I need some advice on what to do

[daiseylott]

So today is the end of my friend and I's first two weeks of Atkins. I lost an amazing eight pounds but she came to me all discouraged saying she only lost four and talked about quiting. She also descorage b/c I'm smaller than her and lost more weight. I'm trying to encourge her to stay becuase Atkins has done wonerders for me in the past and four pound os pritty good. What should I do and how should I help?

[stephbob]

Re: I need some advice on what to do

Tell her that 4 pounds is the same, if not more than she'd lose on any other "diet". Help her make sure she's doing everything right.

How much does she need to lose in comparison to you? If you need to lose more, you would have lost more than here in induction!

Just be supportive and suggest she gives it a few more weeks before she makes a decision. If she lost 2lb a week for 6 months, she's have lost 52lbs! Think of it that way

Also, why not get here to come on here too? She can see the amount of success everyone else is having! Maybe that will spur her on.

[sallyseachange]

Re: I need some advice on what to do

If you have more to lose than she, then it's natural that you'd lose faster at first.
On the other hand, it may just be her metabolism. We are all incredibly different.
Another possibility is that you exercise more than she does... the reasons are endless.

Try to get her to post here. ADBB is a wonderful place for support and inspiration.

Congrats to both of you on your great starts!

[OzLover]

Re: I need some advice on what to do

Has she read DANDR? If not she needs to so she can understand what this way of life is all about. 4# is great. Did she lose any inches, does she feel better, sleep better, are her clothes fitting better & how is her energy level?

More importantly Atkins is more than a diet. It is a way of life. When you diet & lose weight & then go back to your old ways of eating you of course gain weight.

Hope she sticks it out...but to each his own!

[kate58]

Re: I need some advice on what to do

The bottom line is that, much as you may want to, you cannot make anyone else's decisions for them. You can encourage, but probably the best way to motivate someone in the longer term is to stick with it yourself - results speak for themselves.

While it is very helpful to have a "real-life" buddy doing a diet with you, it has certain dangers too. When or if they make a decision to quit or slacken off or to cheat, it can be very demotivating and it create temptation to go with them. In the end we all have to make our own decisions and let others make their's, however much we disagree with them or wish it were otherwise.

[shininstr984]

Re: I need some advice on what to do

I would say try to get her to join ADBB! I know there isn't a study (there should be one) of the success rate in atkins with those who are on here vs. those who are not....i don't know if it really has anything to do with it, but it's helped me out tremendously!

Also, everyone is different with their weight loss. If she has less weight to lose, it may not come off as easily.

The best thing you can do is lend your ear to your friend.
It's great that you have someone doing it right along with you!