Before and after -44 lbs
I got en email from Minna in Finland, who tried to lose weight with the official nutritional guidelines, while wondering why she was still fat. Here’s her story on what happened when she learned about LCHF from a co-worker:
Hello Andreas!
My name is Minna and I’m a 24-year-old from Finland. I would like to share my story about LCHF, altough it’s very similar to all the other success stories. You have my permission to share this on your website with the pictures, if you like to.
I have been overweight since childhood, as long as I remember. It concerned me, but I never felt like actually doing something about it. Guess I didn’t want to end up yoyoing with some wonder diets… Or I was just too lazy to exercise.
I didn’t think much about nutrition, until I moved away from home to live with my spouse. Suddenly I was able to decide what to buy and eat, and I thought I’d make it healthier, taking advice from the official nutrition guidelines. For a few years I only got fatter, although in the end I actually thought I was eating healthy – it was what school nurses and other professionals had told me were good for you! But why was I still fat? I admit I’ve never been keen on exercising, and I believed I was supposed to be in order to get thinner.
The lowcarb “boom” hit the country through media, and I – like many others – doomed the whole thing as a wonder diet, not thinking about it more. In the beginning of year 2013 I heard a woman at my work had lost a lot of weight with that kind of diet, and she told me a little about it. I was very suspicious, but looked into it. As a result I counted my daily nutrients, and figured that my calory intake was much lower than it was supposed to be to keep me getting fat.
The result? I started a low-calory diet! I couldn’t keep it more than a month or two, losing a few kilos, and that’s when I bought your book. I realised that the one nutrient that had controlled my life until that point was carbs. As a child I very much liked my granny’s buns. As a teenager I was able to buy my own candy and soda – and I did. After leaving most sugary treats behind I still ate much rice, pasta, grain and potatoes. That had to end.
I began LCHF in April 2013, with my spouse as a little unwilling side kick – he didn’t believe that eating that much fat could make you any thinner. Soon he was proven wrong, when my weight started dropping. In less than 10 months I lost about 23 kilos (50 lbs), and with mostly no exercising at all! And he lost a lot of weight also, though he only changed his dinners to low carb with me.
Last new year I found out I was pregnant, as we had wished. I think I could’ve been able to get pregnant despite being overweight, but I was happy to give a start to a new life in a more healthier body. Now – over a year after the decision to lose weight – I still continue this diet, and am going to keep it, even with my child. I have had to bend with the amount of carbs a little, since I had severe nausea in the beginning of my pregnancy, and couldn’t eat any foods too greasy. As a result some of the weight has come back, but for now it’s all about the baby – after he is born I can lose weight again! And by the way: I take a 3,000-4,000 IU dose of vitamin D every day, and couldn’t feel any better!
I’d like to thank you for changing my life – as cliché as it sounds – and I’m going to take the message of LCHF forward. Thanks also for letting us know about your daughter and her diet, it really gives me the kick to keep my child away from carbs also!
Regards, Minna
Comment
Congratulations, Minna!
More
How to Lose Weight
More weight and health stories
PS
Do you have a success story you want to share on this blog? Send it (photos appreciated) to [email protected], and please let me know if it’s OK to publish your photo and name or if you’d rather remain anonymous.
