Weight Lost!

I've had many people ask me for this information lately, so I'm posting it here. I've recently lost 90+ (99 lbs as of June 11, 2010) pounds, since last June actually. I'm going to post how I did this as concisely as possible:

About a year ago I came across a book by Gary Taubes called "Good Calories, Bad Calories". It was 468 pages of amazing information and here is what I gleaned from it. Please do read it yourself, it is well worth the time and effort.

People are not fat because they eat fat, they're fat because they eat carbohydrates. Carbohydrates cause your body to produce insulin and insulin is what is responsible for putting the fat that you eat, and converted sugars, into fat tissues making a body fat. So, no insulin production, no deposition of fat into cells! The body doesn't need glucose to run on and neither does the brain. The liver can convert fats and proteins just fine and make ketones which is a more efficient way for the body to work And the brain to function. I've been living this way since last June and have never been healthier.

Here is a list-synopsis of my story:

Before:

• I weighted more than 250 pounds.
• Heart palpitations
  
• Terrible swelling in my hands, feet and ankles.
• Such high blood pressure the Dr. wanted to medicate me immediately
• Always totally exhausted
• My diet - Low fat, Low calorie!
• I was Always hungry!
  
• Bowel issues
• Poor eyesight
• Bumpy terribly dry itchy skin prone to blackheads
• Arthritis-like troubles - couldn't even bend over without a great deal of pain in my lower back, achy joints, had to use a railing to go down stairs
  
• Easily out of breath
• Intolerable PMS and periods
• My brain was always foggy
• Very negative for my job and not great for my marriage
• Size 2x - and my clothes were tight.
  

After:

• I now weigh 155 pounds and am continuing to loose weight
• My blood pressure is below normal (this dropped immediately upon elimination of carbs and has continued to improve)
• No Swelling whatsoever - this also improved greatly within the first two weeks of eliminating carbs and continued fairly rapidly and was completely gone withing two months
• No heart palpitations
• More energy than I know what to do with (I also take vitamin D - 20,000 units per day ( not all at once) which helps this immensely as well.
• I'm Never hungry
• Improved eyesight - went for new glasses yesterday in fact and needed a weaker prescription.
• PMS has all but disappeared
  
• No joint aches at all - I'm amazingly flexible - I Never would have believed it if someone had told me this would be a result
• I look forward to exercise and am training myself to run - breathing's easy!
• My skin is much smoother, blackheads don't reoccur, and much less dry and not itchy at all
• Much happier bowels
• I can think clearly and focus for long periods of time
• Diet - high fat, medium protein and between 5 - 15 grams of carbs per day - 20 max on a bad day
• Far more efficient and effective on my job as a scenic artist and of course wonderful for my marriage : 0 )
• I only focus on low carbs, I don't ever count calories, don't portion my food, eat when I need to or want to and feel satisfied
• Size medium and my clothes are very loose! Wearing some size "small clothes" : 0 )
  

In short - all of the bad stuff in the first list has completely disappeared! Not just improved or somewhat gotten better, - GONE!

So if you're interested in this here are two more lists -

DO NOT EAT:

• No sugar of any kind!
• NO High Fructose Corn Syrup!
  
• No bread
• No corn products at all
• No potatoes
• No low fat milk, yogurt, cheeses etc
• No low fat salad dressings
• No chips, candy, popcorn or whatever other carbohydrate finds its way into your diet
• No juice of any kind
• No bananas, apples (at least at first for the apples, until goal weight is reached)
• No pasta
  

DO EAT:

• Cheeses - sharp, medium, mild, cream cheese, brie - No cottage cheese
  
• Use only real butter and high quality olive oil for cooking and eating
• Meats - chicken, beef, pork, bacon, turkey, eggs, sardines packed in olive oil etc
• Low carb fruits and veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, squashes, avocado, strawberries, pears, blueberries, raspberries. Veggies should be fresh and raw or steamed al dente to retain nutrients. Avoid micro-waving. Also raw garlic, onions. Nothing canned.
  
• Use Half and Half for milk - yes I drink small cups of Half and Half for milk - it's very rich obviously and I use it in my coffee etc
• Eat whole milk organic yogurt (Stoneyfield Farm) sweetened with Stevia (a plant derivative sweetener with no brain altering chemicals and no glycemic index - btw blue agave is very high fructose the way it is processed and should not be used), then flavored with the berries mentioned above, cinnamon, a few drops of a high quality extract like lemon etc.
• Nuts - all of them except cashews and I even eat them in my mixed nuts. Peanuts may be avoided as many people are allergic to them and the ratio of good oils to bad oils in them is about 50/50.
  
• Chocolate - Green & Black makes a dark bar that is 86 percent cocoa that is incredible, also Lindt 90% Cocoa Chocolate, very good - we have this sometimes on movie night
• Olives, onions, garlic, various hot peppers
• Water - drink pure, fluoride-free water all day long
  

So - compared with what I'd been through before trying to get fit and loose weight, yea, this was easy! Again - I'm never hungry! Sacrifices - yes - you must make a choice! No Panera pastries, Dunkin's doughnuts, popcorn, biscuits (my personal favorite and what I miss the most), mashed potatoes, catsup (though you can make your own easily enough and season it how you like) etc. All that sweet tasty stuff is just delicious poison....

Also - Exercise! - again - you must make a choice to be healthy and feel great and change a few things and I'm finding exercise a total pleasure on this "diet"! Moderate and regular - put your mp3 player on and dance or walk - your body will respond! Enjoy it - it is Not an option - think of it like breathing!

A few more things to keep in mind - the food pyramid is upside down! Turn it over and you'll have a much better idea of how you should eat. Carbs/sugars are addicting - literally. Salt content is not as much of a big deal if you're not eating carbs.

Forget about calories, only count carbs and keep it under 20 grams per day

Avoid eating right before bed, an hour or so before...

Lastly - One of the things Mr. Taubes discuses in his book is that even for people who are not overweight, eating carbs is not good. Though a continuously elevated - rising and lowering of insulin levels does Not in itself cause cancer or Alzheimer's, he states there is evidence that running off of glucose does prevent or block your brain's natural ability to regulate mechanisms that help your body to naturally prevent these things.

Finally - I leave you with my new pizza recipe because I could not live without pizza! Instead of bread crust I use the huge portabella mushroom caps brushed with olive oil and turned upside down. Then drain your store-bought pizza sauce (be sure and check for high fructose corn syrup and sugars in the sauce) well through cheese cloth laid in a colander so the sauce is very stiff because the mushroom caps have liquid in them too. Put the sauce into the caps and bake them for a bit - I always make mine on my Weber grill, so not sure what the oven time/temp would be. Then after the mushroom cap has softened up a bit add your toppings (including pepperoni - we're very fortunate to have a local smoke house, Oscar's that makes pepperoni with minimal nitrites) and cheeses, spices etc - then bake/broil again until the cheeses are melted. Delicious - my three children love it!

A note about children - we all do eat the same way (my wonderful husband has lost 40+ pounds), but I provide really whole grains for them. They have old fashioned oatmeal with cream and butter on it for breakfast to be sure they're getting enough fat into their cells to stay at an ideal body weight. They also have more yogurt and higher carb fruits than I do like oranges and apples and occasionally a very hearty whole grain brown rice or mix of brown rices with butter on it, chick peas warm with butter and spices or in a salad with olive oil.

Your Dr. will probably not agree with what I've written here. Mr. Taubes addresses this in his book as well. But I am conveying here to you my own experience. Please email me with any questions or for references at joannehop@gmail.com.

Very lastly -really - I don't believe for a minute it was a coincidence that I was reading "Good Calories, Bad Calories" at the same time that I was diagnosed with such high blood pressure. God has his hand in all of my life as I belong to him and I thank and praise Him for giving me the answers before I knew I needed them!