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Success Stories
Kristina from Indiana is 5′ 5″ tall and 46 years old. She started her low carb journey weighing 178 pounds and wearing a size 16. She currently weighs 148 pounds and is wearing a size 10. “I started with Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution and Protein Power,” Kristina told me. “Now, I am drifting toward The Zone and Protein Power.”
“Most of my life I never really had a lot of trouble with my weight. In 1978 I weighed under 100 pounds! I lived in the attic of an old house, 65 stairs from the street and walked 5 miles a night as a waitress. I would sleep till noon and had my first meal at 4 PM. It wasn’t a very good lifestyle, but I had a lot of fun… and heartache.”
“My weight issues actually began post-baby. I had tried to ‘Fly Above the Hunger,’ but that whole weigh down thing never clicked for me. I did learn to recognize hunger, drink more, stop when I was full, start with smaller portions, and eat my cravings first. However the whole program never really worked for me.”
“I tried the chocolate shake thing, but YUK!” I never really tried anything else, since I have very little self-discipline.”
“I attempted Atkins after my second baby was born in 1989, and lost 16 pounds. I couldn’t make the menus work for my family’s lifestyle. The recipes in Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution back then didn’t quite make it into the ‘flow’ of things.”
“In April of 1999 I became depressed and desperate – both at the same time – about my aging, fat body and I cried out to God. For what it’s worth, I believe I had a ‘prompting’ to look at Atkins again. I didn’t even have the book anymore, but providentially I came across it in one of my thrift store excursions. I had attended a seminar that described non-optional basic life principles, of which one was design. As I read Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, I was able to make a connection concerning how God made the body to shed itself of excess fat by using the low carb program described in the book. I took that as confirmation and was ‘on it’.”
“About the same time I found a couple of Atkins lists on what is now Yahoo Groups. The people on the lists knew so much and became my online support through thick and finally…. thin. Terri, the moderator, was very helpful every time I asked a frequently asked question. Additionally, the recipes on Di Bauer’s list were just the thing I needed to continue adding variety and still continue to make correct menu choices. Without all the cyber support, I would have never made it!”
“Another helpful thing that really sped up the process was that I began walking with my neighbor, who I was just beginning to know. The weight came off very quickly in just about six months! I really didn’t even notice until walking one day. My underwear just about fell off beneath my walking skirt! It was only then that I realized my clothes were way too big. I had to sell or give away my entire wardrobe and purchase new clothing. I could go to short tops instead of baggy, saggy, hide-behind-the-folds looks.”
“I reached my all-time low of 134 pounds and size 8 jeans! WOW!! My face was very thin even though the folds of my lost chins were still a bit saggy. (This eventually corrected itself for the most part.)”
“Then came the winter of 2000. We had a flood, which required the whole first floor, including the kitchen, to be emptied so that the wood floor could be refinished. Between the stress, the fast food, and 2 boxes of Harry and David’s Truffles, I gained back 10 pounds. I am struggling now to get them back off. Because I am older, I think my metabolism is different, so some changes are in order. I need more exercise, more thought in my menus and more discipline. I am working on it. I am also looking at some free weight/oxidize/walking things.”
“The only really bad parts of low carbing for me is the lack of fruits and bread. There is some constipation and sometimes social eating is a trial. My biggest problem is always having appropriate snacks on hand and variety in my menu. I think drinking all that water is the worst, especially if you have errands to run and your aging bladder needs a discipline routine! I am glad, however that our well has pure sweet water and is not city water.”
“I think Atkins is very easy as far as the menus are concerned, and the food is both delicious and satisfying. For the most part, the cravings were quickly eliminated by the carbohydrate restriction. I will stick with low carbing for life, as I know that the design of my body is that it does not metabolize the amount of carbohydrates I want or am encouraged to eat by my culture.”
“One of the unexpected benefits of this way of eating has been losing the hypoglycemic roller coaster. The emotional episodes and gone, and low carbing helped greatly with my PMS, too. This in turn helped the tenor of my home. We are a home schooling family, and if mamma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy, right?”
“I got a lot of flack from people about this diet until I lost the weight and was looking good and acting energetic. The proof is in the pudding.”
“Nothing tastes as good as thin feels. Don’t cheat! But if you do, just get up and get back on the plan. It seems the first time through low carbing your will and resolve is stronger and your metabolism more vulnerable to change. During the initial time, low carbing seems easier for weight loss. After changing your metabolism with low carbohydrate eating it is harder to have dramatic weight loss if you have had a lengthy period of time off-plan or have fallen off the wagon and experienced a significant weight regain. As the months rolled by there was some resistance and sensitivity to certain foods that didn’t exist before. (Dairy and coffee were mine, and two of my biggest stall culprits.)”
“Just keep on keeping on!”
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Terri Ross’ Atkins_Support_List can be found at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Atkins_Support_List
Di Bauer’s low carb recipe lists, Celebrate Low Carb and The CarbSmart Recipe Exchange can be found at:
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