It’s been awhile since I’ve shared letters and pictures from our fellow Fat Heads, so here we go …
I’m feeling Dutch …
Hi Tom,
Great news! I’m currently studying Nutrition & Health at Wageningen University, the Netherlands. It’s mostly CW, which has been kind of annoying at some points during my study. However, the Seminar & Excursion Commission of our study association has scheduled the viewing of your movie next week! I’m expecting a somewhat similar response like the one at Hopkins Med you mentioned in December, but who knows. I’ll be attending for sure!
Greetings,
Koen
Outstanding. Now if only the nutritionists-in-training start promoting high-fat diets in the Netherlands, we can look forward to reading about the Dutch Paradox in 20 years.
Family Success
Tom, after reading so many inspirational stories, I just want to share with you my little family success that is still in progress.
I have low carbed in the past and having a background as a medical laboratory technician, the science made perfect sense when I started my journey nearly 5 years ago, but it has taken me 5 years to finally “get it” and everything clicked when I watched your movie. I had reached an all time high of personal weight of 178 (I’m 5’2″) in Nov. of 2009, just 9 months after retiring from the military. I thought it was because I stopped working out and indulged in a few too many adult beverages.
I got very upset with myself and knew that low carb had worked for me in the past, so I jumped on the wagon with both feet and lost 25 lbs in 2 months. People were astonished. In July of 2009, my living situation changed and I started to make bad food choices: a subway sandwich here and there, pizza on Friday nights, pasta, etc., etc. and guess what? Yup, I had found that I didn’t just slide down the slope, I had luged my way olympically right back into size 12s bordering on 14s. I felt defeated, gave up and gave in to the “fat and happy” place where I found myself. I was NOT happy; fat yes, but happy? No. That went on for 7 months and then my 18 year old step-son came to live with us after he graduated from high school.
He has always had a weight issue except when he has lived with us. Obviously it is something in his diet and not his genetics. He came to live with us in July of this year which was also when I saw a very unflattering picture of myself. He was 5’8″, 240 lbs. I was 5’2″, 178 (AGAIN!). My husband has always been on the thin side but he had his own “wheat belly” at 5’9, 182 lbs.
I realized some changes were forth coming and started to take action. We had watched “Fat Head” on Netflix and I was ramping into low carb mode but still buying sandwich bread and tortillas for everyone else in the house. I looked up Dr. Davis’s book, placed it on order and made a decision to remove all bread in all of its forms, tortillas included, out of the house. My husband jumped on the wagon with me (half heartedly) and off we went.
Since September our family has had a combined total weight loss of 96 lbs! My step-son represents the majority of that at 55 lbs lost. I would like to say that he and my husband and my boys are totally wheat free, but they are not; they still think I’m a little wacky and that I’m the only one with any sensitivity issues, although my hubby keeps proving to himself that it makes him sick every time he eats it!
I am devouring all of the information I can find and leaning toward a “paleo-like” diet at this point to see if I can’t kick start out of this stall for the last 20+ lbs. I have to keep reminding myself I didn’t get here overnight and I won’t get out overnight either. What I do know is that I feel GREAT. No more heartburn, no more brain fog, no more sore joints, no depression, no ravenous hunger, more stable moods, deep, refreshing sleep and enough energy to get me through Taekwondo and Pitaiyo 3-5 times a week. I no longer try to park close to the store, in fact I love to park as far away as I can because I’m so happy with the fact that I can walk and not hurt or become winded.
Thank you again for all you do and taking the time to read my story. I have attached a picture collage of myself and my step-son to show you our results.
Sincerely,
Dori
Way to go, Dori. Other than the eyes, I can’t tell it’s the same person in your before-and-after shots. I wouldn’t worry about that last 20 pounds. If they come off, great. If not, you still look mah-ve-lous, and feeling healthy and energetic is really what this is all about.
A doctor is persuaded
Tom – top marks!
I’m a GP up in Canada. Stumbled across your movie on Netflix. Life-altering! I’ve seen it more than a dozen times. There’s more value in this than you would ever imagine!
It lead me to a web of research that has altered my diet 180 degrees. Three-fourths of my job is dealing with obesity, diabetes, “I feel lousy” etc.
I’ve spent hours counseling countless patients, often quoting your movie! Your movie, combined with Food Inc. and The Perfect Human Diet are a must for all humans! Academy award material – yes – certainly compared with the usual crap that is out there.
I am not kidding when I say you have provided a life-altering change to me along with my patients! I’ve loaded my freezer with grass-fed beef. Never have I felt better, healthier, my heartburn has literally gone to hell, as I no longer suffer. Likewise, gone is the pain at the base of my thumb.
Thank you,
Richard
Knowing another doctor is on board is all the thanks I need, Richard.
Just three pounds to go …
Tom,
I won’t go into all the gory details of my life-long struggle with my weight. I just wanted to say thanks for being an inspiration. I’ve lost 76 lbs. since August 1st 2012, when I first watched Fat Head. I have 3 lbs to go until I reach the goal I set at that time. We’ll see where things go from there.
Thanks,
Matt
If you’re within three pounds of your goal, I’m guessing those beer glasses in the before picture are gone for a reason. Way to go, Matt. You look terrific.
And finally …
A reader sent me this picture of a young Fat Head fan:
Love it!
If you enjoy my posts, please consider a small donation to the Fat Head Kids GoFundMe campaign.
I’d love to know where in Canada Richard the GP is – ‘cos if he’s near me and taking new patients, I’d like to be one of them!
He didn’t specify where he practices.
Really awesome that you managed to help people so much Tom! If I were a science teacher, instead of brainwashing my students, I would make them watch Fat Head and tell them to enjoy their greasy steaks. I would probably get fired though, lol.
By the way, I wonder what will happen when your girls have to watch “Super Size Me” in school.
Knowing Sara, I can promise you she’ll have plenty to say in class about it.
Like Dori, I tried to do the moderation or cheat day thing for years with wheat. That’s tough to do with something that acts like an opiate! Total elimination has been so much easier, and more effective, for me, too.
You’ve got to do what works. My cheat day is usually Saturday. I’ll consume, say, a Mexican dinner that includes beans, corn tortilla chips, and a couple of beers. (I almost never cheat with wheat.) I find it easy to go right back to low-carb on Sunday. If I the cheat day kicked off a week of cheating, I’d eliminate it.
Changing peoples’ lives one Fathead viewing at a time.
Way to go everyone. These stories and photos are amazing!!!
I’d love to know where in Canada Richard the GP is – ‘cos if he’s near me and taking new patients, I’d like to be one of them!
He didn’t specify where he practices.
I should have read this post before writing my long-winded pessimistic diatribe on the previous post. Health universities showing Fat Head and doctors quoting it to patients… Those provide one hell of a good reason for optimism on the societal front!
I’m an optimist. I believe the Wisdom of Crowds effect will win out. It will just take time.
Really awesome that you managed to help people so much Tom! If I were a science teacher, instead of brainwashing my students, I would make them watch Fat Head and tell them to enjoy their greasy steaks. I would probably get fired though, lol.
By the way, I wonder what will happen when your girls have to watch “Super Size Me” in school.
Knowing Sara, I can promise you she’ll have plenty to say in class about it.
Like Dori, I tried to do the moderation or cheat day thing for years with wheat. That’s tough to do with something that acts like an opiate! Total elimination has been so much easier, and more effective, for me, too.
You’ve got to do what works. My cheat day is usually Saturday. I’ll consume, say, a Mexican dinner that includes beans, corn tortilla chips, and a couple of beers. (I almost never cheat with wheat.) I find it easy to go right back to low-carb on Sunday. If I the cheat day kicked off a week of cheating, I’d eliminate it.
Changing peoples’ lives one Fathead viewing at a time.
Way to go everyone. These stories and photos are amazing!!!
I should have read this post before writing my long-winded pessimistic diatribe on the previous post. Health universities showing Fat Head and doctors quoting it to patients… Those provide one hell of a good reason for optimism on the societal front!
I’m an optimist. I believe the Wisdom of Crowds effect will win out. It will just take time.
There is virtually no such thing as a weight stall here….If you are into numbers do measurements once a month….you can remain EXACTLY the same weight and still lose a LOT of fat….I have pictures to prove this…
There is virtually no such thing as a weight stall here….If you are into numbers do measurements once a month….you can remain EXACTLY the same weight and still lose a LOT of fat….I have pictures to prove this…
I’ve been told by a number of people that I should get into the fitness and nutrition industry to become a personal trainer. The thing that keeps me from doing this is that I know, on many counts, that what they will teach in school is wrong.
I’ve heard from people who took the classes, regurgitated the answers the professors wanted to hear in order to get their degrees, then started counseling patients as they saw fit once in private practice.
“I’m an optimist. I believe the Wisdom of Crowds effect will win out. It will just take time.”
But sadly in the meantime there will be many people who will suffer terribly and die prematurely.
True. That’s why we do what we do.
I’ve been told by a number of people that I should get into the fitness and nutrition industry to become a personal trainer. The thing that keeps me from doing this is that I know, on many counts, that what they will teach in school is wrong.
I’ve heard from people who took the classes, regurgitated the answers the professors wanted to hear in order to get their degrees, then started counseling patients as they saw fit once in private practice.
“I’m an optimist. I believe the Wisdom of Crowds effect will win out. It will just take time.”
But sadly in the meantime there will be many people who will suffer terribly and die prematurely.
True. That’s why we do what we do.
That last picture is a riot! Tell me, did you REALLY stuff all that bologna in your mouth and get it to stay there long enough for the photo?
You mean for the DVD cover? No, Chareva did a bit of her PhotoShop magic to get that much bologna in my mouth.
Love it! I devour Success Stories on the various paleo and paleo-ish blogs that I frequent even more than I devour bacon. They are what really got me on board with giving a diet shift a try.
The way I summarize it is as follows: All the articles on the research and science made me believe that such a diet works, but the success stories–showing the journeys of real people–made me believe that such a diet could work *for me.*
Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words.
“Losing weight and getting healthy on a low carb diet? You must be doing the diet wrong!” ~ V. Gan
That last picture is a riot! Tell me, did you REALLY stuff all that bologna in your mouth and get it to stay there long enough for the photo?
You mean for the DVD cover? No, Chareva did a bit of her PhotoShop magic to get that much bologna in my mouth.
Don’t agree with making bread the bad guy either. French people eat bread at every meal. I was in Paris many times. They line up for their beautiful tasty baguettes. It’s calorie counts not bread that is making people fat.
French people eat fats as you know, but they also walk 5-10 miles a day FAST and that is why they’re stick thin.
We eat fatty foods but also walk hills 1 hour or so a day. Well not exactly fatty foods but we eat well, fresh, unprocessed and it’s amazing. We’re losing weight. Eating bread too.
I see … so losing weight is all about calories and getting enough exercise. Enjoy your bread, then.
Love it! I devour Success Stories on the various paleo and paleo-ish blogs that I frequent even more than I devour bacon. They are what really got me on board with giving a diet shift a try.
The way I summarize it is as follows: All the articles on the research and science made me believe that such a diet works, but the success stories–showing the journeys of real people–made me believe that such a diet could work *for me.*
Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words.
“Losing weight and getting healthy on a low carb diet? You must be doing the diet wrong!” ~ V. Gan
Don’t agree with making bread the bad guy either. French people eat bread at every meal. I was in Paris many times. They line up for their beautiful tasty baguettes. It’s calorie counts not bread that is making people fat.
French people eat fats as you know, but they also walk 5-10 miles a day FAST and that is why they’re stick thin.
We eat fatty foods but also walk hills 1 hour or so a day. Well not exactly fatty foods but we eat well, fresh, unprocessed and it’s amazing. We’re losing weight. Eating bread too.
I see … so losing weight is all about calories and getting enough exercise. Enjoy your bread, then.
To firebird: har, har, har.
Glad to hear so many successes. I’m personally having trouble eliminating sweets and wheat entirely, so once I buckle down, I hope to shed a good 5-10.
Question- if eating carbs at a meal, does it make sense to try countering the carbs w/ fats to lower the overall % carbs? (e.g. Potatoes w/ lots of butter n cheese)?
I’d put a big caveat on that: high fat combined with high refined carbohydrates (sugar, grains) appears to be the worst combination of all.
After the first month of going low-carb, I got my labs done at the end of October. Shortly after, I saw my doctor to review the tests. Pharm reps were there that morning. Representing a well-known statin, the reps were in coat and tie handing out free lattes and coffees to doctors and staff.
My doctor noted that my cholesterol was still high. He stressed I should really consider using a statin. Ain’t gonna do that doc. Let me try this diet some more first.
I got my labs back today.
Cholesterol was 245 – now 217
Triglycerides was 296 – now 200
HDL was 36 – now 47
VLDL was 59 – now 40
Glucose was 105 – now 94
Hemoglobin A1c was 5.5 – now 5.4
I have to give big thanks to you. Almost there. Getting closer.
Go to Hell Big Pharma.
Glad to see those numbers moving in the right direction.
To firebird: har, har, har.
Glad to hear so many successes. I’m personally having trouble eliminating sweets and wheat entirely, so once I buckle down, I hope to shed a good 5-10.
Question- if eating carbs at a meal, does it make sense to try countering the carbs w/ fats to lower the overall % carbs? (e.g. Potatoes w/ lots of butter n cheese)?
I’d put a big caveat on that: high fat combined with high refined carbohydrates (sugar, grains) appears to be the worst combination of all.
After the first month of going low-carb, I got my labs done at the end of October. Shortly after, I saw my doctor to review the tests. Pharm reps were there that morning. Representing a well-known statin, the reps were in coat and tie handing out free lattes and coffees to doctors and staff.
My doctor noted that my cholesterol was still high. He stressed I should really consider using a statin. Ain’t gonna do that doc. Let me try this diet some more first.
I got my labs back today.
Cholesterol was 245 – now 217
Triglycerides was 296 – now 200
HDL was 36 – now 47
VLDL was 59 – now 40
Glucose was 105 – now 94
Hemoglobin A1c was 5.5 – now 5.4
I have to give big thanks to you. Almost there. Getting closer.
Go to Hell Big Pharma.
Glad to see those numbers moving in the right direction.
I found Fat Head while embarking on Atkins induction for the third time in my life because I know it works — just looking for evidence to combat the naysayers. It changed my life. I now understand WHY Atkins works for me, and I’m experimenting with the ratios of carbs/protein/fat that are most slimming for me.
My partner who has been thin — even skinny — all his life before he found weight training is literally reeling from the information about animal fat. Having given up red meat and egg yolks years ago for “his health”, even he longs for a yolk now and then.
I accept that he can eat bread and cereal and I can’t. We all have our own hormonal reactions; I’m just happy to be on the path to discovering more about mine and what keeps me slim. Down 5 pounds in one week; 13 more to go (and never hungry!).
Thanks, Tom!
That’s a great start, Sally. My wife is naturally thin but has given up wheat as well because she feels better without it.
I found Fat Head while embarking on Atkins induction for the third time in my life because I know it works — just looking for evidence to combat the naysayers. It changed my life. I now understand WHY Atkins works for me, and I’m experimenting with the ratios of carbs/protein/fat that are most slimming for me.
My partner who has been thin — even skinny — all his life before he found weight training is literally reeling from the information about animal fat. Having given up red meat and egg yolks years ago for “his health”, even he longs for a yolk now and then.
I accept that he can eat bread and cereal and I can’t. We all have our own hormonal reactions; I’m just happy to be on the path to discovering more about mine and what keeps me slim. Down 5 pounds in one week; 13 more to go (and never hungry!).
Thanks, Tom!
That’s a great start, Sally. My wife is naturally thin but has given up wheat as well because she feels better without it.