Low carb made Lindha half the woman she used to be

August 19 2014 by in Success stories

You can hardly believe it’s the same person.

Here’s Lindha Vikström, a Swedish mother of two, with her story about how she cut her weight in half with LCHF (low-carb, high-fat, i.e. a keto diet):

The email

Hi!

I saw that you were looking for people who would want to share their story about a lifestyle change.

I’ve always been a yo-yo dieter, down a lot in weight only to gain it all back later, and then some, every time.

I started eating LCHF in March/April 2012, and have lost 154 lbs. (70 kg) and my husband 88 lbs. (40 kg). The weight loss took 18 months, and we have kept the weight off since then without any effort, and we feel great and we don’t need to go hungry. I got my life back, and have so much energy and am able to be active with my children in a completely different way than I could be before.

Who am I then? A married 44-year-old mother of two, who weighed 309 lbs. (140 kg), but who today is at 154 lbs. (70 kg). I started on my first diet when I was 14 years old and have been trying to lose weight for 26 years back and forth with all kinds of popular diets, but nothing has worked long term.

I found LCHF in 2012 by pure coincidence, I had never heard of it before and I thank myself for giving it a try. I wouldn’t have been here today if I hadn’t.

I hope to inspire and motivate others about how nothing is impossible, it really is possible…
I hope to inspire and motivate others about how nothing is impossible, it really is possible to break through several years of poor diets and find balance in life. I was 40 years old when I started in 2012, with small children in the middle of the big puzzle called life, all the things you were supposed to have time for: work, dropping off and picking up kids to and from school and childcare, help with homework, make dinner, drive the kids to various activities.

And somewhere in there you were supposed to get enough time to take care of yourself, and let me tell you that there wasn’t much energy left in my 309 lbs. (140 kg) heavy body at the end of the day. My evenings ended on the couch with aching feet and knees and on top of that I had high blood pressure for which I was taking medication.

But the low-carb diet gave me so much energy that I suddenly became a lot more alive and had more energy. I wasn’t as tired in the evenings and felt that I suddenly had enough time to take care of myself more and more. For example, I had enough energy to take an evening walk.

I remember when in my job as an assistant nurse, I had to take a lady in her 80’s out for a walk; an alert and healthy lady for her age, but she had poor vision, so my job was to join her so she wouldn’t risk falling. When I walked with her, she was the one who had to adapt her pace to mine as I couldn’t keep up with her. I was in my 30’s and she in her 80’s. Not even then did my warning bells sound.

Another thing that feels great is that every new winter season I can use the same ski wear I bought two years ago. It’s a new feeling to be able to use the seasonal clothing year after year. I’ve always had to buy new clothes because I had outgrown the ones I had the year before (or did they shrink in the wash, hm?).

I’d like to offer hope to all of you that you don’t have be 20-something to succeed…
Finally, I’d like to offer hope to all of you that you don’t have be 20-something to succeed, and it’s the same thing with my skin – I haven’t had to have any surgery to remove loose skin.

I have a blog, where you’re more than welcome to visit and read about my journey (Swedish only / Google translated to English). It would be great if you wanted to share my weight-loss journey with LCHF, and you’re welcome to link to my blog. I’ve attached a before and after photo you can use (photographer: Kristian Pohl).

I have to let you know something interesting; yesterday I tried on my wedding rings, which I’ve been unable to use for 15 years, and they fit perfectly now. :)

Sincerely,
Lindha Vikström

Comment

Congratulations on your amazing weight loss, Lindha! I haven’t seen such impressing before and after pictures in a long time.

Update 2017

Lindha is still doing well, many years after the amazing weight loss journey. Use links at the end of the story above for her blog, or follow @halvalindha on Instagram.

Try a keto diet yourself

Losing weight

For more tips on losing weight long term, have a look at one of these guides:

Top 10 tips to lose weight on low carb for women 40+

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Do you have a success story you want to share on this blog? Send your information, plus before and after photos, to success@dietdoctor.com. It would also be greatly appreciated if you shared what you eat in a typical day, whether you fast etc. More information:

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