Just getting started!

So this is my first blog entry here at LCF. I decided to write here instead of on Facebook or Myspace or anyplace where people really won't care.
A little history about me:
I was raised on a small farm and grew up eating lots of meat and cheese (and pasta and potatoes), as a kid I was told (by my mother) that I was fat and she put me on many, many diets starting when I was 12. I went on weight watchers, nutrisystem, lemonade diet, cabbage soup diet... all of 'em. I just wish I could have seen myself in reality, because I was never THAT big as a kid ~ my mom is just anorexic!!

This kind of eating really screwed with my metabolism and I started gaining weight when I ate anything ~ blew up to 155 (5'5" tall) and then became pregnant. I actually lost 30lbs my first 4 months of pregnancy ~ although this may be because I was homeless during that time... it was the ONLY time I was able to lose any significant weight. Unfortunately, I gained it all back pretty quickly... and I continue to gain.

I had my gall bladder removed in 2000 and since then I've gained about 5lbs a year steadily and now I'm pushing 200 lbs.

I know for some, this may not seem as bad as others (who have more weight to lose) but my head was very manipulated and I never ate without feeling guilt... even still. All that guilt SUCKS! So a few years ago I decided I just didn't care. Since then I just don't go out very much because I'm so embarrassed by how I look ~ silly, I know... but it's real and I have panic attacks because of it.

Anyway... just recently I had some bloodwork done and found out I'm anemic, my blood sugar is a little high (111) and my triglycerides are high too (456). Because of all my symptoms (nausea, light headedness, acid reflux, constipation/diarreah, headaches, bloating, swollen feet and tongue, heart palpitations, anxiety, etc) I decided I need to change the way I eat because I don't want to take any medications.

So I've been doing my research for the last couple weeks and found that a low-carb diet could help me! In fact I read one book where the author had almost the same symptoms as me and she had great success with this diet. Luckily for me, I've already cut out coffee and refined white sugars and rice and flour ~ BUT I was still eating mostly carbs ~ like brown rice, rice pasta, quinoa, millet, etc. with LOTS of veggies and NO dairy and little meat. No wonder I'm not losing any weight!!

So I started very low carb eating on June 28, 2009 just a few days in... but already I've lost 3 pounds!! Not only that, I can lay down without throwing up from acid reflux!!! And I'm not waking up sore and achy all over and, best of all, it's been an easy diet change for me!!

The only thing I see as being a problem is eating too many veggies and bringing up the carb count too high ~ I gotta get a food scale already! Anyway ~ looking on this site and seeing so many before and after pics of real people is VERY MOTIVATING!! I need to take a pic of myself soon for my "before"... I'm looking forward to taking my "after" pic on my birthday (about 7 months from now) when I hopefully attain my goal of 135!

I hope to write whenever I get lazy... I don't want to cheat!! I know if I can get through the first few weeks, it should get easier.

All for now!
pchick