Personal Experience

When you first begin low-carbing, it can seem a daunting task to prepare your kitchen. Not only do you have to divest yourself of all those high carbohydrate staples in the pantry and fridge, but you'll quickly discover that many of the more interesting recipes call for ingredients you've never heard of! Xanthan gum? Soy lecithin? Vital wheat gluten flour? Rice protein powder? How are you ever going to know which items you really need and which are so esoteric that they'll take up space in your cupboards forevermore?

OK, here we go. In the last article I wrote entitled "The Twelve Days of Christmas," I detailed my plan to avoid gaining those dreaded "10 holiday pounds" that everyone gains. Well, needless to say, IT DIDN'T WORK! You know when those low carb "gurus" warned us about the one bite being the "kiss of death" on this way of life? Well, they were right! It is so hard to control the cravings and binge eating that the "one bite" produces.

I am happy to report to my CarbSmart readers that Cathie from Florida reached her goal size of a 5/6 right before Thanksgiving!

Mary Ann from Pennsylvania is 51 years old and 5' 1" tall. "I don't believe in 'weight.' The scale is the biggest deceiver in the history of dieting and weight loss," Mary Ann told me. "You see 'miracle' potions in a bottle that claim you can loose 10 pounds in a weekend, and you might. But it is not 'fat' you are loosing. You can be a skinny little thing and you might think you are wonderfully healthy, but when you starved yourself to get that way, you actually may have lost muscle mass and even bone because if you do not eat 'right' to loose weight, your body will actually begin to cannibalize itself!"

What should I buy for [fill in the blank yourself] for Christmas? That's a phrase guaranteed to send fear and panic in all directions. But, as usual, I'm here, to the rescue.

Paul from Scotland is 34 years old and 6’ 4" tall. Paul calls his low carb program 'PAUL'S LOW CARB DIET!' He combined several aspects from a few different low carb plans to find what worked best for his lifestyle. Paul started his low carbohydrate journey just 11 weeks ago, and he has already dropped from 251 pounds to 210 pounds; he reached his goal weight in a little less than three months! Paul used to wear a (tight!) 40-inch waist, but is now wearing a comfortable 34/36-inch waist.

Barb from Minnesota is 42 years old and 5' 8.5" inches tall. Barb's all time high weight was 225 pounds, which she reduced to 195 pounds through 'conventional dieting and exercise' before she began the Atkins program. "Now," she said, "I am not so 'religious' and simply avoid sugars and starches (for example, rice, potatoes, pasta, and bread)." Barb currently weighs 160 pounds, and has dropped from a size 16 to a size 12 by low carbing.

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.

Becky is 44 years old, and is 5' 10" tall. She has been following the Protein Power Plan, Atkins, and has occasionally a CAD (Carbohydrate Addict's Diet) meal since March of 2000. Becky started her low carbohydrate journey weighing 285 pounds and wearing a size 32. She currently weighs 195 pounds and wears a size 14. Becky's goal is to be 160 pounds.

Denise explains how to stay on her Low-Carb lifestyle during Christmas and other holidays with this comprehensive guide. Ready for Low-Carb success?

Success Stories Miki from Pennsylvania is 5′ 2″ tall and is 29 years old. Miki follows the Atkins program, and since July of 2002 she has dropped from 130 pounds and a size 8-10 to 119 pounds and a size 4-6. Her goal is to be 110 pounds and a …

Kelley from Indiana is 50 years old and 5' 7 1/2" tall. She is fairly new to the low carbohydrate lifestyle and follows Dana Carpender's plan for 50 grams of carbs a day as written in her book How I Gave Up My Low Fat Diet and Lost Forty Pounds!