Kim’s story
I was very overweight or obese from the time I got married and having children at the age of 17. I had 3 children in 4 years and the weight kept piling on. I would try a diet (weight watchers, 500 calorie diet with supplements, low fat, and using Phentermine) with good results during the diet phase, but reverting to a typical American junk food diet after the weight loss. This resulted in a lot of losses and gains. By the time I was 30 years old I weighed 339 lbs (153 kg). I lost 100+ pounds (45 kg+) a few times, would fall off whatever diet I was on and regain all I had lost and then some. Finally at age 41 I was back up to 326 pounds and ready to give up, but I had just gotten my first grandchild and didn’t want to be heavy and miserable and unable to play with her. I started researching gastric bypass surgery. I saw that carbohydrates were restricted for people who had the surgery so I decided to try it for a month to see if I could handle it. The first month I lost 13 lbs and decided I could do this. I kept it up and from March 2006 until October 2007 lost 140 lbs (63 kg). I maintained that loss easily eating LCHF. I was flattered to be asked by the Atkin’s company to tell my story on Good Morning America in January 2009. Then in August 2010, my youngest child got married. With the stress of wedding planning and expenses I allowed my family to talk me into ”going off” my diet ”for a week”. I found out exactly how dangerous that was. Nine months later I found myself up 75 lbs. Lesson learned. I started back on LCHF after a few missteps in September 2011. Since that time I have lost the 75 pounds I gained with an additional 31 pounds and am only 11 pounds away from my goal of 200 pounds (90 kg) lost. I now am able to work out regularly and just this month ran my first half marathon (13.1 miles), which is something I never thought possible. I feel so much younger at 48 than I did in my 20’s and 30’s! I wish I had known then what I know now. So much heartache could have been averted!
Kim Eidson is a member of the Low Carb Cruise Committee (2nd from left)
Thank you so much Kim and now we let our swedish readers ask you all questions they have :-). It will be fun becuase of the time zones (we are many hours before you) but that’s why we have the Internet. No problems as the Jamaicans say.
I publish this exactly at midnight… while the swedes are sleeping…(I hope)…
You can find a link about next years cruise here, we havn’t decided yet…
Tack för att du läste, välkommen tillbaka
Kim, how much fat do you eat per day? Do you know how much protein you can eat per day?
Congrats to your amazing weight-loss!
I eat about 80%fat and 15% protein. Average about 150 fat grams and 65 grams protein.
What about work out?
Please tell us more about when and how you started
I do work out now–I jog, lift weights and try to stay active. I didn’t at first–I was just too heavy. What would you like to know about starting?
Kim – do ýou take any supplments of any kind?
I do. I take an excellent multivitamin called Nutreince.
Kim! Thank you so much for charing your experiens. Here in Sweden it can sometimes be difficult to stick to the diet. Your friends and family are questioning the way you eat. Did you get the support you needed from your friends or is (was) it difficult for them to accept your new lifestyle?
They were supportive, however, they sometimes didn’t understand how important it was to me. That part was up to me to decide.
You may also ask questions in Swedish :-), we are many who can translate.
So inspiring! What do you eat during a ”normal” day? Has it changed much from when you started till now?
Normal day–2 bacon, 1 egg for breakfast (with hollandaise sauce if I’ve made any). Lunch–typically tuna, salmon or sardines with avocado, olives and mayonnaise. Dinner–meat and vegetables with olive oil, butter, etc. I have butter in my coffee 1-2 times per day. How has my eating changed from the beginning? I have cut way down on dairy and nuts/seeds and no processed foods anymore. At first I could have those things and lose weight, but as I have gotten closer to my goal have had to limit them significantly.
Kim congrats to you truly amazing story, really inspiring. 🙂 Besides the wedding planning – what do you find most challenging staying on LCHF and how do you manage those challenges?
Any advice for a newcomer (just 3 months on)?
Honestly, over time it really hasn’t been difficult. I had to take a hard look at my life and those who had the capacity to sabotage me so I could recognize those things. My advice is to eat clean, real food and if you can do so without derailing yourself, find substitutes for your old favorites. Fortunately for me, desserts are not really an issue–I tend to like more savory foods. LCHF works very well!
Wow, that’s an amazing accomplishment! Congratulations! It was very inspiring to read your story!
Thank you very much!