Thanks for the info, ladies! I feel so energized, I want to start getting active even if it is just walks around the neighborhood. That has NEVER been the case. As for the beach, that was a picture taken Labor Day in South Carolina! I WISH we lived right there! And that will be the LAST picture taken of me looking like that! I will be better at 40 than I was at 30! BTW,I have tried a few diets and Weight Watchers was torture for me,,,I was SO hungry! UGgghhhhh. I think I am more like a thin person trapped in a fat body for ten years....I always thought of this padding as temporary. I was never heavy until 30 hit. Duh duh DUH!!! And man, did it hit! LOL.
Dawn

We love the beach in North Carolina--we go every year in September to dodge the hurricanes (according to our friends!) I have plenty of fat pictures from those vacations.

While I'm at maintenance weight now, I always think of myself as a right-size person with a fat person inside screaming to get out. It keeps me honest and not complacent. For my entire adult life, I've either been gaining or losing--never a steady weight. If I've learned anything, it's what Dr. Atkins says: a tendency to overweight is a disease. You have to choose the cure and use it for life.

Barbara...you are my hero...everything you post is always so positive..and you have done a great job of loosing and keeping off the weight. I really, really want that to be me...this time. I always look forward to reading your posts...thanks so much for all the great words of wisdom. Angi

Good for you. I'm so happy that you love Atkins. I've only been doing it for almost two weeks...so I'm new as well. I pretty much feel the same way you do...and have tried every diet in the book and was always starving. I also hate exercise...but after reading all of these posts...think I'll try out the free gym we have at my apts. I keep thinking "one day I'll pop in there", but never do. Welcome and good luck to you. Angi

Congrat on your weight loss!! It sounds like you have the determination to do what it takes to be a winner! The friends and support here are awesome. So, make sure you come back and visit often

Hi & welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your 10lb weight loss so far. Don't let anyone say it is only water. It is fat after the first 4 days!
I am on day 7 today too. Started last monday.

Just watched a programme on tv and they suggested making a sandwhich with a big beefy tomato. Slice it and make up your sandwich as you would with bread, you can even butter it if you want.
The other tip was when everyone has tortilla's or fajitas, have yours wrapped in crisp lettuce leaf instead of the tortilla. You can have the filling the sour cream and the grated cheese, you could probably have the guacamole too.

Good luck on your new WOE.
I shall stop by your journal soon -have you started one!

Thanks, Angi. I'm a natural-born optimist and have a blessed life.

However, my weight management struggles have taught me a lot about persistence, patience, forgiveness, commitment, etc. etc. Bit by bit, I've put together a healthy pattern that seems to be working for me. And it's only taken me sixty years!

As for exercise--I reiterate, you have to find something you enjoy. I really get a kick (so to speak) out of the endless variety of home videos I use. And now that I've discovered ice skating, my inner Dorothy Hamill has emerged in a big way. Outside, I'm just skating around and around. Inside, I'm doing triple axels and a spiral like Michelle Kwan's.

bkloots...I like your outlook on life. It parallels mine and we are the same age. I look forward to reading your posts.

Best wishes, Bobi.

Barbara:
Thanks for your positive words. I enjoy them with my coffee (no sugar!)these last few mornings!
I posted on another board that I had a slip up on Sunday. Not sure how it will impact my progress, but I have to get right back up and keep going! I am ashamed, but I can't just quit.
I am actually beginning my new exercise routine today. Um, well, it's just walking the perimeter of our neighborhood park while my daughter plays, but it is a start. I mean, I don't even walk to the mailbox, I pick it up as I am turning in the drive! LAZY! Hope this will boost my loss, which is already kind of slowing - I am sure yesterday's freak out didn't help.
ALso, Barbara (or anyone else who knows), I know "no alcohol on induction", but I have had two occassions in the last two weeks where I did drink, (rum and club soda with lime, 0g), and DID notice a loss the next day of only a few ounces (as opposed to lbs. on the other days). Do you think this is why Atkins say no alcohol (even 0 carb)? I really believe, for me ,at least, it got in the way both times!
Hoping to be a big loser,
Dawn

The difficulty with alcohol is this. Although it is officially no- or low-carb, it IS a fuel. The body will use the most available fuel source first. And that would be alcohol. So...theoretically anyway, your body stops tapping fat and uses the booze, and that can slow down your progress.

Like every other element of the plan YMMV. I wouldn't take it for granted that just because you didn't have a problem this time you're fine with alcohol.

Also, daily losses and gains on the scale are probably not an indication of overall progress. Best to take an average over a week or two to really monitor how you're doing. Most of us have mini-plateaus, temporary gains, and all kind of fluctuations owing to normal water and hormonal changes.

Good for you on the exercise. A little goes a long way...and you'll increase the time and the intensity in small increments. All to the good.

Now...the sunshine is up, and I'm out to enjoy it with a nice long walk myself.

Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today.