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  #1   ^
Old Sun, Jun-23-19, 06:15
WereBear's Avatar
WereBear WereBear is online now
Senior Member
Posts: 14,599
 
Plan: EpiPaleo/Primal/LowOx
Stats: 220/125/150 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 136%
Location: USA
Default 16 years of lowcarbing: thoughts to share

I'm at my lowest weight since junior high. and here's is what I learned about me, which may be applicable to you

Summer of 2003, dust settling from a few years of revamping my entire life. With a job, husband, and full time college with a commute! I have no time for two hours of constant exercise every day, and with low fat that's the only way to manage it. I was both desperate and resigned. Then my mother told me Atkins new book was out and her coworkers were losing lots of weight.

Sadly, my mother could never stay on it.

I got the book, read it that night, and started cutting carbs. I shed about 80 pounds (didn't have a scale) and was at my lowest adult weight ever. Gained a few from the "low carb pasta scandal" and then I got sick, very sick for years. I didn't gain much at a time, but it would creep up.

So this year, I decided to just keep cutting carbs until I got results. And that turned out to be Atkins Induction levels, or even less. I worked Atkins backwards, cutting my carbs from 300 to 100, and then around 50. Which is when I lost my weight. But of course, low carb doesn't stop there.

Low carb saved my life.

Going keto was a health maneuver, which worked great, but it was also weight loss magic. ALL OF MY PANTS ARE BAGGY NOW.

And I'll probably eat this low, mostly, moving forward. I know it's a huge jump going from Standard American Diet to low carb, but it is equally a huge jump going from my previous carb level to here. Still, I remember, from years on this site, the folks who started with Induction and stayed there.

They were mostly successful, too. That is the "magic" of low carb, but you have to unlock your own carb level, and food tolerance.

This new approach did slash "available foods," since I discovered I had -- in addition to gluten sensitivity -- a problem with lectins (beans) and high fiber vegetables (greens are all I usually eat from that category now). The often-problematic dairy category was not a problem, for me, but Omega 6 oils sure are. I can't eat any commercial salad dressings, I have to make my own.

So I would say the key to success in this life-changing endeavor would be ruthlessness. I started with a 3 day fast and beef only for a while. I was willing to give up anything food to have my life back.

And I am getting it back.

So it's really not a question of motivation: we are all quite motivated, I am sure. But if we haven't gotten to the point where we are willing and able to give things up, we need to look at that.

I've gone through it now, and while my menu contains few items, as we think of "dining," it all tastes delicious, even at my cooking skill level. Turns out, it was all so worth it.

That's the right motivation to get things done.
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  #2   ^
Old Sun, Jun-23-19, 08:45
GRB5111's Avatar
GRB5111 GRB5111 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 4,036
 
Plan: Very LC, Higher Protein
Stats: 227/186/185 Male 6' 0"
BF:
Progress: 98%
Location: Herndon, VA
Default

So much I can relate to in your post. It should be a sticky in Atkins or here in General. Yes, I'm another who concluded that Induction had the approach and foods that were best for me reclaiming my health, so about 7 years ago, I became ruthless and adapted to a very strict low carb/ keto approach that represents Atkins Induction. The results came quickly, and yet, I didn't feel limited as I have all the healthy fats, proteins, and greens that I need to assemble delicious meals without constant repetition. Yes, I have my easy, "go to" foods, but even when I travel and eat at restaurants, I have a good variety of choices from healthy protein (beef, salmon are typical) to salads and vegetables that I will eat. Since I don't consume the quantity of food compared to when I was fully carb invested, it's easy to have satisfying meals and feel satiated.

It's really good, WereBear, to see how you've navigated through this self discovery and made the necessary adjustments to get it right. Something that I learn from you and many others on this forum is to be constantly aware of changes, continue our n=1s by trying new things, and make the necessary course corrections for adapting to a productive WOE.
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  #3   ^
Old Sun, Jun-23-19, 12:39
bluesinger's Avatar
bluesinger bluesinger is offline
Doing My Best
Posts: 4,924
 
Plan: LC/CancerRecovery
Stats: 170/135/130 Female 62 inches
BF:24%
Progress: 88%
Location: Nevada Desert, USA
Default

I'm so happy for you, and proud. Thanks for taking the time to share your story.

My own LC story is still evolving, as Maintenance is just plain HARD for me. But when I reach the point where you are now, convinced and ruthless and absolutely positive I'm on the right path, I'll write a similar post of my own.

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  #4   ^
Old Mon, Jun-24-19, 02:18
s93uv3h's Avatar
s93uv3h s93uv3h is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,662
 
Plan: Atkins & IF / TRE
Stats: 000/000/000 Male 5' 10"
BF:
Progress: 97%
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Quote:
16 years of lowcarbing: thoughts to share
you're my role model.

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  #5   ^
Old Mon, Jun-24-19, 05:24
PilotGal PilotGal is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 36,355
 
Plan: KetoCarnivore
Stats: 206.6/178/160 Female 5'7
BF:awesome
Progress: 61%
Location: USA
Default

Great achievement and enlightenment.
Creating longevity in a WOE is remarkable and you have learned so much about yourself.
Congratulations on this milestone.
I hope you have more decades of good health.

Great read, WB.
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  #6   ^
Old Mon, Jun-24-19, 07:02
cotonpal's Avatar
cotonpal cotonpal is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 5,282
 
Plan: very low carb real food
Stats: 245/125/135 Female 62
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: Vermont
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Congratulations on your great success WereBear. I too have been low carbing for about 16 years. I have used the word scrupulous to describe my approach but ruthlessness works too. My focus was never simply on weightloss. I was sick and my life very limited because of it, so I was always focused on heath in general not just weight. I think, in retrospect, that this was most fortunate because I wanted desperately to get my life back. I do not feel deprived although I live almost entirely on meat and green leafy vegetables, buy nothing that comes with an ingredient list, and eat only homemade foods. Having a life is worth all the so called deprivation. I have gained so much more in quality of my life than I have lost in the temporary satisfaction of eating this food or that. In fact if something makes me sick, even though it may be referred to as a food, I view it as a poison and poisons are something I try to avoid.
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  #7   ^
Old Tue, Jun-25-19, 06:51
DaisyDawn's Avatar
DaisyDawn DaisyDawn is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 363
 
Plan: Higher P/Moderate F + C
Stats: 152/146.6/130 Female 66
BF:
Progress: 25%
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Congratulations on figuring out what works for you, so many people never get to that point!
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