frustrated please keep me motivated!!

[taranq1]

Hi, my name is Tara. I have been reading posts and decided to register. I live in Michigan near Lansing. I originally started Adkins about 4 years ago and quickly lost 30 lbs. I managed to keep most of it off for about 3 years and then wow..I started eating carbs again, spent many hours sitting (studying), did not exercise much. So, of course, I gained 20 lbs back of the 30 that I originally had lost. My story is like so many others, I have tried to go back on low carb a zillion times (ok not a zillion, but you get my point) always giving up after the 4th or 5th day because I would either gain weight or not lose anything...my body said "no not this again." I would then start low calories or weight watchers with limited sucess. I am so fed up with my weight and all my cloths being tight that I decided to really try Adkins one more time. I read the book again, I bought the Keto test strips. I told myself that I would stick to 20 carbs or less come hell or high water. I even cut out my coffee. I bought diet soda only with Splenda. It only took about 2 days for my test strips to show that I was in the small range. On the 3rd day it shot up to moderate and then large. I'm now on day 7. I've been in ketosis for 5 days now and have only lost one sticking pound. I'm wondering if anyone else has been in ketosis and the scale just isn't registering weight loss? I felt awful for 4 days but now feel pretty darn good. I am frustrated and feel myself wanting to quit. Do you think that because I've started and quit this diet so many times that it is just going to take some time? My menu is what is should be. I eat plenty of salad, veggies, meats, eggs, limit my cheeses to no more than 3 to 4 oz. I feel like I'm doing everything I'm supposed to. I guess the keto strips are a good indicator that I am in ketosis, just not losing much. I work out at Curves about 3 days a week. I would like to exercise more, but I am having issues with a heel spur that has kept me from walking/running. I also drink at least 8 cups of water a day, take a multi vitamin, thyroid is treated and tested on a regular basis. Please help!!

[sadair]

I know where you are coming from - I lost a lot of weight last year with Atkins and fell off the wagen this year - Putting a pile back on.

I keep motivated by knowing that I wont be stood outside the diabetic clinic whilst thost who eat loads of sugar will be - Thats a big drive to me as I have a family history of diabetis.

My wife and I are back into Atkins now in a big way. We have decided to stay on induction for 3 weeks now and feel so much better for it. Whilst we were away on holiday last week we thought we would have a carb blow out but felt so bad the next day we vowed never to stray again.

I have a problem with the Ketosticks myself - I rarely register more than a trace of keytones, even with eating <10g of sugar per day and taking some moderate exercise - Although I do seem to be losing weight. I guess the real lesson here is not to take much notice of the strips.

Stu

[Debbyd]

You can do it. We will be here for you. That is fantastic that you drink plenty of water. We have a water challenge going on. You should join us. We have a ball.

Keep a picture of yourself from when you were smaller at hand. Perhaps keep a photo of you at your highest, (if you are like me, there aren't too many of those) near you at all times. If you put it on the fridge, after a while you will ignore it. Or at least I did. I try to look at my pictures when I think about cheating. Sometimes it doesn't work, but then again sometimes it does.

Debby

[ProfGumby]

Hi Tara!

Welcome to the site.

I don't want to be a wet blanket, but no one can keep you motivated except you. We can offer support and help. We can be a shoulder to lean on and a hearty pat on the back.

To be truly successful, one has to be and stay self motivated.

One thing I can offer here, find your hot buttons. Find that one thing that is going to fuel you on. There may be several things to rely on to kepp you going, they can either be Dreams or Dreds. Sometimes a Dred or the fear of something can be a terrific motivator. I have a picture of myself where I am sure I look the worst ever. It is the picture that makes me cringe. It is right here at the computer, and on the firdge to remind me of what used to be and what might have been.

Then there is the stuff you want to be, need to be, have to be. Until you find what motivates you, you will struggle with the way of life, and sticking to your eating plan.

But you know what? I know you can do this, as soon as you find your why. I read your post, and there are a few good reasons in that alone. But until you find your fire, staying motivated will be tough. You may even need to change some of the folks you associate/hang with and some of the places you go. No one person is an island, and not many have the resolve to go to a malt shop with friends and only have a "good" beverage. (I proved that today, I proved I am not strong enough)

Motivation comes from within. Ideas, support, love and acceptance comes from without.

[taranq1]

Thank you all for responding! I did weigh in this morning because I made it through my 1st week of induction (barely). I lost a total of 2lbs, which isn't too bad. I guess I keep comparing it to the first time I was on Adkins and lost 7lbs the first week. I'm going to hang in there and take it day to day.

[SadLady]

Forgive me if I sound preaching, but one of the things you need to do, and it is hard when you are young, is to realize that you need to eat this way to lose the weight and mantain the loss for the rest of you life. If not, you are going to be a yo yo dieter all your life, always gaining and then trying to lose. So one of the things you need to learn is how to eat and how to reinvent the food you like in a low carb version. Not until you do that you are not going to be sucessful. The other thing you need to do is forget about the scale. Just weight once a week. People lose weight at different rates, some very fast and some (like myself) very slow, but I still lose, which is better than gaining. So you only lost 2 lbs. Better than gaining 2 lbs. Keep doing it and you will lose the weight.

[taranq1]

The struggle for me is realizing that this is NOT a diet but needs to be a permanent change in the way that I eat. I have been a yo-yo dieter for years, reaching my goal, gaining back the weight. I am only going to weigh in once a week. I think I should put the scale in the closet so I'm not tempted. Breakfast is tough for me because I'm not a big egg person. I'll be so glad when the next week of induction is over. Do you have the low-carb breads? What about the low-carb bars and shakes? About how many carbs per day are you eating?

[DebN2005]

You are already doing a lot to help yourself. You know it's a plan for life not a short term starvation diet. You know that it works and you keep coming back. These are important clues for you to keep you on track.
Here's some things that have helped me:

Reading the forum
posting in a journal
using the menu planner
visiting other journals
making a vow to myself that if I was off plan for 3 days I would get back on it.
Cooking for taste -- using fresh spices
Eating something if I had craved it for more than a day. Thoroughly enjoying it and getting it out of my system. Often I found that what I craved didn't taste as good as I remembered.

Welcome and good luck! :)

[SadLady]

You don't have to eat eggs. Sometime I eat a pork chop or leftover lc meat loaf that is so delicious. If you like Mexican food you can make a LC pico de gallo and add that to eggs fried in butter. It is really good. Find alternatives, be creative and don't get bored with what you eat. You can make LC panckages (and they taste just as good as the real ones) with 2 oz cream cheese and two eggs. Just put them in a blender or food processor, add a bit of cinammon and cook as you would pancakes, just be careful when you flip them over. Use Atkins syroup. They are delicious.

[taranq1]

Oh thank you for the pancake recipe. That sounds so good. I made an awesome fish dish last night. I like fish and chicken so much more than beef. I throughly enjoyed the meal. I also had forgotten that I am really close to that TOM, so that may of made a difference in the weight loss. I'm going to try not to get frustrated with the slow weight loss. Maybe this way it will stay off and I feel like I lost 2lbs of real fat and not muscle or water weight. I tend to hold a lot of water in the summer months. Again, thanks guys for all the advice. I love this site!!

[Leela]

Read the Schwartzbein II book. It will give you more motivation and perhaps offer a little better alternate to Atkins. (Its not much different, but the differences made me feel a lot better) Definatly the best fifteen bucks you'll ever spend in your life.

[UPMichigan]

Just a little info about the Keto strips...you are trying to get the strips to read a trace amount only. The darker the strip the more water you should be drinking. The only time it should be darker is in the morning. Drinking more water will also help you lose weight so they go hand in hand.

Hang in there...the weight loss on LC is sometimes slow but it is constant as long as you stick with it.

Great Luck!

[stephiewil]

As UPMichigan said, the strips are supposed to be more on the light side. I never can get them dark as i drink too much water. I was upset about it and then learned that you are either in ketosis or you are not. Kind of like a pregnancy test, you are either pregnant or not. Dark or light, you are in ketosis, but lighter is better as it shows you are drinking plenty of water and that is important to help you to lose the weight. We lose the ketones through our breath, our urine and our skin from what I have learned and the more water you drink, the more deluted they are in your urine.
So, if you are showing any pink at all, you are just fine, don't worry about it. Keep drinking the water. I have read more than once you should drink 8 glasses a day and then one for every 25 pounds you need to lose. That makes 12 cups for me and I often get more than that. I know for me, when I drink a lot of water, I lose so much faster.
It sounds like you are doing everything right, just be patient, I sometimes wonder if the reason I start out so slow now that I am on my twenty something time on low carb, if my body is trying to see if I mean it this time lol !! I do not lose all that fast either, but I do lose and even a pound or two a week will add up in a years time. I figure a year is going to pass whether I am eating right or not, so why not eat right and see the progress !!
The differance for me this time is my health. I have diabetes in my family history and my blood sugar, though still within normal is getting higher every year and now at 110 is on the brink, and that is a fasting blood sugar. The doctor urged me to do this. My cholesteral was about 240 and my hands and feet were numb and tingly, which along with arthritis in my thumbs, went away about a week into my low carb eating. I have made the decision that I am doing this for life, to be healthy and there is no other option. I know I will do this no matter how long it takes to get to goal.
I know you can do this too. It just takes determination and patience with yourself. It will happen for you !!! Stephie :)

[dee67]

:wave: GOOD MORNING TO YOU.....THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT THAT YOU OFFERED ME YESTERDAY......TODAY IS A NEW DAY AND YOU HAVE FREINDS OUT HERE DOING THE SAME FOR THEMSELVES .....WANTING TO FEEL BETTER..... :D TALK TO YOU LATER.....DEE :thup:

[taranq1]

Wow, I didn't know if the strip turned up in the purple that I was not getting enough water. I do drink 8 cups of water through the day. Now, the strips are more in the moderate zone. I will have to up the fluids a bit. Thank you for the info. I am still hanging in there with 20 carbs or less although I did have an Adkins bar yesterday. Was on the run and so hungry, I couldn't stand it. My 2 weeks is up on Monday and then I'm going to 25 carbs. I still feel a bit sluggish in the early eve and headache..maybe it is low carb or the need for my 3 kids to GO BACK TO SCHOOL!!

I have never heard of the Schwartzbein II book? Is it like a diet book? I will have to look on Amazon.Com.

Hang in there everyone!!
Tara

[black57]

I work out at Curves about 3 days a week. I would like to exercise more, but I am having issues with a heel spur that has kept me from walking/running. I also drink at least 8 cups of water a day, take a multi vitamin, thyroid is treated and tested on a regular basis. Please help!!


I workout at Curves. I have lost an amazing amount of inches but I have lost very little weight. Exercise promises to make you smaller but not, necessarily, lighter. Make sure that Curves is measuring you.

[zesty]

you can do this never lose your vision

http://www.3fatchicks.com/weight-tracker/img/bar097/slider-scale/lb/179/120/144/.png (http://www.3fatchicks.com/weight-tracker/index.php)