New to all of this,,,HELP!!

[georgette]

:wave: Well,,here goes,,,I'm gonna do this. I'm turning 47 on the 4th of March,,and weigh an unhealthy 170. I thought my weight gain was because of my Effexor XL, but now that I take the time to read the food labels,,,I see that my carb intake was outrageous!!! Now,,where can I get a list of the carb diets that I need to eliminate,,and the low carb foods that I can eat. I plan to go to the library tomorrow and get an Atkins diet book and read it cover to cover. I am so used to eating GARBAGE,and I know that this will not be just a fad thing. Is drinking ENsure or Slimfast a good Idea,,to regain the vitamins and minerals I will not be getting. I love fresh fruits,,,,,my weakness,,what can i have and what should I avoid. Sorry that this is soooo long,,but I'm in the fog,,and need major advice, help and support

[ladybugvv]

Hello and welcome to the lo-carb way of life! First of all, you must read the book(s). Atkins is great, but since you like fruits, you might like to check out Protein Power. There's a quick link on this page that will give a brief outline of the program. It's here: http://www.lowcarb.ca/atkins-diet-and-low-carb-plans/index.html
If that link doesn't work, look at "Which lo-carb diet is right for me?"

Ensure and Slim fast are filled with sugar and carbs and therefore are a no-no.

You won't be missing any of the vitamins on this wol, but you might want to take supplements.

Anyway, welcome aboard! You came to the right place to have yuor questions answered.

[tofi]

Hello Georgette and welcome. You have made a good decision to control the weight before it gets out of hand (and pants :p ).

I hope you have the book in your hand and have already been reading how this LC stuff works and what to eat. There is SO MUCH that is allowed on LC that is forbidden on low cal/low fat and that's why it is easier to stick with it. You do NOT have to be hungry. (Be sure to click on that link to the right of your first post: Which LC plan is right for me? It has a summary of all the main LC plans.

Definitely AVOID Ensure & Boost and Slim Fast. All have lots of sugar carbs even though they may (like Slim Fast) be low fat. The other two are neither low fat, low sugar nor low carb. They are for sick people or those who may not be able to eat enough calories in their food.

I think it would be a VERY good idea to take at least a multivitamin supplement because even the government doesn't think that the foods now on the market have the vitamins and minerals they used to years ago.

As you read further in your chosen plan's book, you amy want to add more vitamins or other supplements. A combined calcium/magnesium supplement is an excellent idea for all women in mid-age too.

:wave: