I'm new here. But I'm not new to low-carbing. At the age of 12, my mom put me on a low carb diet and I lost weight like crazy ... at that time, 60 carbs a day was my limit. Now, 40 years later, I'm committing myself to this way of eating for the final time. I'll forego a description of all the agonies of attempted weight loss and health improvement of all those intervening years. Suffice it to say that this time. it must be permanent.

About two weeks ago, my brother came to visit for a few days. He has diabetes. He is 62, but he looks and acts much older. His hands shake so bad, he can't even hold a camera to take a picture. His ankles are gnarly, misshapen, and discolored, and they don't even look like ankles anymore. He doesn't adhere to a specific diet, but takes a lot of medication. He uses a lot of products with aspertame (which I've come to believe is a deadly poison that's been foisted upon us).

While he was here, his wife cooked a meal for us. It was a high-carb nightmare. After eating what was offered, and the leftovers the next day, I crashed. I hit bottom. I remember lying down to sleep, and feeling my heart flip-flopping around, threatening to flop out of my chest. My feeling of "definitely not ok" was overwhelming. I sensed that my blood sugar was through the roof, and that my blood pressure probably was as well. I felt like a disaster waiting to happen, sort of a time bomb.

That was my Waterloo. I knew I could not continue to allow myself to feel this way. I started cutting out carbs the next day. By February 11th, I had the carbs whittled down to pretty close to the Adkins Induction level, and I weighed in at 229 (I want to weigh 150).

I cannot go back, and I know that now. So, I have begun, and this time, it's permanent ... it must be, or else ...

I'm glad to be here in the forums. I've already learned a lot, and look forward to the interaction and mutual support. Thanks for being here.

I'm on my way!
Jen B

Hi Jen. Welcome aboard.

A lot of people can relate to that "rock bottom" feeling. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I think the people who really stick with LC eating are the ones who "suffered" the most from a high carb diet. You don't need much willpower and motivation when you feel so much better.

Good luck!

Hi Jen, and welcome..You've come to the right place!! You'll have all the support/info. you need here.

Wow, Jen B, you could be telling MY story!
Many, many times that was ME on the couch, or in bed, barely able to breathe well, my chest feeling heavy and tight, my pulse pounding in my head, and feeling literally as if I was in some kind of stupor...and then waking up later, when my blood sugar had plummeted again, as if hung over and foggy, barely able to function.
Like you, those days were FINALLY the wake-up call for me. Both my parents developed Type 2 diabetes in their 50s (where I am now). I saw it coming at me, and it scared me to death!
It isn't always easy, but I have to say, I feel SO much better when I eat this way, and I intend to do it forever. I hope to avoid diabetes, lose more weight, and feel this good for a long time to come!!
You can do it too...your attitude and drive are great! And I know you want it as much as we all do!
Good luck to you!!!
Lesle

Welcome Jen...you could be telling the story of alot of people here, so please know that you aren't alone. There is much support and understanding in these threads. You sound like you have very firm resolve and wish you the best!