Mike From North Carolina’s Low Carb Success Story

Success Stories

Mike from North Carolina is 43 years old and 5′ 10″ tall. He has been following the Atkins program since September 9, 2002, and in just 8 1/2 months has shrunk from 230 pounds and size 44 pants to 179 pounds and size 34 pants!

Here is his story:

“My name is Mike, and I am originally from Brooklyn, New York, but I have transplanted myself to Charlotte, North Carolina. I was a New York City police officer for 9 years, then changed careers due to an injury and am now working with computers as a computer analyst.”

“I was always a bit stocky and had a big gut, and my weight always went up and down. I play a lot of sports and have always very active. But I just love food too darn much! As I look back, I must have averaged 300 to 400 grams of carbohydrates a day. Knowing what I know now, no wonder I always had a gut, even though I was physically active!”

“In January of 2001 I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes. I weighed 240 pounds and I was really out of shape. The doctor told me to lose weight and start exercising or I would need insulin one day. That’s all I needed to hear. I bought a treadmill and started walking everyday while trying to stick to a low fat diet. Since I am pretty obsessive about things, I stuck to the low fat eating plan and started running outdoors. I lost 40 pounds in 6 months and was training for a marathon. My sugar was back to normal and I was off the medications. But running put a big demand for carbohydrates to fuel my body. I still stayed low fat, but I started taking in a lot more carbohydrates.”

“I weighed 200 pounds and trained hard for my marathon during the summer. But for some reason I could not get below 200 pounds. I was running 50 miles a week, staying low fat, but not losing any weight! I was baffled, but I was so focused on the marathon that I didn’t care. I entered the Marine Corps Marathon and finished it. That was one of my greatest accomplishments! But even running 26.2 miles and training regularly and hard, I could not get below 200 pounds!

“Yeah, yeah… People told me that since I was running, I was building muscle in my legs so that accounted for the scale not going down. Well, this bit of wisdom refers to the folks that bench press 350 pounds and build their muscles with weight training. For me – and I know this now – the problem was all the carbohydrates I was taking in. Once my body used up what it needed, it stored the rest right in my belly. Believe me, since I was running so much, I had a misguided notion that I could eat as many carbohydrates as I wanted as long as I reduced my fat consumption.”

“So anyway, a month after the marathon I was training for another race, and I injured my calf muscle pretty badly. I couldn’t run for 2 months! So what happened next? Yeah, you guessed it, I started eating whatever I wanted to and then continued in the “lazy mode” even after I healed. Of course, I gained back 75% of the weight I originally lost. So now there I was weighing 230 pounds, out of shape again, and my blood sugar levels began creeping up.”

“I finally decided to read all about Dr. Atkins’ program. I had heard about low carbohydrate plans, but thought that low carbing was not a good way to eat. What did I know?!? So, on September 9, 2002, I started The Atkins Diet. The prospect of eating steaks, eggs, and cheese gave me enough incentive to try. The first few days were tough between not knowing what to eat – I can’t have bacon and eggs for breakfast, chefs salad for lunch and steak for dinner every night – and also feeling lightheaded. Since I had read the whole book (Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution),I knew the lightheadedness was normal. And, as the first 2 weeks moved along, I started getting creative with vegetables, other meats, and began finding good recipes.” 

“I lost 13 pounds after 2 weeks, and 3 more the next week. I could not believe how fast it came off and how great I felt! I continued on my treadmill and eventually made it back to running on the street. I joined a group running club and am now running 3 times a week. My weight loss had settled into a consistent pattern of 1 or 2 pounds a week. Sure, there were a few weeks when I didn’t lose, but even then I could see my body losing inches.”

“I weighed 230 pounds when I started low carbing on September 9, 2002, and on April 27, 2003, I finally hit my goal of 180 pounds. I haven’t weighed 180 pounds in 20 years! I was in the Police Academy in 1983 when I last weighed 180! It is a great feeling!”

“I am proud to say I have not cheated once, and my perseverance has certainly paid off. I have run in 2 half-marathons, and I am training this summer for the New York City Marathon in November.”

“Of course, now comes the hard part – keeping the weight off. I think the important thing now is that I am so aware of what I should and should not eat that low carbing has become a part of my everyday life. I don’t have to think about and talk about what to eat. When I go out with friends I don’t mention that I am not eating bread, potatoes, or pasta, etc. I just order what I want.”

“I remember at the beginning, low carbing was all I talked about. Now it is part of my life style. Lets hope I can keep it that way!