Couple Loses Hundreds Of Pounds On Atkins Diet

wlky ^ | 11-04-03

[wheelgunguru]

Embarrassment, Health Issues Prompted Dieting

Many people have struggled to drop a few pounds, but what happens when you need to lose several hundred pounds?

Several years ago, Steve and Melissa Horstman of Boone County, Ky., decided that they didn't want to live with their weight problems anymore, and they used the emotional pain over being overweight to reach their goals.

Melissa and Steve met on the Internet several years ago and soon learned of their common bond: obesity.

"When you weigh 150 pounds over, you don't go out and socialize," Melissa said.

The couple met, dated and married, but humiliation struck again on their honeymoon when the airline pilot told Steve he would have to buy two seats next time because he was too big for one.

"It wasn't until after we got married that I saw on a daily basis how his weight was on his health," Melissa said. "I was afraid I'd just found him and we were just married, I was going to lose him."

Steve's weight topped out at 571 pounds. He recalls "just standing there in the winter and you're breaking a sweat just standing there because your back hurts and your knees hurt."

Despite the physical pain, Steve said the emotional toll on his health was greater.

"(It hurts) when you walk into a store and a 3-year-old looks up at their parent and says, 'Look at that fat man, Mommy,'" he said.

"It broke my heart every day," Melissa said. "I could see the people behind him. The looks, the whispers, the pointing."

Fad diets failed. Surgery was too expensive. So Melissa began looking into low-carb solutions like the Atkins diet.

Once the couple decided to try to the diet, major life changes were in order. First on the list: Eliminating the junk food that is tough to avoid for most people and irresistible to a 571-pound man.

"I could go to a certain drive-through and get eight sandwiches and four large fries, 10 to 12 cans of soft drinks a day, not the sugar-free kind," Steve said.

Steve weighed himself daily on a large scale in a local drugstore. The scale provided a printout, and Steve saved every one of them.

"At June 19, 1999, I was at 472 pounds," he said as he flipped through the printouts. "I'd lost about 100 pounds at that point."

Melissa dropped her weight, too, but for Steve, the diet was nothing short of a miracle. He was swimming in his size 6x shirts, and his 72-inch waist pants started falling off his waist.

Steve kept the belt he wore at his highest weight and punched new holes in it as he dropped the pounds.

These days, the couple is happy to simply blend in when they go to the mall.

From the time the couple changed their lifestyle, Steve has lost more than 320 pounds, and Melissa is down more than 100 pounds. They're proud of each other, and their confidence is at an all-time high.

"I always kid with her, 'How did that guy get that hot girl?'" Steve said.

"To go from people pointing and making faces and whispering to being hateful, to being mistaken for Howie Long ... He's extremely hot!" Melissa said of her husband.

Steve said he can't imagine going back to the overweight version of himself, and he's working to lose even more. His current weight is about 250 pounds, and he told Cooney it feels like "walking on air" when compared to his old weight.

"It's a terrifying thought," he said. "Just looking in the mirror and seeing the old me is motivation enough."

Redemption for Melissa comes in many forms, including a recent high school reunion.

"Nobody recognized me," she said with a smile.

Before:

After:

[carton253]

Two things.. Not enough water. 64 ounces at the least. Cut out the Diet Coke. Caffeine is bad for you because it prevents weight loss.

Get rid of the Redi-Whip. It has sugar in it. Use Cool Whip. (The folks at Atkin says it makes a difference)

[Zack Nguyen]

It's not about low-carb. It's about low-calorie.

I don't know that I agree with that. Not all calories are created equal. I am not expert, but I believe they do different things. Eating three pounds of apples is not the same as eating 3 pounds of steak.

[Zack Nguyen]

It's not about low-carb. It's about low-calorie.

I don't know that I agree with that. Not all calories are created equal. I am not expert, but I believe they do different things. Eating three pounds of apples is not the same as eating 3 pounds of steak.

[Zack Nguyen]

It's not about low-carb. It's about low-calorie.

I don't know that I agree with that. Not all calories are created equal. I am not expert, but I believe they do different things. Eating three pounds of apples is not the same as eating 3 pounds of steak.

[carton253]

One more thing... If you overwork out, your body tends to hold on to its weight. I'm not saying that you are doing that... but be careful not to overdo it.

[nina0113]

Michelob Ultra!

Man, that stuff's bad. I tried one bottle and didn't even finish it. Sacrifice the extra gram & drink Miller Lite. Have you noticed even their beer commercials during football are getting on the low-carb thing?

[Huck]

This is good sauce. I think it's 6 grams per 1/2 cup. That's not what's gotten me, I don't think. I have gone real easy on that. But it's been a cheese and redi whip bonanza! What was I thinking? Water intake is good. Not great, a little inconsistent.

[Salgak]

Thanks, I'll pass. A 12-ounce steak is more than enough for me: heck a GOOD quarter-pound hamburger (as opposed to a "Quarter-Pounder". . .) will satisfy for HOURS. . .

[Huck]

Mrs. Huck is very cute, and she loved me just the same when I was 228 as when I was 173. No lie. She is there for me no matter what.

[carton253]

I don't think you can have tomatos on induction. It's been a while since I've been on induction, but I seem to remember this.

On water, you say that you are drinking around 4 to 5 eight ounce bottles. That's only 32 to 40 ounces. Minimum requirement is 64 ounces. I saw big changes in my weight loss when I consistently stayed above 64 ounces.

[sam_paine]

Right on. "Excesive protein" they cry!! Christ, I now eat smaller meat portions than I did before, but also VASTLY less white bread, tortillas, corn chips, SUGAR, GRAVY, etc.

...for less total daily calories by at least 10%....INCLUDING KEEPING MY BELOVED BACON. Plus now I have energy that allows me to exercise, which gives me more energy!

Someone else on here said it perfect. Ideally, "exercise, exercise, exercise" is the way to start, but really it tells a lethargic overweight thug like I was to "put off, put off, put off." That's what I tried and it just turned me off because I had no energy.

Atkins gave me a leg up on my bootstraps, and snapped the vicious cycle.

If I'm going to die, I'd rather die healthy looking and feeling (with bacon), rather than on a low-fat American Heart Association approved regimen like Jim Fixx who died of a heart attack anyway!!!!

[Jennifer in Florida]

Have you found that following Atkins (or other low-carb diets) is harder on your food budget than other diets? I mean, I would definitely try it if I could afford it. We're supporting five people on one income, and right now we eat lots of pasta, beans, peanut butter sandwiches because they don't cost a lot. What kinds of things would be substitute here? Are you really eating tons more MEAT or are beans/nuts/other proteins OK?

[California74]

ohmigosh - rediwhip. On top of sugar-free jello. Or a Venti Americano with a little cream and splenda. YUM.

[Nataku X]

The only true high-calorie foods are processed foods (candy, bread, et cetera). There are very few processed foods that don't contain carbs.

Even cheesecake contains fewer calories per pound than bread, because bread is more processed/dehydrated than cheesecake.

You can't eat processed foods on Atkins, therefore, you eat a lot fewer calories on Atkins. You can eat a lot more with 1000 calories on Atkins than on Ornish.

Even bacon, the fattiest unprocessed food I can think of besides oils, has 800 calories per pound. The bun in a McDonald's cheeseburger has more calories than the cheese & meat combined.

Of course, fruits and vegetables (if they're not starchy like bread) will go from 50 to 250 calories per POUND.

Even SamAdams76's breakfast is only 300 calories. I'm not putting down Atkins or anything--I just get sick of people saying that 1 diet is the IDEAL... I lost my 40 lbs of flab years ago by watching my calories... from a high of 145 lbs, I'm into bodybuilding now (not for weight gain, though... women often do bodybuilding to get that Linda Hamilton of T2 look, not the scary she-male look) and can't do my workouts without eating a carby snack/meal an hour or two beforehand.

[LittleRedRooster]

I have only tried one diet in my life and that was Dr. Andrew Weil's 'Eight weeks to better health'. I didn't need to lose all that much if any at all but the lifestyle change was great and I did feel much better after the eight weeks. My friend wanted to do it together and once again I found it amazing that someone so determined as she was that she didn't come close to finishing the eight weeks and I found it so easy, even quit drinking beer for the eight weeks.

For anyone wanting to change their eating habits and feel better I would recommend that book.

I have always walked quite a bit since I have played golf since junior high school and would play and walk 36 to 54 holes a day when I was younger 25 years ago, thank goodness the courses were much shorter then than now.

[Huck]

No, the bottle says it has 1 PT, 8 oz. per bottle. I have been having 4 or 5 of those. 16 oz per pint, right? So this is a 24 oz bottle. 4 of those is plenty.

[zx2dragon]

From the Atkins site:
Eat no more than 20 grams a day of carbohydrate, most of which must come in the form of salad greens and other vegetables. You can eat approximately three loosely packed cups of salad, or two cups of salad plus one cup of other vegetables (see Acceptable Foods).

I personally take it fruits (apples, oranges, pears) and high starch veggies like Green Peas, Edamame, corn and potatoes. I also love bread products, but only white bread, cannot stomach others such as rye or wheat.

[Huck]

Have you found that following Atkins (or other low-carb diets) is harder on your food budget than other diets? I mean, I would definitely try it if I could afford it. We're supporting five people on one income, and right now we eat lots of pasta, beans, peanut butter sandwiches because they don't cost a lot. What kinds of things would be substitute here? Are you really eating tons more MEAT or are beans/nuts/other proteins OK?

I am eating lots of meat. It's just me and the missus, and she eats like a bird. I have been buying chuck steaks, which go for about 2.50 each. And ground meat. I used to drink slim fast shakes, which wasn't super cheap either. I know boxes of pasta is cheaper. And 5 mouths is a lot to feed. Nuts are expensive, too, though. To tell you the truth, I don't budget for food. I just go to the store and buy stuff.

[Huck]

rediwhip. On top of sugar-free jello

Yup.

[Zack Nguyen]

The slim fast and salad approach will enable you to lose weight, but most likely you lost a significant amount of muscle at the same time. The human body doesn't seem to prefer losing one over the other, unless you are causing muscle growth through weight training and high protein diet as you attempt to lose weight.

Considering the fact that you are well below the danger zone in your weight, I'd let the mirror be your judge. What fat to muscle ratio are you happy with?

If feasible, I'd increase the resistance training significantly. That many pushups and situps are good, but to build real muscle you'll need to decrease the reps and increase the intensity. Instead of push-ups, try bench press or dips. Add in some leg exercises - lunges or squats. Be sure and do pull-ups for your back and biceps. Keep the cardiovascular work going.

It may be that you don't need to weigh 170 to be happy with how you look.

Keep your protein intake at about .8 to 1 gram per pound of bodyweight. No less than 140-150 grams per day. Keep the carbs low, and get them from vegetables as you are doing.