That is my exact goal in a nut shell. I mention that I am in Canada only so we can talk about the foods that are available here, as well as the weights and measures that apply. (Carb counts, etc.)

Anyone needing a buddy, come along!

Hope to hear from you soon!

Hi Dizzy
I too am looking for a buddy. I live in Windsor Ontario. You can read what I had to say about myself . I think I wrote my Looking for a buddy about 4 below you. Anyway if you want to buddy up just let me know. I'm not sure if my email shows. If not here it is. Deb4Mal~aol.com. Hope to here from you

I read your post. I feel your pain. Here's my story...

Let me start by saying that about a year and a half ago I started recovery from an eating disorder. My lowest weight was 115, and I'm 5'10". So... on the road to recovery, I of course, gained weight. At first I was loving it, being able to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted! Oh my lord, it was like a party! Then I went past where I wanted to be in my weight, so in January I started the Suzanne Somers diet that my dad was on. It's a lot like Atkins, only it also has food combining rules, which I find silly, and you don't count carbs, which I don't like. I need to be able to count something, or I lose track of what I've been eating. (Weird, huh?) So, about 4 weeks ago I switched totally to Atkins.

I lost 7 pounds initially, and then went about 2 weeks with no loss, which is pretty normal from what I've read. Then I quit smoking. That was in February with the patch and I have been completely nicotine-free for about 6 weeks now. Now I've gained a ton of weight and am actually 12 pounds more than I was when I started low carbing in January. Frustrating!!!

I have been trying not to beat myself up about it too much, but that's hard! And jut yesterday, I realised one thing that I've been that's very wrong!! I have barbecue more nights a week than not, and haven't been counting the carbs in the BBQ sauce, because for some reason I thought that they would be very low. I read the label again last night, and I just about fell over. There are 6.8 or something per tbsp, and I have at least 2 tbsp on whatever I'm cooking! EEK! So, that's the end of that!

I've just started riding my bike to work and lifting dumbells 3 days a week to try and build some nice fat-burning muscle. I haven't actually weighed myself in weeks because I can't bear to see nothing, or worse, something more!!! I'm going to wait a while more yet and give my body some more time to do whatever it needs to do to get over the whole quit smoking thing.

Soooo.... that's me.

Let's buddy up, because, like you, need all the help I can get!

Glad to hear from you!

Hi Donna,
Just been reading your journal and you certainly are an interesting person! I've been on LC since April after scratching around for ages trying to find something that WORKED....I have a lot to lose so went about it in [Ihope!] a sensible manner--

It took me quite a few false starts before I actually managed a full two week induction but finally got there--I have a LOT of food allergies and insulin must have been bouncing all over the place.

People lose weight in all kinds of ways and until you can get a pattern started it is going to be harm to see if you are still " on target" I guess you'd call it--

So this is what I did--

I made sure I was following induction TO THE LETTER for two weeks NO EXCUSES NO CHEATING

I drank 1/2 oz water for each pound in the mornings before exercise and a pint before lunch and dinner and a pint two hours afterward [and the rest in the eveing--I weighed 259 so that is a LOT of water to get through!!]

I exercised moderately [have degenerate disc disease] 1/2 hour every day on my exercise bike

I planned each week on Sunday and wrote out menus and shopping lists--I substituted sugary foods for something I hated for the rest of the family and asked them to make their own starch supplements to meals--usually just put rolls in freezer and they put them in oven to go with meal--or my son did potatoes or potato salad or noodles--now he knows how to cook a lot more things which was good for him.

If we went out I asked the waiter to bring me steak or chicken and salad and I usually took soured cream for a dressing--if they couldn't fulfill my request we left---I'm TALKING DEDICATED here--I WAS taking no prisoners!! I told friends in advance that I would not be eating starchy veg and said I'd be happy to bring a little something for me if she wanted to make lasanga or something--after all it was her COMPANY I craved not her tiramasu--

After three weeks of being COMPLETELY compliant I had an idea of how much I was going to be losing without cheating--because you need to know it will work for you IF you do all the baby steps...

THEN IF you are STILL not losing weight, up the exercise--you might find you will lose more slowly than you hoped but if you don't make friends with your body and let IT guide you--you will never be able to put your body image on the back burner and get on with the rest of your life.

HOPE I haven't TALKED too much!! Oh dear I do get carried away....

Feel free to drop by my journal, it's always openhouse....really look forward to hearing from you and being great buddies.

Kae
ALL TOGETHER on the road to enLIGHTenment