Just curious on how long people have been on the low carb diet and if since you have been on the diet if you have experienced any complications for being on it.

Things like kidney failure, liver problems etc.

It's been one month for me and everything's in perfect working order as it should be. I'll keep you posted.

I've been lowcarbing seriously for over a year .. and although my weight loss has been slow, the improvements in my health have been documented by my Dr. --- total cholesterol and triglycerides have come down, blood pressure is lower, improved physical energy -- I don't have the late afternoon slumps where I used to have to lie down or FALL down (which is a big deal for someone with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue). Excluding grains from my diet has brought some relief from Irritable Bowel symptoms. And my kidney and liver function remain perfectly normal, according to the bloodwork .

Doreen

This poll was mostly for Shelley

So far it looks like everything she is being told by the "experts" is incorrect. No one is having any problems short term or long term from the looks of it. I believe if you are drinking enough fluids a day, is why no one is having a problem. To me I can't help but drink tons of water because I am thristy all the time.

Come on the rest of you, VOTE!

every time i try to stay on this diet more than 3 weeks i get seriously ill and have to stop. HELP!!!! i drink plenty of water, take my vitamins, all that stuff my doc *now you'll love this* SUGGESTED this diet for me to help bump up my immune system (because it's crappy), and i asked him a good way to lose weight too!!! HA!!!! IN YOUR FACE SHELLEY'S DOCTORS!!!! MUHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! i thought you all might like to hear that. anyway, everytime i do this diet i get serious throat problems...the last one lasted 3 MONTHS and my voice is sooo weak i LOVE singing and was planning on doing it professionally but now i can't anymore *weep* but i found a new college interest and i'm very excited *and frustrated 'cause it's hard to find* so life is good anyway...that's my 2 cents that seems to have accumulated to 50 cents...this is long!!! *whew* oh, and no, i'm not dead or anything. i've been running ALL OVER getting ready for my french student to come *yay* i still haven't lost much weight but i lost a couple inches *go me go * not time to get new pants yet, but i'm hoping soon!!! not to mention i've been going crazy with the peanut butter...luckily my dog attacked the jar before i could get to him and it's not edible *for humans anyway* anymore. my dog is a savior!!! *L*

-RedAngel

You all are newbies! Just kidding.

I've done LC strictly 94-97, and then casually, month on, month off till 2000, and since then back to LC induction. Never had a health problem. Only Asthma, which I inherited from my mom.

Wa'il

Having spent a most miserable winter I went on the diet because I just HAD to do something about my mood swings, my apathy, depression, and minimal energy.

I've turned everything around and lost some weight. I still get the odd day when I seem to revert but I recover from it much quicker. Could be my hormones, or just old habits.

But I reckon the real test will be next Winter.

Hey everyone!
Well I voted as "no problems", 'cause there wasn't anything serious, but I do suffer from severe migranes. The only difference is that I usually got them every month and they have slowed down unbelieveably however I do feel weak with a slight throbbing in my head. But that's only from time to time.

I have to watch out for my husband too, he also gets migranes and his have slowed down as well.

I'm just worried about the drops in energy I get every now and then . Sometimes the drops in energy make me feel cold. Is that normal?
A girl at my husband's work (she introduced us to this diet) was losing wieght at a pretty fast rate and then one day two weeks she collapsed.
I don't want that happening to me.

Well I'll keep at this thing since it is working, I'll just watch myself.
Bye.
Lisa

I started LC December 1999 and previous to that was taking medication for stomach problems... felt it was hereditary as it seemed to run in the family... ie ulcers, digestive problems etc... I must say that since I started this WOE , I have experienced less bloating, gas, acid reflux and am pleased to say have not had to take any medication for over a year and a half... really feel was those darn carbs fementing in the old tum tum...

Bonnie

I voted ages ago, but I didn't think of posting a message as well! (Doh!)

I haven't experienced any ill effects from low carb, though I don't have the stats to prove any beneficial effects (other than weight loss), either, because I've never had any blood work done. Nonetheless, from what I've read, I'm aware that low carb normalizes blood sugars and cholesterol, both of which are a concern to me as I have diabetes and cholesterol problems in my immediate family. Last year I started gaining weight around my tummy, which I never have before - time to put the brakes on it!

So I did.

Oh, and I don't get gassy tummy any more - this used to happen fairly regularly. And my teeth are in much better shape - much less plaque and yucky stuff. I can't remember the last time I had a cold. I guess I'm healthy!

Rachel

So, here's my 2 cents worth.

LC since March 26 2001. No new health issues, however the pre-existing ones have improved.
Acid reflux - much better.
Diabetes - stopped using glyberide (oral hypoglycemic agent) my blood sugars are as good or better now than with that med. I consider that to be a HUGE accomplishment becoz glyberide contributes to weight gain & will eventually burn out the beta cells in the pancreas.
Irritable bowel syndrome - much better now without grains. I find eating lots of spinach in omelets, alone as a salad or added to a tossed salad helps.
Overall improvement in health & energy.

Plus,for the first time in decades, I feel in control of my diet & my own urges to eat the wrong foods. Appetite has decreased (or is it just the unexpected warm weather in June/early July) *LOL*

Love the LC WOL. Enough said.

Ruth

I am approaching 9 months (next Monday) and when I started I had no health problems, and since I have been low carbing, no health problems have surfaced, in fact, I don't even think I have gotten a cold in that time. Coincidence perhaps, who knows, but then I never really get sick often anyhow.

I do know this though. Since I have started low carbing, I have never felt better. I sure don't miss the days of plowing down tons of carbs, and getting that horrible feeling of uneasiness and just wanting to sleep it off.

I've been low carbing for over 3 1/2 years, and I echo everyone whose health problems dissapeared when I went low carb and none have surfaced since. For years I had severe chronic fatugue syndrome that there is no trace of anymore (I have so much energy it's amazing!), my hypoglycemia is under complete control, and being that the majority of my family are severe diabetics (and hypoglycemia is the pre condition to diabetes), I am so glad I discovered this when I was young as I am confident I will not get diabetes when I'm older like my Mom and everyone else in my family.

I used to suffer from migranes as well, so I have some advice there. I found my migranes went away completely when I started low carbing and cut out caffiene, sugar and bananas (three major triggers for me). They did come back a little when I went on a medication for my severe ADHD last year (that has one of the side effects listed as headaches), so I started taking a herb called Feverfew and I haven't had a migrane since. On the feverfew I've even been able to add back small amounts of caffiene (tea and the occaisional diet cola) as well as lots of Ross Chocolate and I never get migranes anymore as long as I take the Feverfew. (I also think the sugar in the chocolate, not just the caffeine, was giving me migranes, because even before I was on feverfew and when I was low carb I was eating small amounts of cocoa or unsweetened/splenda sweetened chocolate and never getting migranes - chocolate is one food group I have never competely given up - I love it!). I also find wheat in any form can almost start a migrane - if I have have 1/2 slice regular bread or even too much Gabi's or other low carb breads that have Vital Gluten in them, I feel a twinge of a migrane, so I don't do those very often. I am sure that's why I always had migranes before low carb, even though I often stayed away from known triggers like caffiene and bananas, I was still consuming lots of sugar and wheat, so I was still getting migranes (and being fat and having uncontrollable blood sugar episodes and CFS).

I love this WOE and have never felt better in my life - I will eat this way for the rest of my life. Also for the record, I fell off a horse when I was 17 and landed on my side on a rock and bruised my kidney - after that I had recurring kidney infections and bladder infections most of my life. But since starting this WOE, I have NEVER had a single kidney infection, only one minor bladder iinfection in the first six months (none in three years) and I have had no kidney pains like I occaisionally had in that kidney before - so that blows the "Kidney Damage" theory right out of the water as far as I'm concerned!!!!

Just my two cents.

I thought I'd post this.

My brother went on a LC diet back in '99 when he was 18. He did everything correctly, took vitamins, drank plenty of water, stayed at 20-25 carbs a day. After 3 weeks and 2 days he had 45% kidney failure. It turns out he had a virus that was attacking his kidneys, if he had never went LC it would of took 50-60 years before there was any noticible effects, and by that time it wouldn't of been treatable, and he would of died from it. The LC diet let the virus work faster, so they discovered it in time to treat it, he now has 90% functioning kidneys, but his doctor says LC would still be a bad idea for him, and that he needs to wait at least 5 years before trying it again.

Anyway, so LC was both bad and good for my brother's health.

As for me, I've only been doing LC for less than a week, so of course I have nothing to share yet.

Our family ha been low carbing for 7 months. The only side efects have been positive. Both my husband and I have had our cholesterol medication cut in half. All blood and urine tests from our last physical were good. My 20 year old daughter ha s been a "joy" to live with. (No mood swings) Our MD even said that the weight we were carrying was more of a health concern than the diet. This from a man who pushes low fat eating