Linda From Montana’s Low Carb Success Story: It Isn’t Just About Weight!

Linda From Montana’s Low Carb Success Story

Linda from Montana is 53 years old and 5′ 7″ tall. Linda started the Atkins program in September of 2001. At the time she began she weighed 224 pounds and was wearing a size 22. Linda is currently 199 and wearing a size 18, on her way to her goal of 140 pounds and size 12s. When Linda contacted me about sharing her success story she told me, “I haven’t lost a lot of weight, but I am a Type 2 diabetic, and I have been able to go completely off my medications!! Now that is what I call SUCCESS!!”

“I weighed 115 to 125 pounds until I had my first baby in 1967,” Linda said. “Since then, my weight has been a constant battle. I have known about low carbing for about 20 years. In the early ’80’s I did the Atkins plan and lost a lot of weight, but then I didn’t just stick with it. I again tried it a few years ago, but it wasn’t working as well as it did the first time, so I gave up again.”

“In the summer of 2001, I was feeling tired all the time, eating all the time and just felt terrible. My job at the time involved driving from site to site and I had a coworker driving for me as I was not feeling well. One day I had blackouts three times! I didn’t completely pass out, but I would not remember getting to a site. Talk about being scared! My blood sugar was 355 when I tested it, and my blood pressure was 175/105. I was put on medications for diabetes and high blood pressure and thought that I’d have to take them the rest of my life. But since I have been low carbing I’ve been able to stop taking them. My blood sugar and blood pressure are both in the normal range now.”

“I am eating foods I like and I’m am never hungry. I feel great! For me, low carbing is easy and I plan to stick with it for life.”

But even when it’s easy low carbing and weight loss do not always go smoothly. “I was doing fine on low carb until I quit smoking,” Linda said. “I started munching too much and gained some of the weight back. I was trying to stay low carb, but I was actually running around 40 grams of carbohydrates a day, so… I did about 10 grams a day for 3 days and started dropping weight again. I have also tried successfully the fat fast for jump starting my weight loss when I’ve stalled.”

“The most important thing to remember is this is a way of life, and not a two or three-month diet,” Linda continued. “Cheating happens, but you just have to keep going! as with stalls, stick with it, ask for advice, join a support list. Stalls break eventually.”

Linda is doing the Atkins plan but also attends TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) meetings for the local, personal support TOPS offers. And, when you think of it, low carbing is taking off pounds sensibly!

Linda is on many low carb lists at Yahoo Groups and enjoys the information, ideas, and recipes. She also likes helping others out with their low carb journeys.

“I have had both good and bad feedback about low carbing from family and coworkers, but people are noticing the difference!”

Linda had some suggestions for her fellow low carbers

“I recommend that folks get a digital postage scale. Carbohydrate counts can be measured in cups or ounces. Have you ever tried to measure a cup of strawberries or anything roundish? A bag of salad mix, for instance, might list 3 grams of carbs for 1 1/2 cups and have 4 servings per 12-ounce bag. Well, 12 ounces divided by 4 equals 3 ounces per serving or 1 gram of carbohydrates per ounce.”

“I also always watch for items on sale. At Thanksgiving, olives were 38 cents a can, and 5 or 6 olives are a treat for me. Last week, I found a bags of walnuts for 99 cents each, they were 3 to 4 pound bags! I have found cheese as low as 2 pounds for $3.99, and boneless chicken breasts for $1.69 a pound. When things are on sale, I stock up!”

“When I am going out of town, I ask list mates from my low carb lists for the local best buys. When you live in a small town like I do, it is hard for find many low carbohydrate specialty items. Before going to Seattle once I asked on the list where the best place to buy DaVinci syrups was. I was told about Cash and Carry, and while I was there, I bought 13 bottles for $3.59 each!! Here at home, they are $7.50 at Walmart, and Walmart only carries 2 or 3 flavors.”

“I also always cook more than I need for one meal and freeze the rest for later. If I am in a rush, I can just take something out and nuke it!”