Just a Few Pounds to Lose
I love the food and dessert options and my sugar and bread cravings are gone.
August 15, 2016
“I am not overweight, but I have gained weight in my 20s. The only way I have been able to lose weight is by greatly reducing my calorie intake and feel hungry all of the time. When I saw the title of the book, I thought, ‘yes, I am always hungry.’ Even if I didn’t lose any weight, I was hopeful to not be starving constantly…
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Lily S.
Weeks on the Plan: 6 (phase 2)
Weight change: 4.8 pounds
Waist change: 1.5 inches
No hunger, no cravings, no headaches. Lovely fulfilling meals.
August 15, 2016
“One week. *One* week and the scale gave me four lbs less. My waist is down 2.5 inch.
No hunger, no cravings, no headaches. Lovely fulfilling meals.
I am officially in love with the AH Diet.”
Margriet P.
Weeks on the Plan: 1
Weight change: 4 pounds
Waist change: 2.5 inches
I am thrilled with this way of eating.
August 15, 2016
“My husband and I already had incorporated many of the foods (full fat Greek yogurt, cooking with butter, emphasis on fruits/veggies, etc.) for the past year or so. Just by forgoing breads, snack foods, and sugar in my coffee and tea the past few months, I have lost about 10 pounds, even before officially starting AH, and have about 5 more to go…
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Lynne T.
Just beginning with 5 pounds to lose
Dr. Ludwig has the education and experience credentials to speak with true authority.
August 15, 2016
“I’m usually extremely skeptical of diet and nutrition advice because so much of it conflicts. I’ll read that a food is great for me, and then a few years later, that same food is the scourge of nutrition, and back again. Additionally, the sources of food advice are often suspect. It’s hard to tell without extensive research if the people advocating for their nutrition opinions are experts in their field, or instead know even less than I do.
I approached AH with caution. As I started reading it, I became more and more impressed…
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Paul S.
Weeks on the Plan: 6 (phase 2)
Weight change: 6.8 pounds
Waist change: 2.25 inches
Over 20 Pounds
I needed to lose 40 pounds so I could join my daughter in a tandem jump from an airplane…
November 14, 2016
“Just to add to your list of success stories, I needed to drop from the 265-pound weight that I was to a less than 210 weight to do a tandem jump out of an airplane with my daughter. She wanted to try this for a long time. Over a year before I bought your book, I was trying eating less and exercising more and I was failing to keep the weight off…”
Michael R.
Weeks on the Plan: 11
Weight Change: lost 44 pounds
Waist Change: lost 2 inches
Within three days all cravings for bread and sugar products were completely gone.
August 15, 2016
“I have been obese my entire adult life and I have been overweight since I was 8 years old. I was able to lose some weight in the past through exercise and through reducing sugar intake, but I was never able to sustain it longer than 5 months. The amount of exercise required and the significant willpower needed to abstain from sugar would eventually exhaust me and I would give up. Inevitably, the weight would come back. I tried again one last time…”
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Jenny K.
Weeks on the Plan: 27 weeks (phase two)
Weight change: 40 pounds
Waist change: 9 inches
I used to weigh 321lbs (my heaviest).
August 15, 2016
“Dr. Ludwig’s program has given me the tools and hope to take back my life. While vacationing in Florida this winter I meet a very fit gentleman at the pool who told me “his story”. He said he used to weigh 350 lbs and suffered from severe depression due to the death of his young son, (killed by a drunk driver). He hit bottom and read “Always Hungry”. He now runs marathons…”
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William D.
Weeks on the Plan: 12 (since June 1, 2016)
Weight Change: 27 pounds
Waist Change: 6 inches From 48 to 42
I am now under 200 pounds!
January 13, 2017
Today I reached my first goal. I am now under 200 lbs! Hurrah for the diet, Dr. Ludwig and me! Total loss 23 lbs. As Dr. Ludwig warned, it has been slow but, also steady. Ultimate goal is to be 180lbs or less. I’m 5’9″. I started the diet at the end of last March. Its been 7 months. Starting weight was 222 lbs. I’m now 199.4 lbs.
Edward H.
7 months on plan
Weight Change: 23 pounds
My wife thought I was crazy to begin the program during the holiday season, but I thought, what better time.
September 2019
“As a competitive masters oarsman, at the age of 64, my rowing partner and I decided to compete in the 2016 US Rowing Masters Nationals Championships in the lightweight category, 160 pounds or less. Both my partner and I were lightweight oarsmen in our respective colleges.
In the late fall of 2015, I began doing research on weight loss programs and settled on “Always Hungry.” It made the most sense to me scientifically and logically. At the time my weight hovered around 200 pounds. I discussed the program with my wife and began the program in earnest around Thanksgiving of 2015, with the goal of reaching 160 pounds or less by August 2016. My wife thought I was crazy to begin the program during the holiday season, but I thought, what better time…”
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Paul G.
Weight Change: -40 pounds
Diabetes
Last November I weighed 400 lbs…
September 22, 2016
“Last November I weighed 400 lbs. I started going to the bathroom all hours. I went to the doctor in January with frequent urination and headaches. My blood sugar was 347 and I found out I have type 2 diabetes. My doctor recommended I give always hungry a read, so I did. He also prescribed me 2000mg of metaformin. It took a week to get my Blood sugar under control and back in the safe range. My starting a1c was 11.6. It has now been 4 months I am down 62lbs…”
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Billy W.
Weeks on the Plan: 16
Weight Change: 62 pounds lost
Other Medical Issues
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
August 15, 2016
“I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) 6 months ago and given a very stern warning from my doctor to lose weight, as well as a reason for my battle with infertility. Since then, I have used your book to successfully lose 29 pounds, and reduce some of the symptoms of my PCOS…”
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Rachael E.
Weeks on the Plan: 24
Weight Change: 29 pounds lost
Waist Change: 8″ lost
GERD
August 15, 2016
“I will be following this plan for life. Before I started, I didn’t have cravings like many of the folks in the community, but I was aware that the dietary guidelines I had been following pretty religiously for years were no longer appropriate (a former health journalist, I still follow studies). I just didn’t know how to replace them with guidelines that took into account the latest research I had been reading, until I heard Dr. Ludwig on NPR and picked up the book…”
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Jennifer H.
Weeks on the Plan: 26
Weight Change: -13 pounds
Waist Change: -2 inches
Over 50
No more cravings.
August 15, 2016
My health care provider told me that at my age (58) and weight (345 pound) I would need bariatric surgery to lose weight. Then I found your program! After the first 6 weeks my A1C dropped from 6.4% to 5.9%. No more cravings. I’ve passed your book on to several people who asked me how I was losing so much weight without surgery!
Linda
Weeks on the Plan: 31
Weight Change: 55 pounds
Waist Change: 5.5 inches
Headaches gone! Brain fog gone! Fatigue, lethargy, vertigo, gone, gone, gone!
August 15, 2016
“So as you can see this is not the abridged version of my AH journey but there is no other way for me to convey how important this life changing diet has been to me other then to throw it all out there. This really starts in 2009 when I started to experience a bunch of odd health issues. The first big one was hair loss, enough so that even my hairdresser decided for me that it was time for me to see a doctor…”
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This has changed my life.
August 16, 2016
This has changed my life. I turn 60 in January 2017. Glad to be rid of that muffin top over my waist band. Thanks Dr. Ludwig!
Shelly
Weeks on the Plan: 6 months
Weight Change: 14 pounds
Waist Change: Not sure about the measurement but I’m 2 pant sizes smaller!
I love this program – it makes sense to me, it makes sense to my body.
August 16, 2016
“Having lost 93 pounds and gained back all but 13, then having read a WebMD article that said the best fat people can hope for is to avoid gaining, I was extremely discouraged in January 2016. Then I read about Always Hungry? on Michael Pollan’s Facebook page, then heard the interview with Dr. Ludwig on PBS’s Science Friday. These were people I respected talking about the science behind this new program. I ordered the book the day it was available…”
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Joan R.
Weeks on the Plan: 30
Weight Change: 25
Waist Change: 5 inches
My focus was getting off the sugar.
September 2019
“I am 65 years old. I started AH with only a few pounds to lose – that was never my main motivation. My focus was getting off the sugar and the “always hungry” roller coaster that I was riding. I felt the difference the very first day of Phase 1. I was not hungry and was satisfied for hours with the Phase 1 meals. My mood evened out. I didn’t realize how much irritability had crept into my life about food and never feeling satisfied by what I ate, but not knowing what it was I needed in terms of eating.
Eating full-fat food was a revelation. I do not miss the sugar at all, and I am eating much healthier without the processed carbs in my diet. It has been a real education to learn how much food out there has added sugar, and AH has turned me into a savvy shopper who reads the ingredient list in everything before I buy it. After having been on AH for seven months, I lost my five pounds and three inches around my belly – I couldn’t be happier! AH is my new way of life.”
Mary
Weeks on the Plan: 28
Weight Change: 5 pounds (that’s all I needed to lose – I am maintaining now)
Waist Change: 3 inches
Non Scale Victories (NSV)
I feel so much better and stronger now–better than I have in years.
September 12, 2016
This is a shout out to my fellow slow losers! I started in February with 15-20 pounds to lose. I started out losing at a rate of about a half a pound a week. Even that rate stalled for 2 1/2 months this summer! I finally budged in late July and I wish I could tell you there was one thing I did to make that happen. In reality lots of stuff changed then. I finished an out of town job, had time off, spent two weeks doing very physical work in my yard. It could have been any of that, all of it, or none. But I did start losing fat again, now at a rate of losing a pound of fat every 4 weeks.
Here’s the thing–I’m not disappointed. Years ago I lost weight by counting calories, but I lost muscle right along with fat, even though I was working out several times a week. On AH I am only losing fat…
Erica F.
Weeks on the Plan: 33
Weight Change: 13 pounds
Waist Change: 3 inches
Learning about Dr. Ludwig’s research has been a life-changing experience
September 5, 2016
Major NSV today. I’ve been following the AH philosophy since early June (with some vacations into Phase 3 because, come on, it’s summer) and have lost about 12 pounds. I decided to go shopping today because my wardrobe is pretty pathetic. I haven’t enjoyed shopping for clothes for years – it’s been a frustrating and demoralizing experience. So today I went to my favorite store from skinnier days and tried on some clothes. To my delight, some stuff fit and looked pretty good. But the button-down shirts that I was trying on just didn’t look right. I took a leap of faith and went down a size, and suddenly they all looked fantastic. People, I am a MEDIUM!! I haven’t been a medium in at least 8 years. Learning about Dr. Ludwig’s research has been a life-changing experience so far and I can’t wait to see where else it leads.
Alison M.
Weeks on the Plan: 12
Weight Change: 12 pounds
Able to get off medication for depression. I am energetic, I no longer need naps during the day!
September 16, 2016
My weight has fluctuated all my adult life. For example within the last two years, I lost 50lbs and gained that all back and more. This is a typical pattern for me, joining a weight loss program losing a ton of weight and putting it all back on with a bonus. I was actually at my highest weight in January and feeling depressed, desperate. Although I am a vegetarian, my consumption of breads, pasta, sweets and chocolate was out of control. I am moderately active so even though I exercised, I could not lose.
I heard AH on a radio show and my husband and I decided we needed to try. It just looked so healthy and wholesome that it was worth it even if we didn’t lose weight. Well, I know that I have done some damage to my body by yo-yo dieting and for the first time in my life, I did not crave sugar, sweets, carbs.
Cindy B.
Weeks on the Plan: 35
Weight Change: 10 pound
Waist Change: 4 inches
My 51-year-old body isn’t perfect but it’s no longer a burden – it’s my greatest friend and ally.
January 13, 2017
“I’ve had fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue since a double-whammy of Epstein-Barr and Lyme Disease 25 years ago. Over the years I’ve found many things that have helped: Identifying and avoiding food intolerances, using probiotics and certain other supplements, taking melatonin for sleep, gentle exercise and stress management, to name a few. I have been on a strict low-sugar diet for years and on a couple of occasions gone strictly gluten free.
My problem has been sticking with an exercise plan because the first 15 minutes of any workout (even a slow hike) can be painful – especially in cold weather. Since I’ve been on AH (eight months now) I’d say that the remaining symptoms are vastly improved…”
Karyn
8 months on plan
Lost Weight in Phase 2
I was afraid of adding the grains because they are a “carb”.
January 13, 2017
I started AH in Feb 2016 after 43 years with Weight Watchers, a lifetime member at goal weight. At first, I gained 4 pounds that I could not shake. I had stayed in Phase 1.5 (with the occasional treat of wine or tropical fruits) and did not do the gentle walks after dinner in Phase 1–I do weight lifting 3 times per week, and was not about to give that up. The good news is I had no cravings and felt great. But I wanted to be sleeker.
On The Official Always Hungry Book Facebook group, I corresponded with Chef Dawn Ludwig who encouraged me to try Phase 2 since a slightly lower fat diet that incorporates whole grains can be what helps some people lose weight.
It’s working!!! I’ve lost the weight! The biggest change was adding the breakfast consisting of Steel Cut Oats with a handful of almonds and Turkey bacon. The Steel Cut Oats brought back my well-tuned elimination system which was not functioning properly on Phase 1.
I also see some initial mistakes I made that perhaps can help others. I ate too many nuts. I ingested too many calories trying to get ratios correct by adding on to a meal. I was afraid of adding the grains because they are a “carb”. Phase 1 was totally successful in eliminating my cravings, so I wasn’t sorry I switched to AH after 43 years on Weight Watchers. Now I feel terrific, and want to lose just a few more pounds, and hopefully will be brave enough to stick my toe in the water of Phase 3. Thank you!!
Name: Alice C.
10 months on plan
Other Stories
We will continue to eat this way for the rest of our lives.
August 15, 2016
My husband and I started this plan together. He has lost 18 lbs and I have lost 9 lbs. By far, this plan has been the easiest way for us to shed pounds and inches. Also, digestive issues I have lived with for years are now gone as I fill up my plate at every meal with leafy greens and fruit. We will continue to eat this way for the rest of our lives.
Thank you!
Name: Lisa P.
Weeks on the Plan: 24
Weight Change: 9 lbs
Easier to stick with than I ever imagined!
August 15, 2016
“I’ve found this plan to be easier to stick with than I ever imagined. Who would have thought I would give up refined carbs and added sugar without constantly craving them? I just don’t.”
Suzanne F.
Weeks on the Plan: 22
Weight Change: 23
Waist Change: 4″
We were addicted to sugar and didn’t even know it.
August 16, 2016
Last year as I made my rounds of medical check-ups, I asked each physician (my primary care, gynecologist and endocrinologist) what he tells his patients who want to lose weight. I further explained that I was “always hungry” and that it was very distracting to feel this way, to the point where I felt that it was affecting my quality of life (experiencing hunger pangs, always thinking about what low fat/artificially sweetened item I could consume next, assuring that food would be available when I got hangry, etc.). My primary care physician gave me a strange look and said, “Well, I guess you could limit your calories to 1500 a day.” None of them had a good answer…
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Jane F.
Weight change: 19 pounds
Waist Change: 4 inches
This is a MIRACLE.
September 9, 2016
Yes, I have only lost 11 pounds so far but let me tell you that this is a MIRACLE. I have been trying to lose weight for years. Nothing I did helped. I tried every single diet plan out there, every single one. My boss at work actually told me about this book and we did it together. A light bulb went on in my head. I knew this would work. I started cooking the meals and I was surprised how much I loved them and how I was able to stick with it. I started seeing the pounds slowly coming off which was fine by me. I was still losing!
Additionally, prior to starting this way of eating, I had an appointment to see a Dr. about having surgery on a part of my body which is embarrassing to discuss. I had been bleeding and they thought I needed surgery. I had no idea that it was what I was eating. Once I started eating the way Dr. Ludwig suggested, the bleeding stopped and has only come back 2 times when I ate badly.
I have been telling everyone I know about this book and I always will.
Angela B.
Weeks on the Plan: 12
Weight Change: 11
I got started with the eating plan and in 5 months was down about 20 pounds.
September 9, 2016
I may not “look” like a success story for Always Hungry? but I’d like to say that, yes, indeed I am.
I’ve struggled with carb cravings my whole life and with stress eating. By the time I was 39. I weighed about 255 pounds. But that year (1996), I started to make some very gradual changes in my eating and in my activity level. Even simple things like parking my car on the far side of the parking lot from where I needed to go. It was a start, and I did drop about 10 pounds that first year.
Fast forward about 20 years. I was down about 40 pounds over my all time high weight, but that meant I was still obese. I was walking about 3 miles a day but I wasn’t loosing any weight. Every time I really cut calories, I had ferocious carb cravings, which meant I ate a lot of junk.
I heard Dr. Ludwig on the radio and ordered the Always Hungry book. While I’d been on high protein diets a few times, the combinations of protein, fat and unprocessed carbs in Always Hungry? made a lot of sense. Once I got the book, I got started with the eating plan and in 5 months was down about 20 pounds.
Laurie M.
Weeks on the Plan: On and off and on and off since January 2016
Weight Change: 15 pounds
Just following the plan and listening to my body!
September 26, 2016
I’ve had family visitors and moving house and a bunch of other things happening, so I haven’t been tracking numbers at all – just following the plan and listening to my body.
But I just had to donate four (FOUR) pairs of jeans because the smallest of them quite literally fell off me. Thankfully it happened while I was home alone, not in public.
I’m now the proud owner of new jeans in a smaller size, and feeling pretty darn smug!
Janette
Weeks on the Plan: 8
Vacation Success Story!
March 22, 2017
“After 2 weeks on P1 and almost 2 weeks in P2, I was having average results in the ‘measurements’ but slow and steady, so happy with that. We had planned a long weekend trip to Kentucky & Tennessee many months ago, and I had high anxiety about staying on track. See, I’m a daily weigher, conscientious MFP tracker and sort of Type A personality all around. But off we went, leaving the scale and MFP behind with the dog…
Phase 1 Success Story!
September 2019
“I am so glad that my doctor recommended AH. Over the past 10 years, I had gained 20 pounds, mostly as a result of 2 pregnancies. I had tried unsuccessfully to lose the weight over the past two years by either exercising more or eating less. None of this worked. With AH, I have lost 6 pounds over the past two weeks and I am entering phase 2. I feel great.”
