Health

Jamie C. is 42 years old, and had been overweight her entire life. She grew up in a family of thin people. The only exception of her mother, who had also been heavy her whole life. Her sister was five years older than Jamie, and although she was thin, Jamie didn't remember her being mean or saying bad things to her about her weight.

Carol from North Carolina is 43, and she has lost 110 pounds low carbing. Carol started her low carb weight loss journey wearing a size 22, and is now at her goal size of 6, although she would like her 6's to be a tad looser. Currently weighing 138, Carol is only 8 pounds from her goal weight.

Some concern has been expressed about using aluminum utensils for storing and cooking food. When foods are cooked or stored in aluminum containers, some of the aluminum may dissolve and be absorbed into the food.

Jean from Iowa is 41 and has gone from 190 pounds to 143.5 pounds and from a size 20/22 to an 8-10. Jean follows the Atkins program, with ‘shades of Protein Power.’

Rice and Noodles are a large part of basic Japanese cuisine. As our way of eating precludes eating both products, some Japanese recipes can be quite hard to convert. Fortunately, the range of Japanese dishes is so large that we can find quite a wide variety that suit us.

You can't always get what you want. And, it seems to me, that even if you try, sometimes you can't get what you need, Mick Jagger's opinion not withstanding.

Terry was born and raised in Kentucky, and now lives in northeastern Michigan. She is 45 years old, and has been following the Atkins program since March 16, l998. To date, Terry has lost a total of 132 pounds and she has dropped from a size 26 to a 12!

There is another small subject concerning carbohydrates that needs to be addressed before we move on to discussing protein. Article 6 of the Science of Low-Carb & Keto Diets series. What about all the forms of actual sugar? Are they different? Is it safer/better to eat certain ones? Well-meaning friends and relatives often say, "But, this is made with a 'special' sugar that has vitamins and minerals! It is good for you." Do you know what to tell them? No? Well, then read on.

Lisa is 35, and has been on the Atkins program since January 10, 2000. She has lost 87 pounds and gone from a size 30/32 to a 16! She is still going strong on the way to her goal size of a 10.

A very successful advertising campaign in England some years ago advocated going to work on an egg. It proved very effective, and lifted sales quite dramatically. Now our Dr. Atkins must be considered the modern poultry farmers' friend. Eggs, eggs and more eggs. But it is easy to get sick of the sight of eggs unless we learn to really take advantage of this very versatile energy storehouse.

For the last 2-3 years, there has been a crack down in the low carb food industry that is affecting all of the manufacturers of low carb products and the way you as a consumer look at their products. It is important for me as the owner of CarbSmart to let you know this because what I am going to describe is not being done with malicious intent, it is just a clever way for the manufacturers to bend the rules. The good news is that everything has mostly changed and most companies are complying with the proper way to list the Nutritional Information on their products as governed by the FDA.

If we're so sure we want to be thinner, why do we so often do things that are counterproductive to that? Why do we cheat? Why do we refuse further tweaking of our low carb way of eating when we suspect it would help us get thinner?