Hi All,

I thought these results might be of interest to those
concerned with the long term effects of a lc food plan.
While I cannot state my results are typical, both Atkins and
Eades cited studies showing similar results for lc dieters.

Lab results after 10 years on low carb.
Reference levels for ideal results are listed in parentheses.
Footnotes are included at the bottom of this post.

Total Cholesterol - 176 (<200)
HDL - 44 (<60)
LDL - 119 (<100) #
Tot Chol/HDL ratio* - 4.0 (<4.98)
LDL/HDL ratio ** - 2.70 (<3.0 per Eades)
Triglycerides - 66 (<149)
C-Reactive Protein, Cardiac - .89 (<1.0 indicates
low risk of cardiac event, 1-3 is average)
Glucose - 79 (<100)
All other results within normal parameters.
Blood Pressure was 110/80.

While I was a fairly regular poster to asdlc when that ng first came
into being, I have not posted regularly there in many years, and
not at all in recent years. I am new to this forum, having just seen
a reference to this forum on asdlc - after posting this data to that ng.

So, some background - I am a 49
year old male in good health. I am currently 70 pounds below
my peak weight, and about 15 pounds over my ideal weight. At
this point, I believe a more consistent exercise program is
needed to achieve my ideal weight, although a stricter food
plan would certainly aid in this also. But, at this point, I
am not obsessed with absolute perfection.

I have had some oscillation in my weight, but have
essentially maintained a 50+ pound weight loss on lc for the
last 10 years, most of the time at 60+.

At the age of 39, after having oscillated between lc dieting
and carb addiction bingeing for 20 years, and losing and
gaining hundreds of pounds over these years - but obese most
of the time - I determined not to spend my forties fat, and
once again steadfastly lc dieted, losing 80 pounds in 10
months. Determined not to regain the weight, I committed
myself to a lc maintenance plan. I did better than before,
but because I took "breaks" (binges) from my plan for special
occasions and such, I regained about 30 pounds in the next 2
years -even though I spent most of my days on a lc food plan.

At this point, I took steps to address my carb addiction,
including a "vow of abstinence" from
refined/processed/recreational sugar - which I have kept for
the last seven years. This program arrested my weight gain,
and I dropped back down to the 70 pound loss level for most
of this period.

I generally do not count carbs on my life food plan these
days, but I do avoid high carb foods - sugar absolutely, and
generally avoid breads and starches. Mostly I eat protein,
salads, and lc bars. It is more a food plan for life, rather
than a diet. Many days I am at induction level, while other
days may go as high as a couple of hundred carbs, but my
average is certainly less than a hundred - definitely a lc
life style over these last ten years.

So, given the dire warnings of the long term dangers of lc, I
thought I would post my results after ten years of consistent
lc, and just say that the results speak for themselves.

Footnotes to data:

#The reference level for LDL has been lowered over the years
to <100 from the previous reference level of <130.
However, Eades, in "Protein Power" contends that the ratios
are the more important factor to consider, as opposed to
absolute values - due to the body's self regulating feedback
loop for controlling cholesterol levels in the body. Chapter
5 ("Cholesterol Madness") of Eade's "Protein Power" presents
an outstanding explanation of the biochemistry of this system
in layman's' terms, and should be considered required reading
for all those on low carb food plans.

*The reference lab did not calculate this ratio
this year, although they had in previous years. The normal
range - <4.98 - is the range given on previous years'
physicals, when the lab did calculate this ratio. Eades, in
"Protein Power", states that ideally this ration should be
<4.0.

**The reference lab did not calculate this ratio either, but
Eades in "Protein Power" states that ideally this ratio
should be under 3.0. LC dieters typically see results in the
3.3 range, and low-fat dieters see results in the 3.5 range
(the lower the better). LC dieters also fare better in the
total cholesterol/HDL ratio than low-fat dieters.