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Success Stories
Peggy Lee from Maryland is 54 years old and 5′ 1″ inch tall. Peggy Lee has been following the Atkins program since July 1, 2002, and has plummeted from 325 pounds to 180 pounds! When Peggy Lee began, she wore size 24/26 and is now wearing size 16s. Peggy Lee’s goal is to weigh 140 pounds and wear a size 12.
“I never had a weight problem until after having four children,” Peggy Lee began. “My kids now range in age from 21 to 32 years old. I cooked full meals with lots of carbohydrates to fill them up. My husband stays very thin, eating potato chips and Tasty Cakes. So my house was always (and still is) filled with high carbohydrate foods. Running the children to gymnastics, soccer, baseball, etc., it was easy to just grab a snack on the run or eat hot dogs and fries at the park. Watching TV was always’ treat time’ at our house, which meant pizza, popcorn, and ice cream. So putting the pounds ON was not a problem,” Peggy lee laughed.
“I have tried most of the diets under the sun. Typically, these diet attempts only lasted for about month. I did Richard Simmons, and bought all the tapes and diet supplies. I did Chippendale Dancers, and likewise have all their tapes even though they were more fun to watch then follow along with,” Peggy Lee grinned.
“I went to Weight Watchers several times. Every time I went I would lose 25 pounds, but when I went off their food plan, I’d gain 50 pounds back! I feel there was just too much eating with this program.”
“I gave Animal Protein Drinks a try. This one was the pits. You had to drink this red, slimy, greasy stuff. I literally had to hold my nose to get it down. I can’t remember if you ate with this one or no. If you did, it was perhaps just a salad. I got so sick on this plan I almost passed out shopping. I went down on my knees and had to drink some orange juice to get relief!”
“I followed the popular Low Fat Diet. I did not do well with this at all. I was frustrated, weepy, and was physically sick most of the time.”
“I was given doctor-prescribed diet pills, although I don’t remember their name off hand. I did lose some weight while using them, but they made me dizzy and hyperactive. Additionally, I broke out in hives and I felt like I just couldn’t function adequately while taking them.”
“I used over-the-counter diet pills, too. Oh let’s see… Dexitrim and Fat Busters are the two I can recall. They caused my heart to beat very fast. I used to eat those caramel candies called Ayds. When you took them you had to drink some hot water. I have bought over-the-counter fluid pills, Chinese drinks, and herbs, too, in my efforts to lose weight.”
“I tried the Grapefruit Diet, but it didn’t last long. I don’t like grapefruit!” Peggy Lee laughed. “I also did a Starvation Diet. I would drink only water and occasionally some celery once in a while. I did lose weight, but after a week or so I gave up on it.”
“I went to a homeopathic doctor for help, He held vials of food and medications over me while my arm up. If it fell, I was allergic to whatever was being held. Thinking back now, everything he told me I was allergic to was high carbohydrate food, including wheat. Isn’t that interesting! I did follow the diet he gave me for a while and lost weight but, alas, again didn’t stick to it.”
“Last spring I was the heaviest I have ever been,” Peggy Lee continued. “Being heavy was bad enough, but being sick and tired all the time was the even worse. A few years ago I was diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic, and I was put on two insulin shots a day. My feet were so numb I couldn’t even walk. My legs and even the upper part of my arms were starting to get numb. I had no energy. When the family planned a trip, I’d try to beg out of going. But they would get upset, and I would have to go. Just taking my granddaughter to a small zoo was too much for me. We would get to the zoo, and I would find the closest bench, sit down, and wait until they were done.”
“I would go with them to pick apples. ‘They’ picked the apples. I sat in the car. I wanted to do all of these things mentally, but I was physically just simply unable to participate,” Peggy Lee sighed.
“The evening of June 30, 2002, I was sick. My body was in pain; my chest hurt, my sides hurt, and I got scared. I lay in bed knowing I had to do something about my excess weight. I had been looking at different diets and I had seen television news stories about the Atkins diet. I knew being a diabetic I shouldn’t eat carbohydrates, but outside of limiting sugars, the doctors don’t really tell me not to eat breads, noodles, etc. As I laid there watching, it all seemed to make sense to me. In the morning I decided right then and there to try Atkins. I didn’t go out and buy the book. I thought to myself ‘Just eat meats and salads and you will do fine.'”
“After a few days, I was bored with the food, and like with all the other diets I was ready to call it quits. I got on the computer and looked up “Atkins.” I thought all I would find is where to buy his book. Boy, was I wrong! Anything and everything you want to know about this diet is on the Internet. I sat for hours reading and finding out that YES, you can eat more then meat and salads. I went on the two-week Induction plan vowing to give it my best shot – no cheating!!!! At the end of two weeks, I had lost 13 pounds.! I was in shock. I couldn’t believe that I lost that much weight without feeling hungry.”
“After a few more weeks of losing, I went into the recipe files online and found wonderful foods, and discovered so many new ways of cooking. I learned how to adapt my favorite recipes to be low carbohydrate. My dad, who loves to bake breads and rolls, even helped me create a low carbohydrate bread without using any soy flour. (The worst part of the diet for me is that, no matter how hard I try, I cannot get stand the taste of soy)!”
“As I began to lose weight, my blood sugar levels kept dropping. One day I was walking the mall – YES!!! I was actually walking it, not just keeping a bench warm. I said to my daughter ‘I can’t believe this, my feet don’t feel numb.’ At that point I was so elated I felt I could run a marathon!”
“After a few months, I was taken off the insulin injections. My doctor was thrilled, but said if I went off the low carbohydrate diet I would end up needing the shots again. And he said that if that happened I would never be able to eliminate the insulin shots a second time. That is a pretty good incentive to stay on the plan.”
“One day as I was surfing the Internet, I found a group called the CarbSmart Recipe Exchange at Yahoo groups. I joined the group to see what it was all about. I found people who were like me and were so willing to help. At first, I just received the email and used nearly all the wonderful recipes they posted. I absorbed all the advice they had to give. Now I have join in the discussions and recipe sharing. I highly recommend this group, or any like it. It is absolutely great to have people to help who honestly care about what you are saying and feeling.”
“There have been many changes in my life since I went on this diet. I am more out going. I am eager to help anyone who says, ‘Wow, how did you lose so much weight?’ I have family and friends on this diet now, and they are all doing great. My health and energy levels are improving by leaps and bounds. Not only are my clothes too big but, I have lost one and one half shoe sizes!” Peggy Lee exclaimed.
“I sleep better now, and I am happier – which means that everyone around me is happier too!” Peggy Lee laughed. “The first spring day it was warm, my daughter and I took the baby to the zoo. I not only walked throughout the entire zoo once, but I walked around it TWICE!! I was so happy I felt like twirling. Tomorrow we are going to the Philadelphia Zoo; this is the first time in years since I was able to even think about going there!”
“I often run into people I know who don’t recognize me. I ran into an old friend who said, ‘You look like you did when we were in school!’ Now that really boosted my ego!”
Losing the weight and feeling better are not the only pluses to maintaining a low carbohydrate lifestyle,” Peggy Lee continued. “One day, while answering some questions for a woman who wanted to start the diet, my mother said, ‘Since Peggy Lee lost the weight, I have my daughter back again.’ I had never realized that my personality had changed when I gained weight, but I guess it had.”
I asked Peggy Lee if she would offer some advice for other low carbers.
“If I had to talk to a group of people on the Atkins diet, I would tell them, don’t hesitate to try this way of life. Make up your mind to give it one month – with no cheating. If you do cheat, just go right back to the diet. If you stall, hang in there, you might be losing inches at this point instead of weight. You might want to try, cutting back a bit on your eating, though. We may not count calories, but sometimes it doesn’t hurt to watch the portion sizes.”
“You don’t have to give up snacks and desserts,” Peggy Lee continued. “You can eat cheesecakes, muffins, brownies, and even sugar free candy. It is just a matter of teaching yourself how to cook differently. Stay off the scales. I only weigh myself once a month, if that much.”
“Find a friend to go on a low carbohydrate with you. Join a group on the Internet. Do whatever it takes to stay on the diet. Low Carbing Works!! Dr. Atkins uses terms as WOE (way of eating) and WOL (way of life) to describe low carbing. To me, this is life!!!! The way I see it, Dr. Atkins gave me back my life.”
In concluding, Peggy Lee said, “People have said to me, ‘You have lost all of this weight, but what are you going to do now?’ Well, I’m going to New York City!!!! My brother lives there. In the past I always said I couldn’t go because of all the people and traffic, but that was just an excuse. I knew I couldn’t walk around enough to see anything! So now I am planning on spending a few days, and running my brother and his family ragged,” Peggy Lee smiled.
We’ll do an update for our readers when Peggy Lee reaches her goal weight!
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Peggy Lee’s favorite group, The CarbSmart Recipe Exchange, can be found here:
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