“I am healthier now than I have ever been”

Before and after

Here’s a fantastic success story that was sent in by Monica, about how her health “made a 180-degree turn” while she lost weight and freed herself from depression. How? With the help of low-carb:

The Email

Hi Andreas ,

I would like to tell you my story of how my health made a 180-degree turn.

I was 62 in April 2016 and 65 pounds (29 kg) extra on my 5 foot 4 inch (163 cm) frame. I was 195 pounds (88 kg), and had a very large amount of adipose tissue around my middle. I was always hungry and thinking about food frequently. I thought of food when I got up and all during the day. My feet where extremely sore, especially when I got up each morning and put my feet on the floor to stand up. I had sleep apnea and wore a C-Pap machine each night. I had chronic fatigue and complained of being tired all the time. I had suffered from depression for over 10 years. I suffered from GERD and was on a PPI. I was taking Plaquenil for what was thought might be mild “Lupus” as I had a positive Nuclear Antibody with a speckled pattern. My APTT and platelets where elevated and I was getting a lot of yeast infections. I had severe Dupuytrens contractures in my right palm with permanent distortion of the right baby finger.

I returned from my vacation and started to research how to lose weight. I bought a book but was only able to lose 5 pounds (2 kg) and then I stalled. The back of the book listed other scientists and researchers and I began to watch many hours of YouTube videos from Dr. Robert Lustig, Dr. Jeff Volek, Dr. Stephen Phinney and then I found dietdoctor.com and was very impressed. That’s when I realized my weight loss was stalled because I was eating too many carbs. I signed up, not only to get all the benefits from the site but to get further educated, whenever any new data had been published or see clips from any new interviews that they published. I bought more books about LCHF and started to lose consistently until I reached a plateau in Jan 2017 with about 15 pounds (7 kg) above my goal. I realized at that time, I had some issues with dairy and stopped eating it for one month and dropped 15 pounds (7 kg) in one month. I have resumed eating dairy recently, but I limit it to 2 ounces (57 grams) per day.

I have been at goal since February and find maintenance effortless. I eat when hungry and with the satiated LCHF meal plan, I end up eating only twice per day. And not on purpose, but because of the luxurious food, I have a 16-hour window that I am not hungry. So what health improvements did I have? I no longer need a C-Pap machine for sleep apnea, my feet no longer hurt, I have less joint pain, no longer need Plaquenil, and my Dupuytrens contractures in my right hand, has almost completely receded. GERD disappeared within the first 2 weeks. My lipid numbers are great. The hunger monster went away and my depression was gone. It actually lifted, about one month into this WOE. And I don’t regret the money I had to invest for a new wardrobe. Shopping for clothes is actually fun now. I dreaded it before.

Someone asked me recently if I missed carbs and I said the questions comes into my brain as “Don’t you miss being obese?”. No, I don’t miss carbs because the amount I was eating made me very sick. As an RN, I know that with the large amount of adipose tissue I had, I was insulin resistant and likely pre-diabetic. My last HbA1c was 5.1. It’s OK, but I think I should be able to do better. I am now 129-131 lbs (58-59 kg) with a BMI of 22. The weight loss was a real bonus, but the biggest benefits where the loss of my depression and the loss of the constant hunger. I am healthier now than I have ever been, and full of energy and enthusiasm for life. To Diet Doctor and all the scientists and researchers who worked so hard to bring this lifesaving information to the world, I thank you. I have included a before and after picture of myself and you are free to post that.

Sincerely,
Monica

Comments

Thanks for sharing your great story, Monica!

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