Man loses over 300 pounds on a low-carb diet, says “If I can do this, anyone can”

April 3 2018 by in Low carb & high fat, Success stories

Tony has lost an impressive 326 lbs (148 kg) following a low-carb high-protein diet and walking. Congratulations!

His weight-loss journey started in May 2016 after the wildfire in Fort McMurray. At this time, he had to use two airplane seats during the evacuation, delaying other people from getting to safety. This increased his motivation to attempt a big lifestyle change.

He shares a few words of encouragement for anyone who’s in a similar situation to where he was in 2016:

You used to think there was no hope. That it was just total despair that you were that big. That there was no going back. It was almost as if you were just waiting to die, as sad as that sounds, but that’s all your life was.

There is hope. I was 41 when I started this, almost 600 pounds. If I can do this, anyone can.

CBC News: Man drops 326 pounds after needing two plane seats in evacuation from Fort McMurray fire

Note that while Tony was eating a low-carb, high-protein diet he was also “eating” hundreds of pound of body fat. So including that, the fuel to his body was actually more like a low-carb, high fat diet.

To keep up the same fuel mix and the same hormonal situation once a more normal body weight is reached, it becomes necessary to tweak the diet a bit. Specifically, you’d then need to increase the amount of fat eaten, to stay satisfied and not hungry after meals.

Get started

Do you want to try what Tony has done? Sign up for our free 2-week keto low-carb challenge!

Alternatively, use our free keto low-carb guide, or for maximum simplicity try out our keto meal planner service with weekly delicious keto menus and shopping lists – it’s free to use for a month.

Share your story

Do you have a success story you want to share on this blog? Send it (photos appreciated) to frida@dietdoctor.com, and please let me know if it’s OK to publish your photo and name or if you’d rather remain anonymous. It would also be greatly appreciated if you shared what you eat in a typical day, whether you fast etc. More information:

Share your story!

Low carb for beginners

How to lose weight

Low-carb basics

"I sort of wanted to save the world"
22:22
How can you give back to the low-carb community after achieving great results on the diet? Bitte Kempe-Björkman explains.
Q&A with Franziska Spritzler
09:52
Questions about how to formulate an optimal low-carb or keto diet.
Low-carb tips with team Diet Doctor – Traveling
08:05
How do you stay low carb when traveling? Watch this episode to find out!
Why a low-carb diet and other questions
16:59
Dr. Jeffry Gerber has a long history of treating patients with low carb. What are the benefits and the concerns?
A global food revolution
34:30
The mistakes behind the obesity epidemic and how we can fix them together, empowering people everywhere to revolutionize their health.
"A more pleasurable way to live"
10:51
Franziska Spritzler talks about what turned her into a low-carb dietitian.
Low-carb living
27:26
What do you need to know to successfully eat low carb for life?
How to formulate a low-carb keto diet
48:32
Low-carb pioneer Dr. Eric Westman talks about how to formulate an LCHF diet, low carb for different medical conditions and common pitfalls among others.
7 tips to make low carb simple
09:41
The star of the BBC series Doctor in the House, Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, gives you seven tips that will make low carb easy.
Living low carb with Caroline Smale
07:23
Caroline Smale shares her low-carb story and how she lives low carb on a daily basis.
Everything in moderation?
05:44
What’s the point of low carb, shouldn’t we all just try to eat everything in moderation? Top low-carb doctors answer this question.
The latest science behind a keto diet
13:17
What is the current science in support of a low-carb and keto diet?
The cause of obesity
38:45
What is the real cause of obesity? What causes weight gain? Dr. Jason Fung at Low Carb Vail 2016.
Are there potential dangers with a low-carb diet?
09:30
Can a low-carb diet potentially be dangerous? And if so – how? Top low-carb doctors answer these questions.
Women's questions introduction
01:36
In this video series, you can find expert views on some of your top questions about low-carb and women's health.
Konvincing kids that kounting kalories is kooky
27:41
Watch standup comedian Tom Naughton deliver the best talk of the 2015 Low-Carb Cruise.
Low carb explained
32:06
Almost no one knows more about the practicalities of low carb than Dr. Mary Vernon. Here she explains it for you.
Q&A with Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt
23:06
Has Sweden adopted low-carb dietary guidelines? Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt answers questions about the work we do at Diet Doctor and low-carb as a treatment for different conditions.
The three top most common myths about low carb
09:18
What are the three most common myths about low carb? And given all this misinformation – how can you convince even your doctor that low carb can be beneficial to you?
What is the main benefit of low carb?
02:52
What exactly is the greatest benefit of low carb? Doctors give their top answer.
Does the brain need carbohydrates?
05:56
Doesn’t the brain need carbohydrates? Doctors answer common questions.
Becoming a low-carb doctor
19:30
How do you find a low-carb doctor? And how do we make it more simple for doctors to understand low carb?
Cereal Killers
1:00:07
What if you could – in fact – break records without eating massive amounts of carbs?
How to stay low carb on a budget
02:36
Do you want to know how to stay low carb on a budget? Kim Gajraj interviews Dr. Eric Westman to get all of his best tips on how to keep costs low when on a low-carb diet.

Weight loss

My success story with Kenneth Russell
02:52
When Kenneth turned 50, he realized that he wouldn't make it to 60 the way he was going.
My success story with Chuck Hicks
02:39
At nearly 500 lbs (230 kg) Chuck could barely move at all anymore. It wasn’t until he found a keto diet that thing started to change.
How to motivate your patients
50:25
In this presentation from Low Carb Denver 2019, Drs. David and Jen Unwin explain how physicians can finetune the art of practicing medicine with strategies from psychology to help their patients reach their goals.
The hidden costs of medications
44:51
Can medications prevent or hinder your efforts to lose weight and become healthy? Jackie Eberstein at the Low Carb Cruise 2016.
Living low carb with Yvonne Lane
05:51
Yvonne used to see all those pictures of people who'd lost so much weight, but sometimes didn't really believe they were real.
My success story with Jim Caldwell
02:23
Jim Caldwell has transformed his health and gone from an all-time high at 352 lbs (160 kg) to 170 lbs (77 kg.
Are all calories the same?
20:04
Are all calories created equally – regardless of whether they come from a low-carb, low-fat or a vegan diet?
Diet Doctor Podcast #35 with Ben Bikman, PhD
00:00
Why is insulin so important for us to control and why does a ketogenic diet help so many people? Professor Ben Bikman has studied these questions in his lab for years and he is one of the foremost authorities on the subject.
Will a low carb diet shorten your life?
30:57
In this highly insightful presentation from Low Carb Denver 2019, Robb Wolf takes us through studies which can help us better understand weight loss, food addiction and health on a low-carb diet.
Pie-making champion goes low carb
03:23
Learn how this pie-making champion went low carb and how it changed his life.
Living low carb: Sue Jones and Michael
06:44
How fast can a couple start losing weight and feeling better when they begin a low-carb diet? For UK couple Sue and Michael, it was rapid. “A couple of weeks for sure.”
Q&A with Franziska Spritzler
09:52
Questions about how to formulate an optimal low-carb or keto diet.
80 pounds lighter and no medications
09:12
Is it possible to reverse your diabetes with the help of a strict low-carb diet? Definitely, and Stephen Thompson did it.
200 pounds lost and a health journey for the family
15:05
Larry Diamond has transformed his life and lost 125 lbs (57 kg) on a low-carb diet, and here he shares his insights from his journey.
"I'll do this or I'm going to die trying"
19:23
Kristie Sullivan struggled with her weight for her whole life in spite of trying every diet imaginable, but then she finally lost a 120 pounds and improved her health on a keto diet.
The science of low carb
16:07
Here Dr. Eric Westman – one of the researchers behind the modern scientific trials of low-carb diets – takes you through the results.
Everything goes in the right direction
09:53
Arjun Panesar is the founder of the diabetes organization diabetes.co.uk, which is very low-carb friendly.
Q&A with Dr. Eric Westman
25:43
Dr. Eric Westman answers questions about low-carb and keto diets and how they relate to specific health concerns.
He questioned his own beliefs
15:02
Dr. Peter Brukner explains why he went from being a high-carb to a low-carb advocate.
Why a low-carb diet and other questions
16:59
Dr. Jeffry Gerber has a long history of treating patients with low carb. What are the benefits and the concerns?
Is obesity caused by too much insulin?
25:27
Is obesity mainly caused by the fat storing hormone insulin? Dr. Ted Naiman answers this question.
"It was so incredibly easy!"
16:53
In this interview Stephen Bennett shares what he has learned from his low-carb journey.
Weight loss and type 2 diabetes reversal on low carb – is it sustainable?
31:51
In this presentation, Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt goes through the scientific and anecdotal evidence, and also what clinical experience tends to show, regarding the long-term effects of low carb.
What's it like being a low-carb doctor on TV?
17:40
What’s it like working with patients and giving controversial low-carb advice in front of a TV audience?

Support

Do you want to support Diet Doctor and get access to bonus material? Check out our membership.

Start your free trial here

More success stories

Women 0-39

Women 40+

Men 0-39

Men 40+

26 comments

1
Pam
April 3 2018
Too bad he wasn't on "MY 600 lb Life." That would get the word out.
2
Kathleen
April 3 2018
Congratulations, Tony. Great job!
3
Cookie
April 3 2018
Happy Happy for you!! I hope you donate your extra skin if you have any to Baylor College of Medicine Houston Texas
4
Anita Shaw
April 3 2018
God bless you! & Thanks for the inspiration. I've fallen off the low carb wagon after a 70 lb. loss & needed some encouragement to get back on it. Again, thank you ?
5
Karen
April 4 2018
Congratulations Tony! You're an inspiration!
6
Rieann
April 4 2018
Note that while Tony was eating a low-carb, high-protein diet he was also “eating” hundreds of pound of body fat. So including that, the fuel to his body was actually more like a low-carb, high fat diet.

For me, this is probably my 'light bulb' moment.

I have tried to do LCHF over several years, but not religiously, and while I have lost some weight I never had the losses I read about on Diet Doctor and other sites.

I am a very short, very fat old lady, and I was absolutely horrified when I saw my whole body scan and saw this large blob, with small bones in the middle of it, that started me on LCHF but as I have said, not very successfully.

Now I have to re think my diet, and basically, cut out fat, need to eat my body fat and not the fat on meat, bacon and poultry or in
dairy products.

Can't hurt to try it and might have more success than I have had so far.

Thanks for posting Tony's story and congratulations to him for his achievements.
7
Paula
April 4 2018
Hi how do I start this program and he I follow the step of the menu when I see results. Thank you
8
PAT
April 4 2018
I've been low carb since Oct.. I have lost 35 lbs. BUT, I've lost nothing since the end of January. I've even cut back on carbs.
I am so frustrated that I want to EAT anything & everything.
I have about 50 lbs more to take off. Unfortunately, exercise is at a minimum as I have a weight-bearing knee brace which is supposed to re-align my knee.
I know I'm whining but I'm really struggling.

Replies: #16, #19
1 comment removed
10
mdogger12
April 4 2018
I have bad knees, back, feet so I use a chair and do alot of upper body exercises also I stand alot when I can and just use upper body movements, something to think about, also resistant bands provide a goid resistant workout without needing lower body movement..
11
Sharon Alrifai
April 4 2018
It's so hard. I'm a newbie. I've only lost ten pounds in two months. I'm stuck inside the house 24/7 taking care of my mom who has terminal cancer and sometime I just go to the fridge or for summer chips or something sweet out of bordem. I can't go anyplace with out finding someone to sit with Mom. I think that's what makes it so hard for me.

Reply: #15
12
Kelly
April 4 2018
I encourage everyone to stop saying the word diet. To make this successful, you have to make a life commitment to change how you eat. This is not a short term fix. I started in Sept 2017 and have lost 25 lbs. This may not seem like a bunch but slow weight loss means a better chance of keeping it off permanently. I also can't exercise much due to feet problems but the change in eating makes the biggest difference. Keep at it and don't give up!
13
Vicky
April 4 2018
Sharon, being a caregiver is hard. Maybe you could get a Wii and use at home or workout videos while she sleeps. Yoga can help with relaxation and stress. Taking care of yourself is important, too, but easier said than done!
14
Sherry
April 4 2018
Here's the link to the original story by Katie Breen on cbc.ca :
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nl-man-drops-326-...

Did Tony consent to use his image and story as an endorsement of your program?
15
Reply to comment #11 by Sharon Alrifai
C
April 4 2018
Sharon, you are stuck in the house all the time taking care of your mom and that is awesome. Please make it work for you, though, instead of against you. Use that time to plan and cook healthy meals and prepare healthy snacks to keep on hand when you get the munchies. You can do this
16
Reply to comment #8 by PAT
TeeDee
April 5 2018
Pat, all I can share from my own weight loss experiences is that whenever hunger or cravings become a problem, it's always because I was consuming too many carbs. I don't eat bread, pasta or potatoes any more, but even the low starch veg and occasional glasses of wine was enough to cause those nagging cravings. Now that I keep all carbs around 10-20g per day, I rarely have those cravings. Once we become true fat burners the only 'hunger' I feel is mainly psychological because I know my body has plenty of fat in storage to burn. Once my excess fat is burned and I'm at an ideal weight, it will be my dietary fat that keeps the carb cravings away. Best wishes on the rest of your health journey. :)
17
Bonnie Jalsevac
January 9 2019
Sharon I totally understand as I took care of my mom for 7 years. She died this past June at 96. I certainly was physically low and yes I ate out of boredom....the Diet doctor helped me stay focused and I am doing daily at home workout videos ...The Body Project..check them out. They also are a great online support group. You NEED exercise to help mentally. Follow The Diet doctor for recipes and DON'T bring chips or candy into the house! If you have a buddy you can email or talk to ,that is also helpful...I rekindled an old friendship as we are both doing The Body Project...I am 69 and trying to regain my strength. Keep up yours!
18
Tamara
January 9 2019
Was great to read Tony's story! I'm curious...does Tony live in Ft McMurray or is he a camp worker? My husband also works in Ft McMurray and is interested in exploring LCHF but he lives in a work camp way out in the bush and has little control over his food options the weeks he's at work/camp. Any suggestions?
19
Reply to comment #8 by PAT
DKC
January 10 2019
Try intermittent fasting!! I was in the same boat and this made a huge difference!
20
Frances
January 10 2019
I prefer the 5:2 Fast diet as promoted by Dr Michael Mosley, BBC medical journalist. One restricts calories on 2 non-consecutive days of the week and eats normally the other five. This weight loss method works for most people. Essentially it is low carb. on the 2 fast days.
21
J
January 10 2019
Wow well done to Tony, what an inspiration.

I think the biggest thing I learnt along my journey is not to use the word 'diet' and not to have the mentality of 'I can't have that'. This is important. We all have cravings but the problem starts when we tell ourselves we can't have something. I have been doing LCHF for a year and lost 4.5 stone. I always enjoyed one meal per week where i ate anything I want. This allowed me to curb my cravings. Also, If i was really desperate for something bad i.e. chocolate, i would have something small but i would tell myself first. If you really want it have it, just know it has consequences. If there were days when I had to eat something high carb/unhealthy for pure ease or I was unable to prep then i would make sure the rest of the day would be good. Basically, don't deprive yourself is what I'm saying.
22
Cristina
January 10 2019
Great job! But I don't understand one thing. The story talks of LCHF but then Diet Doctor always seems to point you towards the "get started with keto" link. Does it have to be keto (which is very low carb) for things to work? I thought low carb was an option. I want to know what Tony did. He didn't mention keto (unless I"m mistaken). Thanks.
23
George Hess
January 22 2019
So does this comments section remove any mention of Reddit (the best source for keto info) if so, that seems like it's way more interested in making money than helping people do what's right and lose weight in a safe manner.

Replies: #24, #25, #26
24
Reply to comment #23 by George Hess
George Hess
January 22 2019
I stand corrected. I simply posted info saying that all the info you need to do keto is 100% free and no one should ever charge for it and that either google or reddit, the info is available for you to find.
I consider this site a "Complementary Tool" for Keto (plans/recipes/etc.. so I can see paying for that, just like I would my bullet blender for making LCHF shakes), but if anyone ever tries to charge you for information about keto run for the hills, no one has a secret way of doing it, all the info on how to do it correctly and safely is online.
25
Reply to comment #23 by George Hess
George Hess
January 22 2019
I stand corrected, it looks like it didn't like my mention of the fact that all the info on keto should never come with a price tag as it's all available and there are never any proprietary secrets to it. (Also I consider this site a complementary tool like I would my bullet blender for LCHF shakes, so not calling it out, just mentioning based on the other comments that you should go read up on the subject.)
26
Reply to comment #23 by George Hess
George Hess
January 22 2019
ok, i guess there's a huge lag between submission and the post showing up,.. (Really not trying to be a jerk here)
and as I can't edit/delete.. you just get multiple posts from me looking like a moron.
27
Peter
October 15 2019
Well done Tony. I know how you feeling Lost 200lb years ago Best wishes from down under. Peter