Good morning again -
I agree with 2thin and Erin....the multitude of problems that can (and usually do occur) with "just one bite" are not worth all the effort I have put into what I've accomplished so far. Just the thought of the scale going up is usually enough of a deterrent for me!

We don't go out a lot, but Erin's right...eat before you go and stuff your purse with "legal" treats. Heck, when I started this, I gave up my drinking and switched to coffee (my iced coffee ) and would bring a small cooler with MY drink of choice. I would also throw in cheese, pepperoni, veges, macadamia nuts. Knowing that was with me acted a bit like a security blanket. Most times the host would have stuff I could eat....if not, I had stuff to get me through!!

Life is full of decisions...we have to make the choices each time. It does get easier. The first few days, then the next several weeks will challenge your resolve BUT if you stay the course, I'm certain you will be rewarded.

Good health (and a decreasing waist line ) are within your grasp -

Have a super day -
Deanna

I ordered a book last night entitled "A Complete Step by Step Guide for Beginners", Atkins Diet.
To 2thinchix, congratulations on your weight lose so far! Do you find it hard to stick to such a small selection of food? Do you eat more than 3 times a day?
I appreciate all of you that have posted, it really is starting to motivate me.

Deanna, thank you for giving me the idea of taking a few low carb treats with me, I think that is what I will do on Saturday.

Well, as for selection (and I do vary it from time to time, especially if we are out at a restaurant - then I might go crazy and do caesar salad or something, LOL) what has really "reprogrammed" for me is that food is kinda boring - which is good. For the first time in my life, I actually eat when I'm hungry and I'm not a slave to cravings - and when you are actually hungry, you don't really care all that much what it is. Besides "meat" can mean steak(with garlic mushrooms), rotisserie chicken, grilled porkchops, bacon and eggs - lots of variety, really!
Now, for the other question I don't want to scare you - lots of us do this but you sure don't HAVE to - I only eat once a day. It's called "intermittent fasting". After my morning coffee I'm not really hungry for a LONG time. For some people, they do it to boost their weight loss. For me it is mostly about being LAZY. I don't like getting up early to make breakfast, and I don't like having to pack a lunch! But for the first several months of my diet I did both, and here is what I usually had:
Breakfast - a mock danish (1 egg, 2 ounces cream cheese, packet splenda and some vanilla, beaten together and microwaved for 2 minutes) and some bacon.
Lunch - rotisserie chicken with salad, or a can of salmon and mayonnaise with salad.
Once I started adding nuts in as a snack, but stopped when I realized I CAN'T stop eating them - same with the strawberries and cream cheese I did for a little while.

2thinchix
What ever you're doing, keep it up. You are an inspiration to me! Some say that you should eat 6 times a day to keep the metabolism going, but I guess what ever works for each of us. I get hungry between lunch and dinner.

Aww, thanks! Believe me, that is something I NEVER expected to hear - that I was successful enough to inspire others ;-) Yep, I've heard the whole "eat frequently" thing to, but I've also learned on this board that there is research which proves the opposite - that the more often we eat, the more often our blood sugar fluctuates and triggers insulin. It takes some experimenting to figure out what works for each person! And if it is too far out of your comfort zone (in my case, eating/preparing food too frequently) you can't stick to it!

I AM WITH YOU ON THIS!! Its what gets your through! Everyone thinks I'm weird cause at my desk I have LC friendly items to eat or have stuff in my purse for when I need it!

I do too! I have snack around 3-330pm to get me through to dinner! It'll be cheese or celery with Buffalo Chicken dip to get me through!

Excellent advice. I'd add Read Taubes too. And anything else you can get your hands on. Knowing WHY is just as important as knowing what. The longer you wreck havoc on your body, annually treating this as a temporary stopgap measure, the more difficult it will become to handle.

The first couple of months I got very hungry between meals - I was so used to eating whenever I felt like it. Instead of eating, I drank broth or herb tea. That would hold me. Now I rarely get hungry between meals. When I do, it's usually because I either ate something I shouldn't have, or I've not eaten enough. Broth or herb tea still gets me through until the next meal. Usually.

To Bonnie,

I weigh exactly what your starting weight was at 188 and my goal for now is to weigh 160, how long did it take you to get there? My reunion and anniversary are in May, can it be done by then?

Most of it's been lost in the last 5 months. But everyone is different. I was getting very discouraged reading about how others achieved massive weight loss in the first month or two - while mine has been very slow, and in fits and starts.

I did find out that 30 carbs/day - which was where I started - was too much for me, for both weight loss and BG. I had to go down to 20, now my daily goal is 10 or less. I hit my goal most days. Tho even on my off days I don't go over 20. I may never be able to, even when I get to the maintenance point.

I know how you feel about having a target event. We have a family reunion in July. It's a temptation to want to show off a new body! I have to keep telling myself that this WOE is for my health, not a temporary weight loss for others. Besides, I know that with my family, someone is surely going to say something negative anyway, no matter how much weight I've lost.

Bonnie thank you for answering my question. 20 carbs seem to be where I lose also. My problem is weekends. We go out to get pizza on Friday nights with another couple and I can only eat the top part. We get a salad first and I usually eat 2 slices of the pizza. Then Saturday is the dance and Sunday we go to breakfast with another couple. So weekends are very hard for me.
I think that I will try the 10 carbs a day for a while and see what happens. Thank and have a good day!

Can anyone tell me if a Chef salad with Imported Ham, Salami and provolone cheese would be ok to eat as a dinner?

I don't see why not, although processed meats do cause problems for some. Last night we made a big salad with peppers, cauliflower, cucumbers, radishes, olives, cheese, bacon, turkey... basically whatever we could find. Makes a great meal.

I will say that a clean induction, sticking strictly to the allowed foods REALLY helps figuring out what your body will or will not tolerate later. An elimination diet of sorts I suppose.