Why? Why did I stop?

[rrittenhouse]

Hello everyone.

I started the Atkins WOE a couple years ago and I went for quite a few months and I was successful at losing 50lbs. Everything was going GREAT! Until I had to have ankle surgery that is. I was unable to cook for myself and all anybody wanted to do was try and feed me fast food. I rejected it for a while but eventually gave in (my fault) because it was "just easier".

Earlier this year I was going to the Gym everyday and just eating "better" not quitting all of my bad habits but I was trying to ease into it.

I moved from that area (to an actual house this time) and quit going to the gym and I am worse off than ever. I put in a huge garden and I am really enjoying that but I am also helping myself to takeout 6 nights a week it seems. Just because it's "easier".

Now I am back and trying to pick a WoE I am obviously looking at where I was successful: Atkins. I keep hearing the usual "Go vegan" or "Atkins is horrible for you!". I'm thinking, isn't being 380lbs horrible for me? What could Atkins do thats so much worse?

Please everyone I need some encouragement and some guidance because I really need it right now and I know how loving and supporting this community is and I appreciate you all!

Thank you

[niko772]

Re: Why? Why did I stop?

How long ago was the surgery? Have you been released yet? I hope you're recovering well.

First thing...toss out the take out and delivery menus...you don't need them. If you're concerned about cheating and don't want the temptation, cook in large quantities and refrigerate or freeze them for quick meals. You can also prepare snacks and keep them in sandwich bags for when the munchies hit you.

As for exercise, there are so many different forms of exercises you can do without stressing out your ankle. Work on crunches, lifts, use milk jugs for weights..basically improvise. You'll feel so much better about yourself.

[chinadoll]

Re: Why? Why did I stop?

Time to take control. You already know what you need to do--the hard part is committing to do it and that's why you have come here. You will always hear people dis Atkins but as you said, being 380 isn't healthy for you and I will take the "dangers" of cutting sugar and flour out of my life over weighing 380 any day of the week.

So read the book, get informed and motivated, toss those menus, go shopping and start losing.

[kjohnson7667]

Re: Why? Why did I stop?

Fast food is always the easiest way. I still do fast food but but I'm fussier about it. KFC now has the grilled chicken, so I'll get that and forget the sides. Instead, I'll make myself a salad (from my garden). If I get a burger craving, I'll hit one of the better burger joints bring it home and toss the bun. I'll still make my veggies at home.
You can stay within your goals if your improvise a little and check the nutrition values on the fast foods websites. Stay away from pizza. Even the sauce is loaded with sugars.

But in the long nikko is right. Plan ahead. Make a turkey breast and keep it in the frig. It's lasts a long time and is very versatile.

[rrittenhouse]

Re: Why? Why did I stop?

How long ago was the surgery? Have you been released yet? I hope you're recovering well.

First thing...toss out the take out and delivery menus...you don't need them. If you're concerned about cheating and don't want the temptation, cook in large quantities and refrigerate or freeze them for quick meals. You can also prepare snacks and keep them in sandwich bags for when the munchies hit you.

As for exercise, there are so many different forms of exercises you can do without stressing out your ankle. Work on crunches, lifts, use milk jugs for weights..basically improvise. You'll feel so much better about yourself.

The surgery was well over a year ago now. I have passed my first checkpoint to a full recovery. The two year mark is a complete recovery but I am doing pretty good.

When i was going to the gym it was a few months after the surgery (maybe around a year, actually).

As I said in my post earlier I actually read the book early last year and I ended up losing 50lbs around the May 20th 2008 area (When I started in January 200.

Since the surgery on May 23rd (200 It just went downhill and I gained it _ALL_ back! ::

thank you for the reply!

[rrittenhouse]

Re: Why? Why did I stop?

Time to take control. You already know what you need to do--the hard part is committing to do it and that's why you have come here. You will always hear people dis Atkins but as you said, being 380 isn't healthy for you and I will take the "dangers" of cutting sugar and flour out of my life over weighing 380 any day of the week.

So read the book, get informed and motivated, toss those menus, go shopping and start losing.

That's about what I was thinking!! I do have teeth problems which prevent me from eating most steak so I need to change the way I do that.

thanks for the reply!

[rrittenhouse]

Re: Why? Why did I stop?

Fast food is always the easiest way. I still do fast food but but I'm fussier about it. KFC now has the grilled chicken, so I'll get that and forget the sides. Instead, I'll make myself a salad (from my garden). If I get a burger craving, I'll hit one of the better burger joints bring it home and toss the bun. I'll still make my veggies at home.
You can stay within your goals if your improvise a little and check the nutrition values on the fast foods websites. Stay away from pizza. Even the sauce is loaded with sugars.

But in the long nikko is right. Plan ahead. Make a turkey breast and keep it in the frig. It's lasts a long time and is very versatile.

Yeah I went through this once and lost 50lbs! I apparently had it down until that darn surgery! I just need to try this again as I really REALLY enjoyed the food!!! It will go well with my garden thats growing!

Thank you all for the replies

[keriann_forgoodthistime]

Re: Why? Why did I stop?

it IS hard - but you WILL do it. Nothing in life is easy - that's just the rule...

I had surgery myself, yesterday - and yes I had something I normally would never eat on this WOE...(not including the applesauce and sprite 'force-fed' to me when I was waking up...lol)
But when I got home from the hospital I asked my mom to go get me one of my favorite sammiches (bread and all) from jimmy johns. I used to be ADDICTED to Jimmy johns - seriously I could eat their sandwiches twice a day every day if I was allowed!

But - obviously - that was something I "gave up" this year...

But - after that sandwich at lunch - bread and all - for dinner I had a fabulous atkins-approved caesar salad with steak.

This morning - back to my same routine - eggs & sausage for breakfast (btw, the sausage I buy is hormone & antiboitics free)...

You know atkins worked - you have to realize WHY this way of eating works and WHY high-carb low fat did NOT work...

I've read up and educated myself on this all year - and now I know the biological reason why my body doesn't process carbs (i'm insulin resistant) - and basically when I have high-glycemic carbs (obviously not including the ones that are atkins-carbs...berries, nuts, dairy, etc) - but when I have the high-glycemic carbs such as bread, pasta, flour, wheat, etc...my body over-produces insulin because those foods SPIKE my insulin levels.

One they are high - the pancreas goes into overdrive and what it can't "use up" gets stored as a fat cell instead.

So now that I KNOW that that is how I got "fat" because of those other foods - I stay away from them because I don't want to be fat ever again!

Now - again - once in a blue moon - maybe even TWO blue moons have I allowed myself something that isn't atkins-approved...

Anyways though - I TOTALLY understand how surgery or other stressful life events can make you want to say "ah screw it"...but you can't do that.

It's NOT worth it! For me, I've worked TOO damn hard to EVER go back to my old ways of eating - when that old way of eating was what got me up to 200 pounds in the first place!!!

Get rid of the takeout menus - make your own menus - stock your kitchen with atkins-approved foods and just keep going!

Plus - the way I also see this? I only eat whole foods now. NOTHING processed - NO junk foods - basically (well, about 99.9% of the time) NOTHING that has chemicals in it that I can't pronounce.

Food should be what god gave us - whole vegees, whole fruits, meat, eggs & cheese (and even meats and cheeses you need to make sure aren't processed)...

Food should NOT be made in a lab with chemicals and things you can't pronounce or don't KNOW what it is/where it came from.

Anyways - that's all - off my soapbox now
I just wanted to add my $.02 cents

Good luck and welcome BACK to the BEST way of eating!

[rrittenhouse]

Re: Why? Why did I stop?

it IS hard - but you WILL do it. Nothing in life is easy - that's just the rule...

I had surgery myself, yesterday - and yes I had something I normally would never eat on this WOE...(not including the applesauce and sprite 'force-fed' to me when I was waking up...lol)
But when I got home from the hospital I asked my mom to go get me one of my favorite sammiches (bread and all) from jimmy johns. I used to be ADDICTED to Jimmy johns - seriously I could eat their sandwiches twice a day every day if I was allowed!

But - obviously - that was something I "gave up" this year...

But - after that sandwich at lunch - bread and all - for dinner I had a fabulous atkins-approved caesar salad with steak.

This morning - back to my same routine - eggs & sausage for breakfast (btw, the sausage I buy is hormone & antiboitics free)...

You know atkins worked - you have to realize WHY this way of eating works and WHY high-carb low fat did NOT work...

I've read up and educated myself on this all year - and now I know the biological reason why my body doesn't process carbs (i'm insulin resistant) - and basically when I have high-glycemic carbs (obviously not including the ones that are atkins-carbs...berries, nuts, dairy, etc) - but when I have the high-glycemic carbs such as bread, pasta, flour, wheat, etc...my body over-produces insulin because those foods SPIKE my insulin levels.

One they are high - the pancreas goes into overdrive and what it can't "use up" gets stored as a fat cell instead.

So now that I KNOW that that is how I got "fat" because of those other foods - I stay away from them because I don't want to be fat ever again!

Now - again - once in a blue moon - maybe even TWO blue moons have I allowed myself something that isn't atkins-approved...

Anyways though - I TOTALLY understand how surgery or other stressful life events can make you want to say "ah screw it"...but you can't do that.

It's NOT worth it! For me, I've worked TOO damn hard to EVER go back to my old ways of eating - when that old way of eating was what got me up to 200 pounds in the first place!!!

Get rid of the takeout menus - make your own menus - stock your kitchen with atkins-approved foods and just keep going!

Plus - the way I also see this? I only eat whole foods now. NOTHING processed - NO junk foods - basically (well, about 99.9% of the time) NOTHING that has chemicals in it that I can't pronounce.

Food should be what god gave us - whole vegees, whole fruits, meat, eggs & cheese (and even meats and cheeses you need to make sure aren't processed)...

Food should NOT be made in a lab with chemicals and things you can't pronounce or don't KNOW what it is/where it came from.

Anyways - that's all - off my soapbox now
I just wanted to add my $.02 cents

Good luck and welcome BACK to the BEST way of eating!

Very good information! I seem to love those bad processed carbs but I know once I fully decide when to jump back on I should be fine. I was on Atkins for quite a few months and my wife helped me look for foods that were OK for me to eat and whatnot. She is the other half of my "issues" at times - we both need to lose the weight. She weighs around 370lbs and I weigh 380 so we are both pretty bad off and need to do this together.

I asked Jillian on her KFI radio show about how to get her motivated a while back and she told me just to lead by example and she will follow along. You know, Jillian was right then and I hope my wife will follow in my footsteps and we stay on this healthier path.

Thank you all for the replies - it means more to me than you will ever know.

Robert Rittenhouse

[ThinSoon]

Re: Why? Why did I stop?

Look up Brook's post on here on what to do at the beginning of each week to get organized. I get organized on Sundays, make meals, meats, cut up veggies etc. You have to be prepared AND you have to want this.

Think about how much money you will save eating at home versus take out each day and you will feel better also!!!

You can do this, you've done it before. Get rid of excuses, get organized and take the plunge. We have all been through it before and we are here for you - you can do this! Do it for your health and yourself!

Tracey

[IrishIrish]

Re: Why? Why did I stop?

Planning, organizing and committing ... I believe that those are the keys to Atkins. And you can't be easy on yourself or let go for even a day.

I repeat this often ... and I know it is dull and boring ... but I knew that I had many "cheats" left in me if I allowed them to happen, but I may have only had one recovery, so I reminded myself every day that I was on the right track. No one is going to do this for you. You have to do it for yourself and people are here to support your good decisions.