, are literally POISON. Sugar Blues taught me that sugar is so incredibly addictive that it actually was the main spark in the the African slave trade to keep up with the demand for this poison!!! Even the Catholic Church eventually joined in, purchased sugar plantations and gave their blessings before eventually condemning the practice of slavery.
I learned too that most health problems are a direct result of a poor diet. I made the decision that I do not want the FDA, USDA food pyramid, government propaganda, Big Pharma and Monsanto running my life any longer. I am tired of being tired. I am tired of my knees and ankles swelling and hurting. I am tired of the crazy addictions to sugar and wheat... Add to that migraines, anxiety, insomnia, depression. I am tired of being fat, sick and nearly dying. Mostly I am tired of blaming myself for failing after years of struggling and eating in the way we were told was "healthy"
I just eat real food. Keto has been a lifesaver even if it's only been 103 days so far. Was it a miracle cure? NO! I am still tired. I still have health problems, but they seem to lessen each and every day. I have effortlessly dropped 30 lbs. My knees and ankles are no longer swollen and painful. I try not to buy or eat any GMO foods and I am working toward avoiding all food additives. It's difficult to read and decipher all the long unpronounceable words in some ingredients lists. It's even more difficult to determine if something is GMO especially if it's fresh produce.
My next step??? I think it will be zero carb. Meat and water. I am not there yet, but this is the goal I am shooting for.
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dmariet116 wrote: »Many reasons brought me to keto. I seen a coworker literally melt away in a matter of months on a low carb diet. That got me reading. I always was strictly a CICO believer. It's basic nutrition 101! You eat too much, you get fat! Right?
I wanted to learn more. I read soooo many amazing books, Sugar Blues, Wheat Belly, The Art and Science of Low Carb Living.... Wheat Belly not only opened my eyes to wheat stimulating your brain's opiate receptors (addictive) but also it opened my eyes to the crap they are trying to feed us! GMO's, courtesy of Monsanto, are literally POISON. Sugar Blues taught me that sugar is so incredibly addictive that it actually was the main spark in the the African slave trade to keep up with the demand for this poison!!! Even the Catholic Church eventually joined in, purchased sugar plantations and gave their blessings before eventually condemning the practice of slavery.
I learned too that most health problems are a direct result of a poor diet. I made the decision that I do not want the FDA, USDA food pyramid, government propaganda, Big Pharma and Monsanto running my life any longer. I am tired of being tired. I am tired of my knees and ankles swelling and hurting. I am tired of the crazy addictions to sugar and wheat... Add to that migraines, anxiety, insomnia, depression. I am tired of being fat, sick and nearly dying. Mostly I am tired of blaming myself for failing after years of struggling and eating in the way we were told was "healthy"
I just eat real food. Keto has been a lifesaver even if it's only been 103 days so far. Was it a miracle cure? NO! I am still tired. I still have health problems, but they seem to lessen each and every day. I have effortlessly dropped 30 lbs. My knees and ankles are no longer swollen and painful. I try not to buy or eat any GMO foods and I am working toward avoiding all food additives. It's difficult to read and decipher all the long unpronounceable words in some ingredients lists. It's even more difficult to determine if something is GMO especially if it's fresh produce.
My next step??? I think it will be zero carb. Meat and water. I am not there yet, but this is the goal I am shooting for.
Me too, What you said!!!!!!5 -
I first discovered keto when it was suspected that I had a pituitary tumor. It turned out that I am fine (yeah) but I was intrigued by the idea and science. Plus all of the nutrition books I had read (like Taubes and Yudkin) seemed to point that way. It made sense, but I still didn't do it. LOL
Pretty suddenly, after a year of steroids for autoimmune issues, I developed prediabetes. I started cutting back on sweets, which led to eating more, and I gained weight. I finally embraced keto.3 -
Thank you all for sharing your stories. Some amazing results and ways you all found your way to LCHF
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I began MFP as a way to log my food post weight loss surgery, in January, 2015. This was my second wls, as the first surgery had been botched (long story). I also knew that something had to change! I couldn't expect different results by doing the same thing! I just didn't know what to do! In my search I stumbled upon a blog titled something to the effect ,"Ketogenic Diet vs Weight Loss Surgery" by @DittoDan. I began to lower my carbs before I was even allowed solid food again! I began to see improvements with my fibromyalgia, and cervical dystonia pain! Frequency, and intensity of migraines improved. Weight loss became a side effect of the woe! I quickly realized that I wouldn't ever be eating any other way! The health benefits far outdid the weight loss!
Fast forward a year and a half! Health benefits are still the primary motivation to remain low carb high fat! I've managed to lose to my goal weight during that time!! The control I have over food choices is something I never dreamed of! I had heard of using food for fuel, but now realize it to be true for me! I have tested some higher carb foods (veggies mostly), and now see how even the carbs in some of them can cause headaches for me. Plus, I've seen the negative side effects of artificial sweeteners for me! Without this woe I wouldn't have ever figured this stuff out!
I'm so thankful to MFP, and especially this group!! I've learned what it takes for me to be healthy at this point!
Another thing this woe did for me was take the "finish line" mentality away! That thinking of "once I reach x weight I will be able to eat x food" has been abandoned! Why would I ever return to eating the foods that made me fat, and unhealthy, to start with, as I had so many times before?!? I learned that isn't the answer for sustainable weight loss!
We all have foods that we don't think we could live without when beginning this woe! We love, insert food here, and can't see how we wouldn't live without them forever! Somewhere along this journey I realized that if the food I choose to eat doesn't love me back, it's not deserving of being put in my body!15 -
After a few years of emotional setbacks, grief, etc, I went to bed one night after Xmas, 2014, and thought I was having a heart attack. Of course, I called no one, didn't wake my husband, figured if I woke up the next day I'd deal with it then.
When I woke up the next day, I realized that was literally my wake up call, I needed to do something. I was 400+ pounds at 52 yesrs old. Time was not on my side.
I began researching weight loss surgeries, figuring that was really my only option as I hadn't dieted successfully ever. I quickly realized that I couldn't afford the surgery, that I really, truly didn't want it, but the pre-op [low carb] diet plan intrigued me enough to research it further. The more I read, the brighter the light bulb moment got. I realized more: sugar is the devil, my mom's liver cancer and death were most likely caused by fatty liver disease which was most likely caused by eating the same carb loaded, processed, crappy food that I was eating, and I was quickly headed down that same path.
I figured if WLS patients had to do a LC diet for 2-4 weeks prior to surgery, I could at least try it to see if it was even doable. I started tapering down my carb intake early January, 2015. I quickly realized I could live without bread, potatoes, pasta and sugar. It took a few weeks, but I managed to grt my net carb intake down to <20g per day.
Through my research, I discovered LCHF and it just made so much LOGICAL, common sense sense to me, I dove in totally and haven't looked back. That was 19 months and 198# ago. I will never go back. When I hit my good, normal weight, I will increase my carbs slowly until I find my maintenance balance. Until then, I will keep plugging away, everyday, eating good, real food and lots of healthy fats.
Life is good again! OH, and as a side note, I had a full lipid profile yesterday and ALL of my numbers were in the normal to ideal or optimal range. The last time I had them done (15 years ago) I was prediabetic and everything was in the borderline or high category. Tell me again how this woe isn't healthy. Yeah, I can't hear you.25 -
@MimiOfTheLusciousLawn - Thanks for sharing your story. You are an inspiration!1
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@MimiOfTheLusciousLawn : Loved your story!
What brought me to LCHF/keto was that I was trapped for years trying to lose the same 15 lbs which became 20 lbs, then 25 lbs., etc., etc. I finally took a good look at what was making me gain the weight and had to admit it was a sugar addiction which also included flour based products. Ok, then, find a diet that absolutely eliminates those items, but which doesn't prohibit eating in restaurants: voila! here I am.3 -
I gained weight on high carb low fat diets
I read of lower carb diets and found books on reversing type 2 diabetes.
It just worked really well and was pretty easy. The rest is weight lost and happiness gained.4 -
I am loving this thread!!!! Congrats everyone on finding your way!1
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I tried Atkins back around 2004 for about a week before I gave up. I grew up eating bread with everything. In 2011 I was diagnosed (at age 42) with type 2 diabetes and at that time learned about LCHF. I eventually had lost 60 lbs, and got my A1c down to 4.8. Then life crept in the way, I lost focus, and while I didn't completely revert back, I did enough that I gained back 45 lbs and at my last A1c July 7th had a 6.0 level. Because of the strong family history of Heart attacks, strokes, bypasses, etc. my Doctor wanted me to start on a statin for my cholesterol. I knew the bad side effects of statins, and I also knew that when I exercise and eat LCHF my labs all come back perfect so I immediately went back to strict LC. In 5 1/2 weeks I have lost 16 pounds so far. I'm looking forward to continued weight loss and having my Doctor check my A1c and Cholesterol levels in November.8
