A Decade on Low Carb…How I finally reached goal
 

I joined this forum in 2010 to read the research and media section after starting the New Atkins for a New You version of low carb. Over the years I participated in many topic threads but never started a journal or wrote a success story. Now more than a decade later, there finally is a success story to share. I not only met my original goal of 160 pounds, but now weigh 150, a 22 BMI, a total weight loss of 75 pounds … and at 70 years old. Scale weight wasn’t my only goal, but as a cancer survivor, an ideal BMI while eating nutrient dense foods was.

On a very low carb/keto diet, my weight decreased from 225 to 169.The "after photo" on the right was taken in 2012, the top end of healthy BMI range, but never reached my original goal of 160. Briefly touched 165 … twice, then regained and lost again, yo-yoing many times for 10 years, usually between my "new goal" of 169 and 185. I had tried every version of low carb; eating 20 g total carb keto, fasting, carnivore, paleo, and more. If near "maintenance", I would add fat and keep carbs to 20g as advised, but then would regain. So I remained "stalled" half way to goal weight.

Over the past ten years, my blood sugar, though stable, increased due to adaptive glucose sparing. Minor "low thyroid" symptoms; thinning hair, brittle nails, fatigue, joint aches bothered me, but I was getting older. Then last year, restarting at 188 pounds, focusing on the nutrient density of food, increasing net carbs, protein, fiber and micronutrients, increasing satiety per calorie, and finding a fasting window based on my blood glucose levels, I surpassed all my health goals. Symptoms of "low thyroid" disappeared after losing excess weight by obtaining more vitamins and minerals from more fermented dairy, seafood, and vegetables and digestion improved, possibly from healthier gut flora. Blood glucose range is now back to normal and my metabolic flexibility increased. Eating lower fat proteins and more high fiber, high nutrient vegetables results in more satiety at a lower calorie intake. "The best-kept weight-loss secret is simple: If you want to lose fat, you need to control your appetite by finding a way to get more nutrients per calorie from the food you consume!” (Marty Kendall, article linked below). That is adequate protein without excess energy from fat and carbs.

Why do so few nutritionists actually write about nutrition? Before taking electrolytes, immune boosters or having complex thyroid tests, optimize the intake of foods that provide potassium, magnesium, selenium, iodine, niacin, vitamins A,C,D,K and 30 other nutrients. Reduce the fat in meals to focus more on protein and get enough essential nutrients that may benefit your health conditions, bone strength, reduce easy bruising and not worry over "carb creep" from an extra cup of vegetables, even carrots, tubers and fruit. It took a decade for me to find the solution to my "stall" on low carb; Dr Ted Naiman's P:E Diet and Marty Kendall's Optimising Nutrition. All 11 nutrients that benefit thyroid function, and the nutrients to improve other common disorders, are in MartyKendall's article "What is Nutrient Density? https://optimisingnutrition.com/nut...101/#more-12093

My macro targets for active weight loss are 15-20% (around 50g) non-fiber net carbs of nutrient dense foods (vegetables, fruit, tubers) and about 40% lean protein (protein goal is 145 g based on my ideal weight including more seafood and dairy). That's still low carb in the "real world", but higher carb, higher fiber, higher protein and lower fat than most of the popular "keto" and low carb plans discussed on this forum. DietDoctor https://www.dietdoctor.com/ has many new practical guides to these foods, links below. Foods still eliminated are sugar, grains, and refined fats, though now with better metabolic flexibility, having those on occasion does not derail me. "People following a low carb diet typically get less magnesium, potassium, folate, calcium, Vitamins A, C and K1, while they will be getting plenty of vitamin B12 and amino acids" as in analysis above. By analyzing my diet with Nutrient Optimiser, I was also low on Selenium and Zinc, two of the 11 nutrients important for thyroid health. Very low carb continues to work for some, but if older, with a history of obesity, and you haven’t reached an optimal goal weight, after increasing protein and lowering fat, also evaluate the nutrition in the food list you are using. [In the comments following this story are lists of some of the specific foods I eat]. After 10 years of yo-yoing with low carb, here’s how I finally found success:

Julia's one year of Data-Driven Fasting: https://optimisingnutrition.com/jul...driven-fasting/

Julia's 18 months of Data-Driven Fasting: https://optimisingnutrition.com/jul...driven-fasting/

April 2022 DDF, Julia maintaining without tracking or measuring. https://optimisingnutrition.com/dat...l-2022-results/

Dr Ted Naiman's The P:E Diet:
https://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=483930

The P:E Diet in one calculator: https://www.proteinpercent.com/

The Weight Loss version of The P:E Diet: https://energytoxicity.com/index.html

Dr. Ted Naiman's website: https://tednaiman.com/

Marty Kendall's Blog: https://optimisingnutrition.com/blog/

Marty Kendall's Optimising Nutrition Community, join free:
https://members.optimisingnutrition...YzLViZ3fNO8bMBJ

More here at Marty Kendall's Data Driven Fasting: https://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=484792
The DDF app is now free as well, joining a challenge for daily support has a modest fee for one month of daily lessons and Live Q&A.

Big, Fat Keto Lies book summary: https://optimisingnutrition.com/big...s-introduction/

DietDoctor, the world's largest low carb resource, has updated its excellent low carb advice to add Higher Satiety. https://www.dietdoctor.com/higher-s...ating-lifestyle
Top 10 Tasty ways to Eat more Protein and less Fat: https://www.dietdoctor.com/high-protein/top-10-ways

With new High Protein guides from DietDoctor: https://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=484926



Thank you to LowCarbers, WereBear, for her profound quote used at the end of Marty's article, to Jean, cotonpal, for showing us the nutrient dense way and Key Tones for starting the high protein Ted Naiman thread.

November 2021, 150 pounds

Even though I re-sized a new current photo multiple times, both in pixels and KB, the website is not taking it as an after photo....trying this:

Sept 2021 photo at 153 pounds, about 17 pounds less than the existing "after" photo. Made it my Profile Photo too.

EDIT: It appears the "Gallery" on this older platform does not take new photos, so I am using an outside image service to add photos to posts. See Kristine's answer here: https://forum.lowcarber.org/showthr...011#post9416011

Looking great, Janet! And feeling great, too, for sure. Thanks for sharing your story updated.

I am very happy for you Janet and glad to have a fellow traveler on the nutrient density path.

Congrats, Janet, on your continued progress to good health. It's fascinating to engage with the forum members here, as this forum continues to be the best classroom I've found for learning and exchanging ideas. As the concepts of low carb and keto continue to be fine tuned with improvements, we have a place where we can stay abreast of good lifestyle practices and share in each others' experiences. The value is immense.

Congratulations Janet on not just having achieved your goal, but ultimately having surpassed it!

Few things in life are more satisfying than that feeling of finding and settling into that groove of what actually works for you. I'm happy that you have found yours. :)

Hi Brendan! Thanks for the comment. Finally finding what works for me…I should have listened to my mother, more vegetables :lol:

Thanks so much for sharing.

Thank you for all the kind comments. Someone on Facebook asked about my body fat percentages and the Renpho bioimpedence scales recommended in DDF. I didn't buy one until 3.5 months into the DDF program ($18 on Amazon!) but here is a side-by-side from Nov 2020 vs. now. There was a nip of fall in the air Friday, so put on this long-sleeved workout shirt for the first time in about five months…stats are on the photo. "Only" 20 pounds in 10 months may seem slow, but at 70 and already a 22 BMI, its fine with me, especially since I eat a wide variety of satiating, enjoyable and nutritious food.

Updating my weight loss graph, from one year to the 15 month results.

I have now lost 38 pounds with Data Driven Fasting and Dr Naiman's The P:E Diet. That is also 75 pounds since I started a low carb diet eleven years ago. Taking "diet breaks" between challenges is an important part of how DDF works, and this graph is a good visual of the process. That "ideal weight" goal for a 5'9" woman is a bit of a stretch at age 70, but my body fat percentage could still be reduced. Starting a new challenge tomorrow to help get through the holidays. :wave:

Happy Holidays!

You look absolutely fantastic!! Thank you so much for all you do here on the regular to help and share information, and thank you for sharing your inspiring success story!!!

I have looked at the P:E info (suggested meal charts, etc.) I'm curious about your application, since you are also combining the nutrient density information. What does a typical eating day look like for you? 145g protein sounds like a lot (I am the same height as you, so same BMI chart targets, etc.). I'm also curious about some of your favorite high nutrient density foods other than lean meat. Thanks for anything you care to share specifically about your meals!

I'd love to help you and share the changes I made. I already have a 3 page document (in smallish font!) in narrative form...must get that shaped into something easier than War & Peace. I will send it to you if you PM me with your email. :wave:

For Marty Kendall's more Nutrient Dense meals, I have a running joke with another moderator...his answer is always mackerel. :lol: One major change for me is I'm eating more fish and seafood, that is naturally leaner and has more nutrients like Omega 3 fats, selenium, magnesium, and more! not common in meats. I buy frozen fish fillets from Costco, bake the whole box at once and add to salads or veggies through the week, also canned wild-caught salmon, tuna, and gingerly adding in mackerel, sardines, etc. Nothing wrong with red meat but seafood is more nutrient dense, resulting in more satiety per calorie.

In a recent interview, Ted Naiman said for women having a hard time eating more protein…his P:E "cheat code" is: egg whites, protein powder, and low fat dairy, e.g. yogurt, cottage cheese.

The Protein section from my document:

"Protein: Lead with protein each meal, especially the first meal of the day. Increase gradually the Protein Percentage of your diet. All poultry, fish and shellfish, including canned wild salmon and small fish, are a great foundation for highly nutrient dense meals. Eggs are too, but limit whole eggs in an omelet to two, use egg whites for the rest. Whole hard boiled eggs can be a good snack. Use lean beef, ground beef 90% or leaner, lean sirloin, pork tenderloin. Look up macros for any protein, you may be surprised that 85% Lean ground beef is 54% fat! Avoid fatty roasts and steaks, instead, start with lean proteins and add healthy fats to them as needed. You can easily add fat to protein but it’s hard to take away. No bacon, sausage, pepperoni, hot dogs, nor any processed meats. Whey Protein is an easy low fat, high protein supplement to add to low fat dairy. Real food is preferred, but whey mixed with low fat/0% Fage yogurt or cottage cheese high in protein and calcium was satiating to me. As a 70 year old woman, my protein goal of 145 g based on my ideal weight, from only meat, chicken, fish and vegetables was difficult for me to reach without those dairy sources. Make the first meal in the day high in protein, with high satiety per calorie. Example of an easy recipe is 2 eggs, with lots of flavorful vegetables and a half cup egg whites (liquid from carton fine) or more, and leftover meat or fish. High protein, high nutrient density, high satiety per calorie. This protein forward first meal is so satiating, most days I only have two meals, around noon & 6pm, no snacks. My time restricted eating was determined according to my own hunger signals, based on my own blood sugar levels, not by a clock based on an arbitrary fasting schedule." That is..Data Driven Fasting

Check out some of the video and podcast interviews with Ted Naiman and Marty Kendall in those threads linked in the story. The podcasts with Bett Lucas are clear, basic, full of good tips for beginners. Marty and Ted are both interesting and fun speakers…one of my favorite interviews is the two together: https://youtu.be/ilduzDTFUlQ

Added to all this protein (and it is a lot!) are way more fiberous vegetables than I ate on the various low-carb plans I've followed the past decade. My favorite quick first meal was a pan of Costco Stir-Fry frozen vegetables ( the mix has orange and yellow carrots :) ) with whatever leftover meat, canned salmon or fish on hand. These meals are so satiating I did not miss cheese, fats, cream, etc. Forget the gooey ground beef casseroles with cream cheese and shredded cheddar, the Fathead pizza dough, and Chaffles. Check Marty's Instagram page for recipe ideas,https://www.instagram.com/martykendall76/, his recipe's are also on Pinterest, or make any of the Simple Protein plus Veggies Meals, samples on Dr. Naiman's weight loss version: https://energytoxicity.com/Tips.html
The P:E Diet book has many more meals, with again, very simple instructions, can't really call Ted's "recipes".

In the link about my first year with DDF, my P:E food choices were very simple. If it had a P:E ratio higher than 1, it was good to go. When I made 2 eggs for the nutrients in the yolk, the added egg whites improved both protein % and satiety. Most anything below 1 on this chart. https://proteinpercent.com/ was no longer on my menu. No bacon, cream cheese, cream, Swiss cheese, salami, pepperoni, etc. "Keto" popularity is way down because many who try it stall out above their goal, and way too many regain (I did). A plate of bacon, gooey casseroles, limited fiber and nutrients from low calorie vegetables, high fat high calorie foods do not provide enough satiety per calorie..

Dr Naiman: "Basically everyone that a primary care doctor meets in the real world would benefit immensely from attempting to double their protein and fiber grams while halving fat and non-fiber carb grams daily."

Congratulations! Well done and thank you for sharing!

Wow....thanks for sharing. I have so much more to learn on this journey. You are inspiring!

Hi Bangle, thanks for your kind words. It only took me ten years to realize that strict LC was not working for me anymore. :lol: I was trying "to keto harder", to 20g TC or ZeroCarb, until that lever broke (see https://forum.lowcarber.org/showpos...7&postcount=221 ). My story and recent comment has more info on the moderate LC changes I made. You can also keep it simple and eat following The P:E Diet graphic; that food list pulls all the levers. It increases protein and high fiber vegetables and reduces non-fiber carbs and fats. Happy to answer any questions.

Both Dr Naiman's and Marty Kendall's programs boil down to Satiety per Calorie. "Eating Fat to Satiety" does not work if too many calories come along for the ride. In fact, Satiety per Calorie will be Ted's next book. https://forum.lowcarber.org/showpos...7&postcount=218

Snack on Sugar-snap peas and baby carrots or pork rinds? About 100 calories of the veggies will fill me up. 500 calories of pork rinds provide no satiety because they are so dehydrated.

Need a protein snack? Compare 0% yogurt with some protein powder vs pepperoni chips dipped in ranch dressing. A mere 2oz pepperoni and 1T dressing is 450 calories, only 10g protein. Or this crazy nutrient dense Protein Flan vs SFJello? Jello has no calories but negative satiety too. https://optimisingnutrition.com/ket...lan/#more-16451

Not that I count calories, but I am now eating fewer calories because I increased the protein percentage, fiber grams, and micronutrient rich foods, while lowering fats. What you eat determines how much you eat.

Update at 18 months using Dr Ted Naiman’s The P:E diet and Marty Kendall's Data Driven Fasting and Optimising Nutrition. Also 11 1/2 years on a low/now more moderate carb diet.

Starting in early November when there was a pause in programs, Marty Kendall added a Thanksgiving "hack" to the last DDF program. Eat what we wanted; testing blood glucose before and after meals, (all in the name of science!) After being very LC, aka "keto", for so many years, I had already regained considerable metabolic flexibility over these 18 months. I tested small servings of potato, black beans, bread, desserts, wine, with modest increases in post meal glucose. In the past two months, I also continued to eat more protein, more vegetables, less fat than on very low carb/keto, and I usually ate within a 6-8 hour window.

There is some red on the weight loss chart, gaining and losing 5 lbs with the two months of celebration meals. But by Optimising Nutrition and Satiety prioritizing protein, I'm back at my lowest weight, 149 lbs., in 40 years. I also took a break from strength exercises with the increased virus cases, but am back at it - lifting the same weight. With optimal nutrition, I can maintain a 22 BMI for the rest of my life.

Marty Kendall has posted today his analysis of my 18 months with Data-Driven Fasting. This goes into using DDF long-term, my history of waking and pre-meal blood glucose, more of the charts and data used, not just the foods.

https://optimisingnutrition.com/jul...driven-fasting/

I just read your success story... it is very informative and uplifting. I too am older, 68. I am exploring different nutrients that I may be lacking and have come upon several and will add them next month. I won't increase my protein because of stage 3 kidney disease. I can't take the chance. But I am getting plenty of protein. And all the studies I have read say that high protein does not 'cause' kidney failure. But if the kidneys are already damaged the kidneys have a hard time processing protein and it puts more stress on them.

I hope you continue to stay healthy and maintain your weight. It gives hope that it can be done. 😊

A great way to explore the nutrients you may be lacking is to take this free 7 day Nutrient Clarity Challenge.
https://app.nutrientoptimiser.com/optin1587482063307

It takes account your health challenges and everything you currently eat (you do have to track your food for a week) and makes recommendations for foods to add. This guides you to eliminate expensive and often useless supplements and replace/add healthy foods. For example, I now eat more small canned fish for Omega 3 and calcium…no need for fish oil supplements that are often rancid or calcium which without co-factors may end up in the wrong place. I did this 7 days of food tracking before I started DDF so I eased into Optimising Nutrition just by eating more fiberous vegetables, more fermented dairy, more fish and poultry while cutting back on cheese and added fats.

The free Data Driven Fasting book (now 186 pages!) also answers about every question about timing eating based on your own Blood glucose. The two common root causes of kidney disease are high blood glucose/diabetes and high blood pressure, and fasting combined with a low carb diet may help. Without adding Protein you may be able to find a fasting schedule best suited to your body. https://optimisingnutrition.com/. The articles on the blog from the Big Fat Keto Lies book are helpful as well. https://optimisingnutrition.com/big...s-introduction/

All the best,

Hey Jey100! Congratulations on your success!! You look great and I imagine feel great too. I'm totally inspired to check out all your resources. Thanks for posting!

Editing to add - You may have answered these elsewhere, so pardon me if so. Where did you get a glucometer? Which one do you use? Did you need a prescription for it?

Hey Beebsbert, Thank you for the compliment….I hope you have found your way through all the links, there are three separate programs. All the information is there, including everything you ever wanted to know about glucose in the Free 194 page manual, easiest to start with the Data Driven Fasting program. Read one simple daily lesson for each of 30 days about using your glucose monitor as a "fuel gauge" Although what you eat eventually becomes part of the program, I started by simply eating the foods on Dr Naiman's P:E diet graphic, or you can learn DDF with whatever your current diet belief is with no changes at all until your own BG would indicate a better path.

EDIT ADD: The entire 194 page manual has been posted to the ON website blog, in 10 parts, on April 4, 2022. Can read all about glucose on-line too:
https://optimisingnutrition.com/get...2-2/#more-23095

Adnil53: Part of the switch to a new platform, Marty is updating most old articles and putting all the vitamin and mineral advice into a Nutrient Density series. Today's is a huge update on Magnesium, a mineral often lacking in Keto diets: https://optimisingnutrition.com/mag...ide/#more-18579 use search box to find information on all the nutrients tracked.

All the classes, material and discussion, now happen on the private community run by Mighty Networks, but Marty has also kept three public Facebook Groups for new people who would rather use that. He just re-posted an hour introduction Video there, which I had forgotten about ;) , but is a great introduction to DDF, more info about why he does this, success stories (including moi :) ), how it works, etc. Good one to watch before the class starts Saturday.

Data-Driven Fasting: How to Lose Weight and Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Without Tracking Your Food

YouTube: https://youtu.be/CkE1_QwJJVI

Blog article: https://optimisingnutrition.com/dat...ing/#more-19703

Latest update for me, a DDF session ended today. About half way through I was thrown off-course by a "suspicious area" on an MRI..stress was raising my BG and it's easy for me handle that with wine and carbs. About 4 days ago, after more tests, that problem area was given a clear report. This morning I was only 1.2 pounds above start weight and at a waking BG lowest seen this month. If I fall off track purposely, or not, the lessons from "hunger training" and eating nutritious food, all the habit change/behavior lessons that are built into how and when I eat, acknowledging real hunger from a craving, etc. are on auto-pilot. I had put on a few pounds, now mostly gone, with a better food choices and using my BG to time eating. I do not do OMAD though, I’ll always prioritize getting in enough protein over the fasting.

I read The Good Gut after hearing Dr. Sonnnenburg on The Huberman Lab podcast. Even when stressed I ate a lot of vegetables with fiber and fermented yogurt/cottage cheese. I wonder now if part of the feeling better and losing weight results from these programs, in addition to increased micronutrients, has been an improved microbiome. I did not take "probiotics" but definitely improved my food choices according to his studies. I want to read Dr Davis's new book on The Super Gut.

Janet, How "moderate" are your carbs now, total & net? Are they still 'low' (<125g total) in the minds of mainstream nutritionists or 'moderate' compared to what LCHFers (<50g) tend to eat?

According to Cronometer, my January DDF goal was 55g net carbs, but I only hit 45g net, 60 total carbs for that month. I still think like a low carber :o make a big stir-fry with yellow and orange carrots and think it is loaded with carbs and fiber, but then turns out not to be that much after all. I still mostly focus on the protein which has helped control hunger and lead to weight loss. Percentage wise, it was 46% protein, 19% carbs, 33% fat. I need to seriously look at my lists of foods to find more carbs and fiber…an odd goal on a low carb forum :lol:

Great interview from the Metabolic Health Summit with Dr Eenfeldt and Dr. Naiman about their planned tweaks to the DietDoctor Low Carb programs.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/diet-doc...-satiety-eating

I have been using a low carb diet for almost 12 years, and started following Dr Eenfeldt after AHS 2011. This interview on Satiety per Calorie and Nutrient Density explains DietDoctor's best improvement yet to low carb plans. I had tried every variety of keto, paleo, fasting and lost/regained half way to my goals, but I was not eating enough lean protein and fibrous, nutrient dense vegetables.

Two years ago I started using Dr Naiman's 1g protein per pound ideal weight guideline and Marty Kendall's Optimising Nutrition and Data Driven Eating programs. I soon reached and now easily maintain a 22 BMI, a 75 pound loss from my highest weight. My health improved by "eating much better”, more often, yet with fewer calories… all at age 71. Nutrient density works with any diet belief system.

"The best-kept weight-loss secret is simple: If you want to lose fat, you need to control your appetite by finding a way to get more nutrients per calorie from the food you consume!”

5/22/22 - ADDED Results of latest DDF challenge, my photo is included as a long-term success story. Maintaining easily…never thought I would ever say that! https://optimisingnutrition.com/dat...lts/#more-31480

Lookin' Great!

Thanks for all you do on this site and elsewhere. You're a real GEM J!

Jey, I love your After outfits! So bold and confident :)

I was 60 when I found a goal at a lower level than I ever expected, and my challenges were high cortisol and mitochondria exhaustion. I, too, have found ups and downs since low carbing in 2003. But every bit of the experimentation has taught me a lot about easy maintenance.

Which is probably how it should work.

Thanks, WearBear! Had a British wedding summer weekend to attend. Hats or fascinators suggested and the dress I found in Goodwill. It was still too big in spots… which is crazy. :lol:
Easy maintenance is the holy grail of weight loss. Congrats that you found the way that works for you :wave:

Ps, I added another post to the Ted Naiman thread yesterday on Satiation vs Satiety. Tips why low carb provides satiation, but higher protein and fiber satiety.

Hi Janet!
I see you are well and truly svelt.
I am still going strong. I did gain about 20 lb of the 60 lb I dropped, due partly to learning to bake sourdough and drinking wine. I have quit sourdough and wine and lost about 7 kgs, which is abut 15 lb.
I am feeling well and have stopped going for regular checkups post ovarian cancer.
We live on a small farm now,and fortune has smiled on us. We are both healthy enough to do the work.
Great to see you online.
You are 2” taller than me. I am now 139 lbs, but feel best at 130 lb. I have returned to eating meat only. I love bread but bread does not love me back.

Great to hear from you, Mintaka!
Still going strong is a good place to be.

Are you still in the Brisbane area? As you can see from this post, almost two years ago I changed my diet to a more moderate LC level that allows me to add more fiber and nutrients , mainly from vegetables and dairy. I am one of the moderators in a community interested in Optimising Nutrition. Marty Kendall in Brisbane founded it, and if you read some of the links here, the group supports any type of diet, including vegetarian and carnivore. There are ways to get all nutrients needed without sticking to one dogma. Tons of free information about nutrition in the group, joining a challenge is optional. I’ve been reading his blog about 5 years, this updated post is an example, https://optimisingnutrition.com/nutrient-dense-foods/, it is possible to keep it simple or to get into the weeds on nutrients.

Living on a small farm sounds lovely, bar any fires and floods! Our trip to Australia was impacted by both, and also cut short a few days with co-vid, but lucky to have squeezed in this trip before borders closed.
All the best,