Hi all~ I was wondering if some of you who have been doing this for awhile, could share what you believe was your biggest help. Was it something that someone said,or a person's success,or a tip that you read somewhere, or a tip that someone gave you? What helped you or is helping you the most in your weight loss endeavor? I thought if I could get some answers on this, that it might help me and some of the other newbies who are just starting this low carb eating.Any input would be appreciated and thanks~

Suze_C

You can find a lot of information at the Low Carb Health and Technical Forum Tips and Stalls.

Spend some time reading these posts, there is a wealth of info there.

Hi Suze-
It all sort of comes together, and it is hard to single out any one thing that makes it work. I would say that it is most important to do your reading for your particular plan, and make sure you are doing all the basic things. Too often, newcomers are too anxious to put their own individual spin on their plan, and get in trouble by not following the basic rules. (I know- that is a boring answer)

That being said, the next most important tip is: exercise, whatever way you can, in a way that you can enjoy, and daily if possible. It is possible to lose weight without this, but more difficult to both lose and keep it off, and you don't learn as much about a new way of life either. Ask Sherry- it is really exciting when you realize that you are replacing fat with muscle.

Third thing- if you want the Whoosh Fairy to visit you often, drink water! Lots of it! Then drink some more! I hate it, but I do it. I won't permit myself to drink my beloved Diet Pepsi until my 64 oz are gone...glug...glug..glug
Hugs,
Kat

My biggest tip would be..........don't be afraid to experiment. If I followed the plan exactly this time, I would have failed just like all the other times I got depressed and quit after 2 weeks

I don't count anything and everything I eat (if I wanted to do that, I'd go back to a low fat low calorie diet), I don't drink water , I do drink lots of Diet Coke, I eat all the foods that make you stall like nuts, cheese, buffalo wings, etc., I combine eating plans, and I take days off.........and still lose over a lb a week

Now I'm not saying those people are wrong, just that I will be on this diet a LONG time, and I can't live that way. Those of us that need to lose over 100 lbs have to stay on this a long time, and have to learn to live with it. That's for each of us to decide........so don't be afraid to experiment

I appreciate the reply posts~ I have been psyching myself up for the past few days for starting Induction, and today is the day! I am not having much problems with it, and since I never had a problem with drinking water,... that is gonna help me too. Hubby took off a little while ago with a shopping list, so it should be interesting when he gets back to see what he all bought! He was asking before he left, if I could have sun chips... a brand of multi-grain chips, well... not yet honey I have to get through this induction thing first... I think that once he sees how fast I am losing weight, that he will want to try it. He does not have as much to lose as me, but he gained weight when he quit smoking,(which was wonderful for him to quit ), and he doesn't like the extra pounds. Anyhow, don't want to get off on another tangent... so once again thx!~

Hi. suze_c!!!

I'll be on the plan 9 weeks on Monday. The biggest thing that has helped me this time has been this low carbing forum. I have printed out recipes and ideas from the folks here and added my own thing to it. I did succumb to temptation.........once. But I realized it wasn't worth it.

I belong to another support group for the visually impaired, there are so many people who have loss their vision to diabetis. Not only their sight, but it has damaged their hearts, kidneys and other vital organs. There are even some with nuropathy (sp)...they have loss sensation in their legs and as a result they fall alot. Then the ones who have lost a toe or a limb. A close friend has been in the hospital for more than two weeks now, they are draining fluids, checking her kidneys and giving her time to get healthy enough to have a stint put in her heart. She is in her 40's with two teenagers. I don't want this to happen to me.

Thank God that I haven't gotten Diabetis because my Mom and four siblings have it. I have a ten year old son and a loving husband, I need to be here for them.

Anyway, didn't mean to get so morbid. I feel so much better on
Atkins than off it. I always have a glass of ice water at hand. I do still drink diet sodas and some coffee (not everyday). Something I sometimes do is squeeze a bit of lemon in the water and add a packet of sweetner to make a weak lemon-aid. Helps it go down faster.

Thx for sharing what has helped you. I know about diabetes... my aunt went into a diabetic coma & died when a dr. said all that was wrong,was that she had the flu... I think he should've been sued.She had lost 50 lb. in a week,and her blood sugar was in the 500+ range. My maternal grandma died of diabetes complications, after having suffered years, i.e. foot amputation,glaucoma,heart problems. My mom has it, and she is controlling it with diet and pills. I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant with our daughter. I hated having to do the blood sugar readings,watching every morsel, and the 3 shots I had to do a day,--but I would have done anything it took to ensure that our baby was healthy. I had to have a c-section because it was erroneously stated that the baby was over 10 lb., she weighed 8# 2 oz., so I went through a lot of hell due to a c-section that never should have happened.(Still having problems due to it,almost a yr. later.)
So with family history,my being overweight,and having had gestational diabetes, my chances of becoming diabetic are higher than normal... so I am doing what I can now to decrease those odds.

It really made me stop and think.

I'm not sure I have one answer for you though. I've been doing this for 2 and a half years, and I feel like I've learned so many things over the years about dieting and low carb, that I don't think I could narrow it down to just one tip or hint.

When I started I knew next to nothing about trying to lose weight. I did know that excercise worked, because I had lifted weights about 10 years earlier and lost about 50 pounds then (without dieting).

I didn't have a clue how the body works to gain or lose pounds. If I was starting out new now (knowing what I know now) there are a lot of things that I would have done differently.

1) I would be much more strict with myself at the beginning. I've heard so many people tell me that when they first tried Atkins, the weight came off so easily, but that the second time they tried it, it wasn't as effective. I think that "newbys" have a golden opportunity to drop the weight rapidly because their bodies haven't yet figured out what they are doing. And as a result the advice I would give you is to be very strict with yourself at the beginning. Don't cheat, ride that wave of rapid weight loss as LONG as you can.

I know a girl who has only been doing Atkins for 3 months. She works out 3 times a week (or so) and hasn't left off doing induction level carbs yet. She has lost over 50 pounds. In three months. She told us how much body fat percentage, how many inches etc she has lost and it was phenomenal. But about a month into it she was complaining of a "stall" at 18 pounds off.

If she only knew what a real "stall" looks like.

2) I understand metabolism so much better now. I was reading someone's post the other day about "to lose a pound of weight you must create a deficit of 3500 calories". I remember reading that and thinking "that is so simplistic, that it really isn't even true."

Basically it would be easy to simply remove 3500 calories from your diet, but that is NEVER all there is to it. Don't eat for two days and you have removed 3500 calories. But what does that do to your body? Several things. It slows down your metabolism, it metabolizes your muscles, making your fat to muscle ratio worse. It makes your body think it is starving and when you eat again you gain back all the water you lost, and probably a few pounds on top of it.

I've learned how important it is to keep your metabolism reved up. You have to get rid of a lot of old ideas about how to eat. To keep your metabolism reved up you MUST eat breakfast, and you must eat many times throughout the day. Don't allow yourself to get hungry. Also make sure you do some HARD excercise at least 3 times a week. More often if you really want to create a body that will burn calories and won't immediately gain everything back if you have a few bad days.

Don't skip meals, and don't eat late at night just before going to bed. Workout in the morning on an empty stomach. Do weight training to build muscle, because a pound of muscle is more dense, and more metabolically active than a pound of fat. This means it burns more calories even while at rest.

3) I've learned the importance of human growth hormone, what it does and how it works, and how to get more of it. (the working out on an empty stomach and not eating before going to bed are two ways of getting more).

4) I've learned the difference between aerobic and resistance training. And how important adequate protein is to the body. Aerobics burns fat, and if done on an empty stomach and you don't eat for an hour afterwards, they burn MORE fat. Resistance training however creates muscle mass that is compact, lean and burns calories all the time, just by existing.

5) I've learned that the people who are most successful on this diet are those who are determined and consistent with themselves and the people around them.

I remember Shelly P, who lost like 80 pounds in about 8 months. She decided that if she was going to eat this way, her family was going to eat this way. Her kids didn't need sugary snacks anymore than she did and she stopped buying them. She put Splenda in the sugar bowls. (She did give the kids bread, but whole grain breads). She was consistent, and she didn't cheat, but she said that when she wanted something sweet she allowed herself a miniature size of "real" chocolate as a treat, because she intended to be eating this way for the rest of her life, so she needed to train herself how to have control of her life.

For me a bag of miniatures would lead one candy to the next, so I wouldn't want that temptation, but she was determined and she is very near goal now. She started about where I was at my 50 pound off mark (232) and she went straight to her target.

6) I've learned that female hormones work against us, and that we should never enter a diet competition with a man. BC pills or Hormone replacement therapy (or even certain parts of a woman's natural cycle) can cause the diet not to work at certain times or at all.

7) I've learned that certain other hormones (testosterone and human growth hormone) work in our favor and things (like weight training) that enhance those hormones should be practiced for best results.

8) The most imporant tip, is that we are all different. What works for one person may not work for someone else or in the same way. We must be patient and persistent, we must strive for "progress not perfection", and we must shake things up from time to time. If one thing isn't working try something new, but DON'T give up. Like the turtle, "slow and steady wins the race". The rabbit may outdistance us, but if he or she lays down on the job, we may reach our goal sooner. This isn't a race, it isn't a quick fix, it is a way of life and if it takes a year or ten years, we will get there if we preservere.

Sorry this post is so long, but you asked.

Wow, thanks Sherri, for the sharing, and it wasn't too long. I found lots of helpful information in there. Today was my start day-- no problems. I am going to try to find some kind of exercise that I am able to do... I am in constant pain, & movement causes me more pain, to the point where I cannot move at all & have to stop everything I am doing & be still. It has been this way for some time now, & I am hoping that it eases with some lost weight.
I want to make a notebook of sorts with my favorite posts/tips/replies in, and yours is certainly one that will go in there. The ppl on this forum, for the majority have been so helpful already & I am just starting here. I can see a camaraderie between those who have been here for awhile, and am looking forward to getting to know ppl and to share success stories.
Time does not allow me to answer everything as sufficiently as I would like to, or to browse as I would like... but picking up things here and there helps as well.,.. and I would like to thank everyone on here for their input... for what has helped them, as well as what to stay away from. I know that we are all individuals, yet we all have a common goal in mind... and this is the tie that binds... thank you and God bless~

you are in pain. If it is because of too much stress on your joints then you will need to be careful with anything you do. Losing weight will help for that. But a lot of times pain in muscles is simply that we haven't strengthened them. Weight lifting makes them more flexible, makes our endurance better, makes our bones denser. Yes you must be gentle with your joints, but WORK those muscles. The more you stretch and strengthen muscles the less pain you will feel, (if it is muscle pain we are talking about).

I used to have a lot of pain in my back, neck and shoulders. The main problem is the muscles were too stiff, unexcercised, and not strong, plus they were constantly being pulled in one direction trying to support my heavy bust and leaving me off balance.

Weight lifting has strengthened those muscles, made them more flexible, pain free, and decreased the body weight that was stressing them out!

I walk straighter now, hold my head up high and feel great. Don't be afraid to excercise. Start slowly with anything you can do, and work up to it. Challenge your muscles, lift weights that are as heavy as you can stand, and when they become too light, lift heavier ones. Sure you will feel some soreness when you first start moving muscles that haven't been moved in awhile, take some glutamine tablets and you won't feel the soreness for as long, but don't let the soreness make you give up, that means it is WORKING.

Start a diet Journal and document your progress and your efforts. That way we can stop in and help you from time to time.

Thx again Sherry... It may sound crazy, but I don't know why I am in so much pain. I don't have insurance, & have only been to a dr. to determine my eligibility for disability. He said that more extensive tests would have to be done to determine why I am having such severe pain through my back & pelvis.Without a dr. I cannot get anything to help me with the constant pain. One guess with the pain in my pelvis, is that I've gotten adhesions from the c-section. I had a lot of difficulty w/ it, & the dr. had to take out 5 staples, leaving me w/ an open wound that my hubby had to pack with gauze 2x a day for 3 wks. I still feel where I was cut, it pains me when I move certain ways, or have been moving about too much. As far as my back, I'm not sure what it might be, there could be a number of reasons why-- I just know it's tremendously impacted my life.
I have an exercise video in a box somewhere that I'm trying to find- lotsa stuff in boxes ANYHOW, it has Susan Powter's low impact aerobics on it, which you can do at your own pace, and can be modified for one's fitness level. She has some clients that do their exercise from a chair & that may be what I have to do until I get some of this weight off,(hoping that weight is the reason why my back is hurting so bad). I'm not without any activity, as I do have an 11 mo. & a son who is 22 yr. old who has cerebral palsy,who needs 100% total care, so I am not a couch potato.Some days tho, it is hard as hell & I cry I am in so much pain,another reason to get smaller.Before I had the baby, I could lift our son with no problem, (he weighs 120#), but hubby made me stop when I was pg, and I lost alot of my strength. I got HUGE when I was pg and I do mean HUGE (for me anyhow) but that's another story , another post. I am wanting to start a journal,as I see how wonderful ppl are in responding to others in here with help... thx... I got to get my son outta bed... will be back l8r... and thx again Sherry... *hugs:

Hi! I just wanted to wish you the best on this new journey you are starting and to throw in my two cents. I did this way of eating (WOE) a few years ago but then stopped and of course the weight came back on and so here I am again. I had a great 4 weeks this summer, then a bad 4 weeks, and this past week I started back on induction. I really want to do this WOE forever, but as you can see, I have had some problems. We are all learning...
Anyway, I wanted to share one thing with you. Many of us find that we get REALLY tired during induction. For me it starts on day 2 and continues till about day 4 or 5. I will be totally exhausted as my body is withdrawing from the sugar and reformatting itself to learn to functon without it. This is very common and please do not be alarmed or discouraged if this happens to you. PUSH THROUGH IT!! I come out of this on day 5 and start feeling fantastic! Seriously. I feel satisfied after meals and I don't feel bloated all the time. And I will have a TON of energy compared to my high-carb days. So my first tip would be to not get discouraged and to decide that you owe it to yourself to stick it out at least the two weeks of induction. At that point you can decide if it is all worth it. You will have more energy, feel great, and you will have lost some weight.

Tip number two---You've heard it before---WATER. I drink at least 32 oz while I am getting dressed in the morning. I am going to bump that up soon to 64 oz. Then I try to get as much in as I can all day and night.

One last thing...I read a post on the line somewhere that really struck me and I wish I knew who said it. Anyway, the post said that time is continuing to pass and I can either spend it eating this way or my old high-carb way. Either way, the time will pass. But with this WOE, I will weigh less with each succesive month instead of more. When I think about it this way, it makes alot of sense.

Best wishes!! Please keep us posted about your progress. Have you started a journal?

Beanie

I want to start a journal, just have not done it yet. Yesterday (Sept. 20) was my first day of Induction, and I noticed some stomach queasiness, plus later a headache from hell. I know that part of it has to be from Induction,because I rarely get headaches. I am determined to stick with it tho... I am drinking LOTS of water, from the time I get up, to right before bed, I always have a glass of water on hand. I am glad that you shared what you went through & others on the tiredness. Being tired is nothing new here tho, as between the waking up at night, and not being able to sleep due to being in pain, my sleep quota runs about 3-4 hours a night. Sometimes I MAY get 5, but that is not very often. I often fall asleep during the day when I am giving KaeLyn a bottle... don't get much done, but if I didn't need those extra ZzZzz's I would not be falling asleep. Thx~ for your input, it is appreciated~!