So what was it like.................?

[jeepgirl06]

So, I would really love to hear from all the people who've been on Atkins for more than 2 months, what was it like the first couple months, the first 6 months, the first year? What habits did you pick up that you found encouraged you along the way? Did you weigh every week or did any of you wait awhile before weighing? Did any of you guys have doubts when you started only to have them washed away when you started losing?

[ontheway2Stephanie]

Re: So what was it like.................?

Oooh good thread, I can't wait for answers!

[mwalsh95]

Re: So what was it like.................?

I started Jan. 2 of this year. I started off great loosing the bulk of my loss then BAM stall. It was my own fault. I strated to think I could do Atkins my way by tweaking the system. Doesn't work. Started getting so frustrated thought I'd give up all together and then I saw pictures of me when my daughter was having prom pictures done. OMG!!! Here I thought I looked half way o.k. since at that time I had lost 30 lbs. It was awful. I think I developed the opposite of anorexia - ya know when they look in a mirror and see a fat person. I looked in the mirror and saw a slim person LOL. A picture IS worth a thousand words. Anyhoo, I got back on the horse and since then have lost 6 more pounds. I hold onto the picture as motivation. I know I should have more weight off by now so I'm going to kick it in high gear and this time take progress pictures so I don't revert to my non-anorexia fews of myself. Good luck to all!!!

[jeepgirl06]

Re: So what was it like.................?

omg, I know what you mean with the mirror... I have a mirror at work that is very very very deceptive ( in fact, I'd love to take it home and marry it, it makes me look a fraction of what I am) and I saw a pic of me the other day in the mountains, and I wanted to puke.

[ontheway2Stephanie]

Re: So what was it like.................?

Hahaha, I totally do the same thing! It's a different type of body dismorphic disorder - I think I'm thinner than I am!

Congrats for getting back on the program.

[mwalsh95]

Re: So what was it like.................?

Isn't it amazing how our minds can play tricks on us. I'm hoping all those skinny people I see are really FAT!! HAHAHAHAHa

[jeepgirl06]

Re: So what was it like.................?

Bwahaaaa!

[CHUBBRUBBKARA]

Re: So what was it like.................?

Isn't it amazing how our minds can play tricks on us. I'm hoping all those skinny people I see are really FAT!! HAHAHAHAHa

Hey... you stole my fantasy!

[jeepgirl06]

Re: So what was it like.................?

we totally went off topic, lol. Still waiting to hear from you guys!

[jimmie 48]

Re: So what was it like.................?

So, I would really love to hear from all the people who've been on Atkins for more than 2 months, what was it like the first couple months, the first 6 months, the first year? What habits did you pick up that you found encouraged you along the way? Did you weigh every week or did any of you wait awhile before weighing? Did any of you guys have doubts when you started only to have them washed away when you started losing?

i am not a member of the century club so i hope no one minds the intursion.
the first few months was a chaotic. i spent more time trying to figure out what forums were most useful to me and were i would settle in. i soon found peeps that were kindly to me and made me feel at home.

i did weigh every day and that has only recently gone by the way side. i was addicted, no doubt. but i did so enjoy watching it move ever so slowly towards goal. i had peeps along the way that helped me not to be quite a scaleaholic.
i had no let downs. i had done atkins way back in the mid 70's after the birth of my second child. had a good weight loss and got to the smallest i have ever been in adult life. 30 +years later i found myself at 168 pounds and knew i had to do something. there was no other choice and no looking back. atkins had worked then and i knew it would work again. the plan this time is to keep it off.

the board has been a lifesaver to me, not only in what it offers as a diet board but in the freindships i have made. i have been honored to serve as a hostess and a moderator...just a couple of ways that i can pay it forward.

now, i'll hustle on back from whence i came. i was intrigued by the questions and felt it would be just okay to answer.

[jeepgirl06]

Re: So what was it like.................?

that's awesome!!!!!!!!

[bizzlekitty]

Re: So what was it like.................?

When I first started, I didn't think it would work, as every other diet I have tried (many!) never did. But I decided to give it a good hard try, doing extended induction and staying cheat free as long as possible.

I'm really glad I did that. I curbed my cravings and bad habits. I stopped a 10 can a day Diet Coke habit and was able to turn down cake and cookies without missing them. I changed my bad eating habits of lots of carb and fried foods and few veggies to begin eating veggies and healthy foods and water..

And amazingly, I lost weight. Atkin worked where no other diet ever had. I wasn't hungry or craving things like on other diets. I was eating healthy and drinking water, and had lots of energy.

My first year, I didn't exercise, as I thought I couldn't due to the pain of fibormyalgia. I was wrong. I began exercising my 2nd year, as my pain and other symptoms of fibromyalgia had lessened and I had lots more energy.

My thyroid, blood pressure and cholesterol numbers have all improved dramatically.

Do I cheat? On rare occasions, but its never for more than a bite or taste of something, as it no longer has the same taste or fulfilment for me. There's too many yummy foods that I can eat that I do not feel deprived.

I'm a slow loser and have lots of stalls, but I still am losing slowly, inches or a pound here and there. The pace doesn't bother me that much, because i feel so much better and in control of my eating.

2 years down, the rest of my life to go!

[changing]

Re: So what was it like.................?

I first did Atkins in 2003 and lost 80 pounds... however, over the years in between, I thought I'd start eating "normal" (what a fool I was), I started taking medications that put on some more weight (antidepressants) and then I quit smoking and went back to school... my job prior to that was a semi-active one so going back to school meant I was suddenly sedentary and quitting smoking led to incredible binges.



I went back on Atkins January of this year and have lost 35 pounds so far... I had to set my mind on it being a lifetime plan this time around. And I have! I think for me, the most important aspect is realizing that Atkins benefits everyday life... I feel so energized compared to how I was on carbiness... plus, I'm less moody (fewer blood sugar swings), I sleep better, and I feel in control of my eating for once. It's a way to embrace with my love of food and my desire to be healthy at the same time. I honestly believe lifetime maintenance to be an optimally healthy eating program, with OWL and induction being quite acceptable especially for a comparably short time frame (when compared with the rest of your life).

The first month was the hardest when I came back to Atkins... and of course, the first 4 days of induction were pure **** for me. It takes time to form habits, and I really had to muckle down to make myself learn good practices. It gets easier every day as I become more acclimated to the lifestyle, you know, knowing what to put in the old grocery cart, learning different (new and exciting) ways to cook meals, and acheive new exercise goals.

It's funny, because I recently hit an emotional funk when I saw myself in a full-length mirror on an overnight stay away from home (we don't have a full-length in my house), because I have that body dysmorphic "non-anorexia" too... I think though that remembering the real reasons I'm doing this -- my sense of well-being and not my own physical vanity -- is the key to keep from being discouraged and staying focused. I stuck to the diet during this funk, pretty much out of habit. So I would say that new healthy habits can be your best friend.

Oh, and sheer stubbornness... I get that attitude of "no way am I putting that unhealthy crap in my mouth" and it seems to work fine for me.

[Analog6]

Re: So what was it like.................?

I picked the book up in a cheapie basket at the supermarket, and started a week or so later. I hoped it would work for me but was not optimistic. 14 days later and 25.4lbs down and let me tell you, I WAS optimistic. That big loss on Induction keeps mevery focussed, and although it is slower now, I ma sure I will do it and reach goal, hopefully by mid-2007.

[jeepgirl06]

Re: So what was it like.................?

These are awesome testimonies guys!! You guys are really reaching for your goals and making them! I think this thread was a smart idea, I think us new people really need the encouragement to keep moving along. Thanks so much for writing in, if there are more, keep them coming!!!