Hola, new member, on CALP for 16 years
 

I retired 2 1/2 years ago and left the US--along with my daily routines and familiar shopping. I've struggled and recently have put on about 10 to 15 lbs (no scale anymore, a problema! And when I find one it's in kgs). Big problems with the Carb Addicts diet---I started eating way too much cheese, butter, and red meats. As a result, my total cholesterol soared to over 300 from a baseline of about 224. Yes, I know about the controversy over cholesterol, but a big swing like that indicates something has changed. The reward meal at night has also been an issue. I have violated that regularly, too much fruit and eating past the hour, and that is the source of my struggle and weight gain. I have to get my weight down and my cholesterol under control. I'm considering some bright lines--no cheese, dairy, and only rarely fruit. Probably need to bright line any form of bread.

So this is my attempt to reign things in and get back a sense of control in my life. Any tips, etc. appreciated.

Hola GPH! Some definite things that have helped me:
1) Try not to have reward meals - and if you do, have them earlier in the day so you can work them off a bit;
2) Cheeses cause stalls (well, cheeses in excess, that is);
3) I have been eating a whole lot of red meat, butter, cheese, fat, etc, and my cholesterol is very low - you may need to have bloodwork initially; then follow a LCHF plan strictly (ie, no 'reward meals') for a few months and have your bloodwork taken again. See if there's improvement. My one friend has horrible cholesterol (genetic), and she cannot follow a low carb high fat diet or her cholesterol skyrockets. This WOE works medical wonders for a lot of folks - I hope you're one of them!!!