Staff writer
Judy Forney of Marion County Lake was overweight and pre-diabetic in November when she joined the Kansas Take Off Pounds Sensibly Chapter 1075 in Marion.
She struggled to lose weight until about six weeks ago when she and her husband decided to limit their carbohydrate (sugar and starch) intake while taking care to maintain a normal protein intake.
In just a few weeks, her blood sugar normalized. Her husband, who is Type II diabetic, also began to see results. Two weeks ago, his doctor reduced his medicine by half, and he expects to eliminate it before long.
They avoid starchy vegetables and processed food like breads, sweet rolls, and cookies, and concentrate on eating more natural food.
“The low-carb diet works for me,” Forney said. “It’s better than counting calories and is simpler.”
She said she needs to eat enough protein so her body doesn’t use up muscle. However, by limiting carbohydrates, her body has to use excess fat as fuel or energy.
She said after four days of avoiding high-sugar food, her craving for sweets went away.
“The longer I stayed away, the better the more natural things tasted,” she said.
The couple sometimes eats a protein snack between meals, like a piece of cheese or a few almonds.
“Protein snacks don’t change your blood sugar levels,” she said.
Forney has lost almost 30 pounds since joining TOPS and looks forward to losing many more.