LC: A way of eating, or a way of life?
 

When I started LC last September, my hope was that I would drop 10 pounds and improve my triglyceride levels so I could eliminate the medication Tricor.
I suceeded way beyond expectations.
So far I have dropped 20 pounds and my lipid profile has improved in EVERY category.
I no longer consider LC a way of eating. It has become a way of life for me.
Oddly enough, it coincides with my becoming more spiritual in all areas of my life.
Is this a coincidence?
Has the detoxification of my body opened me to a higher awareness or the other way around?
Not that it matters. Currently my daily routine includes LC diet, prayer, meditaion, and exercise.
At 63, I am happier, healthier, and stronger than I have been in many, many years.
I am very grateful to Low Carb Friends for helping to guide me on this journey.

I'm glad you are doing so well, Avid.

Some social psychology theory suggests that if we make one change, then we become more open to making other, related changes. So, for example, if people begin to exercise, they often begin to eat a healthier diet not long after. So I suppose that would be one possible mechanism for a whole cascade of healthy changes. (See the book "The Power of Habit" for evidence on this.)

Great motivational factors for staying with your plan!

If it were only about weight loss, I would be long gone (haven't lost a lb. in more than 2 yrs). I have come to love the way I eat and feel so much better both physically and mentally. It is an easy choice for me.

Regulating the blood sugar goes a long way toward calming the mind.

Its my woe,my wol is much much more than just the foods I eat.LC has helped me in alot of ways and I've found it works for me but WOL to me means what I base my life on??Maybe I'm confusing the meaning:confused:

Wow Avid! Thank you for sharing this.

that makes my heart smile to read this ....... very happy for you ! :)

aww...i am smiling with tears flowing. i love reading stories like yours. very inspiring!!! thanks.

Avid that was beautifully said...it makes me feel so happy for you that you have reached such a good place in your life...thanks for sharing. I agree the people here are awesome and so willing to share every experience no matter how humiliating, or wonderful it can be.
I always know we can come here and get a truthful opinion from all who offer help.

Have a great day and stay happy!

Maybe I should clarify a bit.
What I meant is that my low carb woe is not just a weight loss diet.
I have incorporated low carb, no sugar, no grains, and more raw or
lightly processed foods into my lifestyle. I'm at a weight now that I haven't seen for thirty years. I could easily proclaim that my 'diet' has been a success and go back to eating portion controlled amounts of bread and pasta.
But no. That's just not who I am anymore.
I view low carb as lifestyle. I have increased vigor, eliminated some medications, virtually eliminated inflammatory conditions like joint pain,
and just feel like I have improved clarity of mind.
Again, I don't know which came first. Embarking on a spiritual path leading to healthy eating, or vice versa.
It doesn't really matter.
I just know that by any measure, I'm a healthier, happier person,
and for this I am sincerely grateful.

Ok-blonde moment;)I totally agree and I do focus alot of my time on LC and the support I get here,I feel if I didnt I wouldnt be seeing the success I am finally seeing !So glad you are so much more happy.I think LC suppresses depression,it does for me.

Thanks for sharing Avid. Very touching.......

I think I should print this and put it on my frig....I'm guilty of eating off plan as soon as I feel good. ??

Do you really think this woe eliminated your joint pain?

:high5:
Again, thank you.
Anna

Do you really think this woe eliminated your joint pain?


Absolutely!!
As a matter of fact it was the very first thing I did notice.
I admit that after reading "Wheat Belly" I thought many of the claims were far fetched.
Included in those claims was the elimination of joint pain.
For the past year I have had chronic knee pain. It was really getting me worried. My wife recently had knee replacement surgery and no way did I want to go through that.
While I still think some of the claims made by Dr. Davis in "Wheat Belly" are a bit over stated, his joint pain reduction was right on the money.
Within a week of eliminating gluten, grains, and starches from my diet
my knee pain was gone.
Seriously G-O-N-E !!!!
I was pleasantly surprised. I have been LC for about six months now and only occassionaly will I get a "twinge" in my knee.
I hope you get similar results.

I think most, if not all of us, come to low carb as a diet to lose weight, but many of us STAY because we learn how great it feels to eat more healthfully. It becomes a way of life.

Congratulations on your great results. You probably gave yourself 20 more years of active, healthy life.

Even among ketogenic diet detractors, it's accepted that carbs are generally inflammatory to body systems, particularly the simple carbs. Depending on the reason for joint pain, I would expect them to be lessened by eliminating them from the diet.

I have found my weight loss journey to be spiritual, physical, intellectual, and emotional. I feel empowered in all four areas.

Good post. I just had my fasting labs done and got the results. The bad cholestoral was 210 and the good cholestoral was 101 so not too bad I just wish I knew what it was a year ago when I began this woe, however years ago when I had labs I remember it being like 230. Blood sugar was perfect but vitamin D level was 10 severly deficiant, the worse case the doctor had ever seen but I never go out in the daylight if I can help it so other than that my labs just go to show this woe is perfect for me!

I'm glad that you had improvements and got the vitamin D deficiency diagnosed. Based on what others have told me, you may have a huge improvement in how you feel, as your Vitamin D levels get back in the proper range. Sublingual Vitamin D seems to work better for many people than capsules or tablets.

I have to take 10,000 IU of Vitamin D daily (in gelcap form) to keep my levels anywhere near the acceptable range. It's been a years-long struggle to get it up above the teens, and keep it there.

Thanks svenskamae, I hope so! Ntombi I just started taking the same dose your taking, walgreens is having a sale bogo 1/2 off so you might want to check that out!

One of the ways I fight temptation to eat carbs is to imagine each bite of starch and sugar as a squadron of sneaky little Ninjas that descend upon my arthritic knees and ankles and begin slicing into them with little knives. NO NINJAS ALLOWED!!!

Congratulations! I agree, low carb is a way of life. I am diabetic and low carb is the only way I can keep my blood glucose levels down.

Beyond the weight loss, which has been tremendous, I am quick to tell everyone, that even if I didn't loose any weight on this eating plan, the other health benefits are more than worth it. So, yeah, I will be staying on this plan forever. I can't believe that food can have such a dramatic effect the way you feel.

I'm happy it's working so well for you! I am a true believer, myself. And I'd say my primary reason for doing this is for health. I am grateful, also, to be fitting into some old clothes I'd missed wearing. But I will stick with this even if the weightloss slows or stops.

I'm gonna have to check out this book. I've been reading a lot lately about the psychological aspects of dieting and binging and changing habits and such. And some of these books have given me little tricks and tools and new ways to think about things that seem helpful.

Isn't 101 a stellar HDL??? My lipid panel has kinda gone straight to hell since starting this WOE. Everything was quite good a few years ago, but now my LDL has gone way up and my HDL has tanked. My triglycerides are still okay, thank god. But as I said, I'm a true believer. I just got these bad results this week, and my plan is to redouble my efforts to do this right.

I have lost complete interest in high carb foods, It wouldn't bother me at all to never again eat a piece of bread, french fries, icecream chocolate. Or even bananas which I used to eat by the dozens. But right now my biggest issue is social eating. I am so sensitive to carbs that when I eat out, I can basically only eat lettuce, drowned in oil or a carb free salad dressing with a bit of protein, preferably cheese.

If I could eat at home all the time, it would be the best way of life for sure:stars:

Will our society ever be more LC? Or are we destined to be HC/LF forever?

I don't know Rubidoux Im about to google and find out I hope so.

Avid....
 

I just read your original post and wanted to let you know that it warmed my heart....:hugs:

Yes, its good to be reminded of how much good low carbing has done for us. I used to get pain in my hands and Knees. No sign of it for the last 3 years. Less sleep needed. This forum keeps me in line as far as portion control. I would never go back to high carb.

I am a definite believer in how much better a person can feel in the LC WOL. I had terrible heartburn for years. Gone
Foot and knee pain. Gone
Prediabetic A1C. Gone
Poor sleep. Gone
Two different statin drugs daily. Gone

Yes.
The person who coined the phrase "You are what you eat"
was spot on.