I have lost almost 130 lbs. since March
2001. I'm 47, I feel great, and am
never hungry. I have the energy I
had at 18! And I'm doing nothing
illegal.
Now,
if that caught your attention, read
on! Similar to millions of other
Americans, I was recently diagnosed
with type 2 Diabetes. I had all the
ugly symptoms - sweaty, thirsty, leg
problems, always hungry, eye
problems, super-high B/P., excessive
urination, etc. Of course, I
was extremely overweight. I
knew there was something very wrong
with the way I was feeling, but
thought it was just weight-related.
I was right about that!
The
diagnosis was in late February. I was actually happy to find out
what was wrong. I also vowed to take control of my health and
whip the diabetes. I weighed over 350 at that juncture. Now I am
just below 230. Jean size has dropped from 48 to 36. Shirts
from 5x to XL. I will continue until I hit 185 - which was the
lowest I weighed as a high school athlete.
Along with the weight loss, other wonderful things have occurred.
My fasting sugar was in the high 200's when diagnosed. The doc
gave me massive meds for diabetes and blood pressure. Now, I am
nearly off all meds and the fasting sugar is averaging 85-90. My
blood pressure has almost been cut in half! No longer do I get
winded just walking across the living room. My arthritic
knees were to a point of needing a cane. Now I can hike some
fairly formidable trails and spring-up out of a chair like a kid!
The
clinic had also given me a diet to
follow. I looked at it and
almost laughed out loud. The
diet plan was tossed in the trash.
Does it really make sense to consume
the bulk of one's food as carbs when
diabetes is present? Am I
stupid, or is there a grossly
incorrect mindset operating
throughout the medical
establishment? Why all the
carbs? What good are they?
Maybe a super-athlete can use that
type of fuel, but it seems downright
irresponsible for a diabetic to be
placed on such a regimen. This
is very obvious to me -and I have
relatively few college credits in my
portfolio. What are they
teaching these health professionals?
In fairness, my GP did suggest
keeping carbs below 45 or 50 grams
for the first week. soon afterwards,
however, a figure closer to 150
grams was being promoted. Since the
diagnosis, I have rarely exceeded 45
and usually much less. And it
worked!
I
suspect the hi-carb philosophy stems
from the assumption that people are
too weak-minded to change their
destructive eating habits. To
some extent, that assumption is
probably accurate. Sadly,
there are too many people that allow
food to take dominion over good
health. Maybe if more of these
poor souls knew the satisfaction a
low carb diet can provide, they
would givevity another chance.
My
loss has averaged a bit over 16 lbs.
per month for eight months. I
have yet to experience the usual
plateaus. I have actually had
to up my intake a few times, even
though hunger hasn't been an issue.
With my exercise regimen, which
included mostly resistance training,
I find it necessary to consume
enough to rebuild muscle tissue.
It's a real hoot to see
well-defined, veiny arms in place of
the jumbo doughboy globs I used
to be burdened with. I am sure
that the weightlifting increased the
metabolism too. The only
substance I consume too much of is
caffeine, but I am trying to taper
off a bit. I drink a fair amount of
low-sugar wine on weekends. I
prefer Burgundy for it's high
alcohol/low carb content. I
also eat too much cheese. But
I really like it, and always try to
consume fiber with it. Psyllium is a
great source of fiber
My
diet is built around low-fat meat
products and egg/egg white
combinations. Lots of turkey,
chicken, lean pork, fish, and some
beef. In addition, I use a
fair amount of broccoli, peppers,
garlic, cabbage, soy, salad greens,
spinach and olives. I eat very
little fruit, bread, pasta, rice, or
sweets. Vitamins make up for
the lack of fruit. The
sweet-tooth is appeased with sugar
substitutes. I do try to limit
fats, but am not a big fan of
non-fat diets. Calories,
however, do count. So does
exercise. There is no free ride to
weight loss. But the low carb
diet is, in my opinion, the way to
go. Certainly for diabetics.
Anyone that reads a statistical
graph can see the increase of
low-fat-high-carb philosophy is
closely tied to upward-curve of
diabetes occurrences. Coincidence? I
don't think so. Thank goodness for
visionaries such as Dr. Atkins.
Our world would be much healthier if
more medical professionals would
align themselves with his
common-sense approach!
An
update from Raymond
I
decided to slow things a bit.
I am now about 218. Didn't hit
a plateau, but started to feel like
I needed a rest. I still
intend to go below 200. FYI - I was
actually just under 400 in December,
2000.
The only problem I am having is
nerve pain. I suspect there
are areas that are more exposed, and
internal areas which have shifted a
bit. Also might be residual
diabetes stuff. That would be
the only vestige, however. I
can now eat a bowl of candy and
never see an abnormal sugar.
As a test, I had about 30 pieces of
candy yesterday throughout the
afternoon. At 6 PM, my sugar
was 86. When I was fat, you
could add a couple hundred to that!
I am even more convinced that a huge
percentage of diabetes in purely body fat-driven!
While I do not plan on eating
another bowl of chocolate, I do have
a pile of broccoli and lentils at
night. The fibre takes care of
much of the carbs and it gives me
balance in my diet. The wine
remains to be an important part of
the plan as well.
Comments
Raymond added:
Here
in the States, there is a fat
epidemic. The male population
has not been excluded. I see
more obesity in one of our
department stores than in an
average-sized Asian city!
People with canes, walkers, and
electric carts. Men with
pendulous guts and umbilical
hernias. Little children that
are so fat that their shoes are
ran-over. Even ten years ago
it was not this way.
Certainly, obesity is killing more
Americans each year than AIDS.
It just makes me want to scream!
Maybe we are trying to "grow
into" all the disgustingly huge
SUV's that dominate our roads.
What
I find so incredible is why any
Type 2 diabetic, newly
diagnosed, would opt for insulin
injections rather than change their
morbid eating habits. I fear
we will not have enough nursing
homes to accommodate the end product
of all this mis-guided
consumption. At least the
situation is receiving more press
coverage. Of course, it also
includes alot of Atkins-bashing
Oh One unfortunate result of my
reduction is that my hard mattress
is starting to be less
comfortable. My hip bones
actually make contact
now. I never
imagined......
A
further update from the States!
I am doing well and continue to
enjoy the LoCarb life. I'm
holding at around 220 - by choice
rather than plateau. I really
want to land at 190. At that weight,
I would have almost zero body fat
and could start an intensive body
building program. Still, 220
sure feels better than nearly 400!
I finally made a doctor visit -
about six months late! I had
become so healthy that it seemed
unnecessary to waste my time and
resources, so the months slipped by.
Anyway, the doctor was amazed.
He kept smiling and
looking at me. At check-in,
the nurse thought there was a
mistake on the charts. She
wondered if I had a gastric bypass
without telling them. The Doc
asked me what the inspiration was.
I said that I had decided that I
would not be one of the millions of
obese, diabetic Americans that
choose to proceed to insulin rather
than attack the problem. And
the results prove that I made the
right choice! No diabetic
symptoms in over six months!
Still, there are scoffers and
would-be saboteurs. There is
jealousy. There are
"eating buddies" that feel
abandoned. I am always hearing
remarks like "Well, it's easy
for a man to loose weight" or,
"He is probably ruining his
health." Certainly, the
critic's rudeness is matched by the
apparent gross ignorance. In
response, I think it is unfair
to say how much easier it is for a
"man" to loose weight.
And ruining my health? Geeez!
The Jumbo-Size clothes salesperson,
and the pharmacy that used to sell
me my blood pressure meds, are the
parties that are suffering. Of
course, they still have the abundant
patronage of poor souls that remain
aloof to the LoCarb alternative!
My father was also one of "those people that could eat
anything" types. In truth, he placed food in it's proper context - something to sustain life
rather than control it. He never weighed more that 170, and was extremely
active until his demise. That sort of shoots-down the "fat gene" theory.
At least in my case. I weighed close to 400 lbs. when my father died.
Although he was a kind man, I am sure he was very disappointed by my
obesity. I will always regret not following his example. Now, at 47, I am
doing my best to correct years of food abuse. I wish he could be here to
see my progress. He would smile.
One Year
on......
I am pleased to report that it has been about a year since my 130 pound weight loss and I have maintained it w/o difficulty. I have staggered the carb intake, allowing periodic cheating followed by a week of strict locarbing. I continue to consume about .75 liter of semi-dry wine per day, and ample calories to keep my
resistance up. Even in a closed office environment, I haven't caught a cold since starting the Atkins WOE. That's twenty months w/o a cold, even when other staff are sneezing, hacking, and calling-in sick. I firmly believe that the high-protein diet is a great
resistance enhancer. I always would get sick when using other diet programs. Not anymore! The diabetes is still gone and I have never resumed blood pressure meds.
Obesity has really been in the news the past year. Lots of Atkins-bashing, of course, but positive reports too. The numbers don't lie. The skeptics always like to mention "water
loss" constituting most of the success with Atkins.. I guess my 130 pounds was all water loss. Good grief!
Looks like the good 'ol USDA food pyramid is starting to crumble. Too bad an obesity epidemic had to
occur first!
Holiday season was a
challenge...
Greetings from Oregon! It's been a beautiful winter. Many sunny days and
no low-elevation snow. Although not as hospitable as my native Oahu, I
can't complain too much.
Well, the recent holiday season was a challenge. I regained 14 lbs. of the
original 140 that I lost. My eating was shameful, as was my liquor intake.
It's coming off rapidly once more, however. I suppose that maintaining a 90%
loss for 14 months is much better than the "traditional" programs offer. I
believe the data shows that dieters belonging to clubs and weight loss
centers usually regain all of the lost poundage - and sometimes more.
Locarb is such an effective tool. Sad that there are still so many scoffers.
What has yet to return is the diabetes. Soon, it will be 2 years without
diabetic activity. I have a few non-locarber diabetic friends. They have
all progressed to heavier meds rather than eliminate the root cause of their
disease. Imagine, sticking a needle into your own arm just so you may eat
potatoes and rice!
Anyway, I will send another report soon. I intend to drop the regained
weight plus another 30. And it will be fun!
Ray Gress
Salem (almost as green as NZ) Oregon
Ju;ly 2003 - Greetings from Oregon! I am doing fine. Am still maintaining most of my 150 lbs. loss after almost two years. Discontinued all diabetes meds a long time ago and morning glucose continues to be about 98-105.
The big news is that I have my own email now!! Please feel free to add the address below to my previous correspondences. I would love to hear from other locarbers.
Your beautiful country is still in my thoughts and dreams. I fully plan on winning the lottery and taking an extended holiday down there, in what must be the most desirable piece of real estate on earth! Take that comment from someone that has lived in Santa Barbara, Malibu Beach, and the opulent hills above Hollywood. Everyone here in the States wants to see NZ. They usually say "Australia would be great fun to visit, but New Zealand - that's really a wonderful place".