Hi-After just 1 month - back from the dead!

[Johnusa]

I'm a newbee, but 6 weeks ago I couldn't walk 30 feet without stopping to catch my breath and my legs would burn from the lack of oxygen. I was taking blood pressure med and 80 mgs of lasics a day and still my legs retained water. At 63 and a life of obeseness and failed diets, as the scales read 350, I said that I got 2 choices: die in 6 months or lose weight. Started Atkins 7/7/03. Today, I walk at least 1 mile 5 days a week and lift weight at health club 3 days a week. This is my second week on this rueteen. I'm now 30 pounds lighter :yay: and want to lose 140 + pounds more. I'm holding myself to less than 10 grams of carbs a day and plan to stay on induction for some time. Living on cattle & chicken ranch I got plenty of good meat.

However, :there: I need all the support you can spare cause it ain't easy!

[MisterE]

Congratulations! I know of which you speak! One piece of advice: remember where you came from before this WOE. Always. And you may find you NEVER want to go back there again!

[thebigman]

Hi there,

did you say you were looking for support? well you have come to the right place, you will find loads here.

Congratulations on your amazing start, it's incrediable to think just how much you have turned your life around in one month, now just keep moving in your new direction and you will find plenty of support around here.

Graeme.

[tammy39]

hi john, i can fully relate to amost every thing you said,i have a hard time walking from my living room to my kitchen because of the pain in my knees from the weight. so i want to say...WAY TO GO!!!! on being able to walk a mile a day!! that is fantastic,keep up the good work! ur an inspiration to me i hope i'll be able to do that before long :) Tammy

[Johnusa]

Hey...Thanks for all your responses :thup:

I guess what spurs me on beside your incouragement is the burst of energy I experienced in just a couple of weeks. I found myself doing little chores outside that I had just walked on by for months. I'm looking foreword to getting some of those over-due "honey do" jobs done. Hopefully, I'll turn this :nono: into this :yay:. Weight was back up a little this morning but it's because of fluid. Took lasics this morning and going back to health club in a little while. Went last night and walked at 2.7 mph for 1.25 miles and then lifted weights for 20 Minutes. After walk, heart rate was 124 bpm. Within 60 sec. it was down to 74 bpm. I can live with that. Well, I talk too much. Thanks again. John

[reowdy]

Wow john, those exercise details are fantastic, especially the recovery rate.... and the weight loss..terrific, and it can only get better.... I can only dream at this time... but I am dreaming... and it will happen....


Congratulations...

[Chantel30]

Good job, hey with that state of mind you will acomplish nothing but success.

Good luck

[KristyC]

Hi there. Welcome. :)

[carlab68]

Welcome John! :wave:

Congrats on the success thus far. We are here for you when you need us.

[Marebear]

Welcome John!

Awesome start to your new life! I am impressed! I love this woe and I'm working on getting fitter myself with exercise. You have come a long way in a very short time. Way to go!

Mary

[aneredac]

HI again! and welcome!
I was looking for support this morning and found this thread. It so helped to read about another person doing well with this WOE and increasing their fitness level. And to see all the support from the folks here. I am feelinb very fat this morning, even though I know that I am still losing weight. (saw myself in a room full of mirrors last night and am having a reaction to my reflection,...)
anyway, thanks for sharing your success. It really does help. I know that I can do it also.

I just have to keep eating this way even when I feel like crap emotionally.
THanks again.
Rena

[Johnusa]

hang in there , Rena. I kinda use foreword reverse psychology on myself. I say if I quit and six months down the road I'm where I am now or even heavier, think where I could have been had I stayed with it. I just decided that I don't have time anymore for all this dippity-do-da yo-yo stuff and it's time to get serious. It turns me off when people say, "Oh my I just had to have a candy today....Ha!Ha!" To me, that's like saying, "I took arsenic today, Ha! Ha!" We should not support each other's failures. That will kill us. I don't want to be an egotistical snob in any since of the word, but for me to succeed I must do what's right with all my might. Anything else is to fail. If I fall, I'll get back up, repremand myself severely and go again. I hope my falls are far enought apart to forget them and focus on the goal. Got on scales this morning and weighed 312. It seems unreal but I will take it.
Your buddy, John

[Incognito]

Congratulations, John!

My mother is walking without her walking cane for the first time in years after about 7 weeks on this plan. I've enjoyed watching the changes in her in such a short time.

Kind of makes me want to shout it from the rooftops! Who'd of thunk it?

Keep us updated!

Cog

[jess0526]

Way to go and welcome. You are doing such and incredible job!

[DusterCat]

Congratulations! And although your weight loss and health improvement are fantastic, I mean that more for your attitude than anything else. Your candy/arsenic analogy is right on the nose.
:thup:

[reowdy]

Wow John, Congratulations.... you must be so happy......
Love reading stories like this....
Love your attitude...

Keep up the great work..

[Johnusa]

Hey, Dustercat, thanks for the note. Looks like your melting a few off too. Thanks to all that have replied. We all just got to keep at it. We've all been down those other roads that led us nowhere. Low carbs and exercise is a rough road with mountain peaks & valleys (highs & lows) but if we look around (scales & inches) we can see we are going somewhere and feeling good!:cheer::cheer::cheer:

[mrschmelz]

Congrats john, keep up the good work. I can certainly relate to the "not being able to walk 30 feet" part....I remember having to take the stairs about a month before I started this. I remember thinking "its only 3 flights of stairs". Well....here it was december and I am sweating and huffing and puffing by the time I walked up 3 flights. Thats when I knew I needed to change soemthing ASAP.

[Atriana]

Congratulations. The weight loss is great, and being able to move around again is awesome. Keep up the good work!

[Johnusa]

Thanks again for everyone's response, some of you more than once. It means a lot. Well, old age and overweight caught up with me the last couple of days. I knew for better than a year now that my right knee was about wore out. Most of the cartalage is gone and it stays pretty sensitive to bumps and miss-steps. It's been too sore to walk much. Last time I got my mile was Thursday. I hope by Monday I can get back at it. I may have to limit walking to every other day and work out harder with upper body. I've tried to limit my arthritise medicine because of the negative effect on weight loss. :bash: My wife is gone this weekend so being alone multiplies temptations. :cry: Well, so much for the tears. You people have been so good I can't let you down so I'll bite the bullet and be tough. I've got lots to do this weekend. Cows, chickens, and prepare sermon for tomorrow. I've got extra work to do with chickens this weekend because they are going to the Processing plant Tuesday morning and in this hot weather my hands are full trying to keep them from getting too hot and meeting an untimely death. Well gotta go.

John :thup:

[Sngbrd45]

I don't know how you were able to get your exercise tolerance levels to increase so quickly but your doing an amazing job! I'm so glad for your weight loss progress too :dazzle: I sure hope mine gets where I can walk a lot easier too...but since mine are different circumstances it's taking longer I guess... :yay:Keep up the good work! :yay:
Pat

[Johnusa]

Hey SNGBRD45,

Thanks for the reply. Looks like with the short time on the program and your exercise limitations I would say you are doing great. I would suggest if you can grit your teeth and dig in (you know your own limits) that you get some of those Ketose strips and test daily cutting carbs until you get into ketosis. A medium purple color would be great! Atkins book explains this process very well:read2: I stay under 10 grams of carbs a day and stay in ketosis. Book says this maximizes weight loss. Some stationary stretch band exercise may be possible. We'll all have a down day or two; believe me I've had mine. It is so tempting to indulge. I had such a day today. :stop: HUNGER ATTACK DAY!!:stop::devil: How did I handle it? :idea: I went to Western Sizzler and pigged out on chicken (pealed breading) and fish and small salad. Ate more than I should have but I'm glad I didn't blow with bread and deserts. That was at 11:30 this morning...it's now 6:30 in the evening, not hungry.....will eat a little hard cheese and lettuce afterwhile. I don't mean to run on so, but maybe my situations may help you and others. Oh, one more thing. You may know I'm a preacher (Church of Christ). Haven't been able to wear suit for over a year. Tried one of mine on this morning. I'll be wearing it in the morning!!:Party: Well enough. Have a good weekend.

John

[josiekat]

Hi John,

Welcome! And a big round of applause and kudos to you for your success so far! Good on you. Looking forward to following your journey!

Jo

[tina-mich]

Welcome John. What a great job you've done. Walking 1 mile 5x's a week and lifting weights super!! I'm so embarrased of myself. Keep up the good work. I'm proud of you. Best wishes Tina