Hello Low-Carber's!!!!

My name is Shauna and I am back on the low-carb wagon.... Now, previously I was on my own plan, and perhaps that is why I had problems. I started at 140 and went down to 115, but now I am back up to 125. I want to be back down there again... but I must explain the reason I had to stop in the first place.

I am now hypoglycemic, and if I don't eat fruit or complex carbs I pass out. I have no idea which plan will be the best for me, but I want to actually follow a REAL plan this time. I have read the different info on the different plans, but I am still lost.

I'd really like to get some abs and get ripped... I want to feel confident about my body for once!!! I guess I also am needing some exercise advice. I build muscle really easy. Also, I am only 22 and have had cellulite on my thighs for the past 10 years. (I know, it started when I was so young!!!!) Its gotten progressively worse and even though I have lots of muscle in my thighs and I exercise at least 4x a week (eliptical machine, level 8 for 30-40mins), it has not gone away. I can't afford lipo and creams don't work. Its so freakin embarrassing.

Anyways, there is some really personal info about myself above.... I hope someone could guide me in the right direction.

Thanks...

Well, I can't advise you on plans since I've only been on Atkins, but why don't you take the various plans to your doctor & have him/her help you pick the right one for you? You may have to modify, but your doctor should be able to help you with that also. I wish I could also tell you how to get rid of cellulite, but since it's my constant companion too, I can't.

Good luck!

Chris

Shauna:

Ray Audette had reumatoid arthritis and severe diabetes at a very young age. He didn't want to feel like crap and take a ton of medication all his life so he started doing a lot of research. He ran across the Paleo diet that man evolved on for millions of years. He then put together a book which he called "NeanderThin," outlining his Paleo-type diet. It cured his arthritis and diabetes. He was not overweight and did not use this way of eating as a weight loss plan. The NeanderThin plan helps your body heal, builds up your lean muscle and helps you to find your ideal body weight. Looking at your stats, I see that it is not so much that you want to lose weight as finding a plan that will make you feel healthier and better. There are many Paleo websites that you may want to investigate before consulting with you doctor as to the best route for you to take with your eating. There are no two people with the same genetic make up on this planet, who have exactly the same medical histories, therefore there is no one diet that can be perfect for everyone.
Read "NeanderThin" by Ray Audette as well as check out the following paleo websites:

http://www.nerdheaven.dk/~jevk/paleo_intro.php
http://www.panix.com/~paleodiet/

Depending on your tastes and food allegies, all low-carb plans should be ok. NeanderThin allows for more fruit and less dairy. Since weight is not so much a concern for you, perhaps a low-carb plan that allows for more carbs (as in fruit, vegetables and nuts) may be best for you.

Good luck!

Thanks Hellistile and omalleyc!! As a reply to both of you, my doctor unfortunately believes that low-carb diets are bad, bad bad... Other than that one view, she is a great doc and I had to pull strings just to be her patient. So... I'm going it alone!

Hellistile, you are right. Although it is my goal to lose 10 pounds, it is 10 pounds of fat... I mainly go by body measurements as when you gain muscle while losing fat... it can be deceiving. I am going to check out the NeanderThin diet, it sounds like something I can do. Thank you so much for the tip!

I just went out and bought some Lean Whey, it's supposed to be very popular as it helps you burn fat and build lean muscle. I'm very excited to see what results will come out of it!

It's got only 4.5g of carb per serving, which is mainly to do with its ingredient of Sucralose. I'm thinking of buying some of this stuff. Anybody got some views on that?

Talk to you all later!!!

Shauna: There is a section on this forum called

Dr. Bernstein and Diabetes

Please check it out because it can probably give you much insight in hypoglycemia through other people's experiences. Perhaps reading dr. Bernstein's book might help as well since your doctor is not supportive of the low-carb experience.
Good luck to you.