I've never posted a message on a forum before so if I break any rules please bear with me. I am a life long battler of the bulge and have a lot of weight to lose. I have read so many books about diet, from vegan to Atkins, that now I am totally confused. The only thing that has ever worked for me to lose weight is when I cut down on carbs, that's why I decided to come here and check out this website. The vegan books I've read make me afraid to eat a low carb diet. I fear having a heart attack at any moment. But when I eat a vegan diet I am hungry all the time so obviously eating that way raises my blood sugar and insulin levels. Anyway, I am 58 years old, a homebody and a recluse. I hurt from head to toe most of the time and hobble around like an old lady. I hope by cutting out the grains (except perhaps oats and rice) I will begin to feel better. Feels a little strange to be writing this and posting it on the internet, but I'm willing to give this forum thing a try.

Welcome, Erica!

Let me reassure you about eating low carb. I am 56, have been following this way of eating for probably about 7 years. It got me through menopause easily, with no major problems. I lost an initial 80 lbs, but have been stuck at one spot for a long time; however, even without the scales moving down, my health has improved 100%. I have way more stamina than I used to have, my arthritis is still there, of course, but it sure doesn't hurt like it used to, especially in my knees and lower spine. My blood pressure is stable, and when I eat low carb, I don't have cravings, I'm not hungry except at mealtime.

From all the research I've done, I am convinced that eating saturated fat is necessary for our health, that the problems with heart attacks are more from eating a high carb diet and transfats, and having a rollercoaster ride with the blood sugar that results from such eating.

I don't eat grains, with the exception of some of the low-carb tortillas and wraps, and I don't eat those regularly. I also eat flaxseed meal, which is extremely low carb, and high in omega-3 fatty acids that we desperately need in our daily nutrition. If you check out the low carb cooking section, you'll find the sticky for the one minute muffin (OMM, as we lovingly refer to it),

1-minute muffin

which is made with flaxseed meal. It has become my husband's staple for breakfast most days. And if you are used to eating oatmeal for breakfast, check out Maggie's cereal,

Maggie's Cereal

again in a sticky in the low carb cooking section.

And you'll find that most of us highly recommend that you choose a plan (i.e. Atkins, Protein Power, South Beach, the Zone, etc.), read the book so you'll understand how and why low carb works, and then plan your menu around that plan.

Wishing you much success and better health!

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Nita

Hello Erica!

I think you'll find this forum very helpful.


I am 56 and have just started low carb eating in December. Until then, I felt horrible. I thought I was dying of something but was afraid to find out what. I could not sleep laying down and had to sit up most of the night. My knees are really bad and I had gotten to the point where I could hardly do anything. Then I read Dr. Atkins.......have lost 21 lbs. so far. I have gained back my health in record time. I feel good and am doing so much more than I was before. My husband sees the difference in me and is very happy.


I understand about the fat thing.......I just posted on my blog about that. I just go back to Dr. Atkins book and read what he says and then just go on doing what I'm doing.


Good luck and hope to get to know you better. Don't be shy about posting your questions.....that's what this forum is here for.


katlupe

Thank you Nita and Katlupe for your warm greetings and encouragement. I really appreciate it. I have a copy of The South Beach Diet and also a copy of Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution. I seem to go from one extreme to the other... from high protein - low carb to high carb - no protein. I've become a diet psycho and my poor body must be so confused. I have a problem with high blood pressure and when I was on the vegetarian diet my BP was normal, but on previous attempts to eat low carb it was too high. Still.... low carb is the only way I can shed the weight. I know what you mean, Katlupe, about hurting. I've been told I have fibromyalgea and for a long time I ignored it until the fibro pain got really bad. I noticed the last time I cut out grains, including rice and oats, that I didn't hurt nearly as bad. My problem is that I never stick with an eating plan long enough for it to do much good. I'm hoping that this forum will make me more accountable and give me the encouragement I need to stick with this. You two ladies sure made my day with your responses. Thanks for that!

Welcome, Erica.

Lots of people report a variety of health issues dissapear when they begin following LC. As far as heart attacks...well, I can't speak to what your vegan books say, but Dr. Atkins was a cardioligist. I know LC improves test results so dramatically for folks who follow it and have my own experiences LC and the dramatic improvements in my health that this is just not something I worry over. It's obvious it's healthy (to me).

I am not as big a fan of SouthBeach personally as Atkins simply because SB doesn't seem to know if it wants to be LC or LowFat, and it ends up being halfway at both. But regardless, your best bet is absolutely picking a plan and following it. I would also stay away from oats and rice (or anything else offplan), especially starting out, and just spend some time following Atkins or something for at least a month to give yourself time to adjust.

Use this forum and the LC recipes you find to integrate it into your regular eating and see where it takes you.

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I can just speak from experience...and I've had a lot of health improvements going low-carb... and being gluten-free. I've stopped having joint pain (unless I eat glutens.. then I have increased joint pain). I really haven't had a major bout with the flu or a cold since I started low-carb'ing. My blood work has improved (my bad carb is still a bit high, but my ratios are perfect). My blood pressure at the last doctor's visit was 100/70 (down from 140/90). My triglycerides are perfect. Best of all, my Hashimoto's is seeming to reverse itself -- I'm actually a bit HYPER thyroid right now -- and I'm going to have to decrease my synthroid dose after my next blood test.

I attribute a lot of my health benefits to being gluten-free... I think I have a fairly strong gluten-intolerance. But I attribute being low carb to having lost over 20% of myself this past year.

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Chell

** will come up with pithy quote eventually **

Thanks for the input Goddess. Is your hair really pink? Wow! I agree that Southbeach is a cross between low carb and low fat, what I like about it is the emphasis on healthier protein choices like white meat chicken and fish. Any low carb diet is good if you eat a lot of veggies with it, isn't it? And to Chell... I have the same problem you do with gluten. I hurt a lot more when I have anything with wheat in it... and that's the first thing I go for if its available. Oats and rice don't make me hurt the way wheat does, but I guess if I'm going to go low carb I shouldn't have any grain at all. One thing worries me though, and that's being able to afford the extra protein. That's going to be a challenge for me. I'll just take it one week at a time and do the best I can. If anyone knows some cost cutting ideas for low carb foods I sure would appreciate hearing about it. Thanks so much. This support is awesome!

Hi Erica - I too have seen dramatic health improvements and just started LCE in October. I'm going to be 55 this year and feel physically better than I have in almost thirty years. My blood tests fell into normal range in less than three months which was a big bonus to me and has convinced me that this is how I have to eat for the rest of my life if I want to feel good.
One thing that I have found to be super important is to plan and have food I can eat available. I've even gotten to be an expert at eating a fast food breakfast sandwich on the weekend with my husband while pulling off the bread in the car while we are on our way to the local flea market. I am pretty much homebound Monday through Friday.
Originally found this site when I was trying not to eat anything to raise my blood sugar and my goal was just that...keeping blood sugar normalish without insulin...It's so normal now that I am convinced this is the only way for me personally. And I've lost 25 pounds as an even added bonus (which I thought I was going to be the size I was forever and I was okay with that originally). I personally don't spend as much eating this way. Best of Wishes for your eating plan to make you feel better and get the results you want!!! MaryLee

MaryLee, its nice to know there is another homemaker out there. I was beginning to think that was a dying profession! And I LOVE Flea Markets! Farmers Market's too. Several people have said to get a book and stick to a plan, do you mind telling me which book you adhere to? It sounds like most of you low carbers are using Atkins, but gosh, I've read a lot of books that say how dangerous that much protein is to our heart and kidneys. Yet all of you are getting such good results and great blood tests. Hard to argue with that. My cholestoral has always been high and after doing the Schwarzbein diet for about 6 months it went up even higher. My doctor was not pleased! I am finding it harder then I thought it would be to give up even the good carbs. I honestly believe a person can be addicted to carbs because I sure am.

I found that when I stopped eating gluten (read: bread), I stopped craving bread. I've had one piece in the past 13 months and I've been pretty fine with that. I have restaurants just toss the innards of sandwiches on a plate for me and while they give me strange looks, it hasn't been a problem!

There's lots of cheap options for protein -- eggs, chicken, stuff that is on sale. And I don't eat that much protein -- maybe 80 - 100 grams per day. Some days, maybe more.

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Chell

** will come up with pithy quote eventually **

You don't need to eat a terribly large amount of protein. You want to replace carbs with fats, which are good for you, and will help with your weight loss. You might want to look into Barry Groves website. He's been following low carb with the emphasis on more fat for over 40 years, and he and his wife are quite healthy because of it.

Barry Groves - Second Opinions, UK

Excess protein is a problem only for people who have advanced kidney disease. And your total cholesterol level shouldn't be a worry, only if you have low HDL levels and high triglyceride levels, and small dense cholesterol particles, when you want "fluffy" particles. (Yep, that's what they call it, fluffy, and if your doctor isn't tellling you whether your particles are dense or fluffy, then he isn't up to date on things.) Cutting out the carbs usually takes care of these. In fact, nearly every doctor who treats people who have cholesterol or blood sugar issues with low carb finds that the cholesterol ratios go to normal, triglycerides drop dramatically, and blood sugar stabilizes, even if the person doesn't lose any weight.

There are a lot of myths out there concerning eating low carb, that it's dangerous, that your cholesterol levels will go through the roof, that you'll clog your arteries, that you aren't getting enough nutrients, etc., etc., etc., but there are thousands of people, like most of us here, who will attest to the health benefits, who are living proof that low carb does indeed improve and restore health to individuals who sometimes have had severe health problems. And it improves such a wide range of health problems, too. And we do this without going hungry. How much better can it get?!

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Nita

Erica,

I know what you mean about the cost of the protein....mainly meat being more money. Well, I was afraid I would not be able to follow it because of that.

Instead what I have found is that I am spending the money I used to spend on high carbs and the few processed foods we ate (we didn't eat a lot of prepared types, but the chips, the ice cream, the soda, the candy, canned fruits, doughnuts, etc. ) can now go toward whatever meats and cheese that is on sale.

In the summer I grow all my own vegetables, but for now I am buying the fresh produce and we are doing okay. I live VERY frugal and don't waste a dime. Sales are a big help to me. I also was lucky enough to discover that my local store considers you a senior citizen at 56! So on Tuesdays, I get a small discount.

katlupe

Hi Erica - I went to a used book store and cleaned up! I got Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution (2002) edition in paperback (someone suggested getting an older version to read first) and the hardcover "Atkins for Life" and also Dr. Atkins Quick & Easy New Diet Cookbook. I spend under $10 the first time I went and the used books looked pristine. I went back and got another paperback and cookbook for a few dollars and gave them to my youngest daughter (almost 30) She's small but has sugar issues where she eats her sandwiches and chips or fastfood and fries and then feels tired and sick the rest of the day. Big family diabetic history so concerned about her addiction to carbs. (her words not mine).

I also was concerned with the stuff I'd heard through the years about Atkins but from what i've been reading I think it might have had something to do with medical community not liking the cheap results some of us are getting! I had also read a book many, many years ago that a cardiologist I had taken my first husband to see was co author of. It was "Carbohydrate Addict." Dr. Vagnini and he was also on another heart healthy book i forget what it was called. I actually didn't follow the advice at the time and thought I was doomed to shoot insulin and be very overweight. I only started researching what I could eat that would not raise my blood sugar when I ran out of Humalog in October...to hold me until I could get my prescription.

I was not looking for Atkins but based on how I was trying to eat it was the plan most in line with what would possibly work for me now. When weight started just dropping off, I actually got scared....but within a few weeks it slowed down to a good weekly weight lose of a couple of pounds here and there and after 25 pounds I'm kind of stalled.

I'm eating more vegetables that aren't on the induction phase and I forget to eat quite a few times but my blood sugar is still super normal without meds...and that was my original purpose. In less than two full months i had my 3 months blood work and the cholesterol was unusually normal (I never would start the meds for that even though Dr's had given me prescriptions for many years telling me I had to) I had my eating log and blood test results in when the doctor went over everything with me and then I told her I'd been following very low carbs and I was a little surprised at my Dr. appointment when the young woman said, "sometimes that works." It was never suggested by any medical professional that I follow anything other than the classic diabetic diet which in one meal has more carbs than I eat all day...and then being chastised for eating too much "fried chicken and ice cream." because of my blood test results... which I did NOT.

Another good tool was using a free site called Fitday where you enter what you eat and it gives you charts of how much fat/protein/carbs you've consumed. Also analyses your vitamin/mineral intake based on your food and I quickly added a multivitamin, Omega 3 and also for my comfort fiber pills (I use walgreens "wal-mucil" capsuls, walgreens A thru Z Select, and Kirkland (wholesale club costco) Fish Oil Omega 3) All in huge bottles and were pretty cheap and I haven't rebought since October.

Anyway I'm at a stage in life that I really want to do everything I can to feel good and this way of eating is doing it for me and the blood test results are adding validation that what I'm doing is working. I've already saved $50. a month on insulin since I've started. I did fill the one set up just in case at the end of October but haven't had to use it.

The nurses in my family both were horrified that I was eating this way but after the blood tests results came in they just restated to watch my kidney function and then didn't say anything else negative because of the results I had gotten...knowing my history over the past twenty some years. (my eyes are even better and the fronts of my legs aren't numb anymore)

Sorry to go on so much...
MaryLee

I use FitDay also. It is great. I love watching the graphs go down. It makes it easy to keep your food journal.

katlupe

MaryLee and Katlupe thanks for the FitDay website info. I will check it out. Also went to Barry Groves website, thanks QueenMama, for that. There's a lot to read on that one. Has anyone read Gary Taubs book Good Calories Bad Calories? The reviews say its a long boring read, but the information is well researched. Its funny because there are people on both sides of the spectrum, from low carb to vegetarian, who have research to back their findings and prove that their way is the only way humans should eat. My biggest objection to the vegan diet is .... and this may sound weird to some people.... if God wanted us to only eat plant foods then why did he create animals? What about thinning the herd? If there are no natural preditors the herds will get too big. And why do animals eat other animals to survive? And if we are at the top of the food chain, then doesn't it makes sense that we are meant to eat meat? And why do my nails split, my skin dry out, and my hair get dry and thin if I don't eat meat and fat? The whole vegan thing just seems unnatural to me.

Anyway, lucky you, MaryLee, for finding those Atkins books at the thrift shop. Its great when you find a whole stack of books for less then you'd pay for one of them new. You should see our house... books are everywhere. My husband is a compulsive reader, he's a truck driver and his books are the only way he can survive out there. Otherwise he'd go nuts. We have one wall where he built bookshelves from floor to ceiling and end to end. It is completely filled with books. We also have 5 other bookcases full of books. Crazy, huh?

Ok, back to dieting. I was thinking about giving up this low carb idea, but all of these posts have given me back my determination. Like you, Katlupe, I am extremely frugal, I have to be, so I pinch pennies anywhere I can. I will follow the ads and buy meat that's on sale and if fresh veggies are too expensive there's always frozen. I can do this... and I'm worth it. I never thought so before, but now I do. Maybe its because my kids are grown and gone, now I can finally take my turn. Or maybe its because at this point I hurt so much and feel so fat that I finally realized its time to pay attention to my health before its completely gone and I can never get it back. Also, diabetes is huge in my family too. Its inevitable if I don't do something about it now.

Thanks so much for the encouragement. I really *really* appreciate it.
Erica