By Julie Westly, CarbSmart Contributor
Posted 12/21/2001
Nancy Moshier is a registered nurse and is also the author of a low carb cookbook, Eat Yourself Thin Like I Did. Nancy and her husband, Ron, are from Minnesota, but they winter in Texas. Nancy has been following the Atkins program for 3 1/2 years.
Nancy is 5' 4" tall, and she began her low carb journey weighing 274 pounds. She currently weighs 144! Nancy has shrunk from a size 26+ to size 10s and some size 8s. "I have been overweight my entire life," she said. "I was a chubby baby, a chubbier girl, a fat teenager, and an obese (I hate that word!) adult."
Nancy's first weight loss attempt was TOPS. "I went with my neighbor for a few months. I was "Queen for the Week" every week. I went with hardly any food all week, eating only one cup of Campbell's clear soup and four crackers a day. After I would weigh in, I would eat everything I wanted the rest of the day. It was like a once a week all day food orgy. I could not live like that, and I gained all the weight back I had lost and more."
At one time Nancy was on doctor-prescribed amphetamines to lose weight. "I'd go for weeks without sleep, and I felt awful the entire time I took them. I wasn't able to sit still for a moment. I did lose weight, but gained it all back, plus more - again!"
"I have joined Weight Watchers more times than I can count," Nancy continued "I lost about 75 pounds once, but gained it back faster than I lost it."
"I have had gastric bypass surgery TWICE. I lost weight and gained it all back both times. The side effects from my gastric bypasses were profound. I have post-gastrectomy syndrome, which is manifested by severe nausea and heart palpitations. These can be so bad sometimes that I feel like I am going to die. I don't always get it after I eat, but frequently enough. I seem to go through spells where I get it almost every time I eat, then I won't get it again for maybe a week."
"I also joined Diet Center and lost very little weight. It was just too restrictive to stick to."
"The five years prior to my husband and I going on the Atkins diet, we went on a low fat diet. We actually gained a considerable amount of weight on low fat. We now know that we were eating an unbelievable amount of carbohydrates back then!"
Nancy told me that in the 3 1/2 years she has been low carbing that she can honestly say that a speck of sugar has NEVER touched her lips the entire time. "I had heard about the Atkins Diet, but listened to all the negative propaganda. Then one day, I saw a friend I hadn't seen in months. I hardly recognized him. He said he had gone on the Atkins Diet. I decided if he did this well it was worth at least buying the book and reading it. I did so, and was convinced that it was safe and that it would work. The other thing I did was make a TOTAL commitment to myself that I was going to do this 100% and not go off it no matter what the scale said - or for any other reason, for that matter."
"I did just that and eventually lost 130 pounds! I had many plateaus, some of them for several months. I was determined to just keep doing what I was doing and it paid off. I now know I will never gain that weight back. I feel terrific; my cholesterol and triglycerides are very low now. I have boundless energy!"
"After just a few short months of low carbing, I knew that in order for my husband and I to continue this, we would need lots of 'down to earth' recipes. We needed ones that were not only delicious, but ones that wouldn't make us feel like we were on a diet. I had been developing recipes for years, and cooking has always been my avocation. I've won many recipe and cooking contests from Grand Champion at the Minnesota State Fair for Gedney Salad Dressing to the Minnesota Beef Cook-Off held at the Mall of America."
"Many of my low carbing friends tasted various recipes of mine, and they convinced me that I needed to make these recipes available to all low carbers. I started with a simple idea and developed it from there. I have developed many wonderful low carb recipes along the way and have published my first low carb cookbook, Eat Yourself Thin Like I Did. It has been highly rated, which makes me feel really good. Just knowing that I am able to help others that are dealing with an overweight problem, is very rewarding."
"When I started working on my first low carb cookbook, I never thought that I would be able to develop enough recipes for it, let alone my next two cookbooks, which will be released soon. I will have my second cookbook, Eat Yourself Thin with Fabulous Low Carb Desserts published by the end of January 2002. I also have my third, "all purpose" low carb cookbook in the works, and plan to have it available sometime during the summer of 2002. I have been very blessed to be able to create and develop delicious low carb recipes."
"When I started low carbing, it was just a matter of changing my way of thinking. NEVER cheat! It's just not worth it. I have never once cheated the entire time I've been low carbing - since July of 1998! I made this commitment to myself for a better life, and I won't let myself down anymore."
"I stalled for 5 months once, but I was so determined to lose the weight that I increased my exercise to break the stall. That helped me get
past that point. In that 5 month period, I only lost three pounds, but I went down TWO dress sizes! I never gave up, no matter what the scale said."
"Stick with this way of life because it WILL work!! Stay off the scale, especially if you stall, because you will still get smaller. A pound of fat is big and a pound of muscle is little. That is why you can go down sizes without actually losing a great deal of weight."
"And the three most important things to remember are: EXERCISE, DRINK LOTS OF WATER, and COMMITMENT TO YOURSELF!"
"I would be more than happy to answer any questions regarding my experiences
if I can be of help to someone. Here's to a healthier and thinner life!!
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Next week's "Success Stories" will be about Nancy's husband, Ron. Be sure to check back to see the fantastic results this couple has had living low carb!
CarbSmart carries Nancy's great cookbook Eat Yourself Thin Like I
Did.
You can read Di Bauer's review of Eat Yourself Thin Like I Did
Nancy's website can be found at: www.low-carb-cookbooks.com
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