My purpose is to lose weight and avoid diabetes.

After watching my mother earlier this year die from the effects of diabetes, I said then it's time to get this weight off or I could be the same way.

I wish I had known about this way of eating before my mother died because I really believe if I did, my Mother would be alive today.


Jeff

Inititally my whole plan was to lose weight. Period. But now I find that my arthritis is well under control, I very rarely have migraines anymore, my acne is much more under control, my blood sugar is under control, I have more energy - general much better off than one would think for losing 44 pounds. I still have over 50 pounds to go,

Originally I wanted to lose weight but I have hypoglycemia and arthritis and now I have found I need to do this for my health and well being. But weight loss would be nice and hoped for.

About 8 years ago, I started following Dr Ornish's plan. I really wanted to be a vegetarian and of course high-complex carbs and low fat are healthy, right? Well, I had held my own until then, never getting more than 10 lbs overweight, but after I started high-carbing, I gained 35 lbs, had way-bad blood sugar swings, horrid acid-reflux (I was taking Zantac & Gaviscon II & had to sleep sitting up), was terribly tired, developed receding gums, vitiligo (loss of skin pigment--being fair-skinned, it's not too noticeable unless I try to tan), my cholesterol went from 140 to 205, I developed arthritis in my knuckles, lets see, what else??? All that time, I kept thinking, "I must be doing this wrong!" but I was even mail-ordering whole grain products when I couldn't find them locally. It never occurred to me that I couldn't handle the carbs. I listened to our wise government.

When I finally got brave and went on Atkins, almost all of the symptoms went away within a week. Unbelievable. The only thing I still have is the vitiligo (which is an autoimmune disorder) and the receding gums. I guess I'll just have to live with them, my gift from Dr Ornish and his clan.

So, there are MANY health benefits to a LC way of living. I've heard worse stories than mine, too. I'm just glad that it finally looks like the truth will be out in the open soon. It will probably take 10 years as the powers that be don't like to admit when they are wrong, but I believe we'll get there. The LC WOL may not be the ticket for everyone, but sooo many people could end their suffering quite easily, they just don't know it. No one ever told them.

How sad.

Amy

I mainly started low carbing to control my blood sugar, but the weight loss has been a nice benefit too. I haven't felt this good in many years.

I started Atkins to lose weight.

You can also lose:
- intestinal gas, bloating & post-meal indigestion
- the quivery desperation to eat from plunging blood sugar levels after carbs
-symptoms of PCOS (poly cystic ovarian syndrome)
-several types of arthritis
-joint pain (from reduced weight & stress, and increased exercise & muscle strength.


Improvement in:
-blood pressure (so much that some people need to have meds reduced.)
-blood sugar stabilization - important for diabetics and pre-diabetics.
-cholesterol levels and ratios - both HDL & LDL & total
-triglyceride levels- a very important marker for heart disease.

And so much more. The surprising thing is how many things in our health will improve without our expecting them. And we get slimmer.

My DH and I started eating LC two years ago in order to lose weight, which we have both done, so the great health benefits were a pleasant surprise. My BP, which was somewhat high, dropped back to normal the first week, I stopped retaining water in my ankles and feet, and I had and have lots more energy.

My DH's acid reflux, which had kept him sitting up many nights, disappeared the day we started eating LC! He also suffered from gout and was taking daily medication for that; last December his doctor took him off the medication to see what would happen, and he hasn't had even a whisper of a symptom in eight months.

I keep threatening to buy a Tshirt that says "It's the carbs, stupid!"

Karla

Like most people I too started to lose weight. But in the process when you change your lifestyle your gonna have many more benefits than ever expected. I am now setting a great example for my young daughter of how to take care of your body buy eating right and drinking WATER(not soda or tons of juice WATER!!!) adn daily exercise. She has to hang out in the stroller most days for my walks so she is right there with me and when she's older she can ride her bike while I run. I was raised in a non-exercise family so what I ahve learned about exercise I learned myself and it took a long time. My plan is for her to grow up with it and be active and healthy. She is my inspiration to stay active and healthy too !!!

Sonja

I started Atkins to prevent getting diabetes.

Very recently, I found that I was incessantly thirsty no matter how much water I drank, and that my ankles were swollen. Now, these could be attributed to the fact that it's been unseasonably hot where I live, combined with the fact that I prefer lots of salt on my food; but because I am also overweight and in my 40's, I didn't want to take any chances.

I'm thrilled to report that after only three days on Atkins, my ankles are trim (I keep checking them out of partial disbelief; they're still trim!) and I am no longer thirsty.

So, to answer the question, I am going low-carb for heatlh reasons--to balance my metabolism. That I am losing weight is an added benefit (which also contributes to better health!)

-G.

I started Atkins out of a desire to lose 160 pounds, go horseback riding again, and wear swanky fetish clothes. I was also suffering from depression, fatigue, and worry that I was going to develop diabetes. I'm only 26, so I figured that I should start now so that I could enjoy my 30's in a way that I hadn't been able to for the rest of my life so far.

Oddly enough, I kept having a lot of gas while doing low-fat, but now on this WOL, I rarely get any, which is nice. No one likes to be stinky! And while I'm still tired a lot (need to get those extra supplements!), I don't have the mood swings. I'm hoping that once my energy levels improve, exercise will help me banish the rest of the depression.

I am determined to not only get rid of the extra weight, but also the high blood pressure, leg pain, and all the other ickies that come with being so fat. My Mom died with heart failure at the young age of 55, she was also diabetic. Several of my siblings are diabetic, oldest brother had to have bypass surgery a few years back I'm 46 with a ten year old son, I want to see him grow up. I want to see my grandchildren.
Also, I want my husband to turn around, look at me and say "Ooh la la"

Oh boy! I just love the responses! I love hearing people's improvements!

I started for weight loss. I, too, did the ultra low fat diet with a ton of exercise. I had:
-gas
-heartburn so bad I also had to sit up!
-weight gain, jeez, you'd think the steady gain would've gotten me to use my brain and not be a lemming, but.......
-staving feeling
-extreme fatigue
-extreme thirst

and probably more that I have forgotten as a mental block. I was thin until I was 20. I'm now turning 28 in September and I am determined to be 140 by then or near. I will go lower after this goal.

Like I said, I started this WOL as a last ditch effort to lose when nothing else worked. All of the other things stopped within a week.

I am so happy and grateful for this information and my friends here who have happily answered every question and doubt. I also am grateful that Dr. Atkins and all of the other LC authors didn't give up years ago, even when the government turned on them!

Happy LCing!! Amber

I did want to lose weight, but I was really struggling with chronic yeast infections - all over - feminine yeast, athletes foot and even oral thrush. I looked up a nutritional remedy in "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" and there it said: "restrict diet to meat and vegetables." Hmmm...... I had friends on Atkins but being so low-fat brainwashed, thought it was too dangerous.

However, nothing like itching and constantly losing ones voice to try anything! I can't believe the difference. It's been only 4 1/2 weeks and its all cleared up!

pam