“I got energy that I didn’t know existed and the pounds melted off”
Before and after
Anna Skoog had been addicted to sugar since childhood and with time the pounds piled up on her. She tried to get comfortable with her weight, but after being accepted to art school the excess weight started to feel like a big obstacle.
She decided to do something about her weight issues once and for all. She was skeptical about the LCHF diet (low-carb, high-fat) but having heard a lot about it she decided to try it for a month.
Here’s her story about what happened:
The Email
Hi Andreas!
I’ve followed your blog since I went on LCHF 1.5 years ago and have so far lost 84 lbs (38 kg)!!! Recently, an article about me and my weight journey at LCHF.de was published (in German). I thought perhaps more people will read about my weight journey here and get inspired in the same way that I have been by all the success stories on your website. In addition I’m trying to spread knowledge about LCHF here in Switzerland where I live. They haven’t come that far here.
Ever since childhood I have sought comfort in sugar. If I was sad or happy, I always found an occasion to eat sugar. I packed on the pounds slowly but surely and after four pregnancies and several attempts to lose weight I had given up, 254 lbs (115 kg) heavy. I remember that I said to myself that I was that overweight person and that I was fine with that.
But of course I wasn’t fine with it, it was just a defense and a wall I had put up for myself. As I had been accepted to an art school with very high demands for performance, I realized that my weight presented a big obstacle. The only thing I thought about prior to a presentation to my class was how I should stand and dress to look my thinnest. So on New Year’s Eve 2013 I made a decision, I had to lose weight once and for all.
As I’m Swedish I had heard about LCHF through media, but at first I was very skeptical. We’ve all been told to eat less fat and not more. But I thought that there could be no harm in trying so I gave it a month. I saw results after a week already and had lost 5 lbs (2 kg), and this has continued. In the beginning it was hard of course, I went from eating 8 oz (200 g) chocolate daily to nothing. But I hung in there and I remember how I woke up after 2–3 weeks and felt: here’s the turning point. I got energy that I didn’t know existed before and the pounds melted off in a fairly rapid pace.
With the weight loss the desire to move came and I’ve gone from a few walks per week to exercising at the gym regularly. I didn’t grow up in a home where cooking was important but just a necessary chore. It has always been important to me to convey the importance of good food and the dinner-table discussions to my kids. With the limited carbohydrate intake I’ve found a lot more creativity and a passion for cooking.
I have now finished my art school class and am working on launching a new business about food and recipes. I’ve so far lost 84 lbs (38 kg), from 254 lbs (115 kg) to 170 lbs (77 kg) and I have a few more pounds to lose, but it’s ok if it takes time. I love food and wine, coffee and dark chocolate and don’t want to sacrifice the good things in life. I’m not stressed and meanwhile I’m enjoying being able to play soccer with my kids and exhaust myself at the gym.
My husband has also lost 55 lbs (25 kg). Thus, together we’ve lost 139 lbs (63 kg) during these 1.5 years and have gotten entirely new lives and interests! It’s so much easier to live without the extra weight. Imagine if I could get people to understand this. If I can do this, anyone can. It would be great if I could inspire someone else!
Sincerely,
Anna Skoog
Instagram: lchfannaschweiz
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Congratulations to your and your husband’s impressive weight loss, Anna!
Your Story
Do you have a success story you want to share with others on this blog? It’s a great way to inspire other people to change their lives, like you have done.
E-mail your story to me at andreas@dietdoctor.com. Before and after photos are great for making your story concrete and relatable to other people. Let me know if it’s OK to publish your photo and name or if you’d rather remain anonymous.
Below, find out what you can do if you want to try LCHF for yourself, as well as stories from others who have tried.
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LCHF for Beginners
How to Lose Weight
Diabetes – How to Normalize Your Blood SugarMore than a hundred health and weight success stories
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Maybe sugar free jello with whipped cream would replace pudding. Just try.
Good luck God bless you.
There are 12 step programs. Their basis also addresses sugar as being a substance of abuse, and the need to get off of it. http://www.12step.com/sugar-addiction
I have Fibro and arthritis, however I can control the pain a lot more if my sugar and fruit intake is low and my protein is adequate and my natural fat level is high. I only needed to lose about 20 Lb, and I lost that, but it was more important that I got healthier. If possible, and no one else in your household objects, could you banish sugar and grain junk from your house? There is a scripture saying don't look at wine when it sparkles(if you need to avoid it). Seeing is wanting, so avoid looking at such.
BTW, had my cholesterol tested twice - no change! Another BTW, had a spinal fusion 25 years ago - since I started running no further narrowing of the inter-vertebra gaps.
I guess I am telling you this long story to say that I have been looking for something better to help me get back to where I was before. I need a life plan. I will be 55 in August and am nowhere ready to be "old". I have read lots about your diet plan, have looked at the videos, and all sounds so very doable for me (someone who can stick to a 500 calorie diet with very limited food choices). I have to admit I am fearful about eating the fat and a lifetime of being told that "fat makes fat". The other thing I wonder is if it will work the same for me since I have a different digestive system? I don't see anything about pros or cons for those of us who have had that surgery.
Can you advise me? Thanks and Congratulations!!!
If, its normal to spill more albumin/protein in urin!