By Jacob Wissler

In 1998 I weighed 262 pounds. Five months later I was down to 190 pounds. My waist decreased from 44 inches to 34. Seven years later I am just 205 pounds. Everyone in Houston, Texas asks how I did it. This is my low carb success story. There is nothing to buy; this essay is not a sales pitch. I am not selling anything. I do not work in the diet industry.

I am not the only one. In 1988, I dated a slim Denise Landa (then Denise Dickey), when she lived in Houston. In 2002 she was up to 200 pounds; very recent photos show Denise Landa slim and fit, the same way she looked when we dated 17 years ago.

My story is classic low carb. I went on a low carbohydrate diet and it worked, which means I ate only lean protein, healthy fats, and green vegetables. I ate no pasta, noodles, rice, soup, cereal, starch vegetables, fruit, milk, fried foods or sugar products. The only grain product I ate was high fiber bread (no more than two slices per day). I cook with pure virgin olive oil.

Most people who have tried low carb dieting have never eaten true low carb foods. They eat the packaged "low carb" products sold in stores, such as "low carb" cookies or "low carb" ice cream. When they fail to lose weight, they blame the low carb diet, instead of blaming themselves for eating junk food. The candy bars clearly state on the label that each bar contains 20-39 grams of total carbohydrate. "Low carb" products are sold based upon the false theory that some carbs do not count. Therefore, we are told that "low carb" ice cream or "low carb" candy bars will help you to lose weight?

Exercise is important to improve your health, but do not expect it to have much impact on your weight unless you change your diet. One pound of fat = 3,500 calories. During a hard work out, a fit athlete may burn 500-600 calories per hour. Let's assume you are not an athlete, or you would not be reading this. For an average person, you would have to walk 30 miles to lose one pound. You must control what you put into your mouth, or your weight loss will take years instead of months.

The beginning of all low carb dieting was the Atkins diet; however, I strongly disagree with Dr. Atkins program because it is based upon eating processed "low carb" foods. His book is biased, because his company sells those products. If you want a no cost diet that works, read this web page. I am not selling anything.

ALL carbs count, except fiber. The whey protein shakes used by body builders and athletes are ok because they contain very few total carbs. There are also some types of high fiber bread you can eat because the total carbs are low, and the fiber content can be subtracted. The best is "Nature's Own Double Fiber" bread which contains 10 grams of total carbs, less 5 grams of fiber = 5 grams of net carbohydrate per slice. Other than that, forget man made food products and eat only those foods created by nature.

Dr. Atkins made the greatest medical discovery of the 20th century when he found that eating carbohydrates would make you fat, because carbohydrates cause a spike in blood sugar, which causes the body to produce insulin, which signals the body to store fat. Reducing your intake of carbohydrates will stabilize your blood sugar, and thus control your body's production of insulin. When your insulin level is under control, your body can burn fat instead of storing fat.

Many people think I am talking about a problem faced only by diabetics. Wrong. I am not diabetic, but I probably would have become diabetic if I had continued to eat bad food. Most over weight people have a problem with blood sugar and insulin. If you wait long enough you may become diabetic. This diet will stop the process before you get to that point. If you need medical advice I suggest the Houston diet doctor.

It is important to eat three (3) regular meals per day, seated at a table, no snacks. This was the norm in America up until the 1960s, when television advertising convinced us that we need to eat constantly. Today many Americans have given up meals and just graze on junk food all day. Every time you eat, your blood sugar increases. A person who eats three meals per day has 3 brief increases in blood sugar each day. A person who eats constantly has elevated blood sugar all day long. If you love snacks, be strong for a week until your body adjusts to three meals per day. America is the only nation on earth where people are constantly eating.

Weight loss has nothing to do with eating less. Weight loss is about eating the right foods, and eating meals instead of snacks. Low-fat foods can actually cause you to gain weight because most low-fat foods contain many carbohydrates.

Beware of "smoothies" which are marketed as health food. Many large smoothies contain well over 650 calories and over 200 grams of carbohydrate. The nutritional information given by most smoothie stores is for the smallest size. This is not health food. The primary ingredient is sugar. If you want to drink something healthy drink a bottle of pure water.

When the human body tastes something sweet, the brain signals the body to produce insulin. It does not matter if the sweet taste comes from sugar, or from a man-made food product. When the body tastes sweet, the brain thinks that carbs are entering the body, and responds with insulin - even if no carbs are present. Therefore, a person on this diet must avoid not just foods that contain carbs, but also foods that taste as if they contain carbs.

The exception is any food or drink that is very high in protein, because protein will mute the insulin spike. For example, a whey protein shake with 23 grams of protein and 2 grams of carbs will not spike your blood sugar, but a sweet tasting diet soda with zero grams of protein and zero grams of carbs may send your blood sugar sky high.

I have a friend who was drinking Monster Low Carb and Diet Rock Star, which are "energy drinks" that contain almost no carbs or calories. She gained weight. The caffeine and the sweet taste caused a spike in her insulin level every time she drank a can.

If you eat the healthy foods nature created, you will lose weight and save money. You can prepare a beautiful meal of natural food, such as baked chicken and broccoli, for about two dollars, less than the cost of one low carb candy bar.

If you do not like natural foods, if you enjoy a candy bar more than baked white fish with spinach, do not worry. After your body goes without sweets and starch for a few weeks, your tastes will change. If you are strong enough to make it through the withdrawal process, you will find that you enjoy eating natural, healthy foods.

Dr. Atkins claims that you can eat all the saturated fat you want, as long as you cut back on carbs. That may be true, but I am more comfortable eating lean protein, and avoiding bacon, ham, etc. I do eat healthy fats, such as flax oil, fish oil, and whole eggs.

I am not a doctor and cannot give medical advice. Every doctor appears to have a different opinion on weight loss. None of this is carved in stone. Everything on the subject of nutrition is open for debate. Dr. Eades, writing in Protein Power, says that flax oil is bad. Most other low carb books say that flax oil is very good. Every person, and every doctor, appears to have a different opinion. On this web page, you get what worked for Jacob Wissler. This is my low carb success story, not medical advice.

The first 4 or 5 days of the diet will be very difficult. You will be going through withdrawal from carbs, which is more difficult than withdrawal from drugs.

When you get hungry, avoid snacks. If you must snack, eat a hard-boiled egg or an avocado. When you crave sweets or starch, have the courage to stick with the diet. After 4 or 5 days, the hunger will be gone.

If plain water bores you, add pure lemon juice to the water. The lemon juice will also help to detox your body. (You probably will not find pure lemon juice at your local grocery store; you may need to go to a health food store). I buy everything at the Whole Foods Market on Kirby Drive in Houston, or at Rice Epicurean Market on Westheimer at Weslyan, in Houston. They have the very best natural, aged cheese, the best fresh fish, the best everything.

Low Carb Meals in Houston, Texas

Breakfast: An avocado, one tablespoon flax oil, 2 eggs any style, at home
Lunch: Grilled chicken breast (meal 99a), two sides of spinach, at Cafe Express
Dinner: Albacore tuna sandwich on Nature's Own Double Fiber Bread, real Mayo, spinach, water, at home

Vegetables should be eaten uncooked, when possible. Protein should be baked, never fried or breaded. If you are on a tight budget, you can use canned vegetables and frozen white fish, instead of fresh. The only places in Houston, Texas that sell high quality frozen fish are Whole Foods Market and Rice Epicurean Markets.

Do not spend a lot of money on expensive vitamins. The most recent research indicates that high doses of vitamins do more harm than good. I take one basic multi-vitamin each morning plus 500mg of calcium / magnesium. In the evening, I take the vitamin and the calcium / magnesium again. Every morning and every evening I also take one tablespoon of fish oil or flax oil.

After you get down to your desired weight, you can go back to eating healthy carbs, such as fruits or pasta in moderation. The key to success is learning to enjoy natural foods. You will enjoy drinking fresh water.

At the first sign of weight gain, go back to eating less than 50 grams of carbs per day. Do not wait to gain back a zillion pounds. If you gain 10 pounds, reduce your carb intake to correct the problem.

Be sure to weigh yourself at the same time every day. Most people weigh 3 pounds more at night than in the morning. Depending upon your size, you should be able to eat 50 to 100 grams of carbs per day without gaining or losing weight. At about 90 grams of carbohydrate per day, my body weight stabilizes. If I eat less carbs, I lose weight. If I eat more carbs, I gain weight. This is just me. I am 6 feet tall. For a small person it will be different.

My total cholesterol is 146, so the diet worked and produces good health. How many 50-year-old men in Houston, Texas have total cholesterol of 146? Today I am 205 pounds, seven years after the weight loss. Results speak louder than words.