LynCaro

The picture shows me what I looked like in March of 2011 when I weighed my goal weight of 155. My intention for the next few months is to get back to that. I felt great and had scads of energy. I could easily walk five miles straight. My clothes looked good on me. I miss all that but, even more, I want to know that I am as healthy as I can manage to be.

Once I get to 155 I will decide if I want to go lower - perhaps somewhere between 135 and 145. At my age, I am not sure that I would benefit from weighing less than 155 either in terms of my health or my appearance. Both matter a great deal to me, about the latter more than I care to admit, but health trumps all.

Besides following a low carb diet, I am also going gluten-free, at least, for a month or so, just to see if it helps me feel better. So far, I am definitely feeling much better so, perhaps, the gluten-free part does have something to do with it. Gluten and low carb don't go together well anyway, so it has not been hard.

Another reason to go low carb, besides the fact that it has worked before and I am convinced of its scientific validity, is the fact that it is a recognized treatment for diabetes. I have not been diagnosed with diabetes but I am a strong candidate for it. Whatever I can do to stave it off is well worth the effort.

I do not use any artificial sweeteners and and as little processed food as possible. Stevia works fine for me with just the rarest bit of cane sugar or honey. The less sweets I consume, the more I can taste the natural sweetness in foods like milk or onions or green peas. Recently I have discovered coconut butter, specifically the Artisana brand that I can get at Whole Foods or from Swanson's. Wow, that stuff is good and fits into the LCHF diet beautifully.