Hello!

I'm 59 and I weigh 316 lbs at just over 6'2". I suppose (knock on wood) that I'm fairly healthy for my weight and physically strong and I don't smoke nor do I drink to excess, but I also know I'm on very thin ice as a very obese 59 year old. I ditched my Obamacare when it went to an unaffordable $650 a month at the beginning of 2017 (in Maryland) so I'm now going bare.

I've battled being overweight since age 10 and I've cycled up and down over time but have probably spent at least 80% of my adult life at least 50+ lbs overweight. I loathe being fat and started up my normal diet routine about 2 and half weeks ago of counting calories and walking 1-2 miles per night and weight has been slowly grinding off. I'm here because I read "Why we get fat" by Gary Taubes the other day and it was a real paradigm shift in the way I thought about being fat.

Anyway, I’m very interested in doing low carb but I'm also concerned about going whole hog on a meat centered diet. I suppose the trade off is what's more dangerous, the 100 lb fat layer I haul around or steak and eggs. I have been taught to fear meat and fat and cheese as almost nuclear foods where eating too much of them is a sure invitation to a heart attack and jumping off that fear cliff to embrace them as primary foods will take some doing. On the flip side I have woven a 100 lb fat layer into my organs with pizza, bread, subs, potato chips grains and pastas. I know if I don’t fix this with all due speed I am likely to die sooner rather than later.

So, I'm here to look around and see what insights I can gather from the forum and what's the best low carb diet for practical weight loss.

Welcome,
You have found a terrific forum to help you get over your fear of meat and fat, not that you have to eat meat, there are even vegetarian versions of LC. And LC is only moderate protein anyway, not all beef and bacon. Check all the sub-forums here, read back in the ones of interest, e.g. Maybe the Cholesteol/Heart one if that plays into concerns about Fat or use the Advanced Search box for other topics.

You have read the #1 book I recommend to anyone starting this diet. Dr. Westman's diet in the appendix is super simple to follow and what I have followed for almost seven years now. So many people have found low carb through Gary Taubes's book and the Duke Lifestyle diet. https://www.dietdoctor.com/what-an-amazing-journey

That website not only has success stories, recipes and great information, but a real food version of low carb, high fat (LCHF) https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb
The lowest carb level of the LCHF diet, or Ketogenic version, is based on Dr Westman's diet but artificial sweeteners are eliminated. You can trial a membership for free for a month to watch hundreds of top quality videos, easy to cancel.

Let us know how we can help. All the best,

Hi monkey. Welcome to the forums. You have found a great place for support & information in your venture into low carb. I was where you are physically & mentally in September of last year. Now I am 88 pounds lighter & still going strong with excellent numbers on all my health markers. This way of eating really does work despite all the misinformation given out by those experts that push carbs instead of fat.

The path to success & long term good health is staying on plan & not cheating. Take one day at a time & don't set arbitrary deadlines as that sets you up for failure. Make this a way of life not a temporary fix. Wish you the best & look forward to celebrating your success.

Chris

Hey there Monkeygod, welcome! This is an awesome place for support.

If all-meat ain't your bag, it's possible to do low-carb in a vegetarian or even vegan approach. And of course, you can balance your meat with veggies, and adding in plenty of good fats will help you feel full.

I highly recommend starting a journal in the journals thread. The daily accountability is very helpful in sticking to low carb daily.

I wish you the best of luck. have a great day!

Welcome, Monkeygod! I just wanted to chime in here and say I consider myself semi-vegetarian. I do love chicken and seafood and eggs but only have red meat once in a while. I've been following Atkins for three months now and have lost 20 pounds (forever, darn it!). I love all kinds of salad and cooked vegetables, olives, avocados, etc. - I'd say that's at least 70% of my diet. You don't have to eat a meat heavy diet. In fact, excess protein will inhibit weight loss. Atkins or general low carb is thought of as high protein, but it's actually moderate. In the beginning, "high" fat is stressed so your body gets used to burning it for fuel, but as time wears on you can moderate that, too, relying mostly on the fats that occur naturally in food but still not being afraid to cook your eggs in butter, etc.

Best of luck to you on your journey, and glad you joined us here. This is a great place for support and information.

Welcome! I look forward to getting to know you, and sharing this journey....

Welcome to the forum... i'm actually on vacation and have totally abandoned my atkins low carb plan during my trip.

With that said.. I was on it for a couple of months..a newbie like you. I will tell you my cravings totally stopped.. i started losing weight..not super fast.. but I only have 20 or 30 pounds to lose..but was getting smaller.

As i look to return home.. i've decided to go back to low carb..but not the strict Atkins ...the lack of nutrients started bothering me personally. I was eating 20 or fewer carbs a day...and i will return to 30-50..with vegetables being my source of carbs..not bread or sugar.

But..that's the beauty of this site.. many of us are on different versions of low carb. Bottom line.. when you cut refined grains and sugar out of your diet..you lose weight and have a renewed feeling of self control.

Give a shot.. i bet it will work wonderfully for you!

Lucky you, Monkeygod. You have arrived at THE place to get you started on your journey to health and longevity. And you've met THE person, as well. We think JEY100 (Janet) is ground zero for links to information and resources. Clearly you're off to a good start with your reading and your attitude.

There's no "best" diet for low-carb. The beauty of it is (usually) gratifying early results: losing some pounds, feeling more energetic, getting a grip on health threats like diabetes and heart disease. Following a specific plan (Atkins, Dr. Westman, or something on dietdoctor) accomplishes that first stage.

I've been LC since 2003, with a "dieting" history of some fifty years. My goals evolve, dietary details change, but my commitment sticks.

Best wishes for your success. You're on your way.

Monkey, do not fear the meat, I eat bacon and eggs for breakfast almost every Moring. I eat tuna and other meats along with veggies. I also walk a ton few or more miles a day no less. I read the book Eat bacon don't jog. That cause me to lose 58 pounds, I gained much of it back after my dad died and other things, I am back on it and doing well. this life style can change your life for good.

I also went to my transplant heart doctor after losing ton's of weight, and my numbers were GREAT!

Welcome to the best forum on the LC subject. People here range from total newbies to veterans like me. I've been using LCHF to control my weight since 1972.

I'm fit and on no medications and I'm 72.

I think the hardest thing for people who don't understand the actual chemistry of how LC works, is overcoming the fears you expressed. dietdoctor.com will explain it to you. It's the most comprehensive source of LC info on the internet, and I learn something new every day.

I don't eat a lot. I don't eat a lot of meat or eggs or cheese. You don't have to, as others have said. For me, it's all about the health and sustainability. Take your time. Read around the site.

LCHF is the best way for people to lose alot of weight.

Once you get good at LCHF, it's pretty easy to get into fasting which is a way to accelerate your weight loss.

You can do this !

Q: Is meat dangerous ?
A: It's safer than Carbs !

Sugar and High GI foods kill more people than meat ever will.