My coffee is just the regular automatic drip coffee maker type- like Mr. Coffee.
I usually use Columbian or Starbucks, but since I only drink 2 cups a day- I was hoping it wouldn't hurt the weightloss.
I did lose weight this week. I now makes 30 pounds for me.
I just hope and pray this continues.
Thanks for the support.

I have actually only lost 23 pounds on Atkins-- but I had lost 7 pounds the two weeks prior watching calories, and then had the flu. The total would be 30 pounds from the start-- but I guess I should just count 23 since Atkins.

Hi Quilt!
My cholesterol also went up, and I was very discouraged. That was in August, and the numbers are going down now. I was also told by people on the site to wait at least 6 months for results in lipids.
I also wonder of going off Zocor resulted in a rebound in your lipids that was blamed on the diet.
One other thing- I also eat eggs daily, but use the "egglands best" which are high in e and fed a veggie diet.
Good luck- don't give up!

Thanks Enomarb,

I am glad to know that other people also experience spikes in cholesterol before the start to come down.
I will continue on Atkins for now and do as some of you advised and have it rechecked in 6 months.
It is hard for me to re-condition my brain into thinking that this way of eating is legal. I was always told to go Low fat, low calorie, low cholesterol. These did not help me to lose weight and keep it off. Sometimes I go to eat something and I have to double-check to be sure it is Atkins friendly-- as it may seem too good to be "diet" food.

I have started to substitute ground turkey instead of ground beef. I like it in my chilli, or when I make "Taco" meat that I serve in the low carb Tortilla's with sour cream, green peppers and cheese. I love those low carb Tortilla's.
I also like to make "Taco" meat and serve over my lettuce and trimmings to make my taco salad.

May I ask you--how long did it take you to get to your goal?
Congrats on your success! I bet you feel so much better.
Thanks again for your reply -- and to everyone----Good Luck to you all.

Hi Quilt:
I got to the 150, which was 30 pounds, after 5 months. I have lost another 5 pounds since, in 2 months, of following CALP but eating more carbs with my Reward Meal.
I felt better eating the LC way even before the weight came off.
There is an amazing amount of information and help on this and other web sites. I guess I beleive the more you know, the better you can advocate for your own health.
Again, you are doing great.
E

I was wondering if you had ever done Atkins before, or have you always been on CALP? Do you like the CALP the best? I was wondering about going on South Beach since they have more options on fruit, etc. I like Atkins, but my doctor suggested I try South Beach. Have you done South Beach before? I don't know why, but I find South Beach to be confusing after I read part of the book. I admit I didn't read it cover to cover, but I thought Atkins sounded easier to keep track of things and it made more sense to me for some reason.
I lost weight on CArb Addicts diet before, but I had a problem with the reward meal in the evening. I seemed to go overboard on my "Reward" meal --rather than stay in control with it as the book suggested. I liked "rewarding" myself a little too much.
Thanks for your replys--- It is good to get helpful advice since I am new to this way of life.

Hi Quilt:
Yes, CALP is the only plan I have been on. I think this is such a personal issue, and the better you know yourself the better you can match up a plan.
For me, I had to cut out the bread/rice/potatoes/sugars, but I hate to measure anything or count anything. CAD/CALP really looked good to me, because I liked the structure of the meals and the freedom of the RM. The whole insulin resistance thing makes sense to me too, and I thought I'd try it. Well, CALP has changed my life.
The RM is not a problem for me most of the time. I would rather have some type of grain or a carby veggie than a sweet, but knowing I can have the sweet helps.
The CALP guidelines of balancing the RM help me too.
There is a lot of great stuff on the CAD/CALP forum. People on this WOL much longer than me. They would be great support.
H

Hi Enomarb,

I may check into the Carb Addicts diet again. I like Atkins--I am just searching right now for the correct balance I may need.
I am glad that you have had such good results with the program. It sounds wonderful to be able to feel in control of your eating. I can't say that I have found that yet. I hope I am on my way to discovering the correct method to continue for life. If my doctor had not protested so much-- I might not even consider anything but Atkins right now. I just need to get my cholesterol down and it concerns me that it has become so high.
I sure do love the support from you all on this web site. It really helps to learn the tips to dieting from others who are using the program.
Thanks for all your good advice.
Quiltlady

I am writing an update to my cholesterol tests. I am so happy to say that it is now 5 months since my last cholesterol tests---and the numbers have decreased drastically.
My first cholesterol test after being on Atkins for 2 months were extremely high. I was so disscouraged. You guys were right. I hung in there and stayed on Atkins very strictly--and now my new lipid panel came back very good.
I now have normal numbers--and on top of that my HDL is 68 which is great.
I don't have to take any cholesterol lowering drugs either.
Thanks for all the encouragement I got from you guys.
It does pay off in the long run.

Just wanted to let you know the good news.
Thanks again!

Quiltlady

Congratulations! It really works, doesn't it!

If nothing else, my main motivation to eat like this for life is my improving cholesterol results. I'm impatient to wait till September to get my next lipid panel!

That's awesome! I was reading through this thread and wondering what would happen when you got retested I am so glad your levels are down.

Debbie

Atkins diet helps cholesterol levels in most but not all
people.You may need to utilize supplements to get your
cholesterol down.i had this problem on Atkins and utilized
the following inexpensive supplements to lower my cholesterol
from 308 to 184 in 3 months:
1."Better cholesterol" from www.getyoungagain.com-2 pills per day
2. "Pantesin pantethine" from www.swansonvitamins.com-3 pills per day
These products work better than statins,are less expensive and don't
have the potential side effects (i.e.liver damage) of statins.
They also jack up your immune system and provide cancer protection.
Good luck!

Boy, am I relieved to see these posts. I just posted here, since I found out my cholesterol had gone up over the past 4 months in which I have been doing Atkins. I guess I will continue with it, and get my cholesterol checked again in another 6 months.

Did you change anything in the way you were eating? Did you switch to more lean meats, chicken and fish? I'm just wondering if I should try that, or if it would be okay to continue eating the way I have been. I do like to have steaks sometimes, and a burger is just so damn convenient. Plus I tend to get a little tired of chicken if I eat it all the time.

Thanks, and congrats to you. Keep it up.

Hi Quilt and Tree-
All I can say is stick with it. When I had my lipids retested in June 04 all my numbers were great, and my HDL was in the 60s- my best ever. My MD calls me his star patient. I needed to give it more than 6 months.
I am not on Atkins, but on CALP. It is not high fat, but I eat all kinds of red meat and chicken and fish. I don't have cream and cream cheese, but I have 2 eggs and hard cheese daily.
Good luck- and use the people here for info and support.
Eno

Treefrog,
I just wanted to say that I was very skeptical about whether my cholesterol numbers would drop to normal during my first few months on Atkins. Well I continued the regular eating plan of Atkins- I had hamburger- chicken- cheese- quite often.
I ate cream cheese maybe once a week--but not too often.
And I always eat eggs. I have eggs every day. I am convinced that eggs have been lied about for many years. If I don't eat eggs, I don't feel satisfied as well as when I do. I also believe they are excellant for hair and skin. Eveyone tells me my hair is so nice and shiney and I know it is from the eggs I eat.
For a while, I tried to eat "lower fat" meats--but I found my weight loss slowed when I did that. I returned to eating as Atikins recommends and did much better.
I will admit that I am losing pounds slowly right now, but I am still sticking true to Atkins--and still losing inches. I think once I hit the 40 pound loss, it did slow down a bit. But considering it came off so fast in the beginning, I am not complaining.
I plan to be on this for life. I have never felt better.
I do believe that you have to get your lipid panel retested after you have been your low carb plan for at least 6 months.
Don't go completely by your first test. If your second six month test is high, I think you should do what your Doctors advise for your health sake. Always consult your doctor. I just want to tell you not to give up---but make sure you are not eating trans fats. I strongly believe that if you stay clear of trans fats you will do better. Eat real butter--not margarine or the fake stuff.
Use real heavy cream and not milk.
Good luck.
Don't lose heart as it will begin to work. We are all different in how long it may take to see results. My metablolism is slower than most--but eventually I will get there. So will you.

Quiltlady