Hi everyone, I'm fairly new to the LCE mindset. It all got started for me last week when I picked up Gary Taubes' book Good Calories, Bad Calories at the local library. I borrowed it and hadn't even read 1/4 of the way through it before I became convinced that what he was saying made perfect sense. I changed my eating habits immediately. I had a friend who lost weight doing Atkins a few years back and I was highly dubious about it at the time - not the fact that she lost weight (which she undoubtedly did) - but whether it was a healthy way to eat long-term. (It sounded like a sure recipe for a heart attack to me - but how little I knew!!)

Ten years ago I only weighed about 57 kg (126 pounds) - I was skinny - and certainly didn't need to lose any weight! But entering middle age I had some serious health issues crop up and ended up on medication that caused me to gain a lot (for me) of weight and I got up to 71 kg (156 pounds). That may not sound like a lot either to some of you, but I have a very slender frame, and rest assured that the 30 pound increase was not due to nice lean muscle mass (which I would have gladly accepted!!) but was, shall we say, "padding". And that was mostly abdominal padding - which as they say is heart-attack material.

The medication I'm on has been associated with promoting diabetes, and my cholesterol levels are not healthy. And there is some diabetes in my family so I feel I need to be really careful.

I tried the Liver Cleansing diet some years back, but didn't get far with it, and put all the weight back on (plus some) within a month or two after I stopped. It certainly wasn't as easy as Atkins. (For those unfamiliar, the LCD is essentially a low-fat diet which was popular in Australia and NZ.)

Anyway, last Sunday I started doing Atkins and have lost 4 pounds in the 5 days since then. And it has been completely painless!! I haven't once been hungry, and in fact I feel better than I have in ages. I'm sleeping better, my digestion is better, and my sinuses feel better too. My mood is also better and I feel more calm and stable.

I'm not really sure what target weight I should aim for. My real goal is to get rid of the padding. I don't think I want to go back to being 57 kg - that was probably too low. My BMI is currently 21.3, which sounds delightfully healthy, but that doesn't take into account my very slight frame. And I would definitely like to improve my cholesterol levels if that can be achieved.

Anyway, I'm glad to be on Atkins, and I'm fascinated to see how it all goes over the next few weeks and months!

Welcome, Ian.

You're off to a great start by beginning with research on the science. Hope you'll make yourself at home.

__________________

Ian. You are off to a great start.Good luck.

__________________
Henry

Glad to have you with us, Ian. It always warms my heart to see our newbies doing their homework! That puts you at a HUGE advantage right out of the gate. I predict good things for you...

Looking forward to sharing your journey.

__________________

Welcome Ian! Sounds like you are off to a great start! Looking forward to getting to know you.

katlupe

Welcome, Ian! Glad you found us!

__________________
Nita

Thanks for the welcome everyone!