Active Low-Carber Forums - ONE YEAR of this WOE, Thoughts and Observations

Monday is my one year anniversary Of this WOE. I want to thank all of you who participate in this site; it has been a tremendous help throughout this year. Following are some random thoughts and observations about the past year; I hope it is helpful. To those of you anonymous participants who have taught and/or inspired me throughout this year, thanks; hopefully my story will do the same for others. (I will try to not to make this too long or too dramatic).

I am a 40 year old (just barely) male who started Atkins at one of the lowest points in my life; I will not bore you with all of the details, but I had balooned to my highest weight ever, 290 lbs., and I was sedentary, depressed, and for the first time in my life, feeling extremely unhealthy. Like many of you, I have struggled with my weight throughout my life, but even when I was heavy, I was healthy and a good athlete; but the past few years were worse: it was not just an aesthetic issue, but it became a health (physical and mental) issue.

On August 18th of 2002, I set a loose goal of reaching 200 lbs. by July 31st, 2003, my 40th birthday. I achieved my goal exactly to the day. As of today, I weigh 197 lbs., 93 lbs. less than one year ago. (I am very content with how I look and feel, but I have reset my goal to about 180 lbs.). To be honest with you; I was not fixated on a specific weight or date - I just knew that I had take the first step and then continue in the right direction. This would be a long road, and, although it is a cliche, I just started to take one day at a time.

I have been eating around induction level carbs (15-30 g) for most of the past year. I have not "cheated" (I do not really like that term) once. There have been times when I have struggled for 2 or 3 days at a time, overindulging in "permitted" "treat" foods such as nuts or peanut butter or Atkins Brownies, hitting around 50 carb grams for a day or two. Frankly, I do not have a burning desire to eat bread or rice or pasta. Are there times when I would like to eat these things? Of course; but my commitment to what I am doing is currently stronger than any urges I have had to indulge.

I started exercising after a few months of LCing; first moderate cardio like walking, then hiking and cardio such as a stationary bike. In the past four months, I have stepped it up to working out about 5-6 days per week; playing beach volleyball(2 hours), rollerblading (15 miles), hiking (3-6 miles), and general cardio (1-1.5 hours). One year ago, a couple of flights of stairs were rough; now I race up stairs 2 at a time. I believe EXERCISE IS absolutely KEY to long-term success; and I fully believe it helps keep you in ketosis. Please note also that taking potassium and magnesium have completely stopped muscle cramps and spasms I was having when I started to push myself (also, your body adjusts). I do feel that intense exercise is sometimes tough with this WOE, but usually, it is OK.

Regarding STALLS, the weight loss has definitely slowed; and there have been periods when I felt like I was stalled, but in reality, the scale was just moving very slowly. I have gone for two weeks w/out a loss, but I have never lost less than 4 lbs. in one month. It is so frustrating, though, to do everything right, and not see the scale move! I have learned to relax, to accept that this is a way of life, and to be patient (usually). My body continues to shrink, whether the scale is keeping up or not. Over time THIS WOE WORKS! (But I do believe the body adjusts to the low carb thing, and calories become more important as one gets closer to goal).

I do not "count" carbs precisely; I know what to eat and what not to eat, and I do not sweat it. I eat as much of my "permitted" foods as I want. I do, however, keep a fitday diary every day, and I find it very helpful. I rarely exceed 20-25 carb grams daily. I usually eat between 1700 and 2100 cal. per day. (My ecc is probably about 35 g. or 40 g.).

I do not drink a lot, but if I want to, I do. Vodka/soda, martini, white wine or champagne...(BTW, with LCing, it definitely does not take a lot to get hammered; be careful).

As for NEGATIVE behavior.... I like water, but at times do not drink enough...I often eat only 2 meals a day (very bad!)...I go through phases of eating too much Carbolite ice cream, which possibly slows things down a bit...I probably eat too much protein, but remember that I am very active...I should probably up my carbs a little, especially given my level of activity.

HEALTH-wise....No more reflux, no more night sweats or shortness of breath, cholesterol down, bloodwork normal, sleeping better...

OTHER-wise...Even though I am a guy, I like clothes. Going to (for you LA people) Fred Segal, Barneys, wherever, and buying those 36 jeans (that are loose in the waist...another 2 or 3 months, and I'll be a 34), and the 42 suit feels amazing...Seeing the reaction of people who haven't seen me in 6 months or a year is priceless (and feels great)....just FEELING "NORMAL" again....feeling attractive again.

So in one year, my life has changed completely...

Thank you all again for being a part of this site. Special thanks to Natruschka and Karen Barnaby whose scientific knowledge and general wisdom have been so valuable to me. I welcome your comments and questions. Thanks.