New to the the BB

[MissMel]

Hi all, I read I should intro myself so here I go.

My name is Melissa and I am a 32 yr old mom of 4 kids..ages are in my sig line. I began my WL journey in 2003 after dealing with PPD with the pregnancy and birth of my last child. I began with following the Dietetic Exchange diet and then went to WW for the support...talk about slow weightloss. lol I began Atkins in February and had lots of ups and downs with it but I have managed to lose an additional 20lbs give or take....I am still doing Induction.

Lately I have been struggling just sticking with my daily plan. I think I am obsessing over every lb and realise I need to put the scale away and stick to a once a month measurement and weight for progress. In June I finally dropped into the 170's and now wear a size 16 in the Misses and gone from a size 22 shirt down to large in Misses. lol Blows me away how much progress i have made yet I still have a hard time not feeling like that fat mommy I became when I had kids. I know I look great but have a hard time believing it all the time.

I have been derailed the past 2 wks giving into cravings etc and I keep losing and gaining the same 3 lbs which takes me in and out of the 170's grrr. Why do I sabotage myself...do any of you who are close to your goal find you are almost afraid to get there? Do you go thru bouts of sabotage?

I am getting my Atkins book back out and going back to strict Induction for the next 2 wks and this time I will move onto OWL...I think its time to get more of a variety so I don't get bored or frustrated. If you have any advice please feel free to share...I need to hear something to help me get thru the next leg of this race.

Thanks for having me and taking the time to read about me!

[Sarah1341]

Re: New to the the BB

Welcome Melissa! The board is really supportive and helpful in keeping us on track. Another thing that I have found that helps is finding someone with similar stats and becoming email buddies. I have a buddy and the two of us compare notes on our progress, stalls, etc. It has been really helpful in keeping me true to myself and this way of eating. If you see someone on the board that you would like to chat with, don't hesitate to send them a private message or a post about connecting.

Otherwise, good luck with your two week induction!!! Oh, another note, make sure to read the sticky's at the top of the forums. They are really helpful. This will definitely come in handy when you move to OWL.

Best wishes!

[fawn]

Re: New to the the BB

Welcome Melissa! Once you find the tools to make this a lifestyle it will all come naturally to you. You will find that processed food is evil. Treat it like poison! A piece of advice I would give: Do induction until you get your cravings under control. It may take you two weeks and it may take less. Get yourself into owl right away to prevent boredom. OWL will also help you lose weight believe it or not. Too many people stick with induction to find they stall. By introducing new healthy/acceptable foods into your plan, you will find your ccl. This is very important. getting your ccl up there will also prevent you from gaining by restriction. The body has awesome memory. It will get comfortable. Don't let yours do that. Read the owl section over until you understand it completely. I promise you will be much happier with this plan for life.

[Desertthorn]

Re: New to the the BB

Melissa, glad you found us and glad you posted. You are so lucky cause you FOUND THE BEST SUPPORT on the web.

[Becky Sue]

Re: New to the the BB

Welcome Melissa!
Does sound like you need to move on to OWL. So glad you have joined our family of big losers!!! LOL
Happy Low carbing!

[MissMel]

Re: New to the the BB

Thank everyone...I did finally move on to OWL without trying to redo a 2 wk period of Induction and I have been successful but still trying to figure it out. I didn't follow the ladder though..I am doing the basic rules of Induction but I added Strawberries and then Blueberries and more Heavy Cream...an extra 5.1 net carbs give or take. I was 178 a week ago Friday and now I am down to 175.8-176lbs which is very encouraging for me despite being a PMS week. lol

I have been a little more liberal with my salad vegetables too instead of trying to be strictly to the measuring cup I am adding another 1/4 to a 1/2 cup here and there. I am also making sure I am not eating the SAME amount of carbs each day...trying to stagger it and I think that is working most of all.

I am feeling much more empowered this week and I had the realization that I am ONLY 20 lbs from goal...and in 10 lbs I should be ready to move to Pre-Maintenance. I never dreamed that I would ever get this close...when I was at the beginning I told myself I would be happy to just get halfway there but that was 2 1/2 yrs ago and I am so glad I didn't give up or settle for less.

Thanks again for the welcome and encouragement!

[DebbieY]

Re: New to the the BB

I wanted to welcome you also. One of the other things that helped me out was the recipe board. It allowed me to try out new things without getting too tired of what I was eating. Plus, it helped out a little with meal planning. My life is a little hectic when it comes to what everyone eats. I have to fix something for myself, then fix something for my daughter, and then my husband gets home from work around 10:30pm or so, and pretty much both my daughter and I are already asleep. He then has to get something prepared for himself. (He's a picky eater and whenever I decide to cook for him, it seems that he wanted something else. So, I stopped cooking for him.)

But, I strayed from the original thought, the recipe board has helped me out a lot. Although I haven't been brave enough to try out any recipes with pork rinds, since I can't stand eating pork rinds alone.

You are doing a great job though. I told myself that as soon as I reached the 160's, I would move to OWL. Unfortunately, I have been playing around 172 for several weeks now. But, I am now a stay-at-home mom, so I have more time for exercise. And have been making sure to do some form of exercise every day now, so I should be moving along with you shortly to OWL.

[MissMel]

Re: New to the the BB

Thanks...I told myself I had to wait until I got to 170 before I began OWL because I had this plan but it just got too hard to stick to it. I am feeling much more satisfied..my favorite treat right now is 2-3 oz heavy cream w/ a 1/4 packet of Splenda and a 1/4 cup of Blueberries. I stir it up and put it in the freezer for an hour or so and its like having Ice cream which is my favorite treat to begin with. lol Another treat that I am able to eat in moderation is those Creamcicles from Carb Smart...0 net carbs.

My biggest problem right now is regular exercise, my kids are always underfoot and I just never have the time to myself. My husband works at a Kids camp and its extremely busy time for him so I am a single SAHM parent most of the time. They go back to school Sept. 6th and my youngest will be in morning Pre-K...I plan to make that MY TIME to do something like walking or working out in the living room without a little one underfoot. lol

I will check out the Recipe section...I often fix the kids their dinner and then my own because my husband is rarely home to eat with us. I use to try and hold off dinner so he could eat with us and like you he would want something else. grrr Now I eat without him and he cooks for himself or eats at work. It helps me to stay true to my daily food plan.

Thanks for the welcome~

[DebbieY]

Re: New to the the BB

My daughter starts Pre-K on August 15th from 8:30 - 11:30 every day. I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do with myself during that time. I have only been a stay-at-home mom since Monday. So, I'm not quite sure what I'm planning on doing. I was thinking about getting a pilates dvd and doing that every other day while she's at Pre-K.

The school offered me a part-time job, but I told them that I plan on taking off a few months before deciding what I want to do. (My bachelors degree was in Family, Child and Consumer Sciences, so I have already had my daughter's old daycare and now this one asking me if I want a job after they find out I majored in Child Development.) I originally planned to get my masters degree in Psychology and then go into Child Psychology, but that didn't work out. Now I'm thinking about going back to school to either get an Early Education degree or to get certified in order to go into teaching either elementary school or middle school.

I think once your children are in school and your daughter is in Pre-K, that will give you a lot more time to do stuff. Actually, I've been a bad mom in order to exercise. My daughter loves a few movies (Scooby Doo, SpongeBob, and the like) and I let her watch a movie while I have been exercising. It normally keeps her entertained, but then again, I only have one to entertain. And I plan on starting to take her around to walk around a lake nearby in which after we walk, I'll let her feed the ducks. The only problem is the weather right now. It has been raining every day and looking over the 10 day forecast, it appears that it'll continue to rain all 10 days.

I'm hoping that I'll start OWL in the next week or so. I'm going out of town next weekend and I hope that after next weekend, I'll be able to officially start OWL and I'm hoping that I'll be able to tell my family (in which we are about to visit) that I've lost 60 pounds. 2 more pounds to go before I can say that.

But, my best friend did compliment me the last time she saw me (about a month ago). She kept looking at me and then said, "I feel like I have my college Debbie back." I'm still heavier than I was in college, but it was a nice compliment.

[MissMel]

Re: New to the the BB

Oh that is a great feeling when someone notices! I will keep my fingers crossed for you that you hit that 60lb mark before you see your family. I live far from my family and I enjoy when I do visit and have them notice the difference...its a good feeling!

I am lucky that we have a small lake out behind our property, pretty much in our backyard. I take the kids swimming just about everyday but I need to get into something more organized. I can't do any heavy weightlifting because I have a condition that affects my aorta...but I can do light and anything is better than nothing at all.

Congrats on your degree and I don't blame you for wanting some time off. I actually plan to go back to school in the next year or so...just want all the kids settled in a full day school program first and then I am going to decide what I want to be when I grow up. lol My first plan is just to pick up some general classes out of the way and maybe then I will have an idea of what I want to do.

Good luck starting OWL...I have a feeling you will enjoy the choices as much as I have.

[Peytonn]

Re: New to the the BB

WELCOME!!!! this is a great place to be!

[cruiser gal]

Re: New to the the BB

Welcome aboard! You'll find this place warm, supportive, and a great place to hang out. Good luck in OWL, the variety is great!