Hi-
Today, 7/15/21, is my 18 year anniversary of starting CALP. It has been a wonderful 18 years. I did the first 6 months or so before I found this site and this community. I actively posted for 15 years, and in the last 3 years I have not posted much and haven't been on the site a lot. I am still on CALP, and have actually lost weight this past year and have kept it off (the COVID not going out to eat with anyone 5 pounds). My anniversary post is a tradition for me- and it's a way to let people know that you CAN do this for~the long term. I'm just one person- but I know there are more. I just read Gary Taubes' new~book - THE CASE FOR KETO- and he has been doing this even longer than me. Posting this is my way of stopping by, saying hi, and hopefully giving support to members who are still looking to this WOL to help change their lives. I know it changed mine! I have taken some time to reflect on what has made me so successful in maintaining my weight loss on this WOL- and I come down to the following. First- I picked a plan that I could do and one that fit into my life- I could be LC and still cook and enjoy restaurants and eat dinner with my husband, family and friends. It made a big difference to me that I could eat any carb I wanted as part of a balanced RM (salad, protein, veggie and carb)- that the oplan wasn't as limited as some others and gave me lots of flexibility. Second- I did LC for my health and focused on the immediate and long term gains in my health. I knew this was for life- for the long haul. For me the weight loss was secondary- what was really important was the way I felt. NORMAL. And finally and perhaps most importantly- I never go off my plan. I never take a holiday or a cheat day or a stress day off plan. I always find a way to stay OP- even if I have to be flexible or have more carbs in a day than usual. I love to travel (I hope that will be part of my life again soon!) and I have been able to go lots of places and on cruises and hiking trips all while staying~OP. I carry nuts and LC options with me- and can always~find eggs or cheese for breakfast someplace. I have had lots and lots of stress and lots and lots of celebrations in the last 18 years,~but I stay OP. The last couple of years have been especially difficult- but if I went off plan I would be sick and then it would be even harder. So I stay on plan. Not always the most convenient or the most fun- but being healthy and feeling great is worth it to me. That's how I do it- not for everyone but it works for me. I just always stay OP. This just works for me. I think that's the secret to my maintaining- this is how I eat. Period. And I plan to stay on low carb- on my CALP~plan- even though I'm not actively posting here. I do look at the site every month or so (sometimes longer - sorry) and will try and reply to posts and to PMs.~I finally got an air fryer this year and it's so great for making fish, chicken, beef, shrimp, lamb and all kinds of veggies. For breakfast this past year~and a half or so I have had a flax bowl muffin that I slice and toast in the air fryer~and enjoy hot and crispy with butter and iced coffee.~I still cook and enjoy new recipes (last night I made Ina Garten's roasted shrimp salad (in the air fryer) - it was amazing! I also think that cooking your meals using real food plays a~role in being successful on CALP- and making sure you have some kind of balance in your RM. I still plan my grocery shopping and my meals- another key to staying OP.~Since I haven't posted much at all this year, just a reminder that I eat 3 meals a day- protein for breakfast (with coffee), protein maybe with veggies for lunch. If I have leftovers from dinner I'll eat that, but for the last year ( during COVID I stopped going to the market and only went every couple of weeks so this was easy) I've had full fat cottage cheese and about 1/4C of mixed nuts for lunch with a club soda. For my RM dinner I have a salad (with homemade dressing), a protein/veggie/carb. Tonight I'm planning (yes I plan my meals!) a salad, chili (made with grass fed ground beef, black beans and tomatoes with lots of hatch chili peppers and onions) and my carb will be a hard~roll.~Most of the time my carb isn't something sweet. I like bread, potatoes, or something crunchy. I have hardly any artificial sweeteners and limit alcoholic beverages to 2/week. I have one coffee/day and then switch to water and one can of club soda as a~treat. No snacks or eating after dinner.
As I have done before- here is a reposting of my 10 year anniversary post.
Wishing you all health, happiness and peace. And a better year for us all-
E
From 7/14/2013
hi-
tomorrow is my 10th 'planiversary' on CALP/CAHHP. I can't believe it has been 10 years! I'm going to mark the occasion by talking a bit about my experiences, and how things are for me now.
I found LC as a direct response to my continued worsening cholesterol and CRP tests. The straw that broke the camel's back was the "off the scale" CRP I had in the winter of 2003. My (then) MD wanted me to eat lower fat (Pritikin levels), double or triple my statins, and go off estrogen. He basically accused me of lying to him about my eating, saying no one who ate as low fat as I did could continue to see rising lipids.
I went home scared and angry. I had been eating low fat, and lower fat, for at least 15 years. I drank the low fat coolaide- believed it all. I said to my DH- if what I am doing is not working I can do it harder or do something different. I then started researching LC, starting with Atkins, Eades, Heller, Schwartzbein, Agatston and more. I remember telling my DH that I KNEW I was insulin resistant and had metabolic syndrome- and that was why I was fat (and getting fatter every year) and my lipids were so bad. I told him that while my kids were not home that summer, I was going to do LC. I asked him to support me and he did.
I chose CALP/CAHHP because it would fit my lifestyle and my personality. I hate measuring or weighing, I like eating and cooking unprocessed foods, and I value eating dinner as a family and going out with friends.
After 2 weeks on CALP it was a miracle. I felt "NORMAL" for the first time in 15 years. Then the weight began to melt off- like magic. And I felt great- lots of energy. Then my skin cleared up, my swollen ankles cleared up, my sleep got better- just everything felt better.
I lost the first 20 lbs by the end of August- and went to a new MD! He told me to keep doing what I was doing- but that my cholesterol was genetic.
I lost 30 lbs by December. I stayed on plan, because I felt great and I knew this was for life.
I started losing again that spring, and lost another 25 or so pounds. Plus my liver enzymes normalized (no more NASH for me!) and my CRP started going down while my trigylcerides were normal for the first time ever.
Since then I have stayed OP. I balance my RM, but admit I eat more carbs at RM now than that first year or two. It is my new normal- and I think I look better today than I did before starting CALP that July 2003.
I will always have the underlying metabolic issues, which eating LC manages. I believe I am insulin sensitive now, and also believe that a few days off plan will push me back to insulin resistance. So I STAY ON PLAN.
The people who I have met on this site, and the amazing wealth of info and resources about LC, has been incredibly important to me. Thank you!
I thank God everyday that I found LC, found CALP, and have been able to heal my life.
E
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