Success Stories
By Julie Westly, CarbSmart Contributor
Linda from the United Kingdom is 45 years old and 5' 6" tall. Linda has been following the Atkins program since March 27, 2003. She has lost 46 pounds so far, dropping from a high of 233 pounds to her current weight of 187 pounds. She has lost 46 pounds so far, dropping from a high of 233 pounds to her current weight of 187 pounds. Linda's dress size has dropped from a size 22 to a 16. Her goal is to weight 168 and wear a size 14.
"I have been overweight since I was a child," Linda said. "My mum always said it was after I had my tonsils removed that I started putting on weight. All through school I was overweight. I was always on some sort of diet."
"I gave up smoking in February of 200. I expected to gain some weight, and I did! By March of 2001 I weighed 234 pounds. I started dieting yet again and lost 10 pounds. But I found that I stopped losing weight even though I was still following the diet and I even began putting some of it back on again. By July I'd gained back the 10 pounds and was feeling extremely tired all the time. It was the following month that I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism."
"My weight continued to increase. My GP kept telling me that I needed to change my life style and get out a bit more. I was eating very little, and yet by August of 2002 I weighed 240 pounds!" Linda exclaimed.
"I finally got to see an endocrinologist, and he told me I could try a small dose of liothyronine. By Christmas I had lost 5 pounds without changing my diet."
"The first diet I was on as a child just involved cutting out sugary foods, bread and potatoes. I realize now that this was low carb. I followed this type of diet at the suggestion of my old family doctor. Although I lost weight, it was very difficult as a child not to eat sweets, cakes, etc., when all my friends were eating them," Linda sighed.
"When I was 13 I tried Weight Watchers for the first time. My mum had heard about it and took me along to a meeting. Mum prepared all my food, so it was easy for me to follow, but it was very expensive and at times disheartening - particularly when I didn't lose any weight. Looking back at what I ate then, it was very similar to Atkins."
"I tried the orange and peanut diet. It was a fad diet and easy to follow, but I felt hungry all the time. Thankfully, it was only meant to be a short term quick fix diet. I also tried an egg and grapefruit diet, another quick fix fad diet, and Weight Watchers again twice. But although I lost weight I thought I could do it on my own and save the weekly membership fee."
"I generally felt well on all the diets. My Weight Watchers attempt in my early teens really helped with my teenage acne. It cleared up as if by magic. But with the low fat, high fiber diet, I suffered from stomach cramps, bloating, and indigestion, so I gave up."
"Then I read Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, and it made so much sense that I thought I'd give it a try. I haven't found any bad parts to this way of eating at all! The best part was the quick weight loss when I started. This gave me the incentive to carry on. There are no extra costs involved (other than the cost of the book), and everyone tells me how well I look. Dr. Atkins' diet easy to follow, and I will continue with it indefinitely."
"My blood pressure has gone down to a level where my GP is reviewing my medication. My cholesterol levels have been reduced from 5.9 to 4.6," Linda continued.
I get good feedback from my husband, mum, other family members, and most friends on my appearance - particularly those who haven't seen me for a while. My GP is thrilled I am that I'm losing weight and my blood pressure and cholesterol numbers are improving."
The only bad feedback I've gotten is from friends who have listened to untrue horror stories about the Atkins diet. Almost every day in the British tabloids there is an article stating why Atkins is bad for you: it causes heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and the latest claim is that it causes diabetes!"
If a friend says I'm wrong to follow Atkins because it makes you ill, I just ask them, 'Do I look ill?' Most respond by saying I look a better than I've looked for a long time. I tell them that I wish I had discovered this way of life years ago!"
I asked Linda: If you were speaking to a group of new low carbers and seasoned veterans about low carbing, what tips or advice would you give them regarding the following:
Cheating?
The only person you are cheating is yourself.
Stalls?
Don't get disheartened. I've found that the odd week when I haven't lost weight will be followed by a bigger loss than normal the next week.
Most important points to remember?
Drink water, eat regularly, and drink water. Oh, and have I said drink water?
Linda is doing GREAT and we will update you all on her progress as she get near her goal!
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