Success Stories
By Julie Westly, CarbSmart Contributor
Posted 11/23/2002
Sherry from Illinois is 5' 7" tall and "in her 40's." Sherry was uncomfortable about publishing her weight, but did say we could print she has lost 54 pounds to date, doing the Atkins program. She has dropped from a size 2X to a 12. Her goal size is 10, and she is 10 pounds from her goal weight. Sherry started low carbing in April of 2002.
"I have had a weight problem since I've been 12 years old," Sherry told me. "I took diet pills and starved myself all through high school. In my early 20s, I took cortisone and ballooned up almost 60 pounds. I went to TOPS for a year and managed to take most of it off and kept most of it off for a while. But then my weight ballooned up again over a period of several years. I was only 10 pounds from my highest, cortisone-induced weight, when I started Atkins."
"I have been on starvation diets, diet pills, Diet Center, Nutri-System, Jenny Craig, grapefruit diets, fasting, Weight Watchers, low fat, over the counter diet pills, dieters tea... I feel like I have tried everything at least once. Except for TOPS, I was never really successful."
"I started going to TOPS in the 8th grade. After that it was Weight Watchers, diet pills, more Weight Watchers, Diet Center, Nutri-System, Jenny Craig, fad diets, etc. I would obsess every time I had a social situation and I was always fearful I would fall off. I would often feel tired and hopeless."
"I've known about low carbing for many years, but I never was able to get started. Now I love following the Atkins way of eating! I always have energy, I never obsess about staying on my plan, and it is so easy for me. I can have meals out just about anywhere, and I really enjoy the food I am eating."
"I had started doing Weight Watchers at the very end of February, 2002, and as usual, it was a struggle. I was having trouble with carbs, they made me tired yet hyper. My doctor actually recommended doing Atkins. Then I ran into someone that had just lost some weight on Atkins, and she looked wonderful. She told me about her experience with this way of eating, and I bought the new book that evening," Sherry continued.
"The best part of low carbing is the freedom of the plan. I don't have to panic and plan days ahead when I'm going out for a meal. I am never hungry and I love the food I'm eating. And I feel great! I am sleeping better, and I have way more energy during the day!"
"The bad part is I really miss green apples, but someday (soon I hope) I will reintroduce them into my diet. I don't miss sugar. I can always have some low carb chocolate if the craving hits."
"This way of eating has worked like magic for me! It was easy to stick to and the weight practically fell off of me! I lost the majority of my weight between April and September. I am still losing a few pounds a month. It was a breeze!"
"I have given away most of my big clothes, because I do not have any intention of giving up this lifestyle and gaining back my weight. My triglycerides are now 54! My cholesterol and glucose have also gone down. I LOVE THIS WAY OF LIFE!" Sherry exclaimed.
"There are some people who have expressed concern. They think I will have kidney problems or that it's really unhealthy to eat all this fat. There are also more open-minded people who think it's great! There is a girl I work with who was watching my weight loss. I encouraged her to buy the book, and she has now lost 48 pounds in around 2 months! I am so proud of her!"
I asked Sherry to comment on the following areas:
Cheating?
"Try to never cheat. I haven't cheated during this whole time. It's so easy to stick to because there is so much you can eat.
Stalls?
"Stick with it, because the weight will start coming off again. Every time I thought I was stalled, I was still losing inches."
The most important points to remember?
"This way of eating works where other programs don't. I know I can stick with this forever because I still get to eat as much as I want. One evening, my friend and I had had dinner and gone out. We then found we were kind of hungry, so we went out for dinner again, and we both lost that week. This isn't something I did often, but when I was hungry, I could always eat.
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