The getting to know you thread. Please come say Hi!!!

[gal_osh]

Hi, my name is Heather I’m 24 and live in Madison, Wisconsin.

I live with my fiance and my adorable cat Graycie (8 months old). I work in Accounting (its not as boring as it sounds) My hobbies are cooking and crafting. My fiancé says that I am addicted to this board and I would have to agree with him! ha I love all the support and encouragement that I get from everyone here and coming to this board (many many many times a day) is a staple in my daily routine.
I have ALWAYS been overweight, I don't even know what i'm going to do with myself when i lose the weight lol ensive
I started this WOL on October 31st 2004. In 7.5 months I have lost 90 pounds I still have 80 pounds left to get to my goal. Over halfway there oh yea!
I just can't explain how happy I have been since I started this WOE and how much I care for everyone on this board.
:hug
~Heather

[californiacasey]

Hello All, I’m Casey, and I too am a Carb-o-holic in Re-Hab (ie Atkins). I live in Huntington Beach, CA. I have 2 cats, Nala and Onyx. Lately my life consists of working, working-out, trying to find a new roommate, friends, the driving range and trying to sell my house.

I was always stocky as a child but not fat (although I did get teased). I was always very athletic, swimming, soccer, camping, cross country running etc, etc. All that activity helped me maintain my weight as a younger person and not be fat. During college I trained for the LA Marathon and got down to about 145. I looked great and felt great. Then I hurt my knee and couldn’t jog anymore. Then my fiancé broke up with me and I started gaining weight. By the time I graduated from college, I was around 210. After that I started developing PCOS (which I have just recently found out about). And gained over 40 pounds in less than two years. Then my Dad passed away and I gained even more. So over a year ago I found myself weighing in at 280 with high cholesterol and completely miserable. I have started induction many times and would get to 2 or 3 weeks and fall back into old habits. I have been relatively clean since January and very clean for the past 3 weeks. I have been exercising faithfully since January. My cholesterol is down 22 pts and I’ve lost 22.5 pounds. Because of the PCOS I have a really tough time losing (VERY SLOWLY). But I know this is my last chance to lose weight. I don’t want to be miserable for the rest of my life and being fat has caused me to miss out on a lot of things and I don’t want to miss out on things anymore.

I LOVE coming to this board, it keeps me honest and sane. I LOVE this diet and the way I’m feeling and (albeit slowly) I AM LOSING!!!!! I exercise my butt off (literally) but this is the only thing working for me, Atkins and exercise.

Ok, so that’s me. So far weight-wise. I am committed to this WOE/WOL and I know that I have to stay committed to this.

[thinthing]

Hi my name is Polly and I am 47, married for 27 years and have two daughters age 24 and 20. I started gaining weight after the birth of my last daughter when I started taking depression meds. I have High cholesterol, high blood pressure and this is what motivated me to change my WOE besides the point that both my parents died from heart related issues.

I love how I can feel like a "normal" person while on this WOE. By that I mean I am not constantly thinking about food and having hunger pangs. I have never had this feeling before and find it wonderful! :wave

[Miss Phode]

Hello. My name is Teresa. I'm 27 years old. I live in Venice, Florida with my loving husband, and our little buddy Pedro (our dog). My hobbies include going to the beach, crocheting, knitting, and entertaining. My husband and I also enjoy seeing independant films at the local art theater.

I was never skinny, but in my early 20's I was a very fit size 8. I thought I was fat. What did I know? I went on a vegan diet for 2 years, in an effort to lose more weight, but unfortunately, I wasn't a very healthy vegan, and I became sick, and fat. I fell for the "fat-free" diet thing. I was stuffing my face full of lots of pasta, rice, bread, and very little veggies, and no animal protein of any kind. This caused something called Syndrome X. Basically my body produces too much insulin. It's sort of the opposite of diabetes, but at the same time, it's borderline diabetes. This causes insatiable hunger, cravings, mood swings, female problems, etc.

I ridiculed anyone that told me they followed the Atkins diet, because according to Dr. McDougal, and Harvey and Marilyn Diamond, high protein diets were death traps of some sort, and I bought it. I, for quite some time, truly believed that animal protein was not fit for human consumption. Boy have things changed.

I was tested for food allergies and intolerances by a Naturopathic Physician. My tests showed that I had an intolerance to wheat, and most grains, namely, the foods that made up 90% of my diet. I didn't want to accept the fact that a vegan diet wasn't healthy for me. So I started finding alternatives to wheat, and feasting on those (rice bread, ezekiel bread, etc). My weight has been on a steady rise for the last 5 years. I've gained approx 20 pounds per year for 5 years straight.

A chiropractor friend of mine who knew of my ill health recommended I read a book called "The Metabolic Typing Diet". This is when I found out that I was a Protein Type, meaning that eating protein, especially high grades of protein would bring me the greatest health. When I read the book, I had every symptom of a Protein Type that was on the wrong diet. I felt like the author was writing about me. That was it, I needed no more convincing. I needed to do something because I was killing myself. I made the switch. I started with eggs, fish, chicken, and now I'm eating beef and ocassionaly pork also.

So one thing at a time. My diet changed, for a while. I was losing weight, for a while. Then I became very lax, started eating all the wrong things again, in addition to my protein, and started gaining and becoming ill again. I even went so far as to try a raw vegan diet the beginning of this year. Sure, I lost weight, but I was weak and depressed, and had horrendous sugar cravings.

So here I am, at ha and I'm here to stay. I seem to be holding steady in the low 240's. I sometimes think I'll never lose this weight, but my clothes are fitting loser, my moods are more stable, and I feel great!

My husband and I recently started our own little workout challenge at home. It's called Couch to 5K. You can google it and find the program I'm referring to. It's a training program for couch potatoes. If we follow this thing the way we should, which we will, I'll be able to run 5K at the end, without keeling over. I look forward to that day!

Good luck everyone.

[Spikey1341]

Hi my name is Jeanne and this is my 2nd real attempt at Atkins. A couple of years ago I was on Atkins for a year and lost over 40 lbs. I admit I would fall off the wagon for a few days here and there but I was always able to get back on. After a year I fell off big time. I have had some health issues and surgeries lately and have gained back all of my weight.
I am bound and determined to do it this time!

I was always heavy. As a child, in my third grade picture I was so fat that when I smiled my eyes turned into slits. I have always resembled a beach ball with legs sticking out.

I work for the US govenment and my job is on the BRAC list. I don't want to move so I have been trying to figure out a way to retire early. Not looking too good if I have to take an 18% cut because of my age. Everything is up in the air right now so that added stress is definitely not a good thing for my weight loss.

I am 45 years old and have been married for 23 years, my husband retired from the Army at age 40 and has been living a life of leisure while I work my fingers to the bone. (A little exaggerating there, but can you tell I resent working while he isn't?)

My hobbies are cake decorating, (another good thing not to do while loosing weight) and the group STYX. I have seen them over 25 times now and they just keep getting better. Last summer I purchased a motor scooter and I absolutely love it! I think I am going through my mid life crisis, but if this is the extent, then I guess I'm doing okay.

I get real encouragement from this BB. In fact if it weren't for you guys, I probably would not keep trying again. Some day I will be reporting a 100 lb weight loss too. :icondance

[Laurenfra]

Hi My name is Lauren and I am a 37 year old mom of 5. My kids are 27, 20,13 8,8. Yes we never knew when to quit. My Dh and I live in a tiny town in southern Texas. We have 5 acres which are home to goats, chickens, dogs, ducks,soon a horse, cats, cats and more cats.
This was our dream moving here 4 years ago from New Jersey. My Husband is semi retired and I am the principal of a small Christian School.

I was tiny in school most years a size 3. Pregnant with my first son I gained 90lbs. Lost it and gained more then that with child #2. 3 more children and I am 100 pounds overweight. I have never stayed on any diet for more then 1 month., I managed Atkins for 12 until I fell off the wagon this week. I started Induction Today.
I am a slow looser but a happy one so far I have lost 45 lbs.
My most time consuming hobby is ADBB. When I am not here I volenteer a lot of hours at our church where I teach Sunday School, English as a Second Language, and am on a lot of comitties.

[RunAwayMichelle]

Hi :wave ...My name is Michelle. I'm 48, married 28 years, mother of two, grandmother to 3, and I have two shih-tzu dogs that I treat like babies. I'm an accountant and a professor at the local college. I love my job and my life. I live in Kelowna, B.C., Canada and it is beautiful here.

When I started this WOL I was to heavy to be weighed on any scale I could find, so over 350. Now I'm 340. I'm also a "slow tugboat" (like Deflating Diva) but I like it that way. If I loose weight quickly I get really scared and gain double back. This way I don't get crazy and I keep plugging along. My goal is to reach one'derland someday. Right now my goal is to get cheat free and I'm almost there.

I love to sew, crochet, do crafts, play computer games, and visit ha

[love2beeamom]

Hello, my name is Edie and I have been married for 15 years to my highschool sweetheart. I work part time as a nurse and fulltime at homeschooling my 3 children (ages 7,10, and 12). We live in Atlanta, GA.

I have been overweight my entire life. When I married 15 years ago, I weighed just over 200 pounds..but 3 kids later, my weight had topped 300 pounds. I had previously tried every weight loss gimic around with no success. I have been on this WOE for 20 months and lost 147 pounds so far.. I have about 30 pounds or so to reach my goal!! I feel better than I have felt in years. I now have energy to go do the things with my kids that I avoided for so many years.

I enjoy spending time with my kids, music, swimming, and am very involved in our church activities..

It is nice to meet everyone :wave

[Katlam]

Howdy all! :wave

I'm Kathy and I'm in year 2 of my new WOL/WOE on Atkins. I'm halfway to my final end goal of 145 from my start. :icondance

I've been here (at the 1/2 way weight mark) for what feels like months so I joined the Summer Challenge and my first plan was to get back up to my full water per day (been slacking there). arty

I'm a mom to 2 girls who are the lights of my life and are aged almost 10 (in Aug) and nearly 6 (her birthday is in 2 days on Friday 6/17). Been married 12 years and a bit to a wonderfully supportive guy who is doing induction again with me (he did my first 2 weeks with me long ago in Feb of 04) to get me on the right path. :eating

I'm always on the move with the girls at their activities. We've finally reached the "downtime" for my driving them places. All their activities have ended and all we have this summer is the parks program at their elementary school.

I hate being stuck indoors. I like to garden and am always out there in my yard pulling the odd weed, mowing the lawn (that takes 3+ hours each week), planting yet another perennial or tree (we have a lot of open space). We have 50,000 and some square feet of lawn, so I need more trees and shrubs to cut down on my mowing time! LOL!

When at home I can be found at my computer. I've been on-line since 1991 as my hubby is the computer geek (his term) and there's always been a computer or 7 in our house either dialed up then or cable modem'd now.

Pretty active in our church, on the board. The church is presently looking at a new priest, so I've been asked to coordinate all the visits and logistics of the choice. I'm learning so much new stuff.

Come fall I'll be back driving to their dance, soccer, theatre, cheering, orchestra, enrichment, (really I only have 2 kids, LOL!) activities. Taking my water bottle (or 3) with me.

Kathy

[punkin50]

Hello everyone... I'm Susan. I live in Goodlettsville, TN. I've lived here most of my life. I lived in Memphis for 3 years where I attended Nursing School. As you might guess I'm a Registered Nurse, (Retired). Most of my clinical nursing was in Critical Care Nursing then went on to management with its increased stress and responsibility which I think has been my "weight" downfall. My nursing was a diploma degree so when I was in my 40's I went back to school at night and got my BS. I never thought I would do that but the hospital where I worked was willing to pay for it so I felt like I had to take advantage of it. It just about killed me. Oh yes, more lbs.

I am 54 years old and have been happily married for 35 years to my high school sweetheart. We have 2 grown sons, age 27 and 30. No daughter-in-laws and no grandchildren. We do have a Pomeranian dog, Missy, which we dearly love. We live just north of Nashville in a very lovely community called Goodlettsville named for the first post master, Goodlett. We have lived in the same house since 1973. My husband doesn't like change. I guess we will leave this world at a ripe old age in this same house. Oh well.

I've been overweight most of my adult life especially after having the kids. Also, the more advanced my worked became along with the added stress, the more weight I gained. I developed severe health issues which caused my early retirement at age 49. I've continued to gain weight since then.

I too was considering weight loss surgery when I found out my insurance wouldn't cover it so I started looking around to see what other avenue I might give a try which led me here.

I've lost 11 lbs. in 4 weeks but more importantly, I've lost a total of 17.5 inches since the beginning. My husband is so proud of me. He worries about me so.

Guess I've gone on enough. ha

[Curveegrrl]

Hi! I'm Mindy, I'm 27 and I'm from Sudbury, Ontario. right now I live in Tochigi prefecture in Japan where I teach English at a Junior High School. I've been in Tochigi since last August, and I started this job in April.

I started Atkins on August 18th of last year. I can't belive it's been almost 10 months already! I still wear industrial strength fat goggles most of the time, so I don't really notice the difference in me. But sometimes, I'll just catch a glimpse of myslef and thing "hey...that's a lot smaller, eh?" I'm not anywheres close to goal yet of course, but I'm really enjoying this WOL and have no concerns about staying on it for the long haul. Even in the land of rice and noodles, this WOE can't be beat!

In my free time...I shop. A lot. I hang out under air conditioners. Why is this country so humid? I stock boy bands (I've just written my first fan letter in Japanese. go me!). I try to learn the language. I meet friends for coffee. I generally pretend to be cooler than I really am. And since most people here really don't know what I'm saying most of the time, I think I've got a few of the fool. Woot!

[Holly-Nicole]

Hi all

My name is Holly. I am 26 and live in a town called Tunbridge Wells in Kent, UK. I have a twin sister who I currently live with and her daughter who is nearly 4. She beat the battle of the bulge a few years ago and motivates me every day without knowing it. Even though we are not identical, we are similar and therefore if I want to imagine what I will look like when I reach goal, all I have to do is look at her and I get a pretty good idea. I know I will be so happy when I reach that point on the scale.

I have been doing Atkins since the middle of March this year and have so far lost 29 llbs. This is the most weight I have ever lost and I can't believe the difference it has already made to my life and so to keep me motivated and on target until xmas, I have just joined CC "Fat Blasters" team. I'm sure I will receive all the support I need from my team and ADBB as a whole to get me where I want to be.

I love skiing, swimming, listening to music, reading and being around my family and friends. I wanted to write this mainly to say a big thank you to everyone (here and at home) for everything.

Great thread, who's next?

[Yoly1001]

Hello, my name is Yoly (yes it's my real name), I am 23 about to be 24 in July. I am married to my high school sweet heart and have an adorable 2 year old daughter, Abigail. I am a full-time student at the University of Houston. I have another year until I graduate and start grad school. I plan on getting a Masters of Social Work degree, and then save the planet.

Isn't it funny how when we were thinner we used to think we were fat. That was me too. The thinnest I have ever been I weighed 165 pounds for about 2 minutes in high school. My weight has steadily gone up, until I got to 240. I started Atkins December 17th, and tomorrow will be celebrating 6 months here. I also am an addict to this board, I have it up at all times and will click back and forth throughout the day to see how everyone is doing. I know that this board has helped me through increadibly hard times and so I come here for my daily dose of motivation and a good kick in the butt.

I love to read, listening to all kinds of music, and am trying to learn how to love to sew. I am a dreamer and an eternal optimist. I have been told that I have too many wishes. My biggest wish is to live in Spain, which I will do one day, hopefully soon.

It's nice getting to know all or you...great post Cleo.

[iPamela]

Hi everyone, my name is Pamela and I live in Georgia..just a few mins away from Atlanta. Lived here my entire life. I'm married with 3 children.

I found this woe May 2004 and stayed on it for 7 months and lost over 60. I have restarted the plan several times but I have finally been back on plan for a while now. I still would like to lose 100lbs. I have been heavy most of my entire adult life. I'm a "food junkie" without a doubt. But hopefully I'm in recovery now and will remain there.

The reason I started Atkins was because I just go so sick of being so heavy. I felt like I was an alien who just landed here from another planet. I felt so different from everyone. I hated looking at pics of myself at church of with family - I was always the biggest person! I just hated that feeling. One day I decided I was tired of hiding behind my "fat mask" and wanted to do something about it. I tried low calorie which didn't work and then I found Atkins. This plan has really helped me in so many ways. I still have alot of weight to lose, but I feel better about myself already. I don't feel so different from other people now - I'm able to cope with it in knowing that I'm doing something about my problem.

Anyway....I love being with my kids. I have a son who turns 5 on the 21st and I'm so exicted! The most important thing to me now is taking good care of me so I will be able to care for my family.

One of my favorite things to do is go on this board!!! I love being able to relate to people who are just like me in so many ways.

Pamela

:icondance :icondance :icondance

[Helena_HastingsUK]

Getting to know everyone!

What a brilliant idea it is to get to know everyone (a bit!) like this! Thanks to whoever started the thread. Just want to say I *love* the Shrinking Diva she's a brilliant writer and the funniest person on these boards.

I am sad to find only ONE English person has posted to this thread, and funnily enough I'm only about 30 miles from her!

I'm Helena in Hastings, UK, I am 47 next week and I weigh an appalling 315 pounds.

I have PCOS, hyperinsulinism, hypoglycaemia, Syndrome X. With my body flooded with an excess of insulin, I have a tougher time than most other slimmers and have to be 100% or I lose nothing. My story of living with this condition is available as a free PDF download at http://www.railwaywomen.co.uk/hypo.pdf and may be of interest to those of you who currently suffer.

I worked from age 16 until I was 42 then gave up paid work and am now a full-time researcher, writer, webmistress and publisher and that means I spend about 80% of my life at this computer. If anyone is curious my website is http://www.hastingspress.co.uk and if you want to see my fat, ugly self there are three photos of me on my other site at http://www.railwaywomen.co.uk/biog.html

I enjoy my own company and am dedicated to my work, usually at the PC by 0600 and often not shutting down till 11pm or later. I really love what I do it's really like a much loved hobby that I am priviledged to be able to do 6 days a week (I don't work Sundays hehehehe).

After writing and publishing my history books I have to promote, advertise, market and distribute them myself. I have also given a lot of public talks this past year and enjoy that very much. You'd think that standing up in front of a large number of people, all simultaneously staring at me, would be an incentive to lose weight but it doesn't seem to bother me what they think of my size. Oh, and on the strength of my most recent book, I've been taken on as a part time university tutor starting in October 05 teaching a subject very dear to my heart.

I am single and childless (by choice) share my lovely house near the sea with wonderful lodgers and a cat.I don't like socialising much; when I do I prefer to be with one person not a crowd.

I have a great boyfriend who is tall and thin and trim and fit and waiting for the moment when I can join him in long walks by the seaside and in the country. I count myself very lucky to have him, because he is totally uninterested in food and only eats to stay alive. That means that he doesn't put high-carb foods into my presence. He eats his own special foods when he stays here (every weekend) and it is stuff that I do not like anyway so that is great. He is 100% supportive of my attempts to get fit but never nags me at all.

My knees and feet and ankles hurt and the only exercise I can do its swimming, which I intend to do 5 times a week but keep finding health issues get in the way (repeated ear infections, and now a burst vein in my leg).

I've been dieting for 27 years and have gained 11 stone in that time. I have gained 5 stone in the last 5 years. I have restarted Atkins at least 50 times and am currently 3 stone heavier than when I started 3 years ago. I have no willpower and keep going off the wagon. There is a chocolate shop just 5 doors from my house and I wish it would close down - or ban me! I am a chocoholic who is always trying to give up! I have come to realise that the only way I am going to break free of the choc addiction is to make myself hate it and to regard it as a poison.

I had a miserable childhood where carbs were used as a substitute for love and attention, and I think I still have a lot of issues with that which I have never tackled and which are probably affecting me still.

My good points are that I don't smoke, drink or take drugs, and I really do enjoy doing aerobics in the swimming pool, and then walking home to the sounds of rock and jazz on my MP3 player, so I am trying to build on that by going at 7am every morning.

My current pets hate is seeing the words 'lose' or 'losing' weight misspelt as 'loose' and 'loosing', which they are on about 50% of all posts on weight loss message boards. Grrrrr!

To sum up, I would like to reduce from current 315 to 215. My current goal is to get halfway to that by 31st December, which only means losing 2lb a week for the next 25 weeks. Not much is it, gals?

Enough of my inane ramblings!

Who's next?