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Support for Atkins diet, Protein Power, Neanderthin (Paleo Diet), CAD/CALP, Dr. Bernstein Diabetes Solution and any other healthy low-carb diet or plan, all are welcome in our lowcarb community. Forget starvation and fad diets -- join the healthy eating crowd! You may register by clicking here, it's free!



clanger
Sat, Mar-29-03, 06:21
Hi everyone.

Thanks for providing support and encouragement through your board.

I'm 'new' to all this and so a little about my story so far. Having given up smoking in October 2002 I found I was eating my way towards obesity with a BMI on that line. Already overweight before that I knew it wasnt going to be easy but thought it better to give up the cigarettes and deal with the weight increase afterwards as the lesser of two evils. So in the new year I did the classic thing and started watching the calories and starving myself :) But after a few weeks I started looking a little more carefully at weight loss and discovered the lo-carb thing via the web. Maybe Atkins is a little less well known in the UK. It all became a little of a revelation to me and I consumed as much info as I could find on the ideas and principles. The science seems good. I grabbed the essentials from the atkins center website and began the induction the third week of January. During those first weeks I suffered from some really very bad headaches as I went into ketosis but once past the induction gained energy and a noticable increase in mental clarity.
Since January I have eaten a LOT of steaks and salads ! I have lost about 11 Kilos to date (end of March) although have stalled for some weeks now but now have a BMI on the line of overweight and 'normal' weight at 80 Kilos :D

Probably the greatest obstacle I find is eating at home. Living in a household with 4 kids and a less than supportive partner makes things doubly difficult and cooking food for the kids pushes tempation very close. Taking them out weekends has its problems too. Otherwise 'doing 'Atkins is fairly easy and quite enjoyable. I'd love to remove all the bad carb stuff from the kitchen cupboards like the dear Dr. recommends but life just isnt that kind to people in real circumstances and busy lives.
The other main difficulty is time. I have NO TIME. I used to miss breakfast and even lunch simply down to time pressures and survive on coffee (caffeinated). Time permitting lunch at best would be a quick sandwich. Often I would leave early to work and work thro lunch and come home late to eat a huge dinner and snack hi carb stuff late at night .... then start all over again the next day. Does this sound familiar to anyone ? Its taken a litttle effort to get up half an hour earlier ( 6am) to have breakfast and prepare a lunch. Thanks to the lo-carb WOE I seem to have re-educated my stomach out of that vicious cycle although the late night snack demon still tempts me. Also it seems too easy to fall into the trap of overeating 'safe' lo-carb food. I've had to cut down on the cream, macadamia nuts and cheese.
On the positive side I feel great; when a little weight comes off you gain a little more bounce in your step. I used to suffer from a little heartburn and occasional pain in an arm as if I had a trapped nerve in my back. These symptoms have now completely gone!
Co-workers now tell ME I've lost weight and I have my sights on getting to a target well within the normal range for my height.
This year is THE YEAR to set the record straight.

Again thanks for the support forums.


Now if only I can break this plateau... :)

celtinore
Sat, Mar-29-03, 08:51
Welcome! :wave: You'll find lots of support and encouragement here.

I have a suggestion regarding the hi-carb food for the rest of the clan: <B>rearrange your kitchen cupboards</B>. Put all the hi-carb stuff in one or two cupboards, and let the family know that this is "their" cupboard, where all "their" treats and snacks will be kept, and that anything they wish to eat that you should stay away from ought to be kept in that cupboard. That way, you don't have to look at it every time you open a cupboard door! You can also do a similar thing with the refrigerator & the freezer -- put all the hi-carb stuff in one side, so you don't have to reach around it for your lo-carb treats.

Oh yes, it's <B>easy</B> to overdo on lo-carb foods that you especially like! My personal demons are deviled eggs and smoked almonds. :)

Be sure and start a journal, so we can all stop by and visit!