LCHF Testimonials
Here is a page dedicated to LCHF testimonials. Leave a comment on how LCHF has worked for you. Your story may just inspire one more person to give LCHF a go. It may just help one more person regain their health and reduce their medication. It may just help one more person to lose that weight they have struggled to lose all their life. If you are starting LCHF today for the very first time, imagine yourself in 6 months and what changes you have made and the health benefits you have gained. You can do this. Little by little, step by step, strive for improvement, not perfection.
If you are new here, this page may help answer the questions you may have, and this page will help you get started. Get ready to stock your pantry and let’s do this. There is so much support, tip and tricks over on Facebook, so join us there too and subscribe for FREE recipes each time I post them.
- How much weight have you lost?
- What other symptoms have cleared?
- Have you come off any medication?
- Has your diabetes control improved?
- Have you reversed your pre diabetes or Type 2 diabetes?
- Has you IBS, dermatitis, PCOS, fertility improved?
- How is your mood and concentration?
- How long have you battled with weight or with other symptoms that lead you to discover LCHF?
- And finally, how has Ditch The Carbs helped you? What have you discovered? What recipes are your favourite?
I would love you to share my website with friends and family who need some help with weight or health issues. As a registered pharmacist, I truly believe I have helped more people in the last 2 years reduce (and in some cases stop) their medication, than the last 25 years dispensing it.
With many thanks, Libby x
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Rodney W Boyles says
Lots of great comments. I have only known about this site about six months. Am a type 2 diabetic trying to lower A1C levels and to quit medications. Long story short, Last Christmas, all the holiday sweets led to sleepless nights due to diabetic pain in my legs. Since Jan. 1, when we cut all processed grain foods from our diet, I have lost over 50 lbs. I do miss potatoes and crackers with my soups. But, my A1C went from 6.9 down to 5.9 is six months. I have lost four sizes in my clothes and have quit my high blood medication and my high blood sugar meds. The challenge is learning how to bake and cook without flour sugar or cornmeal. But, it can be done. Looking forward to losing another forty or fifty lbs. I do not exercise or play sports, and as soon as I start up, the weight should continue to fall off.
Leonie Johnston says
I’ve had type 1 diabetes for 33 years (I turned 64 last week) and have been playing competitive racquetball for the last 20 years. I’d been a conscientious, fit, healthy and well controlled diabetic who religiously followed the dietary guidelines, including carbohydrate loading before exercise, until about 10 years ago.
It was then that I started to question the logic of having to insulin load so much before exercise. Doing this meant I risked going hypoglycaemic (low sugar) when I started playing racquetball because I still had active insulin onboard. To avoid this scenario, I needed to eat 3 hours earlier, which meant an impractical 4pm-ish dinner. I spoke to my diabetic educator about seriously reducing my carb intake generally, and in particular before sport, (therefore reducing my insulin needs) but both she and the SA Diabetic Association dieticians recommended & reinforced the guidelines & discouraged the idea.
It didn’t make sense to me so I starting reading about the implications of low carb eating, particularly if it was going to be detrimental to brain function, and I became confident enough to totally drop bread, pasta, potatoes and rice from my diet. I closely monitored my blood glucose levels and not only did my insulin needs reduce but it also resulted in some appreciated weight loss.
My bio-markers remained constant, I felt fine and had the energy to still play good racquetball so my doctors were happy with me. At this stage I was basically eating healthy, real food, avoiding processed food and eliminating the high starch carbs mentioned earlier. I ate this way for 7+ years.
During Diabetic week three years ago, I heard a woman on the radio (a listener who rang in, not a guest speaker) talking about Doctor Richard Bernstein’s book -that every diabetic (type1 & type2) should read. In itself this was great to hear because, rarely, is type 1 ever spoken about these days because of the rising epidemic status of type2 diabetes.
Her enthusiasm motivated me enough to purchase the book, “Dr Bernstein’s Diabetic Solution. The complete guide to achieving normal blood sugars”, which in turn led me to discover the ketogenic diet followed by the controversial issue of high cholesterol, heart disease & the statin drug treatment.
For the last 18 months I’ve been eating LCHF, convinced by the many YouTube seminars I’ve listened to & books I’ve read that this is the way to go. Neither my GP or Endocrinologist is happy with my high cholesterol readings but acknowledge that it’s my decision to choose not to take their advice of statin medication, even though it doesn’t really sit easy with me to blatantly go against their ‘expert’ advice.
I heard Dr Peter Brukner on the radio in May this year talking about his new book, “A Fat Lot of Good” which summarises the history of all the issues I’d been reading/worrying/agonising about for so long. It also reinforced decisions I’d made to disregard the wayward dietary guidelines (that ill-informed governments have burdened us with for far too long). It truly was a “YAHOO!” moment for me. I purchased the book and was glued to it – underlining many “YES!” facts and statements. In it he recommended “Ditch the Carbs” as the top website for recipes and support for those eating LCHF so since then I’ve been an avid follower and really appreciative subscribed member.
I have continued to gain confidence when speaking with my doctor and endocrinologist about how I’m successfully managing my diabetes (without their full support) and have really enjoyed experimenting with so many different and very delicious recipes. This has certainly made it very easy to keep life interesting, tasty and healthy. My husband, who’s non-diabetic, eats the same meals as me and he doesn’t feel as though he’s missing out on anything. My weight has remained constant but the added fat in my diet has certainly helped with staying satisfied, rather than hanging out for the next meal or snack.
The ironic thing is that I’m one of the healthiest of all my peers, both racquetball players and others, even though I’ve had a chronic condition for 33 years – and it’s predominantly because I’m living a LCHF life.
Some of our favourite regular dinner recipes are: Spinach & Cream Cheese Chicken, Low Carb Cheese Steak Stuffed Mushrooms, Chicken Pesto Roll-Ups, Keto Lasagne with Zucchini Noodles, Slow Cooker Malaysian Beef Curry with Cauliflower Rice, Low Carb Beef Stroganoff.
Jessica says
Hello,
I have been doing LCHF for almost 7 months now. I have lost 3stone 7lb and feeling better than ever! Your site has been so helpful for me and I am always looking for new recipes to introduce into my diet. I am doing LCHF alongside exercise so overall feeling so much more active and no longer dread walking to places.
One thing I am still struggling with unfortunately is spots. I went to the doctors before starting my weight loss and they always told me it was to do with diet. Ii’s now been 7 months and I have stopped wearing makeup in the week also as a last bid to help! At least now I know this isn’t down to an unhealthy diet and will be telling my doctor so! ha ha
Tiara says
We’re a gaggle of volunteers and opening a new scheme in our community.
Your web site provided us with useful info to work on. You have performed
a formidable activity and our entire group
shall be grateful to you.
Lynn Marie says
L over this website. Thank you so much for all the wonderful help you have given me. 3 months in and 30 lbs down. Just took my entire closet to Goodwill yesterday. I am happier every day. Still have 40 to go so looks like my new wardrobe will be donated this fall. Went on LC to help my sister win a challenge at her work. 2 weeks after I started I found out that she did not. My weight went down and hers is going up. I occasionally fall off the wagon, like during Spring Break, but once back home the 2 lbs I gained came right off.
My blood sugar is more stable. Carbs used to cause me to bottom out and often pass out daily.
I am shopping in Misses and not Plus department now and love that feeling.
Love mashed cauliflower and ribs. Shrimp and chef salads are my staples.
My siblings all get together for brunch on Sundays. This has always been a real meal. Since I started this diet one sister has started bringing potato chips as “an appetizer” which before I started LC was cheese, olives, veggies Etc… Having a hard time getting her to understand that I don’t want food like that in my house. Oh well! I am stronger now, have more willpower and hopefully will hit my goal weight before the end of the year.
MorganB. says
Hello! I’m pretty new to this site, but so excited to have found you! I started a ketogenic diet a little over 6 weeks ago. So far, I’ve had great success. I’ve lost 16 pounds and over 7 inches in total. I started the Keto diet because I had bloodwork come back showing I’m prediabetic and have very low thyroid enzymes…and I’m barely 33! Knowing that these health conditions run in my family I decided to make changes to hopefully turn my health around. I am also hopeful I won’t have to start any medications, fingers crossed.
I officially started on Feb. 2, 2018 and weighed 182.2. Now as of March 24th, 2018, I weight 165. I also incorporate a ratio of 18:6 intermittent fasting, smaller portions and keep my calories to less then 1400. I supplement with exegenous ketones and no carb electrolytes and work out on the elliptical 3 days a week for 45 mins. I make sure that I keep my heart rate between 130-150 for ultimate fat-burning cardio. I always workout in a fasted state, usually around 10am and wait to eat until 1pm. When I drink enough water, I have ZERO cravings after my fasted workout. It’s a whole new world that I didn’t no existed!! It’s a world where I don’t have to depend on food to feel good, I don’t crave, or struggle with afternoon fatigue. Plus the energy is so through the roof. I can’t imagine going back to the sugar-dependent eating. I’ve never felt better!! My goals are to loose another 20-25 pounda and continue to turn my blood work numbers around!! I’ve used several recipes from this site that have been delicious! Just tried the carrot cake recipe for Easter! Can’t wait to have a LC holiday meal!!!
Teri says
Hi! Would you be willing to share what exactly you eat in a day and when you eat? I’m trying to eat keto and combine it with intermittent fasting and I’m so confused as to WHAT and WHEN to eat!!! I find myself not eating because I’m confused about everything!! That would help me so much if you are willing to share! Thanks!
Lori says
Breakfast / lunch
1.5 oz mixed greens
1.5 oz cucumber
1.5 oz cherry tomato
30 g feta cheese
1 TBSP cocunut oil on salad
6 oz cooked pure beef burger
Salt & pepper to taste
Lunch / Dinner
1 can tuna
TBSP mayo
4 slices bacon
30 g shredded cheddar cheese
Romaine lettuce leaves
Put everything into lettuce wrap for a tuna wrap
Get an Instagram account and go to #ketofoods for thousands of ideas, or to http://www.dietdoctor.com
Ellen says
Hi, I found this website while looking into low carb bread substitutes for my son. He is 8 years old and recently diagnosed with ASD and ADHD (inattentive). We’d been trying different things including GFDF and have been including camel milk when and where we could afford it. I found a new supplier of camel milk late in 2017 and during a conversation with the supplier he said that we’d wouldn’t see good results without improving his diet and gave suggestions which sounded very much like keto. So here I am. The whole family (me, husband and both kids) reduced our carb intakes significantly and both my husband and I felt we had lost some bloating in the stomach area. I lost two kg without even thinking about it. We saw a fairly quick improvement in temperament from our ASD boy and concentration improved. Last week we went on a road trip and fell off the wagon a few times. Both husband and I began to feel bloated again and my ASD boy became more emotionally unstable again and increased stimming behaviour. Even my 4 year old has become more cranky. So we’re getting back into it. I’ve found your website a valuable source of recipes for replacing all those useless empty carb foods we were eating before.
ilahb says
When did you start your Low Carb Diet? 9/1/2017
How much weight have you lost? As of today 10 lbs.
What other symptoms have cleared? I was merely over weight with no illnesses. (thank God)
Have you come off any medication? I take no medication. I am 53. I started so I never have to.
How is your mood and concentration? My attitude has changed. I was in a really bad place prior to 9/1/2017. BAD place emotionally, mentally, spiritually, Foggy Brain …
How long have you battled with weight or with other symptoms that lead you to discover LCHF? Ever since I had children. They are 27, 26, and 22. I was 100 lbs. prior to my first pregnancy.
And finally, how has Ditch The Carbs helped you? What have you discovered? What recipes are your favourite?
I do not have a favoite. You see, I have a condition (my bad place) called Anosmia and it manifested itself January 2016. I do not have the ability to smell or taste. AT ALL … My olfactory nerves/cells are completely gone. I do have taste buds but, without smell, there is no taste. I cannot smell spoiled food, or a gas leak. Ya, it’s like that. I can tell if it’s ice cream but I cannot tell you if it is chocolate or vanilla. I cannot smell coffee, my hairspray in the morning or exhaust fumes. The house will fill with smoke before I notice if I am not visually paying attention. Yes, it is like that! It is unnerving! I had to come to terms with it. I was eating, the past 1 1/2 years , out of control in hopes that just that next bite, that next bite, that next bite, I will be able to “will” myself to taste again. I miss smells i misst being able to smell a flower, or Spaghetti or garlic or – even exhaust fumes.
I was told, after a myriad of testings, scans, mri’s, steroids, and a bunch of other stuff, to find the cause, that my situation, due to a 3 day fever of 101 or higher (for the 3 days) is the cause of my condition of Anosmia.
So, what is my favorite? I do not have one. I know for a fact that I would not be eating Ketogenic or low carb if I had my olfactory nerves in tact. So, I am at a point, now, (the last month) with tears in my eyes, that I have decided, “If you cannot beat it, join it” .. I need to lose 100 lbs and get my body (aka health) in a better place.
I have about 90 lbs to go and I never want to look back. I know, now, that I will never again taste pasta, a donut, “real” chocolate cake, spaghetti, my meatloaf, mash potaotes. and a huge list of other stuff. I cannot and I will never be able to. I am resolved.
and NOW, I am ABSOLUTELY ok with it. I am happy and I am in a MUCH MUCH better place. I cook still, I bake still. (Just took a low carb bread from the oven, for breakfast tomorrow morning, lightly toast and some (real) butter, cup of coffee and I’ll be set til lunch)
Happy … I am thankful, and I am grateful – In Everything Give Thanks for this IS the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
I am thankful. I actually, at this point would be very sad if my Anosmia were to be cured. I would be afraid I would revert back to my old ways. SO, I am taking advantage of my situation that took me 18 months to figure out!
That’s my story and it is just starting… I cannot wait for the ending. woo hoo!
Siobhan Kearney says
Did you try taking zinc? I lost my sense of smell after taking prednisone for 5 or 6 days. Many stresses can cause zinc levels to be depleted and there is a chance of restoring a sense of smell once zinc levels are repleted. I was lucky that I worked for a nutritionist at the time who was able to share the zinc connection with me and lucky that mine came back. Zinc is also relatively inexpensive. Good luck.
Daisy Hamilton says
Hi Libby,
This is the second time I am trying this way of living. I tried to before, in march, with two goals in mind: control my carbohydrate addiction and lose weight. I have been using MyFitnessPal to keep a record, lost over half a stone quite quickly and then hit a plateau for four weeks, after which time, I gave up. I got through the summer by returning to my old habits and now am determined to give it another go, as I feel so out of control with my eating. After one week, I have lost no weight at all, but have pushed through the carbohydrate withdrawals and feel less hungry and am back to cooking. I realised, just like the first time, that cheese and cream are my downfall, so I will have to cut down on cheese and ban the cream. I have four stone of weight to lose, as I have lupus and find exercise exhausting most of the time. I do a lot of walking in my job, so that is good. I love your comments and emails and look forward to reading them. Thank you!
Cyndi says
Hi, my name is Cyndi and I am a type2 diabetic. I have been lchf for about 6 months. Weight loss has been very slow but all my blood work has improved dramatically. My A1c has gone from 6.6 to 5.2 a non diabetic level. I have been able to cut my metformin in half and was able to discontinue my oneblood pressure medicine and decrease the other.I feel great and this way of eating is sustainable for me.I love this web site lots of good information and recipes.
Anne says
You had high cholesterol and you were ok to eat high fat? So many people say high fat will harm you if your cholesterol is high, so that is why I was shying away from LCHF….but if it actually lowered your cholesterol then maybe I can do LCHF way of life.
Annette says
You need to start reading up on cholesterol. Dr. Aseem Malhotra has some good articles on it. Basically: high cholesterol in itself doesn’t really mean anything. But don’t take my word on it, read the experts. But fat doesn’t worry me anymore (the good ones that is).
Sue says
Hi all,
My name is Sue.
I have been doing the LCHF diet for a couple weeks or so now.
I have been struggling with my weight and A1C numbers.
My doctor had said I would have to go on Metformin if I
did not get my A1C down again,.,
Yesterday I went to see the doctor and have my labs done.
The results were fantastic…My A1C went down 0.6 points
and is no longer in the diabetes range…back to pre-diabetes.
Also, no Metformin!!!
I am still struggling with losing the weight and the inches, but that will come
once my health improves from the inside out!
Lori says
I have to say that success on keto is just committing to not eat breads, grains, root vegetables, rice and potatoes. Perspective can’t be what you may be missing, but what you can change, you don’t want to go back to eating high carb foods, you want to take the time to learn a new way of eating. Go back to basics and remember calories count. So track your food intake with myfitnesspal and keep carbs below 20 grams a day, count gross carbs not net carbs so you don’t disillusion yourself.
Keep calm and keto on!
Leeanne says
I have been LCHF for 3 weeks. I have lost 7 lbs and gave noticed reduced inflammation in my hands which I had been having a lot of trouble with. I started because my wife was diagnosed with borderline diabetes. I started eating this way to support her but I am now fully invested in it. I was a huge carboholic so this is huge for me. I have tried many of the recipes already and am extremely grateful for this resource. Keep up the great work!
Teri says
Great job! I’m right behind you. Going to clear out the pantry and jump on board. Hope the inflammation in my hands and other parts of my body go down too. Thanks for sharing! I always love to read positive articles. It may just get me motivated sooner than later, hopefully . Good day to you ❣
Harriet says
Please help me. I have been on low carb for about 3 weeks and have lost 2 pounds. I am disappointed in the weight loss although my blood glucose (I have Type I diabetes) is GREAT. I want to lose probably 15 to 20 pounds. What am I doing wrong? I typically follows the three ebooks that I downloaded from the website with a few nuts in-between. I don’t know what to do at this point. I also joined the gym and workout/exercise about 4 x a week. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks, Harriet
Sam says
Harriet
My wife is Type 1 as well. Her endocrinologist told her that the artificial insulin she takes hinders weight loss. She’s been on this diet for 4 months and losing about a half pound per week. Keep at it it’ll eventually come off. She has reduced the amount of insulin she takes by more than half.
Nick says
30 minutes of fasted cardio. Doesn’t have to be running or jogging but a brisk walk will help out tremendously. Try consuming your carbs within 1 hour of post work out. Remember low carb not no carb. It is still very important to consume carbs just “good carbs”. Ive been doing lchf for a couple of weeks I have dropped 2 pants sizes but haven’t lost weight. That’s due to my high protein intake. So I ah e dramatically lost fat. And screw the scale! One last thing try to consume 1-2 gal of water.
Christine says
You’re a dude… of course you’re going to lose 2 pants sizes in 2 weeks. Try being a woman and trying this diet. not as easy to lose.
Linda says
You don’t have much to lose. Be patient and it will come off. Your blood glucose numbers are great.
Geoff says
Hi, I’ve been lchf for nearly 7 months and have lost 20kg. I’m sitting around 85kg now and would like to drop maybe 5kg more, although a few people have told me that I’d look too skinny then. I was pretty much sugar free before going lchf so it wasn’t too difficult, and I honestly don’t miss pasta, potato, rice etc. In fact my 3yo son kept demanding that I have some of his buttered bread the other day and I thought it was awful! Thanks to people like Libby I’m finding heaps of tasty recipes and alternatives. There are some tough times in the early weeks but once your body adjusts it’s one positive after another.
Lindsay Woods says
Well Libby in February 2016 an Orthopedic surgeon said I was too young (66) for a knee replacement and I needed to loose weight. He sent me to a Dr who introduced me to LCHF and gave me some recipies to cook. In searching for variation I came accross your website and one of the first recipies was Shepherds Pie. Now my goto lunch to take to work. I have managed to drop 25kgs in weight very much helped by you endless recipies. So thank you I read everything I can on this subject and you have made me investigate even further. Your article on Almonds was enlightening as I understand Omega6 vs Omega3 so I do not eat as many almond. In Feb 2016 I would take steps one at a time. No longer is that necessary. Thanks to your website I do not find this way of life difficult to follow. I have passed you website onto many people so keep up the good work.
Obakeng says
Hi Lindsay
So how much have you lost all together now? Have your knee pains disappeared? I have hip issues and I am obese, I am doing everything I can to avoid surgery as I am only 29 yrs old. I have been on LCHF for 2 weeks now lost a lil bit but I just need assurance that weight loss does ease joint pains.
Kind Regards
Cindy says
Hi
I don’t know if this is the best place to leave a comment and ask for help and I hope you read it soon.
My husband and I started eating LCHF nearly 2 months ago with my son(9) eating fairly low carb with us and I wanted to put all my thoughts and results down as well as share some worries etc.
We have been fairly strict but never count carbs but know and understand what’s high and what not to include so think we have been pretty good.
Both my husband and I have lost weight, though I didn’t have a weight problem but my husband wanted to lose his belly as we know that belly fat may mean organ fat.
We are now at an ideal weight and saw a fairly quick result but don’t want to lose any more but we alre not sure how to keep low carb and high fat if wantto stabilise.
I have always been fairly healthy and have regularly researched health and diet and understand and know quite a bit about the function of our bodies and often bore people with health advice that they rarely ask for, but I am passionate and committed to it though some would say I obsess!
I work as a health care assistant in a hospital environment so do see a lot of illness and disease and often have to support people after doctors have shared bad news with them.
I can admit that there is a fear of disease for myself and my family which drives my passion for health and truly believe that food and lifestyle is the key which I will talk about to whoever wants to listen.
Now the problems I faced with this new way of eating is,though I fully agree and understand the science behind it, that I have not had a lot of positive effects.
My previously erratic blood sugar spikes and lows have been better but
I have had a knot in my stomach since I started that feels like heart burn and often comes up into my throats which has made me fell ill most of the time.
I LOVE cream and butter and have relished in having it in my coffee and butter on various things as well as cream with strawberries as dessert.
This has seemed to make me feel more ill and so decreased my appetite.
I have pushed through thinking I will get used to it and it’s my body adjusting but it hasn’t really gone though I now think I need to watch dairy as it may be the cause.
The other things I have been struggling with are that my energy levels have not only gone down but I am so tired, I can’t stay awake past 9pm and often have to rest in afternoon to help me get through.
I also do still have brain fog which I again thought would clear once my body adjusted.
My mood had changed and though I used to have marked dips in mood before my menstual period, this time has lasted for over a month along with low libido( I always had a high one before) which is very upsetting and very difficult for my husband and generally I know my children have noticed that I am not myself.
To top it all I went to the doctor because of my stomach problem and low mood and I found out that my blood test results were not good yesterday.
I live in England so they have a different way they record cholesterol measurements but my numbers were total-7.29, HDL 1.6, LDL 4.94, and triglycerides 1.64.
I was devastated and had a long chat with the doctor and she said that I should cut out bacon and processed meat and eat oats which lowers cholesterol.
After I discussed this with my husband we researched lots of websites last night and tried to understand why my results were so high and I had been so good and what this means for me and us.
I think as I am not wanting to lose any more weight and the ,fact that my stomach maybe doesn’t agree with the high fat I would try having oats a bit more but stay on LCHF with cutting down on bacon, which is goin to be tough as I loved having fry ups with my son and enjoyed it guilt free.
What are your thoughts and what do I do with this information?
I do understand that there is a lot of scientific research that tries to prove that high cholesterol doesn’t cause heart disease but there are such conflicts and my dad had a major heart attack in his 50s and my mum had a stroke just recently and was told that one of her arteries was clogged and told to cut down on the very thing I am eating lot of.
My son has also had some interesting changes since changing his diet.
He has cutout sugar and has some bread and fruit, but has lot of veggies and cheese and meat instead of pasta etc.
He does see his dad half of the time who still give him carbs and sugar but I am slowly teaching him about it. The sad thing is we hav noticed that his mood has changed and is very grumpy and angry and often doesn’t want to eat. He also seems to have less energy and often complains that his legs get tired.
He was a very active ,normal boy who plays football twice a week and is often out on his scooter after school.
It’s worrying as I understand that he still needs some cabs and it is process and I do trust that eventually he will be telling his dad that he doesn’t want carbs and sugar, but in the mean time I am not sure if we are doing right for him as he’s not a happy boy, which is upsetting.
The other interesting thing is that my husband who totally understands the science but can’t stomach high fat, so has just been cutting down on portion size and cut out carbs almost completley( he can’t do without his apple and orange after lunch) and has lost weight markedly and has had no side effects at all!!!! He hasn’t noticed a change of energy or brain fog or feeling hungry, basically no difference at all. Don’t understand it at all????
Sorry for the long messa.ge but I needed to let you know all the background.
Please help.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Hi Cindy, wow you sure have a lot going on. There are two main aspects that need to be resolved.
First – the medical problems need to be addressed with a full clinical review by a low carb medical professional who will understand your blood results, your current diet and can advise you accordingly. It sounds like there is a family history that would need to be taken into account which should be full and thorough. It will be confusing to be living LCHF yet be getting standard conflicting low fat and high carb advice from your doctor. I would look at this website which is run by an award winning low-carb GP in the UK, she may be able to point you in the direction of a low-carb GP or dietician in your area. From there you will be able to get a full picture of what is going on.
The second problem I see, is the discomfort with eating so much fat. I can help you with this one. Many see LCHF as a licence to over eat fat. We should only eat fat until full, not bloated, not sick and certainly no discomfort. You now relish having it in your coffee, on berries etc etc, you may be overdoing the fat. Eat only enough to make you comfortably full. If a creamy coffee is enjoyed, are you still eating lunch out of habit or hunger? Maybe you are feeling discomfort due to still being full from the creamy coffee or similar fatty snack perhaps? Are you tracking your carbs? You say your blood sugars are more stable but are you still having highs and lows? Are some carbs creeping back in to give you the highs then the energy slump later in the evening? I would do a full and 100% completely honest food diary and monitor what you are eating with your blood sugar results. A huge number of people who do not experience the results they hope, when they do a food diary, realise they are low carb, but not as low carb as they thought which just a little tweaking of food and eating will resolve.
Why not join my closed Low Carb Support Group where you can ask more questions privately, there are so many people there who have been in incredibly similar situations.
Cindy says
Hi again
Thanks for the reply, I don’t want a Facebook account so won’t be able to join the support group.
I do only eat when hungry and often after I have eaten to satisfaction I get this odd feeling and sometimes feel weak even when I don’t have a lot of fat.
As my husband has decided to just keep his carbs low and not eat high fat as he just can’t face it, after a life of cutting off the fat off meat and never liking cream or butter after being forced to drink warm school milk, we don’t have very fatty meals and I just add cheese it butter if I feel like it.
My 9 year old would eat high fat but my daughter(17) has point blank said she cannot do this plan as she goes out with friends a lot and there is just too much temptation.
And she doesn’t want to eat high fat and normal carbs.
I have had to accept that she will know the principles of good eating and take it into adulthood and can decide for herself.
So our meals have to satisfy all of us.
Today I have had grain free granola, creamy coffee at 11 and scrambled egg and 1 slice low carb bread for lunch.
Tonight I am having stir fry which is pretty low fat but may add extra olive oil.
That’s a pretty normal day but also have lots of salads with cheese or egg or cold meat and leftovers for lunch.
So not sure what I am doing wrong.
Ah I do seem to crave things in evenings so do have plain full fat yogurt with Berries or cream and I have made low carb desserts which I sometimes have.
I have felt very unsatisfied since I have started as food was a big part of my enjoyment so I gues I am looking for that same thing.
I do still feel hungry during the day so I do have a handful of nuts or carb free baking etc. Every now and then though not every day.
Is that too much?
michelle says
i found what worked I got my macros done which means I know how much fat protein and carbs I need to eat
Molly says
Cindy,
I have found that once in a while (maybe timed to my menstrual cycle? Not sure yet…) I have tummy troubles from eating higher fiber foods like nuts and greens. I just have to make sure I pay attention and don’t get overenthusiastic with the salads and nuts just because I want the micronutrients. I also drink a TON of coffee all morning with lots of heavy cream and I know that contributes to every other symptom I still experience. Personally, I seem to thrive on full fat dairy (grass-fed cream, greek yogurt & butter) so I’m going to continue to experiment with other ways to consume cream and butter while reducing my coffee intake to something resembling reasonable. I suspect if I can summon the willpower to cut back on my pot-a-morning and sometimes half-another-in-the-afternoon habit the stress to my adrenals will decrease.
Maggie says
Please go visit
Diet doctor
Watch the mivie the big fat fix
It’s a documentary from a cardiologist who explains so well what causes heart attract
How it works
How to lower the build up in your arteries
Many good interviews
Also you may need more salt
Also I had some heart burn and started to take
Digestive enzymes to help or drink kefir
For kids they do need carbs they are growing
But fruit carbs etc
Hope this helps
Feel better soon
Ps. To reduce the plaque on the artieries
Drink cold pressed extra virgin olive oil and extra virgin coconut oil and add handful of almonds
According to the heart doc !
Lindsay says
It’s really simple give up potatoes, rice, pasta, bread and sugar and you are 90% there. The expensive part is buying new clothes. You should be wary even of artificial sweetners as the metabolic pathway that signals the brain that you want food is the same for sugar as for any artificial sweetner. The only difference is the sweetner has no carbs. Along with Libbys great recipies there is now a Low carb Diet Cook book put out by the CSIRO in Australia which topped the best seller list last week. The scientific analysis in the book from clinical studies is interesting. They still haven’t gotten away totally from Omega 6 fatty acids but they will one day. Good luck and don’t give up it all works and more science is backing it up.
Nanette Franz says
I was close to being diagnosed as obese, though I did not look it. I have metabolic syndrome, so my doctor was always telling me to lose weight and quit smoking. I started on Whole30/Paleo and lost about 30 lbs. I slid back into my old eating habits, and while I did not gain back weight, I was not eating healthy. I thought I was doing ok. For about a year I had been having bizarre symptoms which doctors kept treating as sinus, allergies, GERD(?), ulcers(???). 5 different doctors to be exact. Nothing they did/prescribed worked. I was semi-miserable. I finally went to a neurologist thinking I had MS, ALS or some neurological malfunction. After talking with me for 3 hours, running several tests(blood included), she deduced, that while I had carpal tunnel syndrome, my blood sugar level was a fraction away from being deemed high enough to be diabetic. Not one other doctor had bothered to look at that in the entire year I had been complaining about my symptoms. She said that my higher blood sugar was causing my other symptoms. She told me to quit smoking(knew that) and lose 10 lbs and she’ll see me in 6 weeks. Not only have I quit smoking, I went to a strict low carb eating lifestyle to control my blood sugar(Dr. Richard Bernstein 6-12-12). I have not gained any weight, in fact, I’ve lost about 4 lbs just following this method of eating. My symptoms have pretty much disappeared and my blood glucose looks good on my monitor. We’ll see when I go back to the doctor.
This is the best lifestyle change I have done, other than quitting smoking. Once you get used to it and learn to eat and cook around processed/high carbohydrate foods, you will be amazed at what and how much you can eat. It will take some adjustment and it may frustrate your spouse/family. My husband can eat anything, I can’t, so many times I cook separately. We’re dealing with it after I told him I was going to become very ill if I did not change my eating habits and I did not want him changing my diapers later in life. He concurred.
Be patient, it’s not for everybody, but it worked for me. Do the research, talk to you doctor, see what happens.
Marion says
On May 4, 2015, I went into the ER with an angina attack, pain in back of my throat, radiating into the jaw. No heart attack, no heart damage, but major blockages, so they scheduled me for a double cardiac bypass. In the ER, before they’d admitted me, a nurse asked “did you know you’re diabetic?” Huh. Didn’t know. My BG was 360 and my A1c was 11.6. So they immediately put me on Metformin, a statin and a beta-blocker. After my heart surgery, they added a blood thinner to that cocktail. In hospital though, their idea of a “diabetic” meal was very lean chicken with pasta or mashed potatoes and applesauce, a slice of bread, plus a sugar-free cobbler for desert. Luckily, I wasn’t very hungry anyway at that point. As soon as I was out of hospital, I went LCHF, which was easy… I couldn’t stand up long enough to cook, so my stepson’s wife cooked for my daughter, while I ate cold cuts, low-carb protein shakes with a few berries thrown in and some chia for fiber, boiled eggs and bagged salads. By that August, my A1c was 6.3, and I was down 51lbs.
I started working out as soon as I could… walking on a treadmill in cardiac rehab, then around the neighborhood, then as soon as I was allowed to lift anything heavier than a toothbrush, some light resistance training at the gym.
The past six months or so, though, I’ve been really struggling, giving in to temptation, making excuses not to work out. No one else in my household of 8 people eat low carb or care to try it. I’ve put back on ten pounds. My BG is not quite as in control as it was. Even my husband will say “one beer while you’re out to dinner won’t hurt you…” I’m here to tell you, yes, yes it will, because once you start eating just a little more carb, one beer, just a couple of chips, one french fry … the cravings come back in full force. I don’t even have to be hungry to hear my husband’s Oreos calling me from the cupboard. Sugar is a highly addictive drug! So this week, back to being religiously strict. A couple of days of almost no carbs and lots and lots of fat (olive oil, coconut oil, butter) to get the cravings in check, then introduce more leafy greens, zucchini, other low-carb veggies and a bit more protein. Next week I’ll start intermittent fasting. The tough thing is going to be making my workout time sacrosanct. My 12yo daughter comes home about the time I get off work. She’ll just have to get used to being alone for an hour, starting her homework without Mom cracking the whip.
Marion says
Forgot to mention… I very quickly quit the statins, because they made me stupid and gave me muscle pain, and because having read the research, the argument for them isn’t really convincing. They had also started me on glyburide along with the metformin; as soon as I started the LCHF, I had to drop that one after a few hypoglycemic episodes in the low-40’s (I think probably the ketones in my blood kept me from passing out). I also weaned myself off of the beta-blockers. The doctor in the hospital had put on my chart that I had chronic high blood pressure. That simply isn’t true. My BP was reading high in the hospital because I’d been canoeing for 3 hours the day before and had a terrible, blistering sunburn. Of course my BP shot up whenever the blood pressure cuff inflated right on top of my sunburn! Typically otherwise, my BP has always run on the low-side, 111/60 or so…
susie says
thanks for your share. I like how you tell your story has ups and downs. it’s not always easy as everyone says it is.
Andy Bishop says
On 16th June 2016 I found out that I was a Type2 Diabetic, my HbA1c was 62, cholesterol was 4.9 and BP 144/92 and I weighed 13 Stone 13 lbs (88.4 Kg) with a BMI of 30.2. I was sent off with a bag full of pills (Metformin & Statin) and a booklet about Diabetes. Needless to say that was not the best news I ever had. So I took my pills and read the booklet, which still suggested that I can have loads of carbs and some sweet stuff!
I decided to do a bit of my own research and soon found lots of information on the Internet, some good, some bad and some controversial. I found the Ditch The Carbs, Blood Sugar Diet by Dr Michael Mosley, Sugar Free by Karen Thompson and these lead me to look at a whole host of others including Diet Doctor (Andreas Eenfeldt MD), Professor Tim Noakes, Professor Roy Taylor, Dr David Unwin, Emily Maguire, Ted Naiman and Dr Aseem Malhotra. All these wonderful people have websites and social media that support diet and exercise and a LCHF or real Mediterranean Diet to improve your health.
After spending some time reading their websites and tweets I decided to give it a go and try Low Carb. I stopped the bread, pasta, potatoes and rice and started including more vegetables, some fruit (Berries, Apples, Pears ) and trying out some of the recipes from Ditch the Carbs. I also started some basic exercise; I walked for 30 mines a day. Pretty soon began losing weight and feeling better. I mixed up my menus taking my inspiration from Karen’s Sugar Free book, Libby’s Ditch the Carbs website, Andreas’s Diet Doctor Website and the BSD book by Michael Mosely.
Over the last 3 months my cooking has had interesting results as somethings I cook really well other were a bit of a disaster (Down to me not the recipes ) I have become a big fan of cauliflower rice and I am now enjoying butter, eggs, cheese and some full fat yoghurts, cream and nuts and I am losing weight. Much to the bewilderment of family and friends. I have even now increased my exercise and I’m doing HIIT sessions from the fabulous Joe Wicks (Freely available on YouTube) whose 15 minute low impact workouts are fantastic and fun.
It’s now 24th September and I’ve had a 3 month blood test to see how I am getting on. The results are in!
HbA1c is now 39, cholesterol is 3 (LDL=1.3, HDL=1.3) I now weigh 11 Stone 9 lbs ( 75 Kg ) and my BMI is 25.6. At my review they have kept me on Statins and I am now down to 1 Metformin and my BP is now 131/84. With my Diabetes Nurse I have agreed a target weight of 11 stone and another HbA1c test in 3 months. I’m also now trying to get my BP down a bit more so I’m going to start some Qigong and Mindfulness exercises.
I’ve had a fantastic journey over the last 3 months. I’m no saint as I have had a glass of red wine and a couple of squares of 85% dark chocolate during the last 3 months (But not every day!!)
I’ve found a supportive and vibrant community on the Internet who keep posting their recipes, research and hold forums discussing the latest developments in LCHF and Diabetes. I’ve managed to watch The Big Fat Fix and the Fixing Dad (Documentary about reversing a Type 2 Diabetes by Anthony and Ian Whittington) and I’ve just watched the fantastic 2 part program by Dr Chris van Tulleken – The Doctor Who Gave Up Drugs. I’m now looking forward to the next few months of my new journey.
A big thank you to everyone in the LCHF community and to the Doctors who are supporting and researching this way of life. As Albert Einstein once said “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we create them”
Keep posting and tweeting.
Andy @Crixus1963
Sarah Holley says
I enjoyed reading this, well done on your success!
Melissa Howard says
The results are in and I’m stoked!
Back in January, my 72 year old seemingly healthy, active husband was informed he was pre-diabetic and advised he start a new med called Metformin to bring his numbers down. Not thrilled with the possible side effects and added expense, we decided together to dump the doctor, find someone new willing to support our way of thinking, and embark on a new food lifestyle to get those numbers down naturally. After a week of research, we felt LCHF was right for us. With the guidance of a good friend who shared with us this awesome website, we began our journey. Now 6 months later, our blood work is amazing proof that eating this way works. My total cholesterol dropped 45 points, my triglycerides dropped 52, my LDL (bad cholesterol) dropped 40 points and my HDL (good cholesterol) increased by 4. My husband’s labs also showed equally great improvements. His HDL doubled! An added bonus is at 59 years old and feeling fit, I am 12 pounds lighter. We are SOLD!
Kylie says
Wow how amazing! That was great to read.
Elizabeth Harford says
I started on 6/19/16 so 2.5 months ago. I started at 158.8. Today 144.6. So I have lost 14.2 pounds. I have 10-15 more to go!!! But it has been slow and easy. I’m glad it took this long 1-2 ponds a week. Because by this time now I have formed a habit!!!! And grabbing for food eating out or shopping I naturally grab the right things and don’t crave other foods. When I want to be really bad . I snack on Atkins endulge chocolate !! Love them!! Never feel deprived..eat all the butter I want with out the guilt! And still lose weight. Slow and steady. I’m 61 years old feel great
Kathy says
I started eating low carb about three years ago, then went on a trip and fell off the wagon. I gained back the 8 lbs. I had lost and now can’t get into all the pants I bought back then! I am trying to get started again, but it is so hard, especially when my husband isn’t on board at all. The best thing about it, other than the fat I lost around my middle, is that I had no more acid reflux! That was huge for me! Even though I LOVE bread, I found that it just didn’t agree with me. No more Tums every night! Yea! I’m glad I found your website with so many resources and so much help. Thank you so much!
Melinda says
I just started low carb 2 weeks ago and the biggest change I have noticed is also no more acid reflux! It just went away. Tums used to be a nightly ritual for me and sometimes they did not even work. I’m very happy!
Wendie says
I started LCHF about 8 weeks ago. At first I had a huge loss of nearly 10 lbs in a week! But then I started placing around with low carb wraps and jams & treats and it def caused rebound cravings & increased my hunger so I slipped up and went off pgm. It took a while to figure out what worked for me. I was ‘nursing’ my Bulletproof coffee all day and wasn’t seeing the success I wanted so I decided to give IF a try (intermittent fasting) I work in a foodie office and there’s a LOT of temptations during the day so I felt it would be too difficult to try to fast then. So I swapped out my BPC in the am for just black coffee & water and ate my first Neal at between 12-2pm. I tried doing just 1 large meal midday but had sine indigestion so I cut it back to 650-1000 cal. Then I east another meal around 400-600 cal. I avg 1400-1600 cal, 100-150 gr fat, 10-20 gr carbs & 35-50 gr protein and typically 79-85% fat . I aim for at least 16 hrs of fasting but have gone up to 23 wo hunger. I try to eat in a 5-6 hour window if possible (12-5/6 or 2-7/8) and fast the rest of the time. Since starting this 2 weeks ago I’ve lost 14lbs and my cravings, aches & foggines are gone. I eat pretty simply: tuna or chicken salad w extra mayo on romaine wraps or cold cuts & veggies & dressing for lunch as well as cheese, avocado, & nuts. Once in a while I’ll make chili or vegetti spaghetti with zucchini, sauce, butter & cheese. If we’re out or traveling I’ll get a loaded burger with all the fixings and mayo on it. I love Ditch the carbs recipe–they give me hope that I can live on this eating plan long term. I also highly recommend Butter Bob Briggs! If I can do this ANYONE can bc I’ve struggled all my life and had a serious carb & night eating addiction. So happy I found this life saving approach bc nothing else has worked & I’ve tried it all!! Hand in there !! ❤️
Mowbry says
Thank you for sharing and being so honest.
Susan says
what is bullet proof coffee?
Cheryl says
Never tried it, but here’s the recipe for bulletproof coffee:
1.Brew or buy hot coffee.
2.Blend in a few tablespoons unsalted, grass-fed butter, as well as a bit of Brain Octane or XCT Oil.
(oils sold on bulletproof.com)
Agatha says
Hi, my name is Agatha, I started low carb eating in Jan 2016 and to date (7th Jun 2016) I have lost 15kg’s ! for the first few months I cut out virtually 95% carbs. I found it easy because I had lots of low carb and veggies in my fridge and cupboard. I have now become quite a low carb baker and do not think I will go back to eating other ways again soon. I have no cravings and just do not like sweets etc anymore. My drawback is fruit !!!! unfortunately I overindulge from time to time. I am sleeping better and my concentration has also improved as has my exercise regime. I feel fabulous and look fabulous. Pse persevere YOU CAN DO IT it is very easy
Debbie says
Hi my name is Debbie I’ve been following LCHF for three weeks and not losing much. I feel really good is this a sudden or slow process just hope I am following it correct. Any advice for a beginner??? thanks.
Mireille says
Hello Debbie….check TheDietDoctor.com explains in detail what to eat. I have completed my first two weeks, 11 pounds lost. Take mineral supplements, though, to avoid the keto flu.
Clark says
No mineral supplements needed to avoid the keto flu…just make sure you ingest enough sodium.
sherif says
watch your hidden sugar, sodium percentage, potassium, don’t increase protein, go calories diffident by 25%.
Lozz says
I love chocolate and chip yes I can eat them together that’s fine with me. Well that was before LCHF anyway. I’m a mother of four and am 28. I have been overweight for about 10 years. Since the birth of my first child. I don’t think I actually realised how big I had gotten until the end of 2015. Maybe I did know deep down, and just didn’t want to acknowledge the fact. My husband is quite a fit man. And I felt terrible that I couldn’t hike with him like I used too. i started getting really light headed and tingly lips and fingers. My doctor told me that I was on my way to becoming a diabetic. I weighted 110kilos. When I looked in the mirror I just wanted to cry. My husband told me I was beautiful all the time. But I just didn’t feel it. So in the third week of January this year I started LCHF. I had tried so many things before and was always hungry or really mean. I had done LCHF in 2014 for my wedding but didn’t stick with it long and polled the weight back on over the next year. I think to start a diet you can’t look at it like a diet. And this time I haven’t. To me it’s a way of life. And it’s awesome.
I have been on LCHF 4 months. I have lost 15 kilos and 7.5 inches from my waist. 5 inches from my hips and no much from my boobs, but I think that’s a good thing. ;). I have gone down almost 3 dress sizes. My headaches are gone. I am no longer on my way to becoming a diabetic. My tingly fingers and lips are know more. My family life on a farm so I do a lot of baking. More than the average person. And I am constantly making my family fresh bread, cakes, biscuits, slices etc. before LCHF I would crave all the stuff I bake. Now I happily give it away. I don’t get hungry and I don’t crave anything, like ever. Well except when I get my period but then I make a fat bomb and I’m happy again.
I would probably loose more weight but I love coffee. Having 4 kids one of which is autistic means I consume a lot of it. Which means I consume a lot of cream. I know they say if you want to loose more weight eat less cream. But I just can’t do it. But I already have so much more confidence I myself. And am starting to love myself again. So I urge you all, if you are ready to make the first step make it. LCHF has been life changing for me and it’s only been 4 months. The first week was hell and kerosine kicked in early for me and I had the keto flu for about 5 days in week two. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.
D. Ellie says
Hi Lozz, have you tried adding Sugar Free Syrups to your black coffee? There are a couple of popular brands out there. I had the same problem with the cream, but once I discovered French Vanilla syrup, I was hooked – and cut out the extra cream calories very easily.
Linda says
She’s better off with the extra cream calaries. Sugar Free syrups are processed junk. Nothing but chemicals.
Helen says
Hi, I must be doing something wrong as I am not losing weight but I feel full and satisfied, I am not missin wheat and sugar, I would love a diet plan to to go by. Cheers to all of you successful people. Helen
cori says
Try to eat your first meal around noon and your last meal at 7:00 pm You will melt like butter. xo
I lost 12 pounds in my first 7 days on LCHF doing this. I am 52 and had maybe 12-15 lbs to lose.
Marianne says
I just started this past Saturday. I can’t believe how great I feel already I feel less bloated it’s only 3 days in! I really should’ve waited until after the holidays, but I want to wear this pretty dress on New Years Eve! I really have to lose about 18 lbs total.
Edra Ridpath says
If i do intermittent fasting, can i have my bpc, in the morning or do i have to wait until noon for that too?
Desiree Lees says
The jury is still out on this one. Some people claim that having the bpc means you’re technically not fasting. Others say that because fat doesn’t raise your blood sugar, the effects are the same as fasting. Personally, I find the caffeine and fat help get me through the morning without thinking about food. I drink Bigelow American breakfast tea black with coconut oil and thoroughly enjoy the feeling!
Brandy Wetherall (@mrs_wetherall) says
My husband and I have always worked to eat as healthy and natural as possible, but it is difficult when you don’t have all the right information. We found this website on Instagram a while back and we have loved it ever since, it’s almost an addiction! There are so many amazing recipes on here and they are so delicious; our kids are obsessed with the coconut pancakes and all I can say is THANK YOU for having a website that is honest about the importance of low carb and high fat eating. It isn’t a diet, it’s a lifestyle, and you have given all of us a reason to look forward to carrying forward with a healthier lifestyle, by sharing food that is nutritious, delicious and simple (most of them) to prepare and cook.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Brandy that is one of the loveliest comments I think I have ever read here. You are exactly the reason I do this, to help other families make the shift to low carb real food, and show it’s not that hard. Keep it simple and down to earth and you wont go far wrong. I rarely respond to testimonials here as I want the readers stories to shine, but you have made my day 🙂 Libby.
Stephanie Burdett says
I started eating Low Carb, High Fat and Protein in January 2016, it is May 4 and I have lost 42 pounds. No exercising, but now I am able to ride my bike and get more exercise. My elderly mother moved in with me in March and has lost 10 pounds, and she is still eating bread and sugar (I am after her all the time.) I had an A1C of 8.2 and it is now 6.8. Making delicious healthy foods, and sharing the good news with all who can hear.
susie noble says
ow are you doing now.. ? Could you possibly share a one day example of what you eat. Very stuck here.. Thanks! susie ohhhhhsuzie_q@yahoo.com
Jess says
Hi Susie:)
Here is me:
Breakfast- eggs in coconut oil, if I am very hungry then also some low carb granola with almond milk.
Lunch- big salad with greens, lots of olive oil(2-3 TBS) and some protein like canned fish or chicken.
Supper- 2 cups or so of non starchy veg and some meat.
1 snack of 2 tbs peanut butter if I’m hungry somewhere.
I do feel hungry occasionally. But I have learned for me, if I eat when I feel hungry every time, I don’t lose weight.
Kay Henson says
Where to start?
That I’ve lost over 10 stone? That my blood pressure has plummeted? That my cholesterol has dropped from 5.2 to 4.1? That my skin is supple? My digestive system healthy? Or that I have more energy than ever before?
I started the change in lifestyle over two years ago, with advice from my sister. I wasn’t confident, I am vegetarian, where was the “bulk” in my food coming from? I lived on pasta, rice, bread and potatoes.
I started with small changes, there is too much encouragement to do it all at once. My intake of saturated fat rose as slowly as my carbs dropped, but the small changes saw a rapid drop in my weight.
I eat lots of eggs, nuts, cheese, coconut, high fat yoghurt, cream, butter, avacado…….. so many people who know me well and have seen my weight loss still believe the myth and say “ooo, if I ate all those nuts, I’d be the size of a house” whilst tucking into a sandwich and potato crisps.
I’m no low carbon angel, I still have the odd cake or sneaky slice of toast, but my health benefits have been stable now for over a year and I’m not changing back to a lifestyle that kept me as an obese adult for 30 years.
More inspiring recipes please! Let’s change the world and give more people their health back.
Kathy E says
Like many of you, I have been overweight in various degrees since the age of 7. In September 2015, my lab results and blood pressure, not too mention the pain in my knees and back, was a wake up call. I was reaping the benefits of high carb lifestyle and was heading for the diagnosis of diabetic and the addition of an oral diabetic agent and statins. By October, I had rallied some inner strength and ventured on the LCHF lifestyle again but in earnest this time. I want to live to be an old woman. I want more years with my family and I want to be able to get down on the floor with my grand babies.
By no means is my eating plan perfect but I have lost 45lbs and 2 dress sizes. My knees hurt much less, my back pain has eased some, and my endurance is so much better. And yes, I have sat on the floor with one of my grandsons to play with legos. I still have a looong way to go but am loving where I am today.
Most significantly, and to my doctor’s surprise is the change of my lab results from September 2015 to March 2016. Total cholesterol 211 down to 192; Triglycerides 193 down to 132 (huge decrease!); HDL 28 to 36 (almost to the >40 goal); LDL 144 down to 130; A1C 6.4 to 5.7 (whoohoo!). ALL of my results are within normal range or nearly normal in 5 months. ((doing the happy dance here!)). My doctor, who is reserved, was amazed and gave me a high five ;-).
I feel like a poster child by saying if I can, you can but it’s true. The success of any lifestyle change begins with the desire to change something. At work I have a quote on the door:
Ability is what you are capable of doing.
Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it.
Lou Holtz
~~Kathy
Norma says
That is really inspiring Kathy. I am on this LCHF plan for two weeks now. I am finding it hard because I love my sweeties. I miss them terribly. I really have not noticed any change in two weeks and have been very faithful. Yesterday I had an apple and felt immediately lethargic and bloated. No apple today. What would you say was your saving grace of foods? I am a munchie person. Also I have a bad knee so walking kills me. I can only do a block. TY
Camille says
It sounds like you might want to up your fat if you’re still craving. Bullet proof coffee helps kick cravings. A handful of strawberries or blueberries every couple of days for a sweet fix. Pecans, hard boiled eggs with balsamic vinegar, string cheese, green olives stuffed with jalapeños, bacon. Lots of water.
Luke William Rich says
balsamic vinegar is high carb
Heidi says
Norma – I recommend dietdoctor.com to get started with LCHF. It’s free and helped me enormously. Best of luck.
Sara says
Hi everybody !! What a amzing blog… Love it…
My LCHF story start 5 weeks ago. I’m 39 years old…. married,no kids. All my life over weight…but last few years i was really fat..non stop over 120 kg 🙁 Get diabetes type2 high bloos preasure…and doctro told me if i dont loose at least 20 kg i will get insuline soon. That really scared me…so i decide try LCHF after i read great story about it…
In first 25 days i lost 10 kg! I was in shock….Happy but scared how that fast gone…i know it’s water but still. Must say i loved eat bread,pasta,potatoes…and some sweets sometimes before… And i think my body was in shock and first kg gone quickly 😀
But now…over 15 days….nothing happend… I didnt even loose any cm on body…or any kg..Im walking 30-45 min at day (fast walk) and i have 3 meals (every 5-6 hours) Only sometime i eat little gouda cheese or few walnuts between meals, Most time easting eggs, little bacon, lots saladas,green vegetables,some tomato…MEat all kind and maximum 150-200 gr or fish.
No milk,only little cream in coffee…(2x in day) 3-4x at week i eat “fresh cheese” with litle cream with high fat%. I cooking on coconnut oil…i using lots olive oil for vegetables and salads and only lemon no other fruits.
What is going on?? Anyone had situation like me?? I eat at least double less then before lchf… no any bread,pasta….NOTHING.
My friend told me she think my body “protested” and saving all i eat..because it’s big shock…
What do you think ? Im still on 115 kg..(265 lbs) 🙁
and yea…sugar is blood is much better….But not perfect.
Sara says
I forget to say, my goal is maximum 5 kg in month…. I want loose it perfectly health…and forever.
Im really not on lchf jsut for loosing weight, but for health too.
Plus i feel good, no much feeling hunger… i dont even using stevia…nothing. Only had few pieces of dark choco for Easter….I dont have sleepy times after lunch like before…So that’s great too. More energy.
offshoretinker says
Try intermittent fasting.
This is the go to page, but suggest you watch the whole 12 episodes:
https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/why-cant-i-lose-weight-htlw-12/
Sara says
Thank you !!
Jen says
Increase your fat I eat tablespoons of coconut oil butter on vegs
Kathy E says
Sara,
I stalled after a month or so in. Maybe do the food diary thing to see what you are really eating, I know, I hate it too but it did point out I wasn’t eating enough healthy fats. Hang in there-it will move again!
Kathy
Sara says
Thanks Kathy i do that on fitnespal….well it seems its more then 20 gr carbs in day…,most time 35-50 and i eat around 1400-1700 kalories … I still hoping, my body is opposed because before i was eating a lot more then now and lots carbs… I cut cheese, only sometime eating hih fat cream in salad…and little cream in coffe…. God help me 😀
Carla says
Sara,
You may be eating too much protein. I eat 95 grams or less. Proteins can turn to sugar as well.
Elektra says
Hi Sara! Just want to let you know there are times your body is making changes that don’t show up on the scale. While you may be losing fat, you could also be adding muscle if you exercising. Also, you could be losing fat, but having water retention issues. If you are keeping your carbs low, and doing everything right, including drinking a lot of water, keep it up and change will happen.
Just last week my scale was stuck. No matter what I did, I was even intermittent fasting too. One day I literally dropped 4 pounds, I know I didn’t lose 4 pounds overnight, but the changes were happening during the time my scale was stuck, but it didn’t show. And this week I was getting frustrated, because I’ve actually gained weight, but I just started my period this morning. There’s usually a reason for not losing (hormonal, changes in body comp, water retention, dehydration, etc), and if you like seeing your results daily on the scale, it’s easy to get discouraged. Keep in mind the changes cant always be seen daily on the scale. But if you track your progress, after a few weeks, your will see (and feel) change. It sounds like you are on the right track, keep it up! If you find you can’t lose after two weeks, then check out the keto “egg fast”, or even try intermittent fasting. Both of those I’ve heard can jump start weight loss again. Hope this helps and congrats of your weight loss so far, it’s hard work!
Sara says
Hi Elektra
thanks for reply….yes i heard about intermitten fasting and will try not eating from 6 pm till 10 am next day. Im jsut worry about my diabetes,is that ok or not…
Must say lchf make my sugar in blood much better… Still not perfect but 70% better then before. And no hunger like before ofcourse.
Today i weight again…and still nothing almost month now…This is my menu so what do u think:
Breakfast 1,5 dcl kefir with cinammon, coffee with little cream after that
Lunch after 5 hours: 1 pork stake (170 gr) on cocnut olive and 1 big zucchini with olive oil on top… little lettuce salad.
Dinner after almost 6 hours 2 boild eggs,1 tomato and 1 little spoon of butter on eggs.
Coffe with little cream. That’s it…
No gym,im just walking when i have time and everywhere trying go by foot.
Mabye i have water retention….will take one pill in few days to try “move it out” 😀
And im drinking at least 1,5-2 liter of water in day…
Natasha says
it sounds to me like you’re too light on fats…go to the Google ruled.me and use his macros calculator for your height and weight… remember you should have mostly fat, moderate protein, and very little carbs as we all know…too much protein will definitely stall you quicker.
Kay Henson says
I can only say be patient…… it’s tough, but it will suddenly go again. I was stable (after losing 10 stone / 63kg for over 6 months. In the last 2 months another 5kg has just dropped off! Odd, but I let my body decide now, feed it well and you will get there.
Sara says
wow you lost 63 kg? omg congrats… Im patient, 3 kg in month for me it’s perfect….i can lost 30-35 kg in year by that…But like we see that is not happening to me hahaha
Well im not sad, i lost 14 kg in 9 weeks,because i lost very quick first 9 kg…i think that’s why my body slowly loosing now. And i must eat less proteins for sure….
Dee says
You should definitely look up Eric Berg on Youtube! He has a massive amount of knowledge. What I can say from at least the little I do know is that your body responded initially because of the lack of carbs. Carbs are energy, basically. So, if you aren’t expending the energy and don’t have all the vitamins and minerals necessary to maintain a healthy weight, carbs get converted to fat. But the HFLC diet is not the best option for someone who has a big adrenal problem. Cortisol (the stress hormone) levels also play a huge role in losing fat and water weight. Cortisol can come from both mental and emotional stressors. When the levels get really high, the extra weight we gain puts physical stress on the body as well. That is as much as I can remember right now. But I will link a good starting videos, but it would be good to really look through the whole channel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7fHYSyvxU0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQXGXfpV9d0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SNUm2EqXOs
Sara says
Ty for comment, i will watch all i can 🙂
Kimberly says
I have been addicted to sugar for years! By addicted I mean: every time I would go off it I was like a recovering drug addict looking for just a small fix, a lick of a spoon, just the smell of something sweet!. The 4 day…I may as well of not gotten out of bed!
But after many epic fails I started thinking: how can I crave the good stuff? “I’ve always told my kids you gotta try 3 bites of something You don’t like every time, so your tastebuds will adjust.”
And while detoxing I figured I needed all the goodies in all the greens EVEN more. But I won’t eat enough. THEN I tried a green powder, it was VERY GREEN a list of organic stuff I had never eaten, nor never would, no fillers, binders, ect. And I mixed it like a shot, plugged my nose and got it down. Couple days of this and then I started again: no sugar, wheat, gluten ect and waited for day 4….day 4 came and went. 1 serving in the morning 1 in mid afternoon, when I was feeling a little tired. I realized that I didn’t even WANT sugar! It didn’t sound good. Now I must admit it was once again was a fail but for a different reason, I would eat junk out of habit, not craving, until my system was once again full if it.
I have since started again after finding LCHF and have used the same powder, the carbs are low enough for me, and the results are the same, no cravings. The LCHF has made a HUGE difference for me and with how I feel after a week, my husband and 2 teenage daughters are joining me on this plan to change our way of eating for life!
Kathy E says
Kim,
What is this magical green powder of which you speak????
Kathy
Jody says
Sounds like Spiralina to me
Christina Roeters says
Just did the most amazing sugar cleanse and it was really helpful for staying on track. Check out “I Love Me More Than Sugar” it is helpful and inspiring! Sugar free for 32 days now and feeling great!
Liss Hébert Sterling says
I’m 55 and I started lchf on 11/9/2015, just before the food holidays at 225 pounds (5’7″). Today I am 188 without real exercise or ever depriving myself! I ADORE this way of eating. My goal is 165, so I have more to go, but I already have a waist again and look more like myself when I look in the mirror.
It makes me angry when I see weight loss shows forcing people into starvation on low-fat/high-inflammation diets when I know how easy it is to lose weight and heal your body.
Differences for me are steady mood, relief of ADHD comparable to drugs but without the ugly side effects, steady energy, no more bloating, not having to think about food all the time, eating real food after years of stuffing myself with nutritionally meaningless sugar and carbs, joints that don’t hurt, and skin that glows.
I started this with the full intention of getting off of it when I reached my weight goal, but now I have decided I’m not giving up all of the non-scale benefits. No way. #lchfforlife
lee Howen says
Hi, I do a lot of cycling and I need to fuel my rides but when i’m on LCHF diet, I always bonk! How do I fuel my rides on this diet?
TIA
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Here’s a great article on this exact subject. Also take a look at Prof Grant Schofield here in NZ. How to win the ironman on LCHF. He is fabulous to follow as an expert in this field.
Beet says
I like to add 1/4 strength of the electrolye, glucose replacement powder in my water bottles for anything over an hour. Works like a charm, adjust accordingly
Jen says
I have a very physical demanding job if I start to fade I eat a lump of coconut oil it’s amazing couple of minutes I come right
Krisann says
Great site & information! I’m allergic to nuts. Any advice when so many low carb recipes/menus incorporate nuts? Thank you!
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Great question Krishna. I am developing ore and more nut free recipes such as nut free pizza waffles, sweet waffles, keto brownie, and blueberry cheesecake squares. There are also some seed flours available which may suit you if you can tolerate seeds.
Sabine says
I live in Los Angeles and have suffered from eczema all my life. From the get go I was not in it for the weight loss, because there was not much to lose, but for the hope that I would achieve relief from skin itchiness and the constant need to apply topical steroids.
I started to cut out wheat, grains, and alcohol (beer! sigh) in October 2014. With this cut, sugar was not allowed anymore either. I still had potatoes and sweet potatoes sporadically in the beginning. The first thing I noticed, and I remember this clearly, was the withdrawal symptoms. I work in an academic lab at a university, and there are always sweet treats available. I found it very hard to say no to them. On top of that I was jittery and a raging bitch to everybody around me. Like the worst PMS phase ever. After a couple of weeks, this cleared up and I was able to walk by all the donuts and sweets without wanting to have one. My athletic performance took a nose dive at first, but I quickly overcame this phase.
The things that are standing out to me now, having been on LCHF for almost 1.5 years, are: 10-lbs weight loss of apparently fat tissue that’s just gone and stays gone (weight is not fluctuating at all), greater ability to focus, no more cravings (!), no more afternoon slumps, can go for long hours without thinking about where the next food fix is coming from, higher athletic performance, and the best of all, at least for me, my eczema is about 90% gone.
My husband has been on the LCHF bandwagon for about three months now. He got a kick in the pants by his last annual checkup. He had a rough time adjusting. But now he’s doing so great with his new eating habits, it’s a beautiful thing. His belly just melts away.This makes it all so worth it spending all this time cooking and test driving new recipes.
But thanks to this blog (and many others out there), we all will have an endless wealth of delicious recipes to enjoy and make our loved ones happy (and healthy).
Heather says
I am new to this. Today is day five. I’m glad to see your post about the withdrawal symptoms because it has been awful! Saturday I was irritable and just as you said, “A raging bitch.” And then today I feel close to tears and just kind of weepy all day. Overall, I feel pretty good though. As far as energy goes I’m finding myself pretty even throughout the day. I do have to make sure to eat as soon as I feel hungry though because if I don’t, I bottom out pretty quickly. Thanks for sharing your experience though as it gives me hope that the emotional part of this will pass.
Stacey Ross says
I’m on day 7 today and began easing myself in to it 3 days prior to that while I read the book ‘What the Fat?’. By day 4 I was in the worst mood! I was so low in energy for that day and the next two days. I also have to eat as soon as I feel hungry. But I stuck to it and feel so much better for doing so. It’s passed now and I’m feeling pretty alert! Just waiting to notice some weight changes.
Rebecca Saxon says
I have been on LCHF since Oct 1, 2015 so far I have lost 24 pounds and have so much more energy. My IBS has completely disappeared and I stay in a much more positive mood. I still have a long way to go but I have confidence I will reach my goal if I keep eating this way.
Raija Hiltunen says
Wow! Well done!
Gloria B says
Hello, I want to share my experience with starting a LCHF diet and the reasons I chose this route.
My husband and I both started a LCHF on August 11th of this year; it was time to finish losing the remainder of the weight we had put on within our first 2 years of marriage. Being young and independent in a new town as a married couple was certainly fun and adventurous and we truly enjoyed it, as well as the eating out at restaurants 5+ plus days a week. From this lovely food adventure we both had gained 60 pounds each, 120 pounds altogether equaling a small person.
Three months after the birth of our 1st child, I saw a photo taken of me and felt disgusted and the denial was finally something I saw, I was 205 pounds and miserable. After that photo, I worked really hard to count calories and exercise and was able to lose 25 pounds just from that, it was wonderful and my husband was on board as well.
Now, as much as I advocated counting calories and exercising during that time, I battled with constants hypoglycemia and depression. I was truly baffled about the hypoglycemia as I was eating breakfasts in the morning that were healthly, foods like low fat yogurt, eggs with a low fat butter like product and whole wheat toast. I did go to the Dr. and there was no diabetes to be discovered and nothing to indicate I had issues, and with that information I just chalked it up that my body just really needs food often.
My husband and I were eager to lose the remaining 40 pounds we had left, and so we had a cycle of “starting up again” during the week, and doing a cheat meal on the weekend…well the problem with that is the whole weekend would become a cheat meal and starting the following week like we promised never stuck.
Finally after much research and finding real people online (instagram and Reddit) who were doing LCHF my husband and I decided to bite the bullet and start a Ketogenic diet, which is LCHF. Starting a LCHF diet has been tremendous, with weight loss being a huge motivator. The hypoglycemia that I had
Gloria B says
https://www.instagram.com/this_body_holding_me/ I forgot to leave this in my comment but here’s a link to my Instagram account that I use to document my journey with LCHF..
Emma says
In 2001 I weighed my heaviest at 15 stone (95kg/210lbs). I was 21 years old.
Over the two and half years that followed I managed to get my weight down to 10 stone (64kg/140lbs).
Since then I managed to keep my weight at 10 stone (Give or take Christmas “put on” and the Summer “slim down”) by eating a low fat diet and calorie counting. The last 11 years have been boring and miserable. And looking back I realise I was dieting rather than living.
This year I have struggled to be strict with myself. I was tired of feeling hungry and deprived.
I saw my weight creeping up and up and most of all I felt sad because it was getting harder and harder to follow the only diet I knew that would keep the weight off.
Even while dieting, I was still massively addicted to sugar and I shudder to think about what my daily consumption was. I would steal calories from meals in order to have chocolate and sweets.
Then about 5 weeks ago I read something by chance about LCHF and found your website.
I couldn’t believe this was the first I had heard about it. I wish I had known this information in 2001.
The first 3 days of no sugar were terrible but that was because I went cold turkey.
My head felt like it was going to cave in, and I may have actually jumped someone if they came near me with a bag of haribo (sweets).
I stuck it out though, and distracted myself by trying out your recipes. Your low carb carrot cake may have just saved my life!
I have tried lots of your recipes now and I’m even making new ones of my own which I have never done on any other “diet”. (My “Spanish fried cauliflower rice” and “Special fried cauliflower rice” is making me very popular indeed! Not too mention my berry crumble which I serve with full fat cream)
Today I weigh 9 stone 13lbs. (over 7lbs lost in 5 weeks) but best of all – I have not felt hungry.
For the first time in my adult life I do not feel deprived and I feel positive that I can stay trim in future!
Thank you so much.
Kiwi says
I am 38, have a busy life with family and my own business. Ive slowly but surely put on 15 kilos in the past few years even though I always tried to eat healthy. I was sick of constant dieting and denial while continuing to put on weight. My mum has been telling me about low carb for years, but Everytime i tried it I felt terrible. Thats because I didnt understand about high fat. Since 2 months ago Ive done LCHF. Ive lost about 5 kilos which seemed slow compared to others. I figured out Initially I was having too much protein, which Ive now cut down. So I am slowly losing weight, which is fine by me – because I now NEVER feel hungry and I NEVER have sweet cravings, which used to be terrible for me. Lots of people started to comment lately that I am looking good, so I started looking at measurements not just the scales- Ive lost 5cm from my waist this month. I was not doing any excercise, but have just started jogging on my tredmill.
Meg says
Hi All
I have type 2 Diabetes. I have been doing the HFLC diet (90 days no carbs ) for 2 weeks and have lost 4kilos. I strictly adhere to the diet thus the weight loss. I take 1500 metformin daily. The problem is my BS levels do not drop below 8 and do not rise above 12. Worried about this levels over long period. Any advice appreciated. Many thanks 😊
Thomas says
Hi Meg!
Wanted to let you know that I have been doing the LCHF diet for almost a year now. I too have diabetes and started with blood sugar levels of 18! Gradually, and thankfully, over the course of the year, I consistently saw my bs levels drop.
To where I am today in the 5-6 range daily. Remember, you are trying to get your A1c into the 5 range. This is considered non-diabetic and will help you to avoid any future complications caused by diabetes. Stick with the diet and eventually you too will reach this range. Deciding to do this diet and stick with it has set you the right path. Be patient and your results will come. It takes time. The best of health to you!
Meg says
Thanks Thomas. My sugar levels have now started to improve. Are you still on any medication? My aim is to stop all medication.
John says
Hi I have been a type 2 since 2004 diagnosed after being admitted to hospital for congestive heart failure. I followed that with 2 heart attacks over the next couple of years On top of heart medications, I started on Diabex and Amaryl, eventually progressing to Novorapid then Lantus in about 2007. In 2013 I was using 3 x 1 gram Diabex, 8mg Amaryl, 60/40/60 Novorapid and 60units Lantus a day. My weight had increased slowly from 132kg to 190kg and was in a bad way. I had followed the recommended 55% carb 4 meals a day 2000 cal diet but my weight slowly increased and activity levels decreased Christmas day 2013, I couldn’t move and spent the day in bed with my family deciding whether to call an ambulance. I refused to go, but made a decision there that if I pulled through this time I would take the plunge and go high fat low carb…..what did I have to lose? From that day it started to turn around. I went straight onto 75% fat, 20% protein 5% carbs, the only carbs coming from green veggies. Weight started falling off me and I started breathing normally again. Over the next couple of months 20kg came off. Going by past experience I thought that it would level off and my weight would start to return, but it didn’t I increased my carbs to 10%(50g approx) and my weight stabilized but didn’t increase From then till now, I drop the carbs back to 2-3% for several weeks and then stabilize again. I have been following this for 2 years now and my weight has fallen from 190kg to 105kg now and I no longer take any diabetic medication or insulin.I now walk 5km a day(from being unable to walk to the mailbox) and feel like I have dropped 30 years in age. I visited my ophthalmologist and endocrinologist last week for my 6 monthly blood/urine tests eye imaging, arteriosclerosis check etc and both said I have no signs of any diabetic symptoms.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
John I am overwhelmed by your story. What an incredible transformation in your health and your life. It’s interesting how many try low carb as they have nothing to lose and are astounded by the profound effect it has on them – weight, blood sugar control, health, activity to name a few. I am positive your story will inspire others to make the change and turnt heir health around. Congratulations on taking control.
Lori says
I wish there was a ‘like’ button for John’s story! Well done and yay John!
Aggie says
John your story is so inspiring!
devduttasDev says
Meg-
Thanks for your postings.Please visit following link & read all the comments & you will have more insight.
https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/samantha-polycystic-ovary-patient-profile/
Best Luck.
Dev
Dawn Hudson-Taylor says
I think it is going to take me a long time to get the numbers down. I will persevere. I feel well. The side effects are decreasing eg tingling in the feet. I am also trying acupuncture as the practitioner says diabetes is something he can treat. I will tell you if it works, but once again it is not instantaneous.
John Ford says
I am one who recommends the LCHF diet. You can find my testimonial .. terrorism, multi-nations and the silent killer .. at https://johnfordaust.wordpress.com
Pauline says
OK, my turn.
I came across this website a few months ago, while looking online for some healthier options for meals. Then I saw the promo for Sugar-free September. I printed out the info and showed it to hubby, half-expecting him to say “uh – nuh”. Because we both need to lose the weight, we agreed to do it.
At the end of it, we have both lost over 2 kgs each, which may not sound like much, but for us it’s a big thing. We have also decided to continue with it. At times it is a struggle, and we look for alternatives wherever possible. Freyas make a low-carb bread, which I buy 1 loaf per week, which is a huuuggge reduction. We love the fathead pizza, and the B&E pie, and hubby ADORES the beetroot brownie. It will take a while to cut out the craving for sweet treats, but we are happy to pace ourselves.
I have noticed a couple of teething probs with it, but I’m hopeful and confident these will smooth themselves out.
Thank you so much, Libby, for the opportunites you have provided for myself, and others, to kickstart a positive change that we needed to make. 🙂
Steve Murry says
Well here it is. This is MY story, so it is MY opinions also. The first thing you will learn about a low-carb/high fat diet is that EVERYBODY knows every single thing about low carb and if you do NOT agree with their way- they will tell you that your way is WRONG. Doctors from all over the world can’t even agree on this subject. If you don’t believe me, write a post, sit back and watch people react. I don’t profess to know it all, I just KNOW what has worked for me.
In June 2013, I weighed 268 pounds, now I weigh 181. My cholesterol was over 500 and is now 146. My blood pressure was skyrocketed(190/120), as were my blood sugars (over 570). Now, BOTH are actually on the LOW side. So as I explain what I did- do NOT take it as gospel, just take it as a way that worked for ME. EVERYONE is different and you will eventually be able to tailor a plan to YOUR body.
You need to know that moving to a low carb and high fat lifestyle is EXPENSIVE at first. Eating healthy costs much more than if you just want to be obese. It is much easier to stock up on foods you will use all of the time. Things like sour cream, butter, bacon, almond flour, coconut oil and cinnamon will be used ALOT. I compare my first grocery bill to that of moving in to a new house. High the first time, but much less from that point forward.
Let’s get started—JOIN the low carb ideas and recipes group on facebook. Then, you have to decide if you want to count NET carbs or just straight carbs. The difference is that straight carbs are listed on ALL labels, whereas net carbs are those straight carbs minus the dietary fiber. Again-carbs minus dietary fiber=NET carbs. I have done NET carbs because it is easier for me. However, I started on straight carbs. It is MY belief that if you are above 30 carbs a day- you need to count straight carbs. Once you decide, you have to decide how low carb are you going to go? Again, this will bring out MANY opinions. Some do 20 total carbs for a day to ty to achieve ketosis. I actually tried this at first and failed lol. I could NOT do just 20 a day. So…. I stayed with how I started which is 15 carbs per meal, and a 15 carb allowance for snacks. That is 60 total a day. Many will want to tell you how to spend those 60 a day also. I have since figured out HOW to do less than 20 NET carbs a day and NEVER vary from that. I choose to spend them HOWEVER I so choose to spend them. As much as I have given up on this lifestyle, I will NOT allow some know it all to dictate what I can and can’t have.
Barb Christmas says
Well put Steve. Is LCHF working for you? It certainly sounds like it. Are you healthier as a result of your new lifestyle? Your health numbers seem to indicated that you are. It sounds to me like you’ve gained a great deal and not “given up a lot”. Sounds like you are the winner here. Well done!
Barb
Mish says
I have been following lchf diet for 20 days and have only lost 1.5 kilos. I get close to the blood ketone level of 1.5 to 3 I get about 0.7 how can I get better results! I have read evening exercise is helpful! Any ideas
Lori says
Without knowing exactly what you are eating, I would suggest increasing your healthy fats.
Sam says
I started the LCHF diet two months ago. I was diagnosed with polycystic ovary disorder last year and, being nearly 32 and childless, had to take seriously given that I was 14.5 stone/92kg/203 pounds and only 5ft5/165cm tall.
My dad recommended LCHF diet. He lost 4 stone in less than a year and brought his HbA1c (a blood glucose indication used for diagnosis and monitoring of diabetes) down from 55mmol/mol to 41mmol/mol (normal range 20-42mmol/mol). He continues to follow LCHF diet and still feels the benefits.
So far, by strictly following a LCHF lifestyle, I have lost 1.5 stone/9.5kg/21 pounds.
I have found the best way to start is
1) clear your cupboards and fridge freezer of all foods, products and drinks to avoid
2) keep staple LCHF friendly ingredients well stocked, so that you can always make something when you need to (eg: Stevia, Cacao powder, ground almonds)
3) Organise and prepare! – I always ensure I have one savoury and one sweet dish made up in my fridge, so that I am not tempted to grab something naughty for convenience (Ditch The Carbs is the best resource I have found for recipes). And I always, always take my own food to work.
4) Carry nuts/seeds in your car/handbag/briefcase. They won’t perish like fresh produce and will save you if you get caught out needing a snack away from home.
5) Be realistic and sensible – eating out can be especially hard, as you are less in control of what is available to you. Pick the best option you can and always avoid high sugar options.
6) Berries are a good sweet snack
7) Vanilla extract and cinnamon can transform foods you would normally load with sugar eg: yoghurt
8) Black pepper, herbs and spices add a lot of flavour to foods, with no need for sweet/carby sauces
9) Forget your fear of fat! Embrace the joy of being able to eat cheeses, cream and full fat milk and yoghurts again
10) Keep referring back to LCHF resources on You Tube, Twitter and the internet, for support and suggestions
Good luck!
Diane says
Thanks for the list. Sam, you are an inspiration.
Lori says
Hi Sam
What sorts of nuts and seeds are you packing? As a newbie, I’m trying to get in my head how to be organised. Thanks in advance!
Natalie says
Sick and tired of being sick and tired , last febuary I googled ” best eating plan for hypothyroïdism” and was directed to Atkins and LCHF. I started reading everything I could on the subject while cutting sugars and carbs. Well, we’re now in may and I’ve lost 44 pounds, I feel wonderful, I still have some way to go, but I’ve never lost weight this way before ( and I’ve been on diets since I was 14 yrs old, I’m now 50) This way of life is what I nedded to do all my life ! I’m sure I’m insulin resistant , gluten intolerant and was bordeline diabetic, so the results are wondeful and more than the weight loss is the feeling of clarity, feeling awake, out of the fog, energy to do things after a day’s work ! I’m euphoric!
I ditched the carbs, found this great site to help with recipies and wondeful articles and information..
Wish I knew all this before, but it’s never too late to feel good! :0)
Anna Dann says
Hi there Libby! I just wanted to let you know that your recipes have helped me help so many families who are trying to improve their health, reverse or prevent illness and create wellness. Your site is easy to read and follow and I love that you have the print option which contains the recipe into a short printout, as opposed to many sites where the blog (whilst great to read) is often printed also and sometimes ends up 10 pages of print! I was wondering if this is an Australian site? I am a big fan in Queensland, and appreciate all your efforts and FABULOUS recipes – they really help to make it easy for the whole family when you are ‘ditching the carbs’! So a big thank you from me xxx
Dawn Hudson-Taylor says
Hi
I have type 2 Diabetes but I am otherwise healthy. And I am a bit overweight. I was recommended Metformin to get down my sugar, but I have found it makes me really ill. The symptoms are too numerous to mention them all but they include vomiting,extreme bloating and flatulance and sleepiness. So that treatment went out the window and I am on a couple of more obscure drugs that are only mildly effective.
I decided to go on the LCHF diet and was surprised to find out that my current doctor approves!
I feel really well and my sugars during the day are at last under 8. I still take the two tablets at night with my evening meal, but woudl love to ditch them too eventually. The first two weeks under the doctor saw me lose 6 kilograms. Both of us were so pleased.
My main problem is to get the fasting sugar down. The readings of 10 and 11 are not low enough although I have had a few of 9.8. I find a late night snack helps: nuts and cheese and my crackers made from almond meal and olives are some of the possible ingredients of my snack.
Does anyone have any more ideas on this issue? It is called the dawn phenomenom.
My husband gets much the same as me but does eat bread and rice if he wishes. He will have to decide for himself if he wishes to join me totally but he at least is supportive and tries to avoid sugar ( I don’t use it at home) and leaves off the top of his hamburger when we are out.
Thanks for the recipes – they are really helpful and delicious. I find that if I take some suitable food when I go to a function it helps me to avoid the cakes and pastries that are so common at afternoon teas and drinks and nibblies type events. I treat them as if I am allergic to them. I like it when I have to bring a dish as I know that there will be something I can eat. Dining out: most places have something I can eat on the menu or will accommodate me e.g. a bunless burger. These alternatives are getting more popular.
We have avoided sugar for a long time now as I think it was in part responsible for my husband’s blocked arteries. I am convinced that cholesterol and fat was not the cause. We have not had icecream for ages and do not crave it any more. I do make desserts but they are carb free or low carb. I am getting good at these. I love reading the suggestions and adapting old recipes to my new eating style. I enjoy the challenge. It is important to see the positive side , for example, I can now enjoy a piece of brie with a few walnuts – beats a piece of so so pastry hands down. And I don’t eat so much as I am more satisfied.
So any advice on getting my numbers down will be appreciated. I have been serious about this diet for abot 4 weeks now. I have never felt better. The dietician I saw not long after my initial diagnosis recommended the low GI diet with lots of grains and I put on weight and did not lower my sugar. Come to think of it she was pretty hefty herself!
Regards
Dawn
Jane says
DP is difficult to address. I’ve been T1 since 1968 and can manage it through my insulin pump. I think at 3:30am it ramps up to counter DP but since you’re not using shots or pills that’s out for you. I’ve had success just having fat at bedtime – it acts like cement all night long. I dip a teaspoon or two of cream cheese in SF jello (it’s not great but it’s palatable – remember, it’s fuel not entertainment). Protein does have an impact on BG so it could be that combining with DP is kind of doubling-down the impact. It’s worth a try anyway. Also, perhaps adjusting timing of your evening meds. Congrats on your success!
Erin says
Hi Dawn, I’ve found 30-40 minutes of mid-intensity cardio exercise every evening (roughly 2 hours after dinner), in conjunction with a LCHF diet, to lower my morning fasting numbers dramatically. I used to get between 9-12 on a typical morning and now get consistently between 5-6. I’ve found personally that longer duration of exercise than this, or more intense exercise, is not as effective and tends to create a rebound effect. Exercise has been equally as important as diet in my experience. Awesome to hear your physician approves of the LCHF diet! Mine have not, but it’s all in the numbers. 🙂
Dawn Hudson-Taylor says
Hi Erin – it sounds worth a try as I get 9-10 in the morning and it drops to 7 – 8 in the day. Do you do this every evening? What exactly would mid intensity exercise mean?
Rachel Dickson says
I can testify to the positive impact of evening workouts on the dawn phenomenon. I participated in a study for DM2 folks that had a high carb dinner and either 1) workout in AM 2) workout 2 hours after dinner or 3) no workout at all. The PhD who conducted the study will publish her work soon, but thusfar her participants (including me) all had lower fasting blood sugars after working out in the evening. The positive results are worth the lifestyle change. Try it out.
Raya says
Hi Dawn,
I am on my 3rd week of hflc and my daytime readings are great. My morning readings were still around 10 UNTIL I started taking 20ml of apple cider vinegar before bed. It’s working great for me.
Dawn Hudson-Taylor says
Hi Raya
I did try the cider vinegar and the readings came down but then the effect wore off and up they went again. I am not taking any medication now. However I am going to wait and see if there is any improvement after we move house as I think the stress is pushing up my cortisol levels and hence my sugar levels. I have read it takes a long time to improve the insulin resistance if you have had it for a long time – so I am patient, or trying to be. Perhaps I will try the vinegar again though.
Raija says
Sorry to hear the acv effect wore off. I hope that won’t happen to me.
I know stress pushes the numbers up – I proved it last weekend; there was no reason for my numbers to be up on that day as my diet was strict, but I was very stressed.
barb says
Hi Libby
Firstly I really enjoy your site – clear and easy to understand information, quality links, many inspiring testimonials, and of course the recipes! Keep it up, please!
My story is a long one, but one where the last few years have been a process of joining the dots, linking lots of health issues with the same cause of my love affair with bread, cake of any description, biscuits, and yes, sugar in any form.
Background info first. I’m an active 61 year old city dweller, walking everywhere. But my various health issues in my past were always unrelated to what I ate in my opinion. I just thought I had a predisposition for this condition, a genetic link for another. I had no idea my various health issues all came under the same umbrella of inflammation in various parts of my body. As a healthy, slim (173 cm tall, and 63kg weight) mum of 4 I was always busy, and believed I ate well under the food pyramid guidelines that I grew up with. Yes, I ate sweet stuff when I got a chance, for sure. I just didn’t think about – way too busy for any contemplation. In my late thirties I started to discover niggling areas of arthritis, but not enough to stop me doing anything I needed to do. Episodes of candida overgrowth started in my late 30s too. Buckling with pain 30 minutes after eating and lasting for 2 hours definitely motivated me to start investigating. Keeping a food diary for a while pointed to two of my great loves – bread and sugar ( mostly in the form of chocolate for me). I had had bouts of candida in the past in the form of vaginal thrush, but could this be affecting me in my stomach too? When I don’t know what to do I start researching. Then in the form of books, and now of course with the added help of the plethora of good websites. So this, dealing with a very painful episode of candida, lasting for 12 weeks until the overgrowth was starved of sugars and yeast, was the first time I linked what I ate with my health, and saw that I could control things myself.
Other health issues like kidney stones (twice!!!!), and a hysterectomy for removal of more than a dozen large fibroids followed. But they couldn’t have anything to do with what I ate. Surely not
Arthritis has gradual worsened as I have got older. Well, mum and dad both had it, so it was my genetic link I believed. This had gradually progressed as i have aged to the following shopping list of related ailments: Finger joints of both hands are swollen and stiff, shooting pain in one wrist, creaky knees, a hip and shoulder sore enough to wake me at night, crepititus in my neck (that grating sound when I turn my neck), and osteophytes on the top of both feet. Doctors offered antiinflammatories of course, but I don’t want that for my long term future. One doctor said simply that I would be back when the pain got too bad, because it eventually would. I had no idea I could do anything about this except observe the progress and feel the pain.
Eventually the pain caused by the osteophytes on top of my feet restricted my daily walking to such an extent that I ended up having surgery for their removal along with removal of bunions. A big op with months off work and many more months of recovery between each foot being done. The kind surgeon simply told me that these would return, and yes, he could remove them again. I still had no idea that what I ate could affect my joints. I had no idea about inflammation caused by what went in my mouth.
Four years ago I had an accidental experiment when I visited my daughter in Cambodia. After a month of eating Asian food with usual western foods being hard to get, I suddenly realised that NOTHING HURT! I had no joint pain in my hands, neck, knees, and especially my feet! Why? As I thought about this I realised that I hadn’t eaten things like bread, sugar and dairy for 4 weeks. Returning home saw me go back to the usual ‘healthy’ way of eating but now I had experienced a health change I could not ignore. Since then I have been experimenting. Maybe a month without bread will help, but I couldn’t possibly do that! Or maybe no sugar? Definitely couldn’t do that! However, pain is a great motivation to change. I have been on a great educational journey to learn about what inflammation does in the body and my capacity to control my health outcomes.
So where am I now? If I eat food with sugar or gluten especially, I will start to feel pain and stiffness in my hands within a couple of hours. This lasts for 2-3 weeks (yes, weeks!) Before gradually easing off. Do I still put myself through this? Yep. Talk about a stubborn show learner! Nightshades also cause inflammation for me but I can have them occasionally with no problem.
But now the knowledge and support of websites such as yours, low carb down under, Robb wolf, marks daily apple, iquitsugar, Paleo mom, etc, have helped me enormously. I understand the food-inflammation link now. I understand that I am steering my health. Slowly as I gradually lean into change, I see that what we eat is so powerful for health results, that what we eat is largely habit and yes we can change those habits with enough motivation.
Consistency in staying away from foods that I know offer me nothing but pain, is still my biggest issue to get full healing, which takes weeks.
Many thanks for a fabulous resource. Your clear voice is really helpful and the recipes are excellent! Just tried the pizza – fabulousa!
Keep up the great work
Barb
Sunil says
I am vegetarian. How can I adopt this diet plan without adding meat in my diet. Please suggest
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
It depends on how strict vegetarian or vegan you are. If you will eat dairy and eggs then you will find it easier than if you are vegan. Here is a great article to read regarding vegetarian/vegan and LCHF.
LJ Mc says
Hey Anthony, there is a film on sugar – “That Sugar Film”. Damon Gameau had been sugar free for two years. For 60 days he aims to eat the national average of sugar – 40 teaspoons. Not sugar by the spoonful, not lollies, soft drink and ice-cream, but ‘healthy’ stuff – breakfast cereals, juice, yogurt, sauce, etc. They use good animations and explanations to show what happens to the liver, brain, fat, health etc. Plus he has his team of experts who ran tests before, during and after his experiment. Most striking to me was how tired he became, how terrible he looked in the face and the brain fog and moods. And of course, he puts on weight, even though he is eating the same number of calories as he was before (on fresh food)
Web http://www.thatsugarfilm.com
FB https://www.facebook.com/thatsugarfilm/timeline
Leon says
I stumbled upon this website by chance after looking for a banting alternative to coconut macaroos after reading about it in Bycicling magazine. Here’s my story.
July 2012 and i am visiting my doctor to do a check up. I am 110 kg and already on high blood pressure meds. Blood tests reveal i also have high uric acid ( i live on gout cocktails), high cholestrol ( bad one is over 4) as well as high sugar (over 10 and borderline diabetic). Doctor tells my i better go an a diet and do some excercise. So i reluctantly see a diatician and get myself a stationary bike. The diet did not last long but i kept on riding the stat bike until i invested in a mountain bike July 2013. May 2014 i got introduced to Banting. For a ” rys, vleis & aartappels” guy it was surprisingly easy to ditch the carbs. Long story short, Feb 2015 and i see the doctor again. I am 15 kgs lighter and bloods reveal that all ailments have returned to normal. Bad cholestrol is 1.6, sugar is 4 and uric acid is low i can’t get gout even if i tried to. Doctor officially takes me off all meds. I must also add that i used to suffer from heart burn. Since Banting i have had none. I am not discounting cycling’s contribution but banting has changed my life.
Petra Anunobi says
My name is Petra and I am from Germany.
Since I am a teenager I was a big girl. My highest weight was 140 kg this means a BMI of 43.
For many jears I was suffering from badly colon problems. After every meal ,I got badly diarrhea. No Doc was able to help me and even I had this kind oft problems my weight got higher.
One day I saw a documentary about sugar Intolerances. This was my enlightment.
I made all the tests.all was positive. The only kind oft sugar my body digest ist glucose.
So I start my diet. When I found out what kind of food is making me problems ,it was quiet all with carbs inside.
I can not eat fruits or vegetables even pepperminttea is to much fructose for me.
So there are like 10 things left ,I can eat.
Any kind oft meat,eggs, Laktose free milkprodukts,ans Kind oft Oil,or butter,white bread, a little salat,cucumber,and avocado is OK too.
Because of this small Selektion,I can not ditch carbs totaly.
Me,I eat twice a day 5am and 5pm.
I only eat twice a day because to fill three meals evey day without getting boring is Mord difficult then only two. And I was used to,because oft my diarrheaproblems I only ate at home,befor and after work.
In the morning I eat carbs,and in the night only protein.
This all starts 10 jears ago ,when nobody speak about to ditch carbs.
I lost half of my weight in 1,5 years.And I still keep eat.
So accidently I found out that carbs were my poison,I was lucky
People allways tell me ,it can not be healthy to live like this,but for me personaly it is helthy. For this my slogan is::: what is one mans food,is another mans poison.
May,this can help somebody with simular probs.
Kelley Pounds says
Hi Libby, I wanted to post my testimonial. I have photos but don’t know how to post them 🙂
I have battled my weight from childhood…attending Weight Watchers as early as age 10 (I’ve done Weight Watchers 3 times in my life). I’ve also tried other diets, like low fat, pre-packaged food diets and calorie restricted diets, sometimes consuming as little as 500 calories a day in an effort to lose weight. They were all miserable failures and none contributed to good health.
Now, in my early 40’s, I was tired and fed up. My health was declining. I was pre-diabetic with elevated cholesterol and triglycerides, high blood pressure, acid reflux, poor mood and extreme low self esteem! My lack of energy was profound.
About two years ago, I adopted a sugar free, grain free, low carb, high healthy fat lifestyle. It saved my life.
To date: I have lost 80 lbs. My goal is 15-20 more….Gone is my pre-diabetes and hypertension. I am NOWHERE NEAR pre-diabetes….and it was eliminated without the help of any medication. I have perfect fasting glucose. Perfect insulin levels. My blood pressure has gone from 170’s/90’s ON medication to 115/65 (average) WITHOUT medication. Triglycerides and cholesterol are perfect. My acid reflux of 21 years…gone! I’m off the acid blockers! In fact, I am off all medications. I can also testify as to what LCHF does for mental clarity and mood stability. I feel amazing, balanced and energetic!
I can’t imagine living any other way! I am so thankful to have found LCHF and have made it my mission to help others find this way of living.
Kuahmd says
Its so inspiring to hear your story. I’m 59 and have started lchf about 4 months. My last blood test was just a miracle with perfect blood HDL/LDL and triglyceride readings. My glucose reading are normal and my pressure is stable. 118/70. I felt a renewed vigour in my daily life and like to be thankful to all for sharing LCHF.
Cindy says
I am only 17 days in on lchf and the difference in me is dramatic. Gone are all the GI issues, the sluggishness, the need for an afternoon nap. I have lost 12 lbs so far and have so much energy my husband thinks I am on drugs. He sees the dramatic difference in me and has been talking about starting with me. (he is diabetic has a list of diagnosis a mile long. This can only be good for him) LCHF – I like it, I love it, I want some more of it!!
Dennis Wortham says
Ditch The Carbs is my inspiration!
When I started my journey to health 15 months ago, my goal was to bring my blood sugar levels down within a “normal” range. I had been battling diabetes, high cholesterol, and was overweight. But my Dr. had no solutions except adding more medications. Something had to be done. I wanted to change my lifestyle by eating better. No fad diets, no weight loss gimmicks. I pretty much decided that there are foods a diabetic should not eat. Period. Then, I found Ditch The Carbs.
The information is great and the recipes are wonderful. I made the conscience decision to cut all “white” foods totally from my diet. No more sugar or foods with high fructose corn syrup, wheat flour, wheat breads, pasta, white rice, or potatoes. I learned that it IS possible to break the addiction to carbohydrates, lose weight, and get healthy by leading a LCHF lifestyle.
So, after a recent Dr. Appointment, I have the following to report:
– Blood sugar levels have gone from a daily average of 182 to 90 all while cutting my meds down by 2/3
– A1c has gone from 7.9 to 5.4
– BMI is now within “normal” range
– I have lost weight equal to the average weight of an 8 year old boy
– and, 10 inches are gone off my waistline
Thank you, Ditch The Carbs!
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Thank you so much for sharing Dennis. That is a fabulous testimonial and I am honoured that Ditch The Carbs played a part in your weight loss and health improvements. Your blood results look fabulous and the fact that you have now been able to come off 2/3 of your medication is amazing. I’m sure your story will inspire others to give it a go.
Meg says
Dennis how long did it take to get your BS into normal range. I have been doing HFLC for 2 weeks and lost 4kilos but BS sill high. I take 1500 metformin daily. Many thanks
Loeki says
Hi, my name is Loeki (49 years). I am from South Africa, and my story is obviously not unique. I have been on almost every diet since mid thirties. I felt comfortable around 62kg, but struggled immensely to stay on my ideal weight.
Every year, I added a few kilos, and had to starve myself for months at a time to get back down to a comfortable weight. I know now that I had a terrible addiction to sugar and carbs. I am working from home, and the cupboard with all the chocolate and chips was plaguing me constantly.
I prayed seriously for a change in my life end of last year, and that is when I saw a street poster about Tim Noakes, and something negative about his diet. Ironic, I know, but it was curious, and went on the internet and discovered the Real Meal Revolution.
I spend my entire three weeks vacation researching lchf, and was totally blown away by the clear science and astonished by the ignorance of the medical profession and dieticians.
It was a real struggle to get my husband and teenage son on board, but I found that persistence and clever tactics did the trick. I was in tears and wanted to give up many times. Once, I bought coke and gave them a pasta meal, and told them it is OK, I will follow this lchf lifestyle on my own, and will cook “normal” food for them. They were very shocked, and couldn’t put a single bite in their mouths. Amazingly, they never complained again : )
The transition is not easy if you have to cook for a family, but it is 100% worth the effort, and if one can go through the pains and complaints, it get easier and very rewarding.
Only to list a few of the changes that I experienced:
My son don’t use asthma medication anymore
His acne cleared up almost completely
All of us lost weight and looks amazing! ( I lost 7kg effortlessly in 6 weeks time)
I never have cravings for sweet things anymore
I can actually concentrate on my work, and not obsess about food
I don’t have arthritis pains in my hands anymore ( I had it since my teens!!)
I have lots of energy, and can’t wait for my workout after dinner (only time available, but no problem doing it so late in the day)
Now, I sleep like a log, as before I sometimes struggled to fall asleep
I never need Rennies anymore, as my heartburn stopped completely
And the most important one for me,…I was suffering from depression for most of my adult life. I never used medication, because I could never acknowledge the fact that I feel hopeless and sad even when I had no reason to feel that way. Most days it was a struggle to do the things I was supposed to do. Now I know it all had to do with my eating habits. I will never need depression meds ever, because I feel alive and focused on the positive in my life.
I am extremely thankful to Tim Noakes for sticking his head out here in SA. We will one day put up a huge statue of him, as the guy that started the change in the healthy eating revolution. But for now, we will have to take the criticism and reproach with him, and hope it will not take to long for the truth about lchf to be common sense.
Rafa says
Hi!! My life story of weight gain-loss is very similar to yours.
I also have just a few kg to lose (about 5kg) and I have been doing the LCHF for 9 days. I haven’t weighed myself yet and I’m not sure if I have lost anything. How was your weight loss? Was it constant or with ups and downs? It is very hard to find stories about people who just have a few pounds to lose and were successful with low carb.
Tks!!
Mareli says
Hi Rafa, i’m in the same boat as you….. To have to lose so little is sooo difficult. And am struggling to stay focused!!!! I think we must just shift our mindset to not losing weight but being healthy, then the weight drop will come by itself? What do you think?
Rafa says
I agree, and for the first time I’m trying to be more focused on the healthy side of the diet than just on the possibility of losing weight. It’s still soon, but I just hope it works for both purposes!
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
A recent email ::
I have to say, I am really really impressed with your website, its informative, has lots of great recipes (some are too good, like the chocolate truffle one) and its probably the best resource out there for how to help children become low carb as well. You have obviously put a lot of effort into the content and I for one can say you are helping my family to be more healthy. My husband no longer needs to take his reflux medicine and I can eat without constantly trying to be on a diet (a low fat one). Its taking longer to get the children completely there, but this is the year I will work on that.
Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks
Kind regards
Fiona
Georgie Porgie says
I started my LCHF diet 3 weeks ago after a blowout at a local tapas bar after getting some good news from the hospital, my starting weight was 241 lbs, I wasn’t sure what to do at first so did the obvious, stopped bread (my was this hard to do) potatoes, rice, pasta etc. I supplemented the starchy things with extra veggies and ate more eggs, cheese and bacon which I saw as a treat before. Well you could have blown me down with a feather when I got on the scales a little over 2 weeks later, I was down 11 lbs, that has now gone up to 14 lbs, all this in 3 weeks with no exercise, why didn’t I find this before?
Kylee nolen says
First time mommy!
My name is Kylee. I’m from kentucky and have lost 29.6lbs in 5 months by ditching the carbs!
At first it was a challenge because I love pasta and any Italian food!! But once I learned other recipes and got focused it was a breeze. I love this life style, I feel healthier, I have more energy, and my skin even seems better!
Joanne says
In January I decided to give banting a two-week trial after hearing Prof Tim Noakes on the radio.
Within two days I was off heartburn meds and have not had heartburn since. Within a few weeks, my lifelong asthma disappeared. This is something I have been on steroids, inhalers and pumps, nebulizers, had x-rays for, and which has twice put me in hospital ICU. This winter, for the first time in forever, I stayed healthy – no flu, tonsillitis or bronchitis. I now believe my ‘asthma’ was really a grain allergy and am angry at the incorrect treatment I’ve received over decades. It is so wonderful not to have a (literally) constant cough and serious attacks! I also no longer have mouth ulcers, which troubled me before.
I have lost 18kg – more than I initially dared to aim for — and I lost it easily and am keeping it off. I weigh less than when I got married 23 years ago and my stomach has never, not even as a child, been this flat. I don’t have that middle of the afternoon sleepy slump and don’t have joint pains likes I used to.
I love Ditch the Carbs for the inspiring pics on Twitter, my 2 favorite recipes are the paleo pancakes made with banana, which I make when I’m craving a treat, and the silver beet carbonara – who needs pasta? I haven’t eaten pasta or rice since January, or bread apart from a cheat bite two or three times.
My husband has now been put on banting to lower his cholesterol. It’s working for that, also lost about 6kg and sleep apnea way better. His lifelong heartburn has also completely stopped.
My son, who is not following the programme strictly, has lost 7kg and is increasingly becoming a convert. When I dropped the starch from our dinner, my family hardly noticed and never complained. Even my daughter now takes her morning boiled eggs without toast.
I am a convert, and I tell people about banting all the time. It feels unethical to keep the news to myself.
At a recent restaurant outing, the waiter asked me if I was “another Mrs Noakes” and a fellow diner told me I was a walking advertisement for banting. Not sure how the comments were intended, but I took them as compliments! My two-week turned lifelong banting trial was one of the best decisions I have made in my life.
Bill says
I live in UK and have been fat all of my life (62) – tried most of the diets and discovered LCHF in May from Prof Tim Noakes in South Africa. Serious “banting” since then – lost 23 Kg so far (maybe another 20 to go?), stopped BP medication and generally have so much energy – walking about 45 miles a week. Even my wife who does not fully follow but has dropped most Carbs, has halved her Insulin intake (type 2). Sleep better and no more joint pain. Tough going initially but now have lost all cravings for bread and sweet things – just amazing and frustrating why it took so long to discover
Libby at ditchthecarbs.com says
Some of the best comments left on Facebook:
Anne. D – Age 57, lost 20 kilos, no more arthritis pain, skin looks beautiful, feel about 20 – amazing how eating correctly has made me feel I am always happy, sleep like a log every night – never giving up this lifestyle.
Jude. B – Only been a few days , but already lost 3 1/2 kg , feel amazing , my mind is so much clearer, and energy levels are fantastic!! I won’t ever go back to my old ways.
Jenifer. B – I am 41 and I have been living this LCHF life for 2 weeks and have lost 20 lbs. already!!!! I am committed and feel fantastic! I have a long way to go, but feel confident that I can do this. I have gained more energy, sleep hard and heavy. I actually read a post from “Butter makes your pants fall off ” and that is how I started. That very instant. I could not be happier to read others results and know for myself that I have made a good choice to change my life for the best!!
Timea. T -I’m 39…23 weeks pregnant at the moment…haven’t lost weight, but I haven’t gained any either…I take that as a loss, because if I look back to my 2 previous pregnancies I put on 13 with the first, and over 20 with the second…I could lose the kilos I gained after the first, but still had some left after the second….and with this pregnancy I started to pile on the kilos very fast…10 kilos straight at the beginning, but then I found this new way of life about 12-13 weeks ago….nothing since….with my first 2 I was always after food…couldn’t get enough of bread with margarine and jam….I don’t have any cravings this time (maybe sometimes for some fat bombs )with 2 first pregnancies I was always grumpy/moody…I don’t get that this time…I do have some bad days, but hasn’t? my face was always full of pimple, but not this pregnancy…I do get some, but far less and they are much smaller and go faster away….my skin is very smooth it’s like when I was 20something and I don’t use any moisturiser…my cracked heels started to disappear without any treatment…my nails go so strong I struggle to cut them, especially on my toes I’m getting far less plaque on my teeth at the end of the day…and the list could go on and on and on
Sharon says
also. forgot to say celery dipped in no sugar peanut butter is an excellent occasional treat, and really filling
Sharon says
I have lost 21lb so far and my psoriasis has almost cleared up completely. I have been sugar free since june and lchf since august. eliminating sugar has to be the first step, it makes everything else so much easier because the cravings just disappear. really want to spread the word
Debbie says
Hi, I just want to say THANK YOU for all the fab ideas – can’t wait to make the spring rolls. Your posts are a big motivation in my life, and your recipes are always so fantastic. Since starting Banting in May, have lost 14kg … here’s to the next 14kg!! Thank you and keep up the great work!
Jean says
I need to do this….I have been wanting to do this for over month and start ONE day and I cannot go for even a day without caving into carbs!! Debbie, you have lost 30# since May??? WOW! Help me to understand to get over just one day!!!
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Go slowly, change one thing at a time and it makes the transition easier. When you are ready, change another. Take a look at How To Start.
Nicole Anderson says
Low carb for 4 years after coeliac diagnosis – it was just a natural progression really as gluten free ‘staple’ replacements are tasteless, textureless & less healthy that the gluten ones. Best things about being low carb: tons of energy, almost zilch arthritis pain, teeth fantastic (& dentist happy), became a competitive ultraendurance athlete, sausages & hard boiled eggs now considered “sports nutrition”, no lunchtime postpriandial near comatose slump (my 2pm patients benefit!), I can hunt and gather, NO FARTS! And I love pork belly.
anthony mcgrath says
omg the complete lack of gas and bloating is one of the best reasons to go to a low carb/sugar diet…
I honestly dont care if i’m told i’ll die 5 years earlier because of all the meat and fat i eat… if it means 20+ years of no gas and bloating and horrible WC visits i’ll happily take that option
proper happy its working for you 🙂
Dennis says
I have been on a LCHF diet since 1st Feb 2014. I have lost 37kg, I still have 20kg to go but am loosing about 600 grams a week. I have stopped taking high blood pressure tablets, Diabetes meds, heart burn meds and Statins. I have not felt this good in many many years. What is sad is all the time I wasted following bad advice to eat a high carb diet, I got fatter and sicker. I thank my lucky stars that I came across the LCHF diet. I have wasted 30 years been overweight, I was always knocked and ridiculed for being fat and lazy and this hurt. I am getting my life back, I now have a future I can look forward to. Thank you Tim Noakes.
lynnethompsonLyne says
Hi, I’m from South Africa, and am a Huge Tim Noakes fan. It was a relief to read your testimony. I am so worried that I am doing something wrong. I love my new Banting life style. I just wish I had not listened to all the rubbisjh fed to me about “proper” nutrition all the years. Boy do I love eating this way. But, after 7 weeks I have only lost just 4kg. There have been weeks where I have lost nothing more then 0,100grams. I need to loose over 50kg by September (My goal). What would your advise be? Is this normal weight loss. How was your path to the weight coming off as you also lost a huge amount over a period. Thankyou
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
Everyones rate of weight loss is different but losing on average 500g/week is fabulous and healthy. If some weeks you are only losing 100g it must mean other weeks you are losing quite a lot. So go back and see what has changed. Look at The Top Reasons Your Not Losing Weight. Keep going, you’ve done an amazing job. And remember it’s not all about the weight loss, it’s also about increased health, decreased inflammation and reduced risk of heart disease, T2 diabetes etc.
Lacey says
Only been LCHF for over a month! 12.2kg gone! My skin is amazing, I feel amazing, I’m less bloated and thoroughly enjoying eating all the time! The weight is just falling off at 300-500g a day!!! This is the best lifestyle change I’ve ever made! Never though I’d be sugar free! 7 weeks now and I feel amazing!!!
lynnethompsonLyne says
Hi Lacey, how much weight have you lost since August last year? please tell me what your basic meal plan was / is that helped you loose weight. Thank you so much 🙂
lipbitter says
woah 😮 how much did you weight to start with? and how much carbs max do you aim for a day? (did you aim for?)
Eoin O'Beara (@eobeara) says
I’m a runner and bought into the “carb loading” that is sold in all the magazines and websites.
I knew I wasn’t feeling great and could feel better, so I had a blood test to see if I was allergic or intolerant to anything. I was told I’m very intolerant to yeast, which started me on a gluten free phase. From there I started to wonder just how many carbs I needed. Eventually I read “Low carbohydrate performance” and went LCHF from that day.
Eighteen months later I have lost my “wheat belly”, can breathe easier, am more alert and in March I ran a marathon on a breakfast of bacon & eggs. I had no food during the race and only drank water. I injured my ankle and had to walk/jog the last 5k but still got a 9 minute PB over my previous, carb ladedn, marathon. I recovered faster too.
I regularly run or cycle before breakfast for up to three hours and easily cycle over 100k without needing food with a good, steady energy level. I would highly recommend LCHF to other endurance athletes.
Eoin
anthony mcgrath says
My name is Anthony – i live in the UK and work on Playstation4 games development for a company in the North west. I am a fairly largish guy… 6ft3″ and generally around the 100+ kg weight. I used to hit the weights alot when younger, i’ve been into martial arts for 23 years (wing chun practitioner for 8 years now) and i am fond of tinkering with cars and a keen skydiver when time allows. All in all i have kept very active over my life (I’m 38) and i have tried my best to maintain that where possible. my wife and i have tried to eat healthy since we’ve met – she’s from Barcelona so is fond of making good healthy wholesome food… she’s fond of cooking and makes amazing meals all the time.
After our little one was born, I found myself slowly binging on snacks just to keep going.. this compounded night after night with large amounts of deprived sleep as all parents experience. I slowly went up to 121kg.. this might not sound a great jump up from my ‘normal’ weight but it really made the difference.. joint aches.. tiredness and general difficulty with motion. Sleep was difficult because of the extra weight and numerous other issues began plaguing me. I was finding it harder to deal with my child as he increased in weight (picking him up) and as he became more active.
My wife was also suffering the same issues too and despite our healthy eating lifestyle of good food we were still gaining weight. She began to look into what might be the problem but commonplace knowledge was very fond of blaming fats and nearly all the info pointed to low fat healthy options. Well thats what we always opted for in the shops yet we were gaining weight.
She discovered the ditch-the-carbs facebook page and we looked into our diet more closely. We realised we were eating far more carbs than we really should and sugars were hidden away in numerous foods. Coupled with this knowledge and more importantly researching ourselves into the way humans “should” eat and used to eat.. we realised that a diet rich in meats, fats and fruit and veg was fine so long as we removed alot of carbs such as bread, large bowls of pasta and rice and removed out foods rich in sugars.
Since ditching sugars, processed food and most carb-heavy foods I’ve dropped down to a more stable 109kg over the last 5 months.. this is no exercise and a sedentary job as a keyboard jockey 5 days a week. I have done no exercise and lost more than 10kg and it’s still coming off.
Joint aches in my elbows and knees have gone. My lumbar no longer feels like it’s trying to hyper extend backwards. My concentration is ten times more. My energy levels too.. i can chase my son around and have fun. I sleep much better too. The biggest and best thing tho is the return to normality of my stomach.. no washing machine feeling.. no acids.. no reflux.. no tablets to quell it.. and no horrible bathroom visits!
I scoff sausages eggs and meats.. red meat white meat and fish.. lots of fish. My wife ensures I get lots of veg as I’m stubborn and try and dodge it hehehe!
I sometimes have a bowl of fruit.. strawberries raspberries blackberries kiwi. Maybe a bit of melon and some grapes occasionally.. near enough the only sugar intake I have comes from fruits and I limit that. I drink fruit juice 100 percent but it’s so sweet I water it down.. 1 pint glass has about an inch height of juice and th rest is water. sweets, cakes and soda have all gone bye bye and i honestly dont miss them… even with friends around me indulging and teasing me… i dont see any of it as food any more
I would love to see someone like Morgan Spurlock do a “Supersugar me” film.. I even considered doing it myself.. going on a soda and sweets/cake binge for 3 months to see the effect and document it.. but I’ve been told that I will be divorced.. and equally worse I’ll prob end up having diabetes.
I don’t preach my findings to ppl.. I’m not perfect and have the occasional weak moment like the pancakes I made this morning. But I feel so much more in control of my body mind and we’ll being and I never want to go back to how I was. My wife and i have read up on numerous factors related to the topic of how we eat… history and politics play a key role in the way ppls diets have changed over as recently as the last 50 years but i wont go on about that here… but its very clear big business has no interest in doing anything other than making as much profit selling various combinations of cheap refined sugar, flour, salt and flavourings – which in turn perpetuates another business arm of medicines and “healthy” foods… its utterly disgusting and reading about it gives both my wife and I alot of strength to continue eating the way we now do.
I honestly hope other ppl find the strength to try and ditch carbs and and sugars for just 4 to 8 weeks and continue with it. Sugar is the biggest threat to our well being in our lifetimes and big business is going out of its way to ensure we don’t find out the truth or they muddy it as much as possible. I hope ppl can and want to try for themselves and realise how much better off they’ll be
good luck
ant
chris sorby says
Hi Anthony,
Sounds like you have done fantastically with the change in diet as has evryone here. Hope you are still going strong but thought I’d just mention the one thing you could also help and that is don’t drink any juice, and I know you water it down but it’s just sugar and no good either, best of luck.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com says
He only uses 1 inch juice in a huge glass of water diluted 🙂
Lulu says
I am a month in now. I have no energy AT ALL. I had tons of energy to begin with, but now…… I want to sleep all day. My digestion isn’t so good either, and my body seems to be heavy, heavy, heavy. Can’t move my arms and legs without tons of effort. I have not lost any weight at all, but I feel thinner, but not much. I am not sleeping well, and used to sleep really great. I was on a vegetarian diet prior to this diet, and ate a ton of fruits and veggies, but almost no fat at all.
I think the high consumption of fat is too hard for my body to deal with. I was vegetarian for 43 years, with very low protein and no fat. This new diet seems to be very hard to metabolize. I wonder if anyone else has had problems coming off a no fat, to a high fat diet???
I need to lose 10 pounds, but I don’t see this being the way. I need energy. I take care of small children all day long, and they are just little dynamos!! If anyone can suggest how I can make this work??