Inspiration

Trevor Laplain from South Woodford, London, England is 45. He is married and two sons. Trevor works as a catering manager and food safety consultant at Queen Mary, University of London. He has been overweight all of his life and beat it with the Low-Carb lifestyle.

Tinakaye from Ohio is 36 years old and the mother of four. She has been following the Atkins diet on and off for ten years, but used it only as a "diet" and not lifetime a way of eating. "I started again two years ago," she said, "with the first year being off and on. Then, a year ago, the light bulb went off in my head. I finally understood that this must be a lifetime way of eating and not just a diet for me. I know that Dr. Atkins repeats many times throughout his book that this is to be a way of eating, but I thought I was "different" and it didn't apply to me...... Wrong!"

Last week I spent several hours on the phone with Dana Carpender, the author of How I Gave Up My Low Fat Diet And Lost Forty Pounds. I have a word of warning for you. Do not talk to Dana if you're depressed and want to stay that way. Do not talk to Dana if you're bored and want to stay that way. Dana is upbeat, informative, funny, and fascinating. It would be impossible to be in a grand blue funk when you called her and still be in one when you hung up the phone. Impossible.

This Low-Carb success story was submitted by Cheryl during the month of June 2000. Cheryl's story was so fantastic, I decided to print it exactly how she wrote it.

What are the traits one needs to adopt to come out not just a survivor, but a winner in the weight loss game? You have to have a goal & a way to reach it.

In the movie Cast Away, Tom Hanks character is marooned on a deserted island where for four years he consumes a nearly perfect low carbohydrate diet of crab and coconut. On this Paleolithic diet it is no surprise that his body becomes sculpted, lean and strong. Of course, we could all do that if we were in such a situation. If the only foods available to us were the healthiest of low carb foods we would never be tempted, would we?

This month's success story is Scott Anderson. Scott is a teacher in Greece, NY and started the low carb lifestyle at the end of 1998. As of this writing, Scott has lost 42 pounds and is now at his maintenance weight. CarbSmart spent a few minutes with Scott to find out how he did it.

It is always a joy to meet new low carbers, and even more so when you meet couples who are not only partners in marriage but in low carbing, too. The Bickfords are from Maine, and have been married 19 years. Lori is 37 years old; her husband Ralph is 40. They have two children, Tori, 17, and Feather, 15. Lisa is a full-time MRI technologist. She also teaches and sells Creative Memories scrap booking supplies and gives classes.

Today is the day that I start the Atkins Low Carbohydrate Program (low carbs, high protein, normal fats). I have read most of the book and am ready to start the Induction phase. This is a journey I will continue for the rest of my life.