Hi! New to this forum!

[AnnMarie]

Hello! I am so glad to have found you all! My name is Andrea and I'm 23. I have been struggling with Atkins since the beginning of this year, and cannot stay on it for the life of me. The longest I have stuck to it for has been a week, its just sooo restrictive that I cannot keep it up. It's not that Atkins doesn't work because it does - I lost 10 pounds that week. So Atkins didn't fail me, it was my own fault. Then I decided to do some research into different low carb plans that didn't involve ketosis :D I got the CAD and CALP books, and I have decided to start CALP tomorrow.

I am very excited and looking forward to trying this new program, and I hope this is something I can do and stick to for life. I am also a member of another low carb board, but the majority of the people there are on Atkins and Protein Power. Mostly Atkins though. The people there are awesome and friendly, but I really want some CALP support! I would like to lose 98 pounds.

Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! Words of encouragement are also greatly welcome!! :D

I look forward to getting to know all of you nice people here. Have a great low carb day!!

[Libbyfcr]

Ann...........
Glad that you are here.
I am very opinionated so pardon me in advance.

CALP has been the most amazing thing to come my way in a long time. I struggled with my extra weight, hating it, hating myself and hating the fact that no matter how hard I tried to do a low fat diet I couldn't make it work. I ate half what my husband eats and I gained weight. I was miserable and my feet hurt.

Then one day I discovered CALP........... I ran to my library and checked it out. In two days on CALP I felt like a different person. I was no longer depressed, hungry, or miserable. Two days. In the matter of a couple of months I had lost a substantial amount of weight. I felt like my fairy godmother had waved her magic wand.

Now I am learning how to maintain my weight where it is at. Some days I eat cheesecake.......... just like any other person. Most days I don't eat cheesecake and that is okay because I don't have that horrid need for it anymore. I truely feel that CALP has become a way of life for me and that I will do this forever. It is becoming ingrained in my mind. I no longer think High Carb........ I just do LC naturally, as if it is how I have always eaten.

I wanted to share this with you because when I was just starting, like you are now, another CALP LC'er posted her personal little pep talk just for me. (I was so worried that I could loose the weight and then gain it right back again. It was my biggest fear.) She did great.......... and I needed to hear that. So....... now I want you to know that I did it.....and so will you.

:cheer: :cheer: So, from the cheerleader of the day..........
You go girl.

Libby

[AnnMarie]

Libby, thank you so much for sharing your story with me. Your post really put a smile on my face and made my day!!! I really appreciate the "pep talk" ;) Its really encouraging that this program has worked so well for you. I hear so many bad things about it, its such a relief to hear something good for a change. So far my first day is going great. I am preparing my reward meal now after being good all day :D

Thanks again for cheering me on!

[BabyWeight]

Hi AnnMarie, I am also new to CAD I have been on the program for about 7 weeks now, I actually decided to start the atkins diet 7 weeks ago, but when dinner came around I just couldn't take it, I had read the CAD book about 6 years ago when I was in highschool and I actually tried it for a couple of weeks but I didn't really give it the best effort. I decided I would try it again and to my amazement I lost two pounds that next day, I was so excited. I am not going to lie I have gotten discouraged because I am one of those people that like things now, I hate to wait but I just keep telling myself if I don't stick with this I am going to be worse off then when I started. I wish you the best and I hope we both reach our goals. Talk to you soon.

TERRA :daze:

[JeannieF]

Just wanted to say "welcome" also.

I have been on CAD for about 6.5 weeks and am loving it. I have good days and bad days, like anyone else, but for the most part, I've adjusted to eating this way.

It's just soooo much easier than so many other things I've tried. I've lost about 10 lbs in this time, and I haven't been an angel :D .

The way I look at it, this is for life. I feel more in-control than I've ever been before and I LOVE IT! I really had a hard time staying on Atkin's WOE (I failed misserably), but CAD/CALP is something I can do.

As of now, my whole family is doing it (to some degree) and we're all losing weight on it.

You'll probably find, as I did, that this forum is priceless when it comes to staying on an eating plan. I come here for encouragement A LOT!

Realize you will stall. This isn't magic. The weight will not all be gone in a few short weeks. That's okay. Know that you are doing a good thing for yourself, your physical well being and your mental well being, and you will WIN. Not every battle, but most of them. Eventually you will win the war.

Along the way be KIND, KIND, KIND to yourself and if you slip up, just get right back up and keep going. It's no big deal. Giving up is a big deal, not slipping up.

Best of luck to you in your continued quest for ultimate health and well being.

Jeannie :wave:

[chocolate]

I'm not a newbie to LC or to this board, but I've been away and want to get back into it!!

It was really nice to start reading here again and finding all you very motivated and enthusiastic people!! I really hope this all rubs off on me because I'm not the best in the world at staying on the wagon!!!!

During the august holidays discovered I'm allegic to lettuce!!! Have been eating high carb (read: hogging out) since then, and although I'm not particularly insulin resistant and do quite a lot of gym, and so haven't put on much weight, I do still have a few pounds to lose and would like to lose them without restricting myself too much!!!

JeannieF your posts are great and are very inspring (have been lurking...) and so is everyone else. Ann I hope you find real satisfaction on this woe.

So come on!!! Gimme some pep talk, I need to give up my morning croissants!! :D (Just kidding! Had eggs for brekkie!)

Bye for now
Choc!