Darleen Says Low-Carb 'Brainwashed' Her Into Getting Healthy

Darleen went from 212 to 136.5 pounds--looks and feels fantastic!

Hearing personal stories about livin' la vida low-carb success NEVER gets old. How much more invigorating does it get than to hear how real people have been able to shed the pounds quickly and permanently with a healthy nutritional approach?

Such is the case with a 58-year old woman named Darleen. She's that remarkable woman at the top of this post who used to be a miserable 212-pounder with all the aches and pains that come from being obese.

"I was feeling it big time," Darleen recalled. "It was not all that uncommon for me to be out of breath at the slightest exertion, have rashes in the folds of my skin, and a bunch of other health issues were cropping up."

When you are going through all of these kinds of health problems due to your obesity, it's very difficult for people who haven't been in this situation themselves to understand why you would stay there. But it happens until something finally clicks in your head to wake you up and shake you back to reality. For Darleen, it happened one day after work.

"Since I had no energy, I spent the evening munching on corn chips and bowls of ice cream while reading books and thought to myself, 'Is this all there is to life?'" Darleen exclaimed.

Soon thereafter, Darleen put some feet to her desire to lose weight and get healthy by joining the popular gym called Curves and then read several diet books including Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution and The South Beach Diet. Additionally, she supplemented her knowledge with articles about eating more protein and less starchy foods.

Darleen had tried Weight Watchers and their low-calorie weight loss plan in her 20's, but she described it as "torture."

"I was hungry all the time and lost 1/4 pound a week or nothing," she remembered. "I didn’t want to go through that again. I love food too much!"

But she had to give up many of her favorite foods she had always loved.

"No breads, rice, potatoes, pasta or any sweets," Darleen quipped. "Geez, that was my entire diet!"

Even still, she was also a big fan of meats, cheeses, eggs, fruits and vegetables, so livin' la vida low-carb "didn't sound too bad" either. She especially liked the fact that you didn't have to keep track of calories or portion sizes when you first start eating this way because low-carb naturally regulates these for you.

Because of her new low-carb diet, Darleen was never hungry and ate until she was "comfortably full." This kept the cravings at bay so she wouldn't "grab bad stuff to eat." She also knew to take vitamins and fiber supplementation to make sure she was getting adequate nutrients that her body needed as she was losing weight.

Darleen ate lots of meals throughout the day as well as plenty of water.

"I sip on water all day long at work," she said. "Sometimes you think you are hungry but really you are just thirsty."

After 13 months of livin' la vida low-carb, Darleen lost a grand total of 75.5 pounds! That was about 5-6 pounds per month (just a little more than a pound a week!) that she credits her desire to stick with her commitment.

"Maybe it’s just being stubborn but I just read too much about the large numbers of obese people in the United States and I didn’t want to be one anymore," she revealed.

Today, Darleen says she views food "differently" than ever before.

"Reading the Atkins book about what all the processed foods do to your body scared me straight! How sugar/carbs affect your insulin, heart, blood really got to me. I almost shudder when I look at a doughnut now," she exclaimed.

Yeah, I know what you mean, Darleen! Me too! RAT POISON, RAT POISON! LOL! I especially liked the way she described what low-carb did to help her learn how to live healthy.

"I brainwashed myself into healthy eating habits and it worked," she said.

Now those new healthy eating habits have taken firm root in Darleen as her permanent lifestyle change. Life for her has been radically changed for the better with her stunning weight loss and improved health. Although counting carbs was important while she was losing weight, today she is more meticulous about the totality of her diet to make the best choices for her.

"I look at the total picture of food," Darleen noted. "During the losing part I focused on carbs. Now I look at the calories, fat and carbs to help decide. I’m still eating very little to no processed foods. Lots of meat and fresh veggies and fruit are still a part of my life every single day."

After her stunning weight loss success thanks to livin' la vida low-carb, Darleen went to visit her sister across the country to surprise her with her new look

"With my hair a different color and a much thinner body, my sister told me she would have passed me on the street and not known it was her own sister. Needless to say, I loved hearing that," Darleen remarked.

It's been three years and counting and Darleen is STILL livin' la vida low-carb. She's eating lots of fat and highly recommends it for anyone who wants to eat a healthy low-carb lifestyle.

"I know some people think it's gross, but I always eat the beef and pork fat that comes with my steaks and chops," Darleen shared. "I love it! Eat the chicken and turkey skin. Cook with butter and olive oil and have eggs frequently. I absolutely adore blue cheese salad dressing."

She added, "Of course, this is all the stuff the low-fat people cringe at."

Yep, they sure do. But the real proof is in the blood test results Darleen recently got back from her doctor. This is exactly the kind of bloodwork YOU can have if you start livin' la vida low-carb:

Triglycerides: 55
Total Cholesterol: 149
HDL: 79
LDL: 59
Ratio: 1.9
Glucose: 67

I might add that Darleen doesn't take ANY prescription medications at all and is as healthy as she's ever been in her entire life. And doesn't she look absolutely beautiful, too?

Her inspiring low-carb weight loss was the impetus for her husband's 60-pound loss and health improvements, too! He was in danger with his lipid profile and now "everything is normal." WOW! What an story, Darleen! THANK YOU so much for sharing it with me and my readers today. You keep at it girl, and keep on livin' la vida low-carb. I KNOW you will! :)

Are you like Darleen and have a low-carb weight loss success story to share? Send it to me at livinlowcarbman@charter.net.