My Low Carb Journey

Once upon a time there was a skinny girl who couldn't gain weight. She was short with an extra small frame and no meat on her bones. Her grandma used to call her "skinny legs". In high school she weighed 85 lbs. Her doctor prescribed a daily milkshake, but alas, it did not make a difference.

Then off she went to college, and over the next seven years she slowly gained seven pounds. After marrying her prince, she became enciente with her first child. In an effort to eat healthy, she ate lots of fruit, and drank fruit juice every morning. She thought her rapid weight gain was a bit odd, but her doctor reassured her that she was fine. On the sixth month of her pregnancy she had the standard glucose test, and was diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Too make a long story short, she delivered a healthy son by c-section, but retained the 75 lbs she gained.

Fast Forward 16 years later:

I started my journey nearly 100 lbs over weight. Due to my small frame and short height, I am considered obese. I've known for years that I was at risk for T2 diabetes, but in truth, I was partially in denial. When I first gained my weight, which was rather sudden (nine months), I had no idea what to do. I never had to worry about losing weight before. This was the height of the high carb / low fat movement. I ate pasta, bread, rice, beans, and low fat cuts of meat for years. I tried a number of different diets - Quick Weight Loss Centers (major waste of money), Weight Watchers (lost 10 pounds about five times), calorie counting (never worked), Body for Life (worked wonders but fell off the wagon due to outside circumstances), Atkins (lost at such a slow rate compared to DH that I assumed it wouldn't work for me), and Nutrisystem (did well until I had some real food), and then the last, and most successful weight loss - high blood sugar. That's right. The pounds came off drastically. Twenty pounds in one month. I suspected it was high blood sugar, but truthfully, I saw it as a beneficial side effect and I really didn't want to know.

Then Came the Bad Eyesight:

One day I was in Barnes and Noble with my daughter. I noticed my vision was off. I was struggling to see. I decided to check my BG when I got home. It was 464! Reality kicks in. I just got my wake up call.

My New Low Carb Life:

I immediately stopped eating processed food, bread, sugar, and flour. I ate meat and fish, low glycemic index vegetables, and a few berries. I went to the doctor and started taking Metaformin. It took about two weeks, but my BG finally got under control. During that time, my weight bounced back in forth from 2-4 pounds. It finally settled back down. I am now losing at the rate of one pound a week.

The Interference of TOM:

I was doing rather well until six days before TOM. My emotions kicked in and screamed out my frustrations. Symptom of achy legs, cramps, and headaches hit me before TOM arrived. Now I'm towards the end of TOM and finally beginning to whoosh. I am undergoing a number of tests to determine if an abulation procedure is right for me (it makes TOM go away).

Five Weeks of Low Carbing:

In addition to low carbing, I've added (and for once in my life stayed consistent) supplements (vitamins and minerals, fish oil, cinnamon, and ginko biloba). I drink herbal teas every night. I've experimented with coconut oil and apple cider vinegar. And I've started exercising.

The Results:

1. I am sleeping through the night.
2. I stopped having leg and foot cramps at night.
3. I have more energy in the afternoon.
4. I am slowly, but surely losing weight.
5. My blood sugar is under control.
6. I am actually eating a bigger variety of food than ever before.
7. I can see again.
8. My pants and shirts fit looser.
9. People are commenting on my weight loss, and noticing that I look like I feel better.
10. I am taking proactive measures to solve other health issues.

To be continued...