Low Carb Success Story Marilyn Brazzle by Amy Dungan

I’m thrilled to introduce our latest success story, Marilyn Brazzle, an inspiring and compassionate lady. A CPA working in management consulting for an accounting firm in Washington, DC, she resides in Frederick, MD and runs a non-profit sanctuary for homeless senior basset hounds. “At any time I’m sharing my home with about 20 old dogs,” says Marilyn. Her exercise includes caring for her home, the dogs, and her commute to work.

That First Step…

Marilyn knows all about the dieting roller-coaster. She was overweight as a child and has always seen dieting as counting calories or severely restricting food. “The last time I lost a great deal of weight, about 17 years ago, I did it with Slim Fast shakes for breakfast and lunch, an apple and a banana for snacks, and a Lean Cuisine or some other diet frozen dinner in the evenings.” She admits that she was hungry most of the time, and realized it’s not something she could do for life. As can often be the case, she regained the lost weight, and more, over the next 4 to 5 years.

Marilyn will readily confess that Weight Watchers worked for her, but says she got sick of having to track points everyday. Between counting points, and being hungry often, she gave up on the plan. Her attempt at low-carb several years ago failed because she admittedly abused the “eat all you want” notion. Now she knows better. When a good friend of hers was showing great progress on low-carb, she was inspired to give it a second chance, and is glad she did.

Marilyn started her journey at 232 pounds, January 1st, 2011. She is currently 154 pounds and closing in on her goal of 135. While her weight loss was somewhat slow, she did notice two big changes. “I no longer have to struggle to push my body out of bed, and I don’t get acid reflux any more, which I believe was caused by eating grains.”

“You have failed only when you quit trying. Until then, you’re still in the act of progression. So, never quit trying and you’ll never be a failure.” – Tommy Kelley

The Here and Now

Marilyn’s current diet is pretty simple – she just eats low-carb foods. She does pay attention to calories and portion sizes and has learned not to go hog wild on something just because it’s low-carb. “The beauty I’ve found in this way of eating is that I don’t have to count anything, not even carbs.” Weighing herself daily, she makes adjustments in her plan if the numbers trend in the wrong direction. She’ll reduce portions sizes, cut out items like Atkins snack bars, or ditch whatever it might be that she’s indulging in at the time. She does cheat, on occasion, with ice cream. “Ice cream is the one food I don’t want to give up. So now and then I splurge on some Ben & Jerry’s.” Thankfully this doesn’t set off cravings and she’s always ready to get back on track.

The most valuable lesson she’s learned from the low-carb lifestyle is that you should only eat until you are satisfied, instead of eating all you can.

Recipe Corner

One of Marilyn’s favorite recipes is as simple as reading the back of a Libby’s can of pumpkin puree,where their pumpkin pie recipe is printed. She substitutes Splenda for the sugar and heavy whipping cream for the evaporated milk. For the crust she uses almond and/or pecan flour and butter. Nuts are a staple in her pantry.

Looking Ahead

Marilyn looks forward to retiring from her day job in a few years. She plans to stay low-carb for life. While, like many of us, she has concerns about maintenance, I have no doubt she can do it. “I’m not trying to live up to anyone else’s standard. I’m just trying to live in a way that makes me feel good about myself.” I couldn’t agree more! This is the very attitude that will see Marilyn through to her goals.

© 2012 by CarbSmart.com. Send Amy your comments to Amy Dungan.