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Hi folks! I just found this board, and I wanted to thank you all for sharing your inspiring stories and photos.
I am new to the low-carb lifestyle. It was a very difficult transition as my family and I had been mostly vegan for about 8 years. I've been thin my entire life, until the last few years I gained weight rather suddenly. I didn't eat any more or anything different from the usual. My activity level was the same. I still don't know exactly why I suddenly started to gain weight (I went from about 135 to 155 in a year and then stabilized there). I started thinking that some metabolic process inside my body was going haywire, and maybe the vegan diet could have been the cause. I read Michael Pollan's books and started adding some eggs and occassionally fish back into my diet. It wasn't easy, but ultimately I decided that my health was worth the sacrifice of a few animals. Then I started to consider really restricting carbs and looking into Atkins.
It's been about 2 weeks and I can already see a difference. I have a waist again and all my clothes are loose. I'm never hungry, I have plenty of energy (I ride about 150 miles a week by bicycle), and I feel very mentally sharp.
At the start, I had to go through a phase that seemed almost like I was recovering from an addiction to an opiate drug. I had intense cravings for starchy foods, headaches and diarrhea, and it was a difficult time adjusting to low-carb. I even had stomache ache pains after eating, and I've since learned that it may have been caused by a low acid secretion and difficulty digesting meat after not eating it for so long. But after about 4 days, all my unpleasant symptoms subsided, I started to feel much happier and more energetic, and my desire for carbs diminished and it got much easier. I've suffered from gastroesophageal reflux for years, and I no longer have it. I've experienced many positive health changes as a result of low-carb in addition to the weight loss. I'm so glad I gave this diet a try. I think my previous diet was making me sick, slightly depressed and fatter.
Anyway, I've lost about 13 pounds so far, and I know I don't have much more to go before I reach my goal, but I'm feeling so good, physically and mentally. I think it would be a fantastic diet even if I hadn't lost a pound.
I had a lot of mental blocks to eating meat, dairy and eggs, and if I could overcome those to start eating a low-carb diet, I hope my experience might inspire someone else who may be having a difficult time giving up the carbs.
I am new to the low-carb lifestyle. It was a very difficult transition as my family and I had been mostly vegan for about 8 years. I've been thin my entire life, until the last few years I gained weight rather suddenly. I didn't eat any more or anything different from the usual. My activity level was the same. I still don't know exactly why I suddenly started to gain weight (I went from about 135 to 155 in a year and then stabilized there). I started thinking that some metabolic process inside my body was going haywire, and maybe the vegan diet could have been the cause. I read Michael Pollan's books and started adding some eggs and occassionally fish back into my diet. It wasn't easy, but ultimately I decided that my health was worth the sacrifice of a few animals. Then I started to consider really restricting carbs and looking into Atkins.
It's been about 2 weeks and I can already see a difference. I have a waist again and all my clothes are loose. I'm never hungry, I have plenty of energy (I ride about 150 miles a week by bicycle), and I feel very mentally sharp.
At the start, I had to go through a phase that seemed almost like I was recovering from an addiction to an opiate drug. I had intense cravings for starchy foods, headaches and diarrhea, and it was a difficult time adjusting to low-carb. I even had stomache ache pains after eating, and I've since learned that it may have been caused by a low acid secretion and difficulty digesting meat after not eating it for so long. But after about 4 days, all my unpleasant symptoms subsided, I started to feel much happier and more energetic, and my desire for carbs diminished and it got much easier. I've suffered from gastroesophageal reflux for years, and I no longer have it. I've experienced many positive health changes as a result of low-carb in addition to the weight loss. I'm so glad I gave this diet a try. I think my previous diet was making me sick, slightly depressed and fatter.
Anyway, I've lost about 13 pounds so far, and I know I don't have much more to go before I reach my goal, but I'm feeling so good, physically and mentally. I think it would be a fantastic diet even if I hadn't lost a pound.
I had a lot of mental blocks to eating meat, dairy and eggs, and if I could overcome those to start eating a low-carb diet, I hope my experience might inspire someone else who may be having a difficult time giving up the carbs.
X16 
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