Congratulations! Your're lookin good!

Well done! And best wishes for keeping it off!

YOu look great!! I bet your feeling awesome Have fun with your new bike!!

I just started LC and I think that it will work for me. I don't have a lot of weight to lose, but eating too many carbs makes me lethargic and hungry all the time. Best of luck to you.

Way to go!!! Enjoy your weight loss and stick around the forum so you can inspire others with your sucess!

Way to go! Can't wait to join you in the success forum!

LordWill21,

Congrats on the great job! You're looking great, and the way you feel comes through your words. Thank you for sharing your success here--that's so inspiring.

Would you be open to hearing a few words of advice from one who's made a couple more trips around the sun than it looks like you've taken?

I get a little nervous when I hear you say, "I'm done with Atkins," and "It WAS fun and easy. . ." There are many of us on this forum who are back on LC for our 2nd, 3rd or 4th time around because we thought of this as a `diet' that we used to lose weight, and went off as soon as we hit goal.

I've been fighting my weight probably longer than you've been alive, and each time I got thin, I thought I was cured and could then eat like a normal person. Dang, some of us learn slow.

I'm suggesting that you learn from other people's mistakes--life is too short, as someone's sig line says, to make them all yourself. Take out that Atkins book again, and read what he says about maintenance, then reread it, and take it to heart. If you were able to reach 300+ while you have a magical youthful metabolism on your side, you are probably going to have to be careful about your eating for the rest of your life. He's got good advice about holding on to your accomplishment.

It doesn't mean you have to do Induction or OWL for the rest of your life--but I suggest you consider staying off sugar, refined flour, white rice, milk, etc. Lots of veggies and meat, chicken, fish, etc.

One more caution--a lot of us develop a serious taste for all that good stuff on Atkins--butter, steak, cream, etc. If you continue to eat that and add a lot of carbs, that's a good recipe for a quick regain. We can get away with all that fat as long as we're not pumping our bodies full of insulin with the sugar consumption.

The next several months will probably set the stage for what's to come--just take it a step at a time, keep an eye on your weight, and (I have to say it) always wear your helmet when you ride.

Enjoy the fruits of your success.

Awsome work. I hope you don't mean your done completely. Now its maintanance time. keep it off and good luck

well atkins for me isnt done no; but I didnt have not 1 cheat day this whole diet... NOT ONE! So for atleast a month im going to eat everything ive been missing out on!

Actually I just called in a stromboli from little caesars; large size with all the meats and cheeses

And if I gain 5pounds or more; hey thats life But for now im going indulge on all the yummy things i missed out on for 5months

Then after im full of all the dq blizzards and m'm's and BREAD! I'll see how much I gained and decide how and if I want to continue with atkins

thanks for all the love everyone; I couldnt have done it without these forums; ill try my best not to gain it back in this celebratory period hehe.

Hey, sounds like you have a plan. I think I could probably gain about 20 pounds in a month doing that, but YMMV.

For me, it was rhubarb crumble. I make a MEAN rhubarb crumble, and I figured I could get away with one piece of it because I was 148 lbs, and therefore cured, right? UH-UH. One piece tasted like another, and pretty soon my blood sugar started raging again, and after awhile, it wasn't a want anymore, it was a need.

It wasn't that long before I was asking friends if it looked like I was gaining weight (no, dear, I can't see that extra 25 pounds hanging off your butt. . . ) and after a couple of years I made it to 240+ before I was able to put the brakes on.

Then I got down to 200, and rewarded myself with an order (it wasn't in the stores then, so you had to buy it online) of Ross chocolate. Even though it was SF, it was enough to trigger my cravings again, and it wasn't long before I was packing it back on. It took THREE YEARS and me getting up to 252 before I was able to crawl back on the wagon.

I sure hope I learn from my mistakes this time--what's the point of making them, otherwise?

Hey, this is YOUR success story, and I'm on here raining on your parade--I don't mean to dampen your joy. It's just that I've been there, done that, and have the XXL t-shirts to prove it, and hate to see anyone else have to go through it.

Maybe, just maybe, instead of celebrating with food you've missed for the last few months, how about celebrating by doing all the fun things that you've missed out on because you were fat. Go try on some new clothes. Go to the beach. Run. Play with the kids in the neighborhood. Ride out into the country and go for a hike with your girl. Get physical, and enjoy living in a healthy young body.

Just PROMISE that win, lose, or draw, you'll touch bases back here and let us know how it's going. It can be a lot rougher to try to climb back on that wagon than it is jumping off. So ask for help if you feel like you're slipping, okay?

Take care of yourself. . .

Way to go! What are your secrets-what did you eat, did you limit carbs to 10 or so?

Man, you look great! Congratulations! Much luck and continued success in maintenance. I worked at a Dairy Queen for five years when I was in high school, so I hear you on the Blizzards... don't go too crazy. Eat yer veggies and don't let yourself gain that weight back!

AWESOME!!!!!

I'm proud of you! You stayed determined which says a lot about you!