When I set out on my “journey” on March 5, 2017 I didn’t have a particular weight loss goal in mind. I just knew that I was metabolically unwell and very overweight and that something needed to change (you can read a summary of that story here)! For years, I’d look in the mirror and long to see someone that looked like “me” looking back.
Over the first year since adopting a low carbohydrate and then a ketogenic therapeutic diet (March 2017-March 2018) I lost 32 pounds, put my Type 2 Diabetes into remission and significantly improved my blood pressure, but I didn’t reached the goal of getting my waist to height ratio (i.e. waist circumference half my height) so I knew I wasn’t “done” yet.
Since last December, I’ve lost 25 pounds (45 pounds in total) and today while cleaning a shelf over my desk, I found a piece of paper on which I had been keeping track of my body measurements since June 2017, including those taken from this time last year. That’s when I decided to see where on my body these last 25 pounds came from.
Of course, where my body took the weight from is specific to me, but for those reading this who are ‘women of a certain age’ or the friend of one, you might find this encouraging. It was a physician who teaches a low carbohydrate approach to her patients who suggested two summers ago that I take my measurements periodically to see where I am losing fat from and suggested measuring at my umbilicus*, chest (under my bust-line), neck, bicep and thigh. And so I have.
*umbilicus isn’t the same as “waist”. Waist is measured in a particular location explained in this article and umbilicus is the region where one’s “belly button” is.
Since December of last year, I lost 6.5 inches off my umbilicus region. That’s pretty cool and yes, it shows as I recently had to punch 4 holes in my belt which I hadn’t worn since then. I’ve lost an additional 1 inch off my chest and 1 inch more off my neck (that shows too), 1.5 inches off my bicep (while adding muscle!) and here’s where it’s crazy; I lost 4 inches off my thighs — also while gaining muscle. In the first year I had only lost a total of a 1/2 an inch off my thighs, as can be seen here.
When I look at these measurements over the last year and a half (from June 2017 until now), it is very encouraging. I’ve lost 9 inches off my umbilicus region, 2 inches off my chest (below my bust-line), a whopping 4 inches off my neck, 2.5 inches off my bicep while gaining muscle, and 4.5 inches off my thighs also while gaining muscle.
It’s my opinion that weight loss, like improved metabolic health is best done gradually but consistently. I don’t promote “rapid weight loss” even though a low carbohydrate or ketogenic diet is often promoted that way in the media. I also don’t believe that a ketogenic diet is necessary for all people, or even for most people. In fact, those who do not have significant metabolic health issues often do just great on a low carb diet, so my view is why limit good whole-foods that happen to contain carbohydrates if it is not needed to improve metabolic outcomes? In the four and a half years that I have been teaching this lifestyle, I have only had a handful of clients who were metabolically unwell enough for a long period of time that needed to keep lowering their carbohydrate intake down, some to a ketogenic level. Necessarily, each is being overseen by their own doctors — especially when it comes to monitoring (and adjusting the dosage of) their medications.
I approached my health as if I were my own ‘client’, so I didn’t start off at a ketogenic level of intake. I started “low carb” and only lowered the level of my carbohydrate intake gradually and only as much as necessary to achieve the metabolic improvements necessary. Since I had been overweight for 25 years and was diagnosed as Type 2 Diabetic 10 years earlier, I ended up needing to lower my carbohydrate intake to a ketogenic level but did so under the supervision of my doctor and with the oversight of my endocrinologist.
Whether you have a few pounds or like I did — many to lose or want to put one or more metabolic conditions such as high blood pressure, blood sugar or cholesterol into remission, you may want to find out more about how a low-carbohydrate approach can help, and why.
Feel free to send me a note using the Contact Me form above and I will reply as soon as I’m able.
To our good health!
Joy
NOTE: This post is classified under “A Dietitian’s Journey” and is my personal account of my own health and weight loss journey that began on March 5, 2017. Science Made Simple articles are referenced nutrition articles, and can be found here.
You can follow me at:
https://www.facebook.com/lchfRD/
https://plus.google.com/+JoyYKiddieMScRD
https://www.instagram.com/lchf_rd
Copyright ©2018 The LCHF-Dietitian (a division of BetterByDesign Nutrition Ltd.)
LEGAL NOTICE: The contents of this blog, including text, images and cited statistics as well as all other material contained here (the ”content”) are for information purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, medical diagnosis and/or treatment and is not suitable for self-administration without the knowledge of your physician and regular monitoring by your physician. Do not disregard medical advice and always consult your physician with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or before implementing anything you have read or heard in our content.