At Diet Doctor, we received an inspiring email from Deb and her family, who live in New Zealand. In just one year on a low-carb diet, they have lost 304 pounds (138 kilos) together.
What's more, they have all improved their health greatly. Deb writes that "the health benefits are too numerous to say this doesn't work."
Here's their story, which has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Deb and her family's low-carb story
As a family, we've lived low carb for twelve months. My daughter and I have metabolic syndrome, both my children have autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and my husband has just been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).
I really just wanted to share some progress photos to help encourage others. It's not an easy lifestyle change, but my family and I have stuck to it since the improvements we have seen are encouraging.
We still have a way to go, especially my daughter and me. Before embarking on our low-carb journey, I was 389 pounds (176 kilos). Today, I weigh 267 pounds (121 kilos). My daughter was 276 pounds (125 kilos) and is now 209 pounds (95 kilos), my son was 231 pounds (105 kilos) and is now 194 pounds (88 kilos). He "cheats" a bit while at university - and my darling husband was 254 pounds (115 kilos) and is now 176 pounds (80 kilos).
The boys had less weight to lose but joined us girls to support us. Due to his autism, my son struggled with the new diet, as any kind of change is hard for those on the spectrum. But we will not go back; the health benefits are too numerous to say this doesn't work.
My husband, my son, and I typically fast from dinner to mid-morning. The only family member who has breakfast is our daughter. She did not cope well with fasting and eats a coconut cream berry smoothie every morning.
Lunch is often homemade seed crackers from Diet Doctor, the ones made with sesame seeds. But I add other seeds such as sunflower and pumpkin. We eat these with cheese, cucumber, ham, etc.
Dinner is mostly meat, brassicas, and butter or cheese. Sometimes we have coleslaw with mayonnaise.
Every time we lose 22 more pounds (10 kilos), we treat ourselves to low-carb cheesecake. Since we're on a strict budget, our foods are often low cost and simple. Also, my daughter has an almond allergy, so coconut flour is all we use.
We have salted peanuts daily and drink a lot of sparkling spring water. I also make a weekly low-carb coconut chocolate cake and low-carb chocolate mug cakes are a favorite, too.
The foods we eat daily are cauliflower, broccoli, and meat. We try to keep our carb count to under 50 grams daily. Maybe we are not the average low-carb family, especially since our diet is not as rich in fat as some - but we are certainly low carb.
Thank you for helping us with this journey.
Regards,
Deborah, Mark, Jessica, and Patrick
Comment
Hi Deborah and family. That is a fantastic report on how a way of eating can benefit the entire family. As you mentioned, there isn't just one way to eat low carb. You found the version that works best for you and your family. It's not about being perfect, but rather about trying to be better each day. Keep up the great work!
Best,
/ Dr. Bret Scher
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