Fri, Apr-23-04, 05:13
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New Member
Posts: 23
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Plan: Atkins
Stats: 316/228/200
BF:
Progress: 76%
Location: Honolulu, HI
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I don't really know what to say. I stand here to day 90lbs short of where I started at 316 lbs almost 2 years ago. I did Atkins for 6 weeks and lost 30lbs, which I kept every pound off for a year on a pretty normal diet of junk food. Then I went on it again, and lost another 40lbs (this time in one 20lb burst of 3 weeks and the other 20 until the 20th of the next month [Nov-Dec 03']). I kept that off without gaining a pound, despite normal i.e. very high carb eating. Finally, I started again 2 weeks ago and I am down nearly another 20lbs. Why does it work for me? Heck if I know. I have been able to lose weight, but not keep it off on the grapefruit diet, the 7-day diet, Slim Fast, Weight Watchers, just by exercising (I was a 316lb black belt in karate, a ball of lard who could still run and destroy punching bags), and by lifting weights. This was the only thing that worked. I find once I move my body to a certain weight with LC WOE, I don't change much at all. I think I am still a pretty high % body fat. I don't know how my cholesterol and other numbers look, but I always feel satisfied and energetic on Atkins. Perhaps the age of the members in general keeps them from losing very well. I have no idea. But I feel and show the benefits of this WOE. I feel sad that my girlfriend, who will likely never agree to eat LC, suffers from such serious psoriasis, which I believe to be aggravated by her high-carb diet (see DANDR and this page). My mom also lost a load of weight, but is now plateauing and discouraged.
Like they say, the more you have to lose, the more you will initially lose. Women in their late 30s trying to get from 140 to 120 aren't going to lose as fast or as easily as me, a (at the time) 19yo male one-time football player. It just won't happen. But I bet that many people can benefit from a LC lifestyle. That having been said, even Dr. Atkins, champion of LC WOL, said that LCing is not for everyone. If you get anything from readin his books, get that people's bodies all differ greatly in their dietary needs and that even the greatest solution will not work for everyone. If you realy have tried LC, if you followed all the rules and still didn't succeed, if you went beyond that even and examined your nutrient intake, pills, vitamins, and drugs, food intolerances, candida intake and made proper changes and still didn't succeed? Assuming that you also can't lose on low-fat or high-carb diets or by exercising, congratulations, you are the only human being alive who is incapable of weight loss.
Other than that, I believe that most people can stand to benefit. We all try too often to apply LC WOE to everyone, when it is such a broad solution to a host of very personal issues and problems. And of course, LC is hardly just about low carb, but a large group of tinier changes in diet (at least on Atkins). A lot of the benefits of LCing come from the nutritional and dietary advice (taking proper vitamins drinking enough water) that most people would only follow if they think it will make them lose weight, but as anyone who has examined the science behind LC knows, it goes far beyond that. I think that anyone who cannot lose wieght and feel better on a LC WOE is either doing something wrong or needs to consult a professional nutritionist to deal with his or her body's unique needs.
It's all just my opinion, don't take it too seriously
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