Hey gang!

I am getting close to 10 pounds to my goal weight, although I think I am going to drop my goal another 3 pounds or so, to give myself the 5 pounds of wiggle room Dr. Atkins recommends. I just LOVE being able to have control like that.

Anyway, I know the last 10-15 pounds are slow to get rid of and how frustrating that can be. Although ALL weight loss can be frustrating when the scale refuses to move. I thought that on the days that I am ready to shoot the scale and the measuring tape I might need some added incentive to keep me on track. I know there are so many other positive benefits to the low carb life. I am going to start a list of the other benefits I have gotten and hope that you will add to it. I will combine everything, print it out and stick it on my fridge.


My right foot is no longer swollen (side effect of hypothyroidism)
My feet don't hurt as much any more
The PMS bloating has greatly reduced
I get to eat cheese, butter and real cream
I don't have to live my life hungry all the time
Muscle mass seems easier to gain
Nails are stronger and grow faster
Less hypoglycemic episodes
Triglicerides went down, HDL went up


That is my beginning list.

Paleoanth

How many carbs do you allow yourself on a daily basis?

I find I quit losing at right above 40-so I try and keep it between 30 and 40. I will probably end up at 45-50 when I get to maintenance. Mine are a little low due to the hypothryroid thing though-many people can eat higher carbs and still lose weight.

Losing 39.5 inches from my body (so far! )
I can actually see my ankle bones
My rings are too big to wear now
Better concentration, no foggy brain
More energy and stamina, even just walking up stairs
No more aching knees and back
No more mid-afternoon comas
No more (or at least greatly reduced) cravings!
A good six inches between my belly and the steering wheel
Pride in my appearance
Excitement about the future

There are many, many more, but that's enough for now. Great thread!

These two were my favorite! One of the first things I noticed was my seatbelt fit differently.

YES-excitement about the future!

I have this printed out just as a reminder. They aren't benefits of low carb, but reminders of how sugar can ruin your health.

108 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health
Dr. Mercola

In addition to throwing off the body's homeostasis, excess sugar may result in a number of other significant consequences. The following is a listing of some of sugar's metabolic consequences from a variety of medical journals and other scientific publications.

1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.

2. Sugar can upset the body's mineral balance.

3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children.

4. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.

5. Sugar can adversely affect children's school grades.

6. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.

7. Sugar contributes to a weakened defense against bacterial infection.

8. Sugar can cause kidney damage.

9. Sugar can reduce helpful high density cholesterol (HDLs).

10. Sugar can promote an elevation of harmful cholesterol (LDLs).

11. Sugar may lead to chromium deficiency.

12. Sugar can cause copper deficiency.

13. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.

14. Sugar may lead to cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, and rectum.

15. Sugar can cause colon cancer, with an increased risk in women.

16. Sugar can be a risk factor in gall bladder cancer.

17. Sugar can increase fasting levels of blood glucose.

18. Sugar can weaken eyesight.

19. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitter called serotonin, which can narrow blood vessels.

20. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.

21. Sugar can produce an acidic stomach.

22. Sugar can raise adrenaline levels in children.

23. Sugar can increase the risk of coronary heart disease.

24. Sugar can speed the aging process, causing wrinkles and grey hair.

25. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.

26. Sugar can promote tooth decay.

27. Sugar can contribute to weight gain and obesity.

28. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

29. Sugar can cause a raw, inflamed intestinal tract in persons with gastric or duodenal ulcers.

30. Sugar can cause arthritis

31. Sugar can cause asthma.

32. Sugar can cause candidiasis (yeast infection).

33. Sugar can lead to the formation of gallstones.

34. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones.

35. Sugar can cause ischemic heart disease.

36. Sugar can cause appendicitis.

37. Sugar can exacerbate the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

38. Sugar can indirectly cause hemorrhoids.

39. Sugar can cause varicose veins.

40. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraception users.

41. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.

42. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.

43. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity.

44. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.

45. Sugar leads to decreased glucose tolerance.

46. Sugar can decrease growth hormone.

47. Sugar can increase total cholesterol.

48. Sugar can increase systolic blood pressure.

49. Sugar can change the structure of protein causing interference with protein absorption.

50. Sugar causes food allergies.

51. Sugar can contribute to diabetes.

52. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.

53. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.

54. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.

55. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA.

56. Sugar can cause cataracts.

57. Sugar can cause emphysema.

58. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.

59. Sugar can cause free radical formation in the bloodstream.

60. Sugar lowers the enzymes' ability to function.

61. Sugar can cause loss of tissue elasticity and function.

62. Sugar can cause liver cells to divide, increasing the size of the liver.

63. Sugar can increase the amount of fat in the liver.

64. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.

65. Sugar can overstress the pancreas, causing damage.

66. Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.

67. Sugar can cause constipation.

68. Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness).

69. Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.

70. Sugar can cause hypertension.

71. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.

72. Sugar can cause an increase in delat, alpha and theta brain waves, which can alter the mind's ability to think clearly.

73. Sugar can cause depression.

74. Sugar can increase insulin responses in those consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.

75. Sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon.

76. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance.

77. Sugar can increase blood platelet adhesiveness which increases risk of blood clots.

78. Sugar increases the risk of Alzheimer Disease.

74. Sugar can cause a increase in delta, alpha and theta brain waves.

75. Sugar can cause depression.

76. Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer.

77. Sugar and cause dyspepsia (indigestion).

78. Sugar can increase your risk of getting gout.

79. The ingestion of sugar can increase the levels of glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test over the ingestion of complex carbohydrates.

80. Sugar can increase the insulin responses in humans consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.

81 Sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon.

82. Sugar increases the risk of colon cancer in women.

83. There is a greater risk for Chron's disease with people who have a high intake of sugar.

84. Sugar can cause platelet adhesiveness.

85. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance.

86. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones.

87. Sugar can lead to the hypothalamus to become highly sensitive to a large variety of stimuli.

88. Sugar can lead to dizziness.

89. High sucrose diet significantly increases serum insulin.

90. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.

91. High sugar diet can lead to biliary tract cancer.

92. High sugar diets tend to be lower in antioxidant micro nutrients.

93. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for- gestational-age (SGA) infant.

94. High sugar consumption can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration among adolescents with high sugar diets.

95. Sugar slows food's travel time through the gastrointestinal tract.

96. Sugar increases the concentration of bile acids in stools and bacterial enzymes in the colon can modify bile to produce cancer-causing compounds and colon cancer.

97. Sugar is associated with a substantial decrease in normal time of gestation among adolescents.

98. Sugar can cause a depletion in chromium which is tied to the development and progression of nearsightedness.

99. Sugar can be a risk factor of gallbladder cancer.

100. Sugar is an addictive substance.

101. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.

102. Sugar can exacerbate PMS.

103. Sugar suppresses lymphocytes.

104. Decrease in sugar can increase emotional stability.

105. The body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.

106. Sugar can cause inappropriate behavior and decreased performance in children.

107. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit disorder (ADD).

108. The sugar in chewing gum can cause dental caries.

HTH,
Wanda

Holy crap! I did not know most of those. Thanks for posting this. I guess for those people who say Atkins will cause your kidneys to explode-we can just say-uh uh-it's the sugar.


Paleoanth-

BTW wcollier- you are incredibly beautiful!

No more medications
No more high blood pressure
No more high blood sugars
I'm never hungry
No more hard-to-get-out marks along the bottom of my shirt from where the steering wheel was rubbing on my belly
I can lose more weight eating cheesecake than my co-workers can eating fat-free pretzels and snackwells (yuck!)
cheese sauce and gravy are now my friends and not the enemy
Heavy cream
butter
REAL cheese
chicken WITH the skin
shrimp with real butter and garlic
I'm getting reaquainted with my feet again...it's been many years sice we've seen each other.

- Better moods
- Stronger hair and nails
- Improvement in PMS
- Improvement in acne
- Not obsessed with food anymore (except at TOM sometimes. )
- Big reduction in mysterious heart palpitations
- Energy all day, no more afternoon slump

... and one of my favorite improvements: *great* improvement in... circulation, I guess you could say. I used to always be freezing cold. I'd always have an extra layer of clothing than everyone else. I often had blue-ish finger and toe nails. Now, I'm always complaining of being too hot! My co-workers, huddled around the space heater shivering, think I'm nuts for wearing just a T-shirt when they have turtlenecks! It feels fantastic to be *warm enough* finally! Thank heaven for low-carbing and weight training! My metabolism is <b>stoked!</b>

105. The body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.

Actually, I would argue this point. The body converts both starches and sugars equally into blood glucose. It's just that some people may have trouble fully digesting starches over sugars. So, it may appear that sugar is more readily available to convert to glucose and then stored as fat. But, both convert to glucose and store as fat equally well when digestion is working properly.

I'd have to read some research on this point in order to better understand this statement.

Thanks for the list, though. It's definitely great.

I think it's a great idea to list all the GOOD "side-effects" of lowcarbing, not only to remind ourselves we should be grateful, but also for those who concentrate mainly on loosing weight. While lowcarbing I finally understood how everything is connected, food is the first choice medication for your body.

Noticed changes:

No mood swings
No cravings
Stabile body temperature
No PMS except sudden hunger *for legal foods*
No bloating
More energy
No eating between meals
Not tired after meals
More focused

Thank god for that! Take care!
Alina

These are all awesome. You guys have hit on some things I have noticed too, but have already taken for granted. I know this list will help me stay focused no matter what that lying scale says!

I just realized that I haven't had those 'weird heart palpitations' since I started LCing. They were part of life before, scary!
No bloating--very excited about this one.
Ahem-no gas I could practically keep up with my hubby before, now it's practically nonexistent Guess it was an allergy to wheat maybe??

All the stuff you all have replied, I agree with! I feel a million times better and wouldn't exchange this feeling for all the carbs in the world

Thanks for this great thread!

N.

I have a couple to add. I don't kow if any of you were ever this big ,but I used to not be abe to fit in a movie theater seat. I had to squeeze and my sides would hurt after the movie was done. I can fit in the seats with room to spare now!Movies are my favorite thing in the world so this makes me very happy.i CAN fit in booths at restaurants like dennys and village inn. No longer do i have to request a table. Also about 3 yrs ago I went to Lagoon. (an amusement park here) I waited in line for 20 min to ride the roller coaster. I finally got to the front and went to sit in the seat and couldn't fit. I tried and tried. I had to go to the chicken exit in front of everyone and people actually started to laugh at me. It was about the most embarassing moments of my life. I actually cried. I went back last year and fit great. I was like "take that you F*cking roller coaster!!" (parden my french,but that's how I felt)

So as weird as it sounds fitting in the roller coaster seat has been my favorite side benefit to LCing. Bye for now. I love u all.



Jon

Hey Jon you are one brave guy, I had to go out the chicken exit at the rollercoaster at wonderland some many years ago, and heres the sad thing..... I would've fit in the seat . Next time you go, take a ride for me (the chicken one)