After one year of low carb: “I am 70 years old today and have never felt better”

April 1 2018 by , medical review by in Cholesterol, Diabetes stories, High blood pressure, Intermittent fasting, Keto, Success stories

Thanks to low carb, everything has changed for Maria in only one year. She has reversed pre-diabetes, improved her fitness significantly and lost 76 lbs (34 kg).

This is how she did it and what she eats:

I started my journey on March 13th, 2017 and as of March 13th, 2018 I have lost 76 pounds (34 kg). I am 70 years old today and have never felt better.

A year ago, everything in my body ached… my hands, my knees, my hips. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, on numerous medications and also pre-diabetic with an A1c of 5.9. I couldn’t walk 50 feet (15 m) without stopping for a breath. Today my A1c is 4.8. I’m not on any blood-pressure medications or statins.

Now at 70. I can walk three miles (5 km), without stopping to catch my breath. I purposely park at the far end of the parking lots and walk as much as I can.

I still work full-time, so meals are quite simple. Eggs, meat, cheese, butter and some vegetables.
I still work full-time, so meals are quite simple. Eggs, meat, cheese, butter and some vegetables. Have tried recipes on this site and I do enjoy them when I have time to cook.

I would still like to lose at least 10 more pounds (5 kg), so I am now fasting, drinking only bone broth, for 48-72 hours.

Above is a picture taken one year apart.

With regards,
Maria

Comment

Congratulations and thank you for sharing, Maria! :-)

Get started

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

Low carb for beginners

Intermittent fasting for beginners

How to lose weight

Low carb

Low-carb tips with team Diet Doctor
07:20
How do you stay low carb when dining out? What restaurants are the most low-carb friendly? Watch this episode to find out.
MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY
Low-carb tips with team Diet Doctor – Traveling
08:05
How do you stay low carb when traveling? Watch this episode to find out!
MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY
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.
MEMBERS ONLY
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.
MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY
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.
MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY
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.
MEMBERS ONLY
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?
MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY

Intermittent fasting

MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY
The 7 benefits of fasting
07:33
Dr. Fung's fasting course part 4: About the 7 big benefits of fasting intermittently.
MEMBERS ONLY
What to do instead of counting calories
16:02
Why is counting calories useless? And what should you do instead to lose weight?
The top 5 tips to make fasting easier
05:19
Dr. Fung's fasting course part 8: Dr. Fung's top tips for fasting
Breakfast! Is it really that important?
07:08
Dr. Fung's fasting course part 6: Is it really that important to eat breakfast?
MEMBERS ONLY
The perfect treatment for diabetes and weight loss
45:20
Do doctors treat type 2 diabetes completely wrong today – in a way that actually makes the disease worse?
How to fast - the different options
06:47
Dr. Fung's fasting course part 3: Dr. Fung explains the different popular fasting options and makes it easy for you to choose the one that fits you best.
Therapeutic fasting
46:09
What if there was a more effective treatment alternative for obesity and type 2 diabetes, that is both simple and free?
MEMBERS ONLY
The power of a 7-day fast
03:34
How do you fast for 7 days? And in what ways could it be beneficial?
How to get started with fasting
02:30
Dr. Fung about what you need to do to start fasting.
MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY
Diet Doctor Podcast #23 – Dr. Jason Fung
59:15
If fasting has been around since the beginning of time, why is it so controversial? Dr. Jason Fung has a different perspective.
What is fasting?
05:21
Dr. Fung's fasting course part 1: A brief introduction to intermittent fasting.
Understanding and treating type 2 diabetes – Dr. Jason Fung
59:44
In this video, Dr. Jason Fung gives a presentation on diabetes to a room full of medical professionals.
How to maximize fat burning
03:52
Dr. Fung's fasting course part 2: How do you maximize fat burning? What should you eat – or not eat?
Diet Doctor Podcast with Joseph Antoun
48:22
In this episode, Dr. Joseph Antoun talks about fasting for health and longevity.
01:03
If you’re wondering if intermittent fasting is right for you, Dr. Bret Scher will help you sort through the hype and learn how to use fasting to reach your health goals. This course is designed for health coaches who want to add intermittent fasting to their toolbox of options for helping clients improve their health.

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.
MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY
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.
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.
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.
MEMBERS ONLY
Pie-making champion goes low carb
03:23
Learn how this pie-making champion went low carb and how it changed his life.
MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY
MEMBERS ONLY
"It was so incredibly easy!"
16:53
In this interview Stephen Bennett shares what he has learned from his low-carb journey.
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?
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.
MEMBERS ONLY

Share your story

Do you have a success story you want to share? Send your information, plus before and after photos, to success@dietdoctor.com. 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!

16 comments

1
Karen
April 2 2018
Congratulations. You look healthy, strong and beautiful.
2
Keith
April 2 2018
Great work Maria an exceptional success story and an inspiration to others. So glad you found the DietDoctor.
3
Mary Boles
April 2 2018
Congratulations, you look great. You're dedication paid off.
4
WarblingLisa
April 2 2018
Congrats, Maria! What a wonderful birthday present to give yourself. You look fabulous. No doubt you'll reach your weight goal!
5
janet
April 3 2018
Well done! It's never too late to become healthy. This is a great inspiration for us older folk! I'm late 60's and also never felt better.
6
Andrea
April 4 2018
You go girl! You look fantastic and are radiant. You can really tell from the pic how good you are feeling. Such an inspiration! Thank you for sharing
7
Terri
April 4 2018
Maria you are an inspiration, and I have the luck of being inspired daily! ;) t.
8
Sue
August 8 2018
Did you have problems with loose skin? If so, did you find a solution? Thanks
9
Kathy
August 24 2018
Omg! You look fabulous..I just turned 60 and only 12 days into this awesome way of eating and living..you are a true inspiration..thank you for sharing and congratulations!
10
Mary Catherine
March 20 2019
Thanks Maria. I'm 71 years old and have worked hard on the low carb high fat diet for a couple years. So many unfortunate things have happened in the last couple years and I have found it hard to maintain. I have lost about 50 lbs on my small 5'2" frame. Already I have my abdomen and arms hanging. Called a clinic that looks after post weight loss patients. It will cost about $15,000 Cdn to have the surgery. They recommended to lose another 20-25 lbs before they do anything. Did you have surgery? Are you in Canada? Are you somewhere that the cosmetic surgery is partially covered for seniors in a province? You need not answer these questions if you prefer. But thank you for your story.
11
Kim
April 5 2019
Congratulations Maria, you look amazing. Thanks for your inspiring story.
12
Jane
April 5 2019
Thank you, so inspiring! I've been struggling, mainly due to lack of time to be organised to cook. You've reminded me to keep meals simple.
13
Jeri
May 17 2019
Thank you so much for sharing your story and congratulations on your success. You do look wonderful; trim and fit. It's such an inspiration for me to see that being a bit beyond the "ideal" age to lose weight is no hindrance. I'm in my mid-60's and have been following this way of life for 6 weeks. It really gets me down to see the general negativity attached to losing weight in older stages of life (though this website is a breath of fresh air). 34 kilos in a year is a massive achievement and you really give me hope that I can achieve something similar.
14
Carol S
August 30 2019
I wonder if you lose slow and daily do exercises that focus on those fat loose areas - would that help to keep loose skin from forming?
I haven't started yet. I am about 175 and want to go to about 140. I haven't been able to shed a pound so far. I am 72 female.

Reply: #15
15
Reply to comment #14 by Carol S
Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
August 31 2019

I wonder if you lose slow and daily do exercises that focus on those fat loose areas - would that help to keep loose skin from forming?
I haven't started yet. I am about 175 and want to go to about 140. I haven't been able to shed a pound so far. I am 72 female.

Welcome Carol! You may find some good information in this guide on our website.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/top-tips-lose-weight-low-carb-women-40
16
STARRIS Smallwood
January 29 2021
You are definitely an inspiration to us all that would like to follow in your footsteps I am on my way to success as well with a keto diet

After one year of low carb: “I am 70 years old today and have never felt better”

Comment

Get started

More

Low carb

Intermittent fasting

Weight loss

More success stories

Share your story

16 comments

Leave a reply Cancel reply