I'm so thankful that I made it! I wasn't sure I would.

I had many cheat days (this seems to be something I have yet to overcome), and I did not add exercise to my month. All I do is walk the dogs (almost) every night - often for just 20-30 minutes. I have a boy dog so the walks are full of stopping to sniff.

The reason I don't want to cheat is because my body burns fat (all of our bodies burn fat) best when in ketosis. Ketosis is the state at which our bodies operate by burning fat (eaten or stored) for energy instead of glucose. Glucose is largely created by carbohydrate intake.

When we limit our carb intake we force our bodies to burn fat for energy. All the science now shows that our brain and all systems can function efficiently on ketones. Ketones are the energy molecules created as a result of fat consumption or fat-burning metabolic process.

This is a very rudimentary explanation, but it lays the groundwork for understanding how our bodies work. In simplist form it is explained as:

  • Carb molecules create glucose for energy that, when unused, turn to fat cells.
  • Fat molecules create ketones for energy that burn slowly and keep us feeling fuller, longer - so we are less likely to overeat.
  • Protein molecules feed existing muscle so we don't lose muscle tone when dieting.

This very simplistic principle is the foundation for my diet and it works! I have now lost 50 pounds at 50 years of age. A loss I was sure I couldn't accomplish at the start of this journey because I was hungry all the time when I was consuming lots of carbs (empty calories of wheat, pasta, rice).

The concept works at any age - male or female - as we've seen from many of the readers of our book. I wrote the book with my daughter (aged 20) who has lost over 30 pounds and has kept it off for the last 5 months. She doesn't "diet", she just maintains this style of eating. It is a lifestyle change that isn't hard to do.

I loved my time on dietbet and I wish the best for everyone in their quest to lose weight! Feel free to friend me on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/laura.childs if I can help you in any way.