Health

At age 15 and weighing 160 pounds, I thought I was the most humongous girl God had put on the face of the planet, but you know what? I ran across a picture of myself recently and realized that I if could had lost 20 or 30 pounds and grown a little taller, I would have been okay. I became the quintessential example of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Welcome to Delilah's Mirror! I've used the low carb life to shed nearly 150 pounds, and while I'm not at goal, I'd like to share my story. I have discovered in my online low carb travels and in talking to people who are overweight, that my story is quite the norm and not even close to an exception.

Adele from Ohio is 50 years old. She follows a self-designed, low carb program that incorporates both the carbohydrate guidelines and anti-yeasting version of the Atkins program and the paleo style of eating outlined in NeanderThin by Ray Audette. Adele found what combination of low carbohydrate principles work for her "by long trial and error, mostly error!" she says.

Maui Mike is from Minnesota. Mike got his name because he lived on the island of Maui in Hawaii for a period of time. "I also have a blend of coffee named after me called "Maui Mike's Blend," he laughed.

Jess from Wisconsin is 18 years old and follows the Atkins program. Jess is 5' 5" tall and has gone from 225 pounds to 145 pounds! Jess' goal weight is 120. (Please note that her after picture above was taken when Jess weighed 158 pounds; Jess has lost an additional 13 pounds since that picture was taken!)

I have recently been asked, "What are the best fats to be using in our low carbohydrate diet?" It's a good question!

Dietary dogma about Dietary Fats came about despite the fact that there was very little evidence connecting diet to heart disease, and despite the concern of some scientists that eating too little fat could also have harmful effects. The media being what it is, it pushed all the scientific criticisms aside, and stood behind the simple, easy-to-understand but incorrect idea that less fat equals longer life. The government publishes the US Department of Agriculture's booklet on dietary guidelines every 5 years, and so far the well-known Food Pyramid still recommends that fats and oils be eaten "sparingly." Article 15 of the Science of Low-Carb & Keto Diets series.

PJ from Illinois is 43 years old and has followed the Somersize program since February of 2001. Her weight has dropped from 313 pounds to 191 pounds. (That's 122 pounds in just ten months!) PJ is well on her way to her goal of weight of 150 pounds.

Ron Moshier is from Minnesota and winters in Texas. Ron is 6' tall, and follows the Atkins program. He has used low carbing to lose from his top weight of 260 pounds down to a trim 180 pounds. Ron's waist size has shrunk from a 44 to a 34!

Vonnie from Australia is 34 years old and has gone from 245 pounds to 154 pounds, just 9 pounds short of her goal weight of 145. She has dropped from a size 22 to a size 10 on her way to her goal size of 8.

Joanne from Leeds in the UK is 28 years old. She started low carbing in January of 2000, and has been at it ever since. Joanne follows the Atkins program and is currently just below her goal weigh at 117 pounds. She has gone from a US size 14/16 to a US size 6/8.

Connie from Ohio is 31. She started the Atkins Plan in May of 1998, but told me, "It's since been tweaked so much it's more like a hybrid plan of my own." Connie has gone from 244 pounds to 169 pounds, and from a size 24 to a 12!