Reading the posts on Low Carb Discussion as well as Kimkins, I have noticed that so many of us not only post about weight problems, but a lot of us have fibromyalgia, and chronic fatique. I would expect to see many posts about being diabetic as we know that is a metabolic problem, but there seems to be a lot of other problems too. So here's the question, is obesity just a symptom of some other underlying disease or a disorder in itself? So many of us seem to have problems with thyroid, diabetes, and food addictions in addition to the things I mentioned above. While I do not have diabetes, I have a stong family history of it, which at the very least would predispose me to higher than normal insulin levels, and of course a tendency to put on weight.

Are we experiencing a greater incidence of these ailments than the skinny population? Which came first the chicken or the egg? Tell us about what you have experienced and how low carbing has improved your health issues. Were you looking to low carbing just to lose weight or were you looking for anwers to some unresolved heath issues when you started?

For myself, in the beginning it was weight loss, but as I've grown older it is more about not becoming diabetic as I have about a 50/50 chance, but if I get rid of these last few extra lbs. that will drop dramatically. I also noticed my energy levels were getting lower and lower. During my most recent attempt at Weight Watchers, low blood sugar symptoms began to appear rather frequently. Not good for someone with diabetes in her family. After my initial bout of "Atkins Flu" I have felt great, no more low blood sugar, and my size is ever so slowly beginning to decrease. So for me, this is not just about weight, this is about prevention and health too.

I think there is a snowball effect at work. You put on weight which leads to health problems whichake it harder to lose weight...so you put on more weight. The ruthless cycle continues. I'm so glad I'm off that rollercoaster ride.

Melodiegale, I also have a strong family history of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. I picked up Atkins book the first time because I needed to lose some weight, but after reading his book and checking out his claims with my own research, I became convinced that this WOE would be very likely to help me avoid some of the health problems that are otherwise be high risks for me.

I know that's not your exact question but there ya go. :-) I'm 42 and my health is otherwise good.

I wish my family could accept this WOE. I think it would be such a blessing for some of them especially.

Thanks Ron. Back at you!

Melodiegale,
I also have a family history of Diabetes. My mother has quite a few problems including Peripheral Neuropathy with hers. She thinks that way I eat is crazy and still uses sugar all of the time because her Dr tells her a little bit won't hurt anything and she doesn't like the aftertaste of Splenda. Perhaps he would like to take care of her when she loses a leg or something?

The protocol I am following for the Fibro advocates a low carb diet because the Dr. believes that over 40% of women who suffer from Fibro have Hypoglycemia.

I do have IBS and the way for me to control it appears to be not eating any sugar. I still have problems with it now and then but not nearly so much pain if I stay true to the low carb woe. Not so many food allergies but the theory is that you can take all the medication for the protocol I am on but if you have hypoglycemia and are not following the diet you will still continue to have many of the symptoms. The pain, brain fog, etc etc. because a lot of those things are also caused by the hypoglycemia.

I look at from 'the cause' perspection.

Often 'obesity' is pushed as the cause, and the natural inference is lack of morality has made you obese.

Faulty reasoning.

After seeing the effects of steroids and then carbs, I can quite say that there are more scientific reasons for my obesity than lack of moral fibre.

What a good question.

Perhaps the propensity to diseases that are familial is due to the way we were raised to eat. Years of eating so-called "normal" foods, not realizing that our food was causing health problems, eating foods that have little nutrition and that do nothing healthful for our bodies, but instead were wreaking havoc with our systems. How often did we eat "whole grain cereal", with skim milk, thinking we were eating healthful foods? When we probably should have had a nice omelet full of veggies instead.

We ate what he thought were foods that were good for us, and ended up with health problems. And part of those problems were weight gain, which exacerbates the other health problems.

Eating better improves our health, not just due to the weight loss, but also due to getting more and better nutrition, actually nourishing our systems, and allowing our bodies to heal.

It hasn't helped that food companies fill foods with such nasty things as high fructose corn syrup. As Dr. Michael Eades (Protein Power) put it, corn syrup is ubiquitous, you find it in everything. A generation ago you didn't find it in everything, but now you have to read every label to avoid it. It's even in so-called "sugar free" products. People who are uninformed eat this stuff, thinking they are eating healthful foods, when instead the sugar is causing them to pump out insulin, in turn causing them to store fat, and thus we have an obesity epidemic. People eat more because food has no nutrition anymore, and it takes more food to nourish us, and because there is so much sugar in foods that they eat and then crave more. You don't see people pigging out on good, sugar free whole grain bread - no, but they'll wolf down a loaf of cheap white bread. If they offered burgers on whole wheat buns only, would they sell nearly as many Big Macs? Probably not. The white bun is part of what makes that burger so appealing, that soft, sweet, gummy mass, made just a tad more healthful by the addition of a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

My personal experience is that I'm much healthier than I was 5 years ago, in much less pain. Yes, the weight loss so far has been nice (I have a tremendous amount more to lose), but the health benefits are the best thing about this way of eating. And I started low carb to lose weight, not expecting the health benefits to be so dramatic, but I'm living proof that low carb makes a person healthier. How could you not be healthier getting good quality protein, good fats, lots of good vegetables, drinking lots of water? And being satisfied with a good meal, not craving foods, not thinking all day about food, not being miserable because you've eaten your allotment for the day, and can't eat anything else unless it's celery.

Those of us predisposed to health problems due to the way we were raised have to perhaps be more diligent with our food choices, but we can overcome a lot of health problems by doing that.

Thats a good thought. I think it all leads into one, one issue complicates another one. I am losing weight not only to be think, but to avoid other issues.
Ron - I love what you said <<<"you can't change what you can tolerate!" >>> It was at the point that i couldn't tolerate my condition, that i was able to change and stick to it.
And I agree, there are alot of chemicals and extra stuff in the food we buy that adds caleries and all to our diets, corn syrup is in everything it seems.
sandi

Weight gain and obesity is a symptom, not a disease.

In diabetics/pre-diabetics/insulin resistants, the high blood sugar (and insulin) levels lead to storage of fat...the fat is the result of diabetes, not the cause.

Same with overeating. While it can be true later on, the initial weight gain is a result of overeating and/or eating the wrong foods. We don't overeat because we're fat, we're fat because we overeat!!

Cindysue,

I agree with you.

Sometimes it seems like the world is "chasing it's tail" when it comes to health issues and obesity. How can the answer be staring them in the face and they just can't see it.

I hate to say it, I'm a business owner and a capitalist, but it's really the "darker side of capitalism." The government protecting business interests and their money stream, namely agriculture and pharmaceuticals. I know I sound like a nut, but I believe it.

Melodie, I must respectfully disagree with you about the "dark side of capitalism." Government corrupts business not the other way around. It works this way, Congress passes laws which limit free competition one way or another, so any given business seeks to counter this by influencing what laws are passed. Madison thought that without strict checks and balances by the Executive Branch, Congress would seek to control all transactions. This is because they are beholden to those who put money in their campaign coffers (which they get to keep regardless of whether or not their campaigns are successful); this leads to any given business attempting to influence Congress--often through the IRS to create specific laws that will limit their competition. Without the majority of laws restraining free competition and laws passed for specific taxing benefits, our marketplace would prosper enormously.

I too am begining t think obesity is a symptom. They try to blame it for metabolic syndrome, but in metabolic syndrome, you are insulin resistant and tend to store fat. It was nearly impossible for me to lose any weight as I became more insulin resistant. That all changed when my blood sugar got to high and I started losing weight without trying.

My overeating was just a symptom of carb addiction and now that I'm on low carb, no more cravings and less food intake without having to count calories.

Melonie, I agree that it's the government that has corrupted things and is the cause of the "dark side."