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  #1   ^
Old Sun, Aug-23-15, 15:03
driver1199 driver1199 is offline
New Member
Posts: 2
 
Plan: atkins
Stats: 280/223/200 Male 6 feet
BF:
Progress:
Default 62lbs gone. I can't believe it.

I thought it necessary to take the time and share my story or better yet my journey through my experience on the Atkins diet. Mostly because of the all of the bad press that you seem to be able to dig up on the internet involving low carb diets.

Background:
I am a 43 year old male who is somewhat active but as age and poor eating habits kept increasing, my weight was going up about 10lbs a year for about the past 6 or 7 years. I love to eat! I love Doritos! I love pizza! I love fried food! I love pasta! I'm sure you are getting the picture

I love playing softball and volleyball and as you can imagine, these activities started becoming more and more difficult as the weight kept piling on. Little things like tying my shoes or getting tired going up the stairs were becoming the norm but I put up with these obstacles because I love food! I also took prilosec every day to deal with horrible heartburn which I have had for years. I also developed sleep apnea about 5 years ago. My blood pressure was on the rise... the highest I remember was 143 over 95. Not sure about my cholesterol but my weight was now 285lbs. Knees hurt, back hurt, feet hurt etc.

Early this year I really started thinking about wanting to lose weight. I thought of everything from lap band to stomach stapling to yes, low carb diets. I remember 20 years ago, my friends father saying that he ran into a friend of his who he hadn't seen in a year and he barely recognized him! He said all he ate was protein and fat. For whatever reason that story stuck in my head and I thought if it worked for him it would hopefully work for me.

So March 1st of this year, I ate my last spaghetti dinner knowing full well that I was going to attempt this diet the next day. I figured why not go out with a bang with tons of pasta and garlic bread!

The first 3 or 4 days were of course, miserable. I had omelets with broccoli and cheese for breakfast, salads for lunch, and a protein with some type of green veggie for dinner. I am not going into detail on all of the menu items because at the end of the day, I just kept my carbs to 20 grams a day or less.

So I of course bought the keto test strips so I could make sure that something was actually changing in my metabolism and sure enough, they were dark!

After about the 5th or 6th day things started to get a little easier. The carb cravings were less frequent although there were still times I still wanted to eat a whole bag of candy! I started researching low carb recipes to help change the monotony of eating a lot of the same foods. I always made sure (and still do) to get a big serving of green vegetables once a day so I was getting my vitamins.

The weight started to fall off quickly and then of course, began to slow down. April 1st I was down to 262lbs, May 1st 246lbs, June 1st 238lbs, July 1st 236lbs, Aug 1st 232lbs. As you can see, from June 1 to Aug 1 I really hit a plateau. I was starting to get discouraged but stuck with the plan. I was still on induction but eating clean and kept those veggies in the diet. Somehow, and to this day it still amazes me, I never strayed from the diet. My carbs (which I counted carefully every day) were always around 20 grams.

I have finally broke through the plateau and today I weigh 223lbs. I'm sure things will probably slow down again, and I'm good with that!

My main purpose for this story is not for praise but for all of the people out there that want to lose weight but are unsure about all of the different methods. At least for me, this one WORKS! Being fat SUCKS!!! People look and treat you differently. Now, I get complimented all of the time because of my 'transformation'. I cannot tell you how much better I feel. I have been able to turn the pressure settings down on my CPAP device from 9.5 to 6.5, my blood pressure is 116 over 78. I haven't had ONE prilosec since the first week of the diet. ZERO heartburn. It's gone. I ride my bike twice a week, 20 miles each time. And here is the weird thing. I no longer feel like I am on a diet. This is now the way I eat. I crave the foods that I can eat... it's like my body wants them. I still wouldn't mind eating bread or some pasta but I have no problem just staying away from it. My goal is 200lbs. I will remain on induction until then. I know some will say it's probably not good to stay on it but I guarantee my current diet is way healthier than most Americans. Many people automatically assume that this is a diet where all you eat is bacon. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Some added notes about the diet:

My favorite snack which replaced Doritos is Blue Diamond Smokehouse Almonds. 2 or 3 handfuls is only 2 or 3 carbs. I tried pork rinds but it feels like each one takes a year off your life when you eat it. Yuck.

Milk was replaced with Silk unsweetened Almond milk with Vanilla.

LaCroix has replaced all soda. I try to not consume too much Nutra Sweet

Bulletproof coffee is now my go to breakfast except for on weekends I'll make some eggs. I look forward to it every morning and it keeps me satisfied all the way until lunch. It's amazing. One normal sized cup of coffee in a blender with 1.5 tablespoon of organic grass fed butter, 1.5 tablespoons of coconut oil with a dash of cinnamon.

Fish pan fried with Almond flour is amazing. I use olive oil exclusively for cooking.

Homemade pizza! I came up with an excellent low carb recipe. I use Josephs low carb flax bread for the crust (it's on amazon). Brown it in a skillet with some olive oil and it's gets a little crispy, top it with RAO's sensitive formula tomato sauce, mozz cheese, pepperoni, italian sausage and bake! It's amazing.

Flax bread is pretty good also with some butter and cinnamon, it helps a lot if you need some bread. Here is the recipe http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/reci...?recipe=2586771

Throw some of this BBQ sauce on your chicken, ribs or pork chops. It's great! http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/s...ad.php?t=694106

I do enjoy beer and occasionally have one or 2 Michelob Ultra's. Yeah it's a bit watery but when you haven't had beer for a few months it's great!

I added some psyllium husk powder for additional fiber. Probably use it once or twice a week to keep things moving

Make taco's with sheets of lettuce! Just watch those pre packed taco mixes, some have sugar. Make your own mix, it's easy.

I've rambled enough. I am on my way to my 200lb goal. If I only lose 5lbs a month from here on out, I'm fine with that. I could eat this way for the rest of my life if I had to. Once at my goal I will introduce more carbs and see what my body will tolerate. Until then I'll keep those carbs in the center aisles of the grocery store

Last edited by driver1199 : Sun, Aug-23-15 at 21:55.
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  #2   ^
Old Sun, Aug-23-15, 16:52
Aloha1430 Aloha1430 is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 31
 
Plan: LC/JUDDD
Stats: 189/160/160 Female 69 inches
BF:
Progress: 100%
Location: Paradise
Default

I trust the bread recipe uses ground flaxseed?? Not two cups of whole seeds?

Congratulations on your successful weight loss!
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  #3   ^
Old Sun, Aug-23-15, 16:58
jschwab jschwab is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 6,378
 
Plan: Atkins72/Paleo/NoGrain/IF
Stats: 285/220/200 Female 5 feet 5.5 inches
BF:
Progress: 76%
Default

This is a great post. I think you've really touched on a point a lot of people miss - just how easy it can be! Congratulations on your success and, especially, feeling better.
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  #4   ^
Old Sun, Aug-23-15, 19:46
inflammabl's Avatar
inflammabl inflammabl is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 2,371
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 296/220/205 Male 71 inches
BF:25%?
Progress: 84%
Location: Upstate SC
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by driver1199
My main purpose for this story is not for praise but for all of the people out there that want to lose weight but are unsure about all of the different methods.



I don't know.... writing for praise isn't that bad. I do understand though that you're trying to express your amazement. Nothing at all wrong about that. Congratulations.
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  #5   ^
Old Sun, Aug-23-15, 21:43
driver1199 driver1199 is offline
New Member
Posts: 2
 
Plan: atkins
Stats: 280/223/200 Male 6 feet
BF:
Progress:
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aloha1430
I trust the bread recipe uses ground flaxseed?? Not two cups of whole seeds?

Congratulations on your successful weight loss!


Correct. I used ground flaxseed however I did start with 2 cups of whole seeds and ground them in a coffee grinder.
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  #6   ^
Old Mon, Aug-24-15, 10:57
Nicekitty's Avatar
Nicekitty Nicekitty is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 469
 
Plan: Banting
Stats: 150/132/132 Female 5'7"
BF:
Progress: 100%
Location: PNW
Default

Congratulations on your success, and thanks for sharing your great story!

Quote:
Originally Posted by driver1199

This is now the way I eat. I crave the foods that I can eat... it's like my body wants them. I still wouldn't mind eating bread or some pasta but I have no problem just staying away from it. My goal is 200lbs. I will remain on induction until then. I know some will say it's probably not good to stay on it but I guarantee my current diet is way healthier than most Americans. Many people automatically assume that this is a diet where all you eat is bacon. Nothing could be further from the truth.



I think this is the attitude that will give you long term success with maintenance. I really think you will make your goal, but as you know, there is no hurry. The carbs are too low for me (I need about 60g a day), but if all your health markers are good and stay good, it's a great diet for you.
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  #7   ^
Old Tue, Sep-15-15, 07:23
khrussva's Avatar
khrussva khrussva is offline
Say NO to Diabetes!
Posts: 8,671
 
Plan: My own - < 30 net carbs
Stats: 440/228/210 Male 5' 11"
BF:Energy Unleashed
Progress: 92%
Location: Central Virginia - USA
Default

Great testimonial! Congratulations on your success. Yes, this WOE gets a lot of bad press and rubbish spoken about it. But those of us to do it and stick too it find out the truth. This really is the best way to be eating. The longer you do it, the healthier you get. Not so -- in fact, quite the opposite -- when carbs are the main macro in your diet. Stick with it and there will be nothing stopping your from your goal of 200 pounds.

Quote:
I could eat this way for the rest of my life if I had to.

My vote is that you will have to. Look around. How many testimonials will you find where someone did Atkins and then returned to eating 'normal' food and kept the weight off? I have not found one. If you 'do Atkins' then you must do the maintenance steps. That part is essential to figuring how many carbs and what types of carbs you can tolerate. I know what made me fat and if I return to eating those foods - I will be fat again. I've proved that over and over.

The good news is that the longer you eat this way, the easier it gets. You miss the old carby junk less and less. You like the healthy food you are eating more and more. I want to be one of those rare people who take the weight off and keep it off. To do that, I know that the way I'm eating to get to goal is pretty much the way I need to keep eating to remain lean, happy and healthy.

I'm looking forward to your next update. More progress, more success. Keep it going!

Last edited by khrussva : Tue, Sep-15-15 at 09:06.
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  #8   ^
Old Tue, Sep-15-15, 08:21
Aradasky's Avatar
Aradasky Aradasky is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 10,116
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 199/000/000 Female 5"3'
BF:
Progress: 100%
Location: Southern California
Default

Congratulations!!!! About adding back in more carbs....those are supposed to be fruit and veggies, not dorritos. LOL
Just remember that. I plan on eating VLC 20 or less a day for the rest of my life.
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  #9   ^
Old Thu, Sep-17-15, 12:02
Nrracing Nrracing is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 747
 
Plan: Custom 22/2 Clean Fast
Stats: 290/258/210 Male 72.5
BF:
Progress: 40%
Location: Missouri
Default

Hey this is really great to read. I have started and I am aiming for 20 pounds goals at a times, and to see you doing and following the same no cheat rule is great. this WOE is for like and there are no cheat days. congrats keep up the great work I am shtoing for 200 also. I know I will get there it just takes time.
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