Weight Watchers Group Captivated By Low-Carb Weight Loss Success
It is so gratifying to me whenever I hear about one of my readers taking the information they received from this blog and spreading it to those who are in desperate need of answers to their weight and health problems. This whole idea of "pay it forward" that people like Oprah Winfrey are advocating right now is indeed a powerful one that can produce immeasurable results well into the future.
When I lost 180 pounds on the Atkins diet in 2004, I had no idea at the time that I would be writing about low-carb living, weight loss, and health in a blog and talking about it in a weekly podcast show two years later. All I know is that my life was forever changed and the ripple effects soon began in earnest. It commenced immediately in my own spheres of influence, then spread into my community with exposure in the local media, and finally got out there nationally and internationally when I started blogging and published my book about my weight loss.
Now I'm privileged to see some of the people I have been able to come into contact with telling others about livin' la vida low-carb with unbelievable results. One such example of this came to me in my e-mail inbox from a regular reader on Wednesday.
This person is a Type 2 diabetic who has lost 90 pounds on the low-carb lifestyle and wanted to show his support for a co-worker who joined Weight Watchers. Although he does not support the nutritional approach of the Weight Watchers program, he wanted to be a part of the group for "mutual support."
Not surprisingly, the members of the group wanted to know more about his amazing weight loss success and how he has been able to control his diabetes through his diet.
"I was pretty nervous about how it would be received. I especially didn't want to come across as bashing Weight Watchers."
So, he took the plunge and simply shared from his heart about how he battled with weight problems his entire life going on diet after diet, including Weight Watchers, and that none of them worked for him. He made it very clear that he is not against Weight Watchers for those people who can do it and succeed.
"It wasn't the best approach for me," he told the Weight Watchers group.
As he continued talking about his neverending battle with obesity because he was always hungry and craving food, my reader told them that he threw his hands up in the air and just gave up trying to lose weight in the Summer 2005. But then it happened--January 2006 he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes!
When he was educated about how to best control his diabetes, he was told he would need to follow the USDA-recommended Food Pyramid which he had tried and failed with a million times before.
"But I soon came to my senses that they were telling me to continue doing what I was doing before. I started looking for alternatives."
The alternative he found was the low-carb lifestyle and he explained how low-carbers eat a very healthy diet with lots of delicious and nutritious vegetables. As he was sharing the truth about low-carb to the Weight Watchers group, he could see they were being enlightened with information they had never heard before from the media and the so-called health "experts."
When he was summarizing his story, my reader started sounding like me.
"There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Whatever you do, make it a lifestyle. Sugar and refined carbohydrates are bad for weight loss. Eat nutrient-dense foods. And finally, low carb is a viable option and the best approach for some people."
He mentioned that there are many stories of low-carb weight loss success on the Internet in blogs and forums and he even showed them the front cover of my book as an example of someone who has overcome his lifelong battle with morbid obesity. Whoa, cool!
My reader was so excited when he was finished because that group of Weight Watchers devotees gave him a thunderous round of applause in gratitude for sharing his success with them. I am confident eyes were opened that day with the honest truth presented in a non-threatening manner was shared with them.
"It turned out well and will help everyone understand where I am coming from. I think I gave them a different perspective on low carb."
Indeed it did, my friend, indeed it did! That's kinda what this former Weight Watchers follower discovered when she started on low-carb with great success. Stories like these are so exciting to hear and I invite you to share any similar experiences you may have had talking about livin' la vida low-carb with a friend, family member or in front of a group.
If we are going to change our culture, then it will take each and every one of us sharing the knowledge and hope that we have found with those who need to hear it. E-mail me your story at livinlowcarbman@charter.net.
When I lost 180 pounds on the Atkins diet in 2004, I had no idea at the time that I would be writing about low-carb living, weight loss, and health in a blog and talking about it in a weekly podcast show two years later. All I know is that my life was forever changed and the ripple effects soon began in earnest. It commenced immediately in my own spheres of influence, then spread into my community with exposure in the local media, and finally got out there nationally and internationally when I started blogging and published my book about my weight loss.
Now I'm privileged to see some of the people I have been able to come into contact with telling others about livin' la vida low-carb with unbelievable results. One such example of this came to me in my e-mail inbox from a regular reader on Wednesday.
This person is a Type 2 diabetic who has lost 90 pounds on the low-carb lifestyle and wanted to show his support for a co-worker who joined Weight Watchers. Although he does not support the nutritional approach of the Weight Watchers program, he wanted to be a part of the group for "mutual support."
Not surprisingly, the members of the group wanted to know more about his amazing weight loss success and how he has been able to control his diabetes through his diet.
"I was pretty nervous about how it would be received. I especially didn't want to come across as bashing Weight Watchers."
So, he took the plunge and simply shared from his heart about how he battled with weight problems his entire life going on diet after diet, including Weight Watchers, and that none of them worked for him. He made it very clear that he is not against Weight Watchers for those people who can do it and succeed.
"It wasn't the best approach for me," he told the Weight Watchers group.
As he continued talking about his neverending battle with obesity because he was always hungry and craving food, my reader told them that he threw his hands up in the air and just gave up trying to lose weight in the Summer 2005. But then it happened--January 2006 he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes!
When he was educated about how to best control his diabetes, he was told he would need to follow the USDA-recommended Food Pyramid which he had tried and failed with a million times before.
"But I soon came to my senses that they were telling me to continue doing what I was doing before. I started looking for alternatives."
The alternative he found was the low-carb lifestyle and he explained how low-carbers eat a very healthy diet with lots of delicious and nutritious vegetables. As he was sharing the truth about low-carb to the Weight Watchers group, he could see they were being enlightened with information they had never heard before from the media and the so-called health "experts."
When he was summarizing his story, my reader started sounding like me.
"There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Whatever you do, make it a lifestyle. Sugar and refined carbohydrates are bad for weight loss. Eat nutrient-dense foods. And finally, low carb is a viable option and the best approach for some people."
He mentioned that there are many stories of low-carb weight loss success on the Internet in blogs and forums and he even showed them the front cover of my book as an example of someone who has overcome his lifelong battle with morbid obesity. Whoa, cool!
My reader was so excited when he was finished because that group of Weight Watchers devotees gave him a thunderous round of applause in gratitude for sharing his success with them. I am confident eyes were opened that day with the honest truth presented in a non-threatening manner was shared with them.
"It turned out well and will help everyone understand where I am coming from. I think I gave them a different perspective on low carb."
Indeed it did, my friend, indeed it did! That's kinda what this former Weight Watchers follower discovered when she started on low-carb with great success. Stories like these are so exciting to hear and I invite you to share any similar experiences you may have had talking about livin' la vida low-carb with a friend, family member or in front of a group.
If we are going to change our culture, then it will take each and every one of us sharing the knowledge and hope that we have found with those who need to hear it. E-mail me your story at livinlowcarbman@charter.net.
Labels: diabetes, inspiration, low-carb, motivation, success, weight loss, Weight Watchers
posted by Jimmy Moore at
11/30/2006 05:50:00 PM
6 Comments:
WOW Jimmy, thanks for featuring my story. I hope to attract more attention as I continue to lose and will take future opportunities to tell folks how I did it.
As a dietitian I am a big supporter of your message about lifestyle changes and not temporary diets as a way to improve health. Great blog! I just started to blog about lower-calorie/lower-carb living for the busy career gal. Using Splenda and Splenda sweetened foods as tools to add flavor and variety to healthy eating are main topics on my site. I would love to get your thoughts on ways to spread the word about healthy living! Thanks again for your great blog,
Audrey T.
Obviously some people really have the gift for promoting the low-carb lifestyle, which is wonderful! I've never preached to anyone about it, but when people see me turn down cookies or pizza and they ask why, I explain about my lifestyle choice and losing 60 pounds, no more acid reflux, feeling better, etc etc etc. They all say WOW! then proceed to tell me they can't possibly live without (insert fave carb food here), and the next day I hear them back in their cubicles bemoaning their weight, their hunger, and the pretty tasteless diet (low-fat) food they're trying to eat for lunch. I just don't quite understand, but I think part of it is my lack of believable delivery - LOL! Of course, none of my current co-workers knew me when I weighed 205 lbs, so they didn't see me lose the weight to get to what I look like now. That usually has a profound impact on people.
THANKS, Audrey! E-mail me and tell me more about what you are doing to spread the sugar-free, low-carb message. I appreciate you stopping by.
Teapotsgalore, you are EXACTLY right. That story you shared about your co-workers bemoaning their low-fat diet in the face of your success is evidence that we still have a long way to go to overcome fat phobia in this country.
Will we as a society EVER get it?
Jimmy: Maybe you can educate Audrey about the dangers of sugar, honey, white flour, juice, and even fruit (fructose is turned to fat in the liver).
I was excited at first to see a dietician who might advocate low carb. But I visited her website and she obviously doesn't have a clue. She has a cookie recipe with the Splenda brown sugar blend (which has real brown sugar) plus flour, raisins, and oatmeal. She's only contributing to the epidemic of obesity and diabetes.
THANKS, Hike! I've invited her to write to me about her site and her philosophy, so we'll ask her about what she thinks of sugar in the foods you mentioned. Take care!
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