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Thursday, January 26, 2006

Frustrated Dieter Skeptical About Low-Carb Lifestyle Despite Positive Feedback

I never really know what the impact of the things I write about at this blog will have on people regarding their own need to start livin' la vida low-carb or changing their lifestyle in any way to help them lose weight and get healthy.

And this e-mail from a reader in the UK who wondered whether low-carb was going to work for her is no exception. It was this blog post that spurred her to contact me at this time.

Here's what she wrote to me today:

I read with interest your recent response to the article Ms Lawrence wrote about low carb living.

I have been reading about the low carb way of life for a long time now. I have been so close to starting many times but have then backtracked because I have read something negative or been told something negative about the possible long term health consequences of eating in such a way.

Lately, however, I have met a couple of people who have lost an extremely large amount of weight in both cases. The conversations around their successes were not confined to just how much weight they lost but how well they now feel. One could say that losing such a lot of weight is the sole reason for having extra energy and better health, but in both cases these people felt immeasurably better within just days of cutting out certain carbs - bread being the main culprit.

I would like to know if you are able to point me in the right direction to find more information, meal suggestions for low carb eating. I would very much like to try this and want to do so safely and in a very committed way. If you have any advice for me, from your own experience, I would be very grateful to hear it.

I have spent most of my adult life low fat dieting, and my weight and health situation has deteriorated greatly despite a huge amount of willpower being utilized.

I look forward to hearing any comments you have to make, and any advice you wish to give.

With kind regards


As you can imagine, I had just a little bit to say to this person to encourage her in response:

THANKS so much for writing to me today about your heartfelt concerns about whether the low-carb lifestyle is the right choice for you to get your weight under control for good and to bring better health and well-being to your life.

If my personal experience is worth anything, then I can only reciprocate what your two low-carb friends have already relayed to you. This is THE BEST I have ever felt in my entire life. While some may argue that it is the weight loss that caused that, I would say it is a combination of eating in a way that will enable to me to maintain a steady weight for the rest of my life with the weight loss.

In 1999, I lost 170 pounds on a low-fat diet, but I was miserable from the constant feelings of deprivation, cravings, and an irritable attitude (from being constantly hungry!), despite the incredible weight loss. It didn't seem to matter.

Predictably I gained all that weight back in four months after getting off the "diet." When I started livin' la vida low-carb in January 2004, I decided right then and there that this was a lifetime commitment. If you aren't willing to do that with whatever program you start, then there is no use even trying. Make it your New Life resolution and the results will come.

As for resources to help you educate yourself more about low-carb living, I try to provide many of them at my blog. If you are unsure about which low-carb plan you want to do, then you might check out Jonny Bowden's "Living The Low-Carb Life." He does a side-by-side comparison of most of the plans out there and helps you decide which one is best for you. Jonny is an authority on the subject as a licensed nutritionist and fitness instructor. Go to jonnybowden.com to learn more.

As for meal suggestions, there are a lot of great low-carb cookbooks on the market today. Dana Carpender has a literal library full of low-carb books to help you make delicious and nutritious recipes. You can find her books at Amazon.com.

Regarding needing inspiration to help you want to do this low-carb thing, that's exactly why I wrote "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb." I'm not trained in nutrition, health, or fitness, but my own low-carb success story can serve as an example of how this miraculous way of eating has changed the life of one man.

I know it's hard with all the collective misinformation that continues to pervade society, but low-carb really does work and has the science to back it up. I just returned from a scientific conference in Brooklyn, NY last weekend where over 30 researchers revealed their studies that show a low-carb approach is improving people's health and helping them lose weight.

You won't hear about this from the media or health experts, but it's out there. Come back to my blog in the coming weeks as I reveal much of this scientific evidence to my readers. You and others will be surprised by what these studies have shown.

THANK YOU again for contacting me! I appreciate your sharing so openly your concerns and I want you to know you WILL be successful in this journey.

God bless you and contact me anytime you need a lift. :)

Take care!


I applaud the honesty of this reader and her willingness to WANT to learn all that she can about the low-carb lifestyle. There's a lot of junk information out there about this way of eating, but we'll keep challenging those premises in this forum.

Do you have a question or comment for me? Send me an e-mail at livinlowcarbman@charter.net.

1 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

If I can just respond to this woman, I feel better, too. I no longer get to feeling "blah" in the afternoon where I'm left craving a Coke to get my blood sugar back up. My energy is stable through the entire day. This is so liberating because food cravings don't control me.

Also, my B-50 supplement gives me more energy. More than any other vitamin, I swear by that one.

I work out at the gym whenever I can. That used to be 3 days a week, but with the current overtime at work, I'm only making it 1-2 times a week. I like the overtime and need the money, but honestly MISS going to the gym. I now love working out.

1/26/2006 10:15 PM  

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