That's such a wonderful story, Jean!

I'm similar to that, however the weight loss never seems to happen. I'm not sure if I had colitis, or what, but I've definitely figured out that my intestinal symptoms are due to stuff I put down my gullet like NSAIDs and a bunch of foods I react too. Even low carb ones!

Wow, that's amazing, Jean. That must have been difficult at first to eliminate so many foods, but I guess once it makes that much of a difference in your quality of life, it's kind of hard to feel sorry for yourself. At least you have the knowledge.

Best of luck in the future.

Nancy - I have no official diagnosis of colitis just like I have no official diagnosis of diabetes. I figured in both instances since my approach was going to be dietary why go through the process of getting a diagnosis and getting a doctor involved. I found that solving my food sensitivity issues got my weight loss going again after I had decided that I would eat low carb and be satisfied with wherever things ended up. It may happen for you too.

Jean

Kristine - It really wasn't difficult for me to give up all those foods. What was difficult was being so sick. I would have subsisted entirely on eye of newt if that was what it took to be able to leave my house.

Jean

Thanks so much for posting your story, Jean. If only all of us could refocus on good health instead of weight loss as the primary achievement! No, it isn't effortless. Yes, we may have to give up a lot of food things we thought we couldn't live without. But now, look at you! Real life at long last!

Best best wishes!

Thank You Jean. Your presence on this website has helped many (I include myself in that many) your insights are keen and you have an abundance of kindness. You are a good example of how someone can not necessarily "take control" of their life but learn to find a path that causes the least harm to yourself and others spreading good cheer and a message of hope along the way.

To steal a phrase from Old Lodge Skins (Chief Daniel George) in the movie "Little Big Man"...

My heart soars like a hawk.

Thank you for telling your story.

Thanks for stopping by Barbara. I was fortunate to understand that my high weight was just one symptom of my underlying bad health and to focus on weight exclusively made no sense plus, although my weight caused me problems, it did not cause nearly the problems that my other health issues caused. I feel grateful to have figured out that I was the one responsible for finding the solution and that focusing on the positive aspects of what I was doing was a lot more beneficial then bemoaning my fate. The attitude of "I can't live without..." just brings frustration. The foods I have given up are the foods that were making me fat and sick. In other words they were not foods for me they were poisons. This attitude makes my choices easy.

Jean

Thanks Thud. I enjoy our mutual admiration society. Too much time spent feeling sorry for myself led to just more misery. This way works much better, seeing obstacles as the path, keeping the mind peaceful and clear while observing the storm clouds, that always will come and go, without latching onto them with anger or frustration or even happiness, in other words contentment no matter what. Not that I'm there yet but I'm working on it.

Jean

Thank you for sharing your story, Jean! You always inspire and motivate me as well as so many others here!


Your before and after pics in your journal are truly AMAZING! Thanks for posting those!

Thank you so much for sharing your story. It is really encouraging to see someone doing LC successfully for years.

It is also a great reminder to me that I initially started my LC WOE for health. I am also interested to read about how you fixed a lot of your health issues with diet as my husband has a lot of stomach issues and also deals with depression (mostly seasonal affective disorder). The poor guy just deals with the pain most of the time and just starting to realize that maybe he should start eating the same way I do for his health (he is not and was never fat).

I enjoyed reading your story. It is amazing what you were able to accomplish and even more amazing that you are staying lean and healthy after reaching a normal weight. Your path is certainly different than mine. But you figured yourself out and so did I. We ended up at the same place... with a happy & healthy life. Please stick around. I love reading your posts.

Renee - For me the combination of a low carb real food diet along with figuring out my food sensitivities eliminated so many health issues that even if I hadn't had the weight to lose it still would be the best way for me to eat. I continue to eat this way not just to maintain my weight loss but to maintain my health. I hope you can convince your husband to try it.

Jean

Thanks for stopping by Jo. You are another member of my mutual admiration society.

Jean

Ken - So many people, faced with challenges, give up too soon. I think one thing we have in common is that we have been determined to figure it out and we have. Yay us! I plan on sticking around. I always hope that I can help inspire someone else to follow this path of healthy eating. It's about so much more than losing weight. Losing weight is just its most visible aspect.

Jean

Jean, what a wonderful, truly very long-term success story. Success not in weight loss, but conquering so many health issues. That is a crazy number of seemingly unrelated health issues all solved through diet...your own dietary experiments. Would love to have some docotor now explain them all.
Though please answer one question that others will undoubtedly ask...what DO you eat? Eggs, meat, chicken and dairy are the backbone of usual LC menus. We know that you have accepted your food restrictions, but a new person trying to find a dietary solution may be overwhelmed by the "don'ts". As others have already written, you are an inspiration and so freely and generously share your time and good advice with other members...thank you!

One thing that I decided early on in my journey of diet change is that I would not think of the way I was eating as a deprivation but as a gift I was giving myself. In other words I thought about how lucky I was to have figured out how to regain my health simply by changing how I ate. The things I no longer could eat might be considered food by other people but I started seeing them as poison and who would voluntarily ingest poison? Arsenic, no matter how good it tastes, will never be on my menu.

Now to specifics. There are lots of food still to eat.

Proteins that are currently in my diet:
ground venison
canned wild Alaskan slamon
wild caught Pacific cod
pork liver
homemade breakfast sausage

Fats:
olive oil
coconut oil

Vegetables:
various leafy greens
broccoli
cauliflower
bok choy
cucumber
red pepper
mushrooms
cabbage

Nuts and seeds:
flax seed
sunflower seeds

Other:
coconut milk (homemade)
shirataki noodles
salad dressing (homemade oil and vinegar)

Liquids:
Coffee
Green tea
herbal tea
water

If you think of it as deprivation then you will feel deprived. If you think of it as a means to a healthy life it will feel like a gift.

Here's my tough love speech. Most of us become very spoiled. We think we need variety and scrumptious tastes all the time. We don't. I think of my food as medicine to keep my body healthy so that I can use my life in more productive ways than taking pills and visiting doctors. My food is easy to prepare and tasty but it is not the center of my life. I used to believe that my coffee had to have milk and sugar in it. Yuck to black. Now I drink it black and it's fine. Habits can be changed. Attitudes can be changed. We can learn to eat in ways that enhance our health if we let go of what we used to think about food and embrace a new way of thinking and eating.

End of lecture.

Jean