Jennifer From Kentucky’s Low Carb Success Story

Success Stories

Jennifer from Kentucky is 23 years old and 5′ 5″ tall. She has been following the Atkins program since June 16, 2000, and is only 20 pounds from her goal weight of 148.5 pounds! Jennifer started her low carb journey weighing 248.5 pounds and wearing a size 26. She now proudly wears a size 14, and is shooting for her goal of a size 10.

“My dad lost his job when I was in the third grade,” Jennifer said, “and I started gaining weight very fast. I remember a woman, who was a friend of my mother’s saying to me, ‘Wow, I’ve never seen someone gain weight so fast!’ Needless to say, we had no more contact with her.”

“In my past, I only really remember trying to lose weight twice before beginning Atkins. The first time was something I created on my own when I was 13. I would eat Total cereal with bananas and skim milk for breakfast, Slim Fast shake for lunch and (get this!) a Whopper with cheese, fries, and a milkshake for dinner!! I also did 1000 sit-ups a day and rode my exercise bike 10 miles per day. I lost A LOT of weight. There was no record of how much, but I went from a 14-16 to an 8 in the course of a summer break. Once school started back, though, there was no time for all that exercise, so I just didn’t do any at all. As you can imagine, as soon as school started back up, so did my weight. I went right back up to where I was before.”

“The great thing about this was I still got what a teenager considers ‘great food,’ the Whopper, but it was an impossible plan because I couldn’t keep it up forever. I felt great and had lots of energy at the time, but once the weight started piling back on, my old feelings of misery did as well.”

“My second attempt at ‘dieting’ was just to not eat all day and only have dinner. This was when I was 15, if I remember correctly. Then for dinner, I would pig out like I had in the past. Lots of Whoppers come to mind in this scenario also. I went back down to a size 8 once again, but that of course didn’t last long. I couldn’t concentrate at school, was on edge from eating virtually no food, and had the shakes on a regular basis. I gradually went off this ‘plan’ and gradually the weight came right back on.”

“I have been very fortunate to lose as much as I have so quickly while low carbing. I lost 60 pounds in six months and then I increased my carbohydrate consumption considerably and have only lost 20 more since. But hey, I’m not gaining! Sometimes it is very hard for me to say no to all those goodies out there, but I know I am worth it and so is my health!”

“I first started low carbing when my fiance broke up with me on June 14th, 2000. While I was with him, things never were very settled. I’m not even sure why we were engaged! Anyway, we came back from vacation and two days later he broke it off. While I was with him, I went from a size 16 to a size 26. I was so devastated that I was literally ‘flipping out.’ My mom drove three hours to come and get me, and the following day, she took me to see a family friend of ours who was is a psychiatrist. He gave me some sedatives because he said that someone who is already depressed and faces something that is very difficult and/or tragic, can go into psychosis.”

“He also told me that I was beautiful, but needed to lose weight. I told him I knew I did but was lost as in how to accomplish it. So he invited me to his house that night and went over Atkins with me. I was so excited about that I got started the next day – June 16, 2000. The rest is history!”

“Overall, I feel much better now. I am eating! I can eat until I am full! I don’t feel that emptiness after each meal like low fat diets seem to leave you with. The increase in my energy level is also enough to keep me doing this. I have fewer migraines and less depression when I’m following the plan, too. I am no longer huffing and puffing at the top of just one flight of stairs, and THAT is a great feeling!”

“For the most part, I think it is easy to follow this plan. I miss my sweets and French fries, but I know what a great thing I’m doing for my health and body. I just keep going. Sometimes I struggle with the question, ‘Why can’t I just eat like a ‘normal’ person?’ But then I remind myself that it is because ‘normal’ people do not have insulin resistance, and that is something I must continue to control.”

“Virtually all the feedback I have gotten from my family and friends has been positive. I am very lucky to work at a doctor’s office where one of the doctors is also doing low carb, so no one picks on my too much. My own physician recommended this way of eating to me and then later my gynecologist agreed that it is the best thing I can do for myself.”

“I also enjoy great support online at the Atkins Support List at Yahoo Groups. My ‘after’ picture is me and two list friends from that group, Sue and Lori.”

In concluding, I asked Jennifer if she had any advice to offer up to other low carbers and she said, “The most important thing to remember is to be patient with yourself. You are learning a whole new way of eating, a whole new way of life. Don’t get started cheating, it is soooooooo hard to stop. Also, if you stall…..Don’t give up! If your going along with the plan, the weight MUST come off sometime!”

You can find Jennifer’s low carb support list, the Atkins_Support_List, at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Atkins_Support_List/