WomensHealth
  • News
  • Health
  • Fitness
  • Sex & Love
  • Food
  • Weight Loss
  • Women In Sport
  • Beauty
  • Podcasts
  • Video
WomensHealth
  • News
  • Health
  • Fitness
  • Sex & Love
  • Food
  • Weight Loss
  • Women In Sport
  • Beauty
  • Podcasts
  • Video
Subscribe
Pro Surfer Laura Enever On What She's Tell Her Younger Self
Watch 1:48

Pro Surfer Laura Enever On What She's Tell Her Younger Self

{headline}

{headline}

'Portion Control Helped Me Lose 54kg In 11 Months'

'Portion Control Helped Me Lose 54kg In 11 Months'

'I Blended Keto And Intermittent Fasting And Lost 33kg'

'I Blended Keto And Intermittent Fasting And Lost 33kg'

'I Tried Alternate Day Fasting And Lost 48kg In A Year'

'I Tried Alternate Day Fasting And Lost 48kg In A Year'

'The Eating And Exercise Regime That Helped Me Lose 10.25kg And 8.2% Body Fat In 8 Weeks'

'The Eating And Exercise Regime That Helped Me Lose 10.25kg And 8.2% Body Fat In 8 Weeks'

{headline}

{headline}

‘The Diet Plan That Helped Me Lose 25kg in Six Months’

‘The Diet Plan That Helped Me Lose 25kg in Six Months’

'I Lost 65Kg Following This Simple Diet Plan'

'I Lost 65Kg Following This Simple Diet Plan'

The Two Changes DJ Tigerlily Made To Completely Transform Her Body

The Two Changes DJ Tigerlily Made To Completely Transform Her Body

{headline}

{headline}

7 Women Reveal Exactly What They Ate to Lose 25+ Kilos

7 Women Reveal Exactly What They Ate to Lose 25+ Kilos

'The "Lazy Keto" Diet Helped Me Lose Nearly 68kgs'

'The "Lazy Keto" Diet Helped Me Lose Nearly 68kgs'

'I Lost 68kg In A Year Thanks To This Diet Plan'

'I Lost 68kg In A Year Thanks To This Diet Plan'

‘This Simple Strategy Helped Me Lose 34kg And Maintain It For 7 Years’

‘This Simple Strategy Helped Me Lose 34kg And Maintain It For 7 Years’

'I Lost 56kg By Making These Tiny Changes To My Diet And Lifestyle'

'I Lost 56kg By Making These Tiny Changes To My Diet And Lifestyle'

9 Things You Must Do to Lose Weight Over 40, According to Experts

9 Things You Must Do to Lose Weight Over 40, According to Experts

The Eating Regime That Helped This Mum-Of-Two Lose 41kgs

The Eating Regime That Helped This Mum-Of-Two Lose 41kgs

  1. Home
  2. Weight Loss

'I Lost More Than 40kgs By Cutting This One Thing From My Diet’

"I can take photos now and actually look at them without being embarrassed." - by Amber Akam
  • 13 Aug 2018
'I Lost More Than 40kgs By Cutting This One Thing From My Diet’
Supplied

Growing up, I was always overweight.

 

I never exercised, and I found most of my comfort through food—and not the healthy stuff; my diet was carbs, carbs, and more carbs. (I loved pasta, bread, and potatoes.)

But, while I spent most of my life overweight, I also spent that time wanting to lose weight. Taking the steps to doing so, though, always seemed overwhelming.

When I had my children, I hoped that they'd be naturally thin like their father—for my son, that turned out to be true; but my daughter began growing into a body type similar to mine. I was teased and uncomfortable in my body growing up, and I didn't want her to go through that same experience.

RELATED: 4 Strange Things That Happen to Your Body When You Go Low-Carb

I knew I needed to learn how to lose weight so I could teach my daughter how to eat healthy.

atkins diet
Supplied

Another thing that prompted my weight-loss commitment: After divorcing my husband, I plunged back into the dating game, but I was incredibly disappointed with how I looked.

Around this time, I also moved in with my dad and stepmum, who mentioned she had done the Atkins diet years ago. She said it helped her, so I decided to give it a try—that was in February 2017.

I was surprised at how easy it was to follow the Atkins diet.

The plan focuses on counting carbohydrates (healthy, fibre-rich ones), while still getting adequate protein and healthy fats. It's also broken up into four phases: Phase one allows 20 grams of net carbs a day, and it increases with each phase after that.

While you can eat a wide range of things on Atkins—as long as it stays within the carb limitations—Atkins also has their own line of low-carb foods made specifically for the diet.

These Atkins-approved foods made following the plan even easier. I knew if I was having a hard time figuring out what to have for dinner or a snack, Atkins had my back.

Here's what a typical day on the Atkins diet looked like:

  • Breakfast: a few slices of bacon and two eggs sprinkled with low-carb cheese.
  • Lunch: a salad with lots of veggies and homemade ranch dressing (a mix of mayo and low-carb powder seasoning).
  • Dinner: chicken with a big mix of veggies like mushrooms, peppers, and onions.
  • Snacks: cheese sticks or Atkins candies.

I knew I had to work out to lose weight too, but the gym didn't appeal to me. I started walking instead.

keto diet
Supplied

I have a very long driveway—it's about 400m long, so each time I walked up and back equated to 800m. I started walking back and forth on the driveway four to eight times a day—that amounted to 3 to 7km daily.

Exercising made a huge difference: I not only started losing weight quicker, but I also felt myself getting stronger and more toned. Seeing those changes in my body was all the motivation I needed to stick to my Atkins diet and exercise regimen.

And even though Atkins turned out to be a diet I could stick with, it wasn't necessarily easy. Snacking is still a major temptation for me, so I make sure to carry around healthy snacks (like the cheese sticks and Atkins candies I love) so I don't fall for gas station treats. And, with two kids to take care of, I have to make time to get in a workout—that means early in the morning before they wake up or well after they go to bed.

Losing weight has finally made me feel happy with myself—something I haven't felt in a long time.

I can take photos now and actually look at them without being embarrassed. Of course, I feel better and have more energy for my kids too, but it all adds up to feeling happy and comfortable in my own skin.

Weight loss isn't a one-time thing—you can't revert back to your old diet once you lose the weight and expect to not gain the weight back. Instead of being just a diet, Atkins taught me how to change my lifestyle—now, I can pass on my newfound healthy eating habits to my kids so they don't have to go through what I went through.

As told to Danielle Page. This article originally appeared on Women’s Health US.

RELATED: 'The Diet That Helped Me Lose 45 Kilograms'

  • Fitness
  • Weight Loss
  • Diet Plans
  • Diet
  • Low Carb Diet

FREE aim'n Fitness Pack-SAVE 25%

when you subscribe to Women's Health

Subscribe Now
FREE aim'n Fitness Pack

FREE aim'n Fitness Pack-SAVE 25%

when you subscribe to Women's Health

Subscribe Now
FREE aim'n Fitness Pack

Recommended to you

Pro Surfer Laura Enever On What She's Tell Her Younger Self
Watch 1:48

Pro Surfer Laura Enever On What She's Tell Her Younger Self

{headline}

{headline}

'Portion Control Helped Me Lose 54kg In 11 Months'

'Portion Control Helped Me Lose 54kg In 11 Months'

'I Blended Keto And Intermittent Fasting And Lost 33kg'

'I Blended Keto And Intermittent Fasting And Lost 33kg'

'I Tried Alternate Day Fasting And Lost 48kg In A Year'

'I Tried Alternate Day Fasting And Lost 48kg In A Year'

'The Eating And Exercise Regime That Helped Me Lose 10.25kg And 8.2% Body Fat In 8 Weeks'

'The Eating And Exercise Regime That Helped Me Lose 10.25kg And 8.2% Body Fat In 8 Weeks'

{headline}

{headline}

‘The Diet Plan That Helped Me Lose 25kg in Six Months’

‘The Diet Plan That Helped Me Lose 25kg in Six Months’

'I Lost 65Kg Following This Simple Diet Plan'

'I Lost 65Kg Following This Simple Diet Plan'

The Two Changes DJ Tigerlily Made To Completely Transform Her Body

The Two Changes DJ Tigerlily Made To Completely Transform Her Body

{headline}

{headline}

7 Women Reveal Exactly What They Ate to Lose 25+ Kilos

7 Women Reveal Exactly What They Ate to Lose 25+ Kilos

'The "Lazy Keto" Diet Helped Me Lose Nearly 68kgs'

'The "Lazy Keto" Diet Helped Me Lose Nearly 68kgs'

'I Lost 68kg In A Year Thanks To This Diet Plan'

'I Lost 68kg In A Year Thanks To This Diet Plan'

‘This Simple Strategy Helped Me Lose 34kg And Maintain It For 7 Years’

‘This Simple Strategy Helped Me Lose 34kg And Maintain It For 7 Years’

'I Lost 56kg By Making These Tiny Changes To My Diet And Lifestyle'

'I Lost 56kg By Making These Tiny Changes To My Diet And Lifestyle'

9 Things You Must Do to Lose Weight Over 40, According to Experts

9 Things You Must Do to Lose Weight Over 40, According to Experts

The Eating Regime That Helped This Mum-Of-Two Lose 41kgs

The Eating Regime That Helped This Mum-Of-Two Lose 41kgs

WomensHealth
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Pacific Magazines
  • Partners
  • 7Plus
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Statement
WomensHealth Magazine Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Pacific Magazines
  • Partners
  • 7Plus
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Statement

Brands

  • Beauty Crew
  • Home Beautiful
  • Instyle
  • marie claire
  • Who

Pacific Network

  • Better Homes and Gardens
  • BHG Shop
  • New Idea food
  • New Idea
  • Men’s Health
  • Girlfriend
  • That’s Life
  • All Recipes
  • Practical Parenting
© 2019 Pacific Magazines
Get more from Women's Health

Magazine Subscription Offer

FREE aim'n Fitness Pack-SAVE 25%

Shop This Offer
FREE aim'n Fitness Pack