Hello there,

What a huge forum!!! I actually feel a little lost here, and I haven't really had a chance to explore a lot.

But ... A brief introduction and a question. I turned 50 in July and have experienced minimal health problems, a situation for which I'm truly grateful. Ten years ago I went through a divorce and had a herniated disk, and what with that and the stress of working freelance and bringing up three sons, I developed in the next few years what my family doctor wanted to call fibromyalgia. I won't go into the details, but suffice it to say that this 'crisis' prompted me to take a long heard look at my lifestyle -- diet, exercise or the lack of it etc. It's been a journey.

These days I feel much better, thanks to my own perserverence and a wonderful naturopath I'm seeing, but there are still a few wrinkles. I'm pretty sure I'm an alcoholic/sugar/carb addict, and although I've never been really overweight, my health has suffered as a result. I'd like to lose 10 -15 pounds (I've wanted to lose those pounds all my life). I've read all the books and 'tried' all the diets. Schwarzbein is the one I keep gravitating back to, for all kinds of reasons.

What hapens is that I lose five or six pounds, feel great, and slip back to drinking rum and cokes in the evenings and eating nachos. :-(

This time I'm following Schwarzbein's healing program pretty faithfully (although I'm drinking a cup of coffee as I write). Does it work? If I keep at it, can I lose those pounds on this WOE? I'm in no real hurry -- I'd just like to be able to hang in there.

Sorry abut the ramble. Glad I found the site, and glad it's originates in Canada! Thanks for listening!

Joanna

Hi, Joanna! I'm not personally familiar with Schwarzbein (hard to spell!), though I've heard good things about it. I think any low carb plan will work, if you give it time and patience. Many of us here are low-carbing mainly for health benefits, though weight loss is a wonderful side effect!

It's a good thing you're not in a hurry to lose that 10 pounds. If you have only a little weight to lose, it can take longer, even on low carb. But you'll enjoy the journey!

Rachel

Hi Joanna and welcome to the Forum. We're proud to have such an incredible site generated from Canada.

Yes it works if you "work it"! Your desire to be healthy should be your strongest motivation. So strong that it overrides your desire for rum and coke and nachos! That said there is also brain chemistry at work. Eating properly is one half of the equation for success.

It takes time, and the more you keep coming back, the better you get at it.

Another book you may want to look at is Potatoes not Prozac by Kathleen DesMaisons. She explores the sugar-alcohol connection and her plan is very similar to Schwarzbein's. I found it very illuminating.

Looking forward to hearing of your progress.

Karen

Yup, I've read 'Potatoes not Prozac' too. (The people at work kid me about my 'library'). Brain chemistry is a weird and wonderful thing, and I know that's where the source of my 'addictions' are. Hopefully, the longer I keep eating properly the easier it will be to resist all that stuff.

And yes, the primary reason I'm doing Schwartzbein is for my health, but I'm so inspired by the weight loss I see here I think I got carried away in my first post!!!

Thanks again,

Joanna

Joanna, welcome and good luck. I'm new here, too, actually. I can live without rum and coke, but not without wine! I did a very strict low carb diet for several weeks, and when I started to add back in carbs, I began drinking wine again - but I was careful about the amount, and I kept drinking wine (weekly) for several months with continued weightloss. I've recently started gaining again, but I suspect it's dessert, rather than the wine. Anyway, maybe you can work the rum and (diet) cokes back into your diet later, in a way that your body can handle it. Good luck.

Also, what is Schwarzbein?

Hi Joanna. Glad you made it this forum. So much info and wonderful people. You will always feel welcome and will receive the needed encouragement to continue to follow this wol. Good luck and visit often!
Cheers, Lara

Hi Joanna

You are not kidding about soooo much in this Forum you feel a bit lost . LOL. I come here almost every day. I know my way about now but I still find I just do not have time to read as much as I would like to. Just now you will probably find the more you explore the more you realise how much more there is to explore. Enjoy ... take your time ... be inspired on a daily basis.

Take care.

welcome joanna! i hear you about the alcohol/sweets thing. i like rye on the rocks. so often when i drink i end up bingeing on cookies. i read that the fermented sugar makes you crave more sugar. kinda hard not to have a drink on the weekend! you'll find lots of support here and i hope we hear more from you!