Any students?

[Claire_B]

Hi!

I just started lo-carbing. :)

I am really aware that what I was eating before was not making me feel good and I often had the brain-fog :thdown: , but as I am doing my finals (YIKES) I didn't think I'd have the energy to loose weight. I'm hoping this WOE is going to give me more energy not less (and more brainpower!!)

Are there any other students doing this? I think there are going to be tough times (like in the bar!)

Claire

[Tarah]

Hey.. yeah I am a student.. I find it hard sometimes aswell, due to the bar scene and pizza nights... but I have been doing really well and if you are motivated enough... and want it bad enough.. nothing will get in your way!!!

Good luck!!!

Tarah :roll:

[nelso117]

I guess try to drink things that are low in carbs and drink a lot of water the next day. Miller Lits is probably the lowest beer, rum/Vodka and diet Coke. Stay away from the Red Bull...not good! And yes, pizza night is tough! It's the worst when all of your friends are sitting there eating a pizza that looks SO good, and the are just loving it up. You will get more energy...I think. The only time I didn't was when I was going on almost 0 carbs. Stay around 17-20 and you'll feel great. Also, go for a run/walk or anything when you know you're going to the bar that night. You'll feel a lot better when having some drinks.

[sunchick]

Hey guys, I am a student too and I can relate to what you are saying 100%...the bars are hard...lots of my friends and my sisters love to go out and party and it is very hard to do all of that and try to LC too....but, I am working on it:) I do find that my friends are pretty supportive about it, sort of curious about the whole thing...same with my boyfriend....I am having a hard time motivating myself to workout though...I do not know why. I did work out tongiht though, and I am proud of myself for that. I have been LC for over a week with one cheat after the bars...and my ketostix will not turn positive. I have been being so good, I am not sure if I am just broken or what. I know that some people never turn the stix purple or whatever, but I would sure like it. I have lost about 8 pounds so far but no positive reading on the stix...what is the problem????? Anyway, keep posting...it is good to hear from other students and how you are LC while in school...good luck!!!!:):):):)

[Herald]

I've heard a good piece of advice regarding pizza here:
Have your share, eat all the topping and leave the bread :)
Then you get all the tasty bit, and the fatty bit, but not the carby bit.

I havent tried it yet, but shall be remembering it when that fateful pizza night appears... :daze:

[nelso117]

There really should be a "College Student" support forum, well because we live a very different life from the real world and I would love to hear everybodies advices and problems. Sunchick...good luck, 8lbs. is very good and you must be doing something right. Keep the Carbs low and excercise...that's all I can offer.

SERIOUSLY, somebody start a college forum!!!

[sunchick]

I think having a college forum is a great idea...but how do we do that? I am not really good at computers and am not all that familiar with this site with regard to its technicalities...but I really think it would be so beneficial...if we can't, we can always start a group journal for college kids, can't we? I am not sure exactly how that works either, but I did see that as one of the site locations. What do the rest of you guys think??? I know I am going to need some support getting through the weekend without eating boxes of granola bars again :roll: :daze: Hope everyone is having a good, LC day!!! Oh yeah, what kind of scale do you all use to weigh yourselves? a digital one or the other kind? Which one do you think is more accurate?

[nelso117]

I'll try to write one of the people in charge here and sugest something. Keep me posted on your success sunchick. I'm trying to reach 175 before spring break...13 pounds to go, going to be close. This is my second time on LC and it works, you just have to be commited to it. Once the pounds start dropping fast, you'll have no problem in motivation then. I suggest buying the book if it's your first time. It'll give you the in's and out's and what to do and what not to do. Drink water, smile, and think of how hot we're going to be!!!

[sunchick]

oh my gosh...I want sweet food so much!!! :mad: I just had a very nice egg salad and shredded cheese lunch and now I am CRAVING sweets so much!!!!!!! This is the hardest part for me. I heard that this is supposed to subside, but it is still in full effect for me:( Times like this I just want to give in and say "who cares"...i must stay motivated...I just wish it weren't so hard for me. All I want to do is eat cereal and frozen yogurt and candy!!! bad bad bad. Maybe I will just drink some water and take a nap and see if my cravings will relax for a bit. Do you guys get any cravings like this??? If so, what do you do???

[nelso117]

Like I've mentioned before in these forums, pizza is my weakness. At least I can eat the cheese and toppings, but I really want the whole thing. Usually when I start thinking about cheating and saying to the heck with this, I drink a couple glasses of water, and go for a walk around the block. That's the advise someone gave me here. If it's sweets...buy lots of sugar free Jell-o. I like to exercise when I'm feeling vulnerable...I feel better when I'm done and I then remember why I'm on this diet, I remember I'm doing something good for me and my appearance. Sometimes I'll just do a few sit ups. Just a little something to take my mind off of what I want to eat, but I can't. Also, I come here...read some people's messages while drinking a glass of water and I tend to feel better.

[Tarah]

Nelso!

I noticed that you have done really well.. and looks like we are around the same age.. how long has it taken you??.. any tricks?? or tips???

Take Care,
A student... Tarah

[Alex]

Hey everyone!

I totally agree, low carbing at college is tough. But i admit that i do cheat. I found this 'No Carb' chocolate bar. I'm sure it's too good to be true, but in my 'weak' moments it's nice to have some sort of comfort

Good Luck Everyone!

[Erin4980]

Around Chirstmas this site changed a bit so this whole Teens and Student area is totally new to me. When I started this plan (10/11/01), I asked in the general forum whether there was "anyone like me?" and I got no responses. I mean, it didn't even seem like anyone was over 5'9", under forty, and female...lol. Don't get me wrong this site has been amazing. I found my way here after I gained 40 lbs over the past 4 years (senior year of HS, and then three years of college). I really don't want to look for a job and the fat girl applying. I really don't know I let this happen. It was almost like one day I looked in the mirror and couldn't believe the transformation to fat. If anyone has any questions or anything, I've been here awhile and may be able to help. If you guys start a log or something, let me know...I need some help on my last 8 lbs..

Good Luck and I would love to hear about everyone's progress,
Erin

Alex - what brand is that chocolate bar? I could use them. I have low-carb ice cream at my school and I am constantly dragging my bf out to get me some (during the weak moments), and it would be nice to give him a break.

[beatles]

hi!

i'm new to the forum and I have such a hard time on the weekends too! i cheated this past weekend and of course I gained ALL my weight back! someone previously (sorry i forget) stated that you cheated one day, and now your keto-stick won't turn positive. That's right--a SMALL bit of cheating does that! sometimes you gain all your weight back the next day! :(

Please tell me what this no-carb chocolate bar is! where do we find it? thanks! :spin:

[Erin4980]

I think the weight gain that you're talking about is actually water weight gain. Carbs cause us to retain water, so when you cheat your body is holding onto extra water. Especially in the beginning of Atkins, your body is getting rid of all of it's excess water so a little mess up can cause the scale to rise considerably.

Erin

[beatles]

oh you have no idea how much better I feel now!!! it's just that it's been 3 days since i've cheated and I haven't lost any "water" weight yet! the diet isn't working well for me, i think, because I only lost 4lbs of water weight on the frst 9 days of Induction.

Hopefully you're right--can't wait to fit into my clothes again! :daze:

[Erin4980]

Wait...during induction you only lost 4 lbs. Let me know.

About the three days later thing, that happened to me only once. Normally if I cheat (not cake or anything, but go over my 40 carbs) I don't gain anything. But this one time I ate chicken with this carby sauce and it took forever to start losing again. I feel your pain;)

Good Luck,
Erin

[Tallulah]

Hi - I think this is for Erin (This is my first post - not really sure how this works yet). Just wanted to say that it sounds like you've done amazingly so far. But how tall are you?? I'm 5'11' and wasn't planning on losing as much weight as you have - do you have any pictures I could have a look at?

[Erin4980]

I did take "before" pics, but I have not developed them yet. When I hit my goal, those puppies will finally be developed. I will also take some pics (with my new digital camera) and I will put them up in the Success Stories area of the site.

You're an inch and a half taller than I am (I'm 5'9.5"). I'm pretty curving, well at least I definitely have hips. Even when I finally lose all my weight, I will not be a stick. I was at my goal weight 4 years ago so I know what I'll look like (or at least close). If you have any questions let me know.

Thanks, my success has been awesome, but over the last month and a half I've really slacked off and I've only lost 6 lbs, when orginally when I was really into I was averaging 10 a month.

Good Luck,
Erin

[beatles]

don't mean to sound mean, but it's so good to know when other people have gotten off-track too! I just don't know what to expect, so it's great to know that eventually you'd start losing again! i think I've lost 1 pound since last Saturday night, so I guess I'm okay now.

you must be proud of me--I student teach and we all went to a pizza shop today. there were loads of delicious pizza in front of me and I didn't eat one! but i had the toppings of one slice. I just came back from a class and my teacher brought these yummy muffins--i didn't touch those either! it's sooooo hard! i still crave them!

Erin, your success is inspiring--keep it up! ;)

[Erin4980]

First off, one pound since Saturday is awesome!! That's only three days :thup: I don't know if you wandered around this site, but I read that the average person (or the maximum possibility of weight loss - I think there's some debate, but there is about everything, right?) losses two pounds per week. I've definitely lost 3per week and I know others that have too, but whatever. I also set my goals to be two (or slightly over) a week and so you're right on track:)

I think pizza should be banned or something. Everywhere I go Pizza, Pizza, Pizza. I just stay away in general but it's soo hard b/c after the bars that's what everyone orders...and I can't even eat after 8pm...ahhhh.lol.

And by the way, what school do you go to, b/c my teachers have never brought muffins, let alone anything, in for us:(

About being off track...I've relaxed quite abit about losing. First, I was psycho about it, which was great/bad. It was all I thought about. I need to calm down, and as long as I'm still losing, I'm happy. Now after calming down for 1.5 months, I'm ready to junp back on the wagon, however...it harder now:( Well, today started my more stricter OWL...under 30 carbs a day.

Good Luck,
Erin

[beatles]

your words are soooooo consoling, Erin. But I didn't actually lose any weight since Saturday! I thought i lost a pound, but i've been 141 for the last 2 days. Before this diet started, which was 15 days ago, I was 140! doesn't that sound wrong? people are supposed to lose a lot of weight during Induction, and I didn't lose any! i know i cheated for one night, but like i said, it wasn't a huge binge. just 3 glasses of red wine and 3 chicken fingers. i can't believe the setback!

i am sooooo glad you wrote that went you first started the diet, you were psycho about it. i think i'm feeling that way! every morning i wake up to look at myself, but ever since i've cheated, i haven't really trimmed down.

i think i'm eating too much. I eat huge steaks for lunch and dinner with about 7 eggs per meal. my breakfast is not so bad: usually 3 eggs with 2 slices of bacon, or 3 eggs with 1.5 slice of ham & mayonnaise. can someone actually eat too much? i read different things. some people say it helps when they cut down the food. other people say you don't lose when you're not eating enough.

thanks again!

[Erin4980]

First off...you should probably start a journal and ask one of the experts (there are tons on this site, it's excellent) to look over what you're eating everyday. Take a look at some the journals b/c you can see that they can be very supportive and helpful. I would definitely go to either the newbie section or atkins section and list exactly what you're eating for list a hiyper link to your journal.
Some general rules I know:
- you should only eat until your satisfied, not full (slim line for me)
- you should eat 10X to 12X your body weight in calories. I have a hard time hitting that number unless I eat steaks, etc. YOu could be eating too many calories, especially since you said you're eating lots of steaks and eggs. For example, a large (5 oz.) steak has about 500+ calories and an egg has about 70. So you could be eating too much. I really suggest you start a journal and write down your cals and carbs to see exactly what you're doing.
-Another thing, Where are your vegitable missy? You need them. I usually have an entire meal of lc vegitables. Like a salad for lunch.
-There are stallers for the WOL, you should take a look at it (it's in the orange menu bar above, I can't remember which link, but it may be "LC studies." Anyway, sometimes lunch meats...like ham..can have additives that are common stallers.
- Read the Atkins book...there is something that he terms as metabolically resistant and maybe (I'm not an expert) you have those tendencies.

So again (I'm an idiot), How much weight did you lose on Induction (I'll look up some info in Atkins).

Good Luck,
Erin

[beatles]

Erin, you are my life saver!

i will have to look around the site more, i suppose. but when i first found this site, i spent 5 hours reading through the posts! there is just so much information! everytime when i start looking around i find that i read for hours!

i think you must be right. i must be eating too much. 10xs my weight would be 1400 calories--and that's nothing! Erin, do i have to eath 10xs my weight only during Induction, or is that how the diet is? if i have to maintain it that way, i'm going off it! i can eat 1400 calories of normal food, exercise and lose weight. 1400 calories is nothing! i'm not wasting it on meat... i don't like meat as much as most people, that's partly why the diet is so hard.

i did read Atkins book--it's a miserable read. i read in the posts here that Atkins isn't consistent with his writing, and i agree. his book says we can have cheese and nuts, but those things are stalling people.

you're right--i've got to start eating some vegetables! i figured that the meat is taking me so long to cook as it is, i have no time for veggies! i think i also wanted a maximimum fat loss. there were days when i didn't eat anything on the carb list, like dressings or nuts.

Erin, have you tried the Heller's diet before? if so, how was it? i'm thinking that today is the 16th day of my diet, and that i haven't lost anything, and as soon as i start losing i might go on Heller's diet. . .

thanks again! i'll look around the site now. :roll:

[kkma1861]

totally agree, low carbing at college is tough. But i admit that i do cheat. I found this 'No Carb' chocolate bar. I'm sure it's too good to be true, but in my 'weak' moments it's nice to have some sort of comfort



what is the name of this choc bar????????????!!!!!

im a student also and am so glad i found this forum. ive done the whole eat the topping of the pizza thing and it works most of the time (once or twice i have to say i have given in thou)

i have unbelivable cravings at the weekends too, but my only advice would be to make sure you are stocked up on low carb snacks, so you are too full to stomack any thing else!

any one here from london???

only in rendez vous in lecister square there do sugar free fat free frozen yoghurts. which are great whenyour about town and dont wanna be the only one not eating any thing. but i dont know what artifical sweetner they use??

kebab shops are also great in the way of fast food instead of burgers, where you have to throw away the bun!

:wave:

[Erin4980]

Now you realize you can eat between 10 to 12X your weight in calories. Now I know that doesn't seem like alot but usually this diet helps decrease hunger so you don't want ot eat. Are you eating cause you're hungry or b/c you can? I know when I first heard about this WOL I thought that I could eat every sinful thing out there and lose weight, and in most cases that's true, but for me I can't. Yah, I eat steak and whatever, but I still have to watch myself. Also, if you think about it, a low-fat diet won't allow the calories Atkins allows. Another thing, what I do is I make things and keep them in the frig. For example, I went grocery shopping on Monday. When I got home I first made a huge salad and put it in tupperware. Then I grilled chicken with garlic salt (to put on top of the salad) and that went in the frig too. The last thing I made was meatballs...yum. Another thing I make sometimes are MOck McMuffins for a quick breakfast or snack...the recipe, which is on the site, makes tons so I have them all weeks. And the best thing I've found (which you may not be able to do on induction) is I make tortilla wraps (recipe on the site) and that way I can make sandwichs...so easy and not alot of cooking. All those things are in my frig so if I"m hungry...I don't have to cook anything. About the meat thing...I definitely fluctuate on how much meat I eat. First, I can't eat eggs anymore, I mean after the first two weeks that was it. Secondly, I think for about a month I hardly ate any meat at all and I was on Atkins. The only meat I ate was chicken on a Cesear salad (I love salad, that's pretty much all I eat). To get the protein, I made protein shakes in the morning for BK. Doe sthat help you at all? I really don't want you to get discouraged. How's the weight loss going?
Alright, another thing cravings can come on b/c of cheating. I nenver forget this Oprah episode that talked about this book where the thing you eat cause you to eat other things. For example, say I have soup (or cheat with pizza...kkma1861) for lunch, later on in the evening I will crave other things b/c of the soup. So if you eat sugars...you're likely to crave then later. OR if you eat crazy carbs, like pizza, it's not going to help you to make this diet become your WOL. Doe sthat make sense. Everytime you want to eat something like pizza or something, tell your body that you don't need it. Sometimes I pretty much have aconversation with myself...lol. I always say that once I'm one maintenance, I will give myself one free day (or meal, I haven't decided yet) where I will eat whatever I want. And you know what, I may decided to have carbs or I may not. YOu need to decide if you're doing this just to lose weight or if you're doing this because you like the way it makes you feel - in control, awake happy, healthy, not bloated, etc. Now I know those aren't apparent in the beginning (b/c of withdrawl), but give yourself some time (without cheating) and see what happens. Stay with it Beatles, maybe a month or so, and I think you'll be happy. Hey, did you start a journal b/c that could be a better place to talk and that way I can see what your eating and you can check your cals and so forth.

Talk to you soon,
Erin

I almost forgot...did you say yout were from London - I studied there all summer - and gained weight, stupid Guinness...lol. I lived in the Bloomsbury district in an amazing apartment. Where I live now has lowcarb icecream, which is amazing, 1 carb per ounce, they make it with Splenda....yum.

[FavreFan04]

It was almost like one day I looked in the mirror and couldn't believe the transformation to fat.


Erin,

Wow, when I read your post, I thought "could that be anymore like my situation??" My problem is that I lost over 20lbs on my LC diet. Then, I changed schools, changed houses twice, and had to deal with that oh so stressful college application process along with Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Years. What a dilemma. One day I was 125 lbs. Then it seems like I turned around and was 165 lbs. How crazy. I gained 40 lbs in half the time it took me to lose 20. This has been an extrememly frustrating time for me, and I have done nothing but feel bad about myself and blame it on other things. But the truth is that I just gotta start from the beginning again and be strict about it. For me, just yesterday I got to the point where I told myself that I had to cut it out my unhealthy eating habits because it made me feel terrible and I know, I KNOW, that there is a skinny person inside of me waiting to come out again. I hope my story helps a little. It's comforting to know that I am not the only one out there who is facing these types of problems! Good luck!

Becky :daizy:

[beatles]

i totally wasted your time, Erin! you have been soooo supportive of me. but i pretty much gave up the diet as soon as i found out that i can eat only 10xs my weight. 1,400 calories of normal food have always allowed me to lose weight in the past. i figured i'll just go back to a normal diet. i went on Atkins because i thought I can eat to my heart's content. See, i have an ENORMOUS appetite. if i have to watch my caloric intake, i might as well just be on a normal diet!

but you are right. i'm still battling on what to do because LC dimishes the appetite and cravings. LC also gives me energy. i do enjoy all that. but i'm a carb addict. i cheated a few days ago when there was a teacher staff meeting. I gave up because i was on the diet for 3 weeks and instead of losing weight, i gained weight. i know that's no big deal for a lot of people, but i've always lost weight whenever i've disciplined myself on a diet. 1400 calories! think of the meat and the salad dressing--i'd be eating so little!

i'm sure i'll come back to the forum and update you guys on how i'm doing! i'll definitely report the details if i gain lots of weight--just to applaud you guys for sticking to it!

[Erin4980]

I sorry to hear you decided not to continue, but I just wanted to remind that...it's bw 10X and 12X your weight, which is pretty substancial. 12X is is 1656 (if you're at 138)...that's quite a bit. Good Luck with everything,
Erin

[csfdavis]

I'm not exactly in the same boat as most of you. I don't live in a dorm, but I do go away for debate tournaments on the weekends. I was just at a place where they had so much good food, and I passed it all up - and didn't lose any weight! I am so mad. I am still in induction, and I keep having to get stricter and stricter. I hope I start losing some weight soon.

[Erin4980]

Are you drinkin's water?...64 oz plus...

E

[csfdavis]

I am making a big effort now to drink lots and lots of water.

[ccmarketer]

No where have I read that you need to keep your calories below 10x to 12x your body weight. In fact several people on here stress that it's got to be above 10x to 12x your body weight!!!!

1400 calories is what your body needs for it to feel like it's not starving and can perform all daily functions. So you need to eat more than that!

I've only been doing this for about a month and I've been eating anywhere between 1400 - 2000 calories and while I haven't lost quickly I've been losing weight.

I hope I'm not misquoting someone on here, but I really think you should look at other boards - like the newbies board - this question comes up alot.

:wave: Don't give up.

Carrie

[tyrelle]

Student here, Baking and Pastry Student Chef in Culinary School going at it my 2nd time around. My first time around I lost about 40lbs but while LCing I found out that I had Diabetes Type 2 so that changed some things. I stoped LC'ing and working out and gained the weight BACK + more. But now I've found a balance and I want to get back on the horse :)

My goal is to lose 10% of my weight by internship time (Dec. 04).

Nice to see that there's a student section now...things have changed since I've been away.