Starting again for the Umpteenth Time

[Gina8225]

Hello. I'm certainly not new to Atkins. I previously lost 35 pounds in 3 months about 8 years ago following this plan. But then I had a baby and all the weight came back. Since then, I have been on again and then off again. I manage to lose a few pounds then hit a stall and give up. This time, I think I know what my issues are with not losing like I did. I had to reread the diet plan and found out I was having way more carbs than I thought and I also have to give up the Diet Pepsi and caffeine. I also need to plan my meals ahead of time so I don't just grab whatever is in front of me that I think is safe (like peanuts, which I LOVE). So this time around, I am really going to give it the best shot I can. Any helpful tips that anyone can share would be awesome.

[msanjelpie]

Re: Starting again for the Upteenth Time

My first tip is that once you get back on the diet and you do away with the soda and peanuts etc... that you enter everything you eat into fitday.com every single day until you know what amounts and portions you can have that will keep you under 20 carbs per day.

The second tip is since you get discouraged when you stall and you KNOW you are going to stall during parts of the weight loss process is to put your scale away. Otherwise you are just messing with your head, not listening to your body and sabotaging all of your efforts.

Although I stall more than I lose, I wouldn't lose at all if I quit during the stalls... and I figure as long as I'm not GAINING, then something is happening inside my body during those stalls...

I know you can do it... you did it once, you can do it again... It will be much harder this time. Gear up for that. It's the only way to get to where you want to be.

[Momtofour]

Re: Starting again for the Upteenth Time

My first tip is that once you get back on the diet and you do away with the soda and peanuts etc... that you enter everything you eat into fitday.com every single day until you know what amounts and portions you can have that will keep you under 20 carbs per day.

The second tip is since you get discouraged when you stall and you KNOW you are going to stall during parts of the weight loss process is to put your scale away. Otherwise you are just messing with your head, not listening to your body and sabotaging all of your efforts.

Although I stall more than I lose, I wouldn't lose at all if I quit during the stalls... and I figure as long as I'm not GAINING, then something is happening inside my body during those stalls...

I know you can do it... you did it once, you can do it again... It will be much harder this time. Gear up for that. It's the only way to get to where you want to be.

I love your comment...so true!

[imagood1]

Re: Starting again for the Upteenth Time

Hi and welcome back –

Don’t compare what you lost or how you did “the last time” your body and lifestyle isn’t the same as last time – follow the plan the way it is written, exercise, drink plenty of pure water (64 ounces minimum daily – nothing added) and you’ll be on your way to loosing before you know it.

At the top of the induction page you’ll find a condensed version of the book - http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-diet-14-day-induction/77558-atkins-diet-induction-faqs.html. Make a copy of this list http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-low-carb-dieting-faqs/6781-what-foods-can-eaten-induction.html and take it with you when you go to the store. If a food isn’t listed on the acceptable food list don’t eat it. Learn to read the label on all foods you buy - don’t just look at the “carb” number look at the ingredients list of everything and check the ingredients against your list. Just because it says "low carb" doesn't mean you can eat it. Also check for hidden sugars (learn the names used in place of the word “sugar”).

A stall is considered 4 weeks of no inches or pound loss...so you may not technically be "stalling" like you think. That's when you need to stay strong and keep on track - you will start loosing again (believe me I know!!).
Check the STAC Second Time Around Club - Atkins Diet for additional support. Check the stickies at the top of the induction forum to refresh your memory on the plan. http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-diet-14-day-induction/5781-before-you-begin-atkins-nutritional-approach.html.

The recipe sites are a helpful meal planning tool – just make sure you use Induction Recipes to begin with.

Recipe Sites
http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/menus.html (Linda’s)
(Never ending induction recipes)(Never ending induction recipes)http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-diet-14-day-induction/58513-never-ending-induction-recipes.html (Induction recipes)
(Induction Recipe Basics--More recipes added)(Induction Recipe Basics--More recipes added)http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-diet-14-day-induction/6807-induction-recipe-basics-more-recipes-added.html (Induction Recipe Basics)


If you need anything we’re here to help you!! Good luck.

[keriann_forgoodthistime]

Re: Starting again for the Upteenth Time

hello! and "welcome back"!

for me - this is my first and ONLY time on atkins. why? well - i've been dieting for 2/3 of my life. i am turning 30 next saturday and have been dieting since the age of 12!
low-fat diets did work however i could NEVER sustain them, as I was ALWAYS hungry and because I LOVE food.

for me - how this woe works is that #1 i'm ALWAYS satisfied with my meals. when I want something - I find an alternative for it.
during the past 8 months I've had brownies - I eat pancakes - I've had pizza - I drink beer - and I've even had "fries"...

how? well - the brownies were made out of either almond flour or coconut flour - the pancakes are made from almond flour - pizza is home made - flaxseed or egg crusts - beer (i'm past rung 5 and LOVE michelobe ultra, low carb beer) and my "fries" are made from jicama.

Now, obviously to enjoy a lot of these different items, you MUST climb the rungs and do it "right" on the correct rung of the ladder (such as almond flour or coconut flour are after rung 3, nuts...) and you DO have to be mindful of the amounts.

I've really had to turn this into my hobby - I'm always trying to find new a different alternatives to the foods I like.

For example - tonight - I am feeling very broke as we have no money at the end of our check...so I stopped at little caesar for DH and got him a $5 pizza. Then I stopped and picked up a few things I knew I didn't have to make my own pizza.
I made a crust from Linda's website:
Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes
(note, careful here as induction and up to rung 3 only allows for 2 tbsp of flax...)

then I made my own pizza sauce
Pizzeria Pizza Sauce - 51861 - Recipezaar (don't look at the nutritional facts listed there - it says for 2 pizzas, i only used like 2 tbsp once it was said/done - and 2 tbsp of tomato paste was only 4 carbs)...

and for the toppings, I had sliced 1 roma tomato, a little bit of red onion, basil and put that in a bowl with a tbsp of olive oil...had let that sit for a bit while making everything else - put that on top with some shredded mozzarella...

and omg it was AWESOME!!!

seriously - the crust was even crispy! it was great!

now - obviously i don't ALWAYS eat alternative foods like this - but they help. a LOT.
especially when you're sick of chicken and broccoli.
open up your life to new and different vegees! google new recipes on vegees you have never used before (that's where I came up with jicama fries).

I actually use Linda's site almost on a daily basis to find recipes for dinner.
Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes - Home

As far as desserts go - Linda's is great, but I also go to:
Healthy Indulgences
(there are obviously some recipes i can't make - but a lot of them you could)
It was from this site that I made the brownies I say I had - and I made them for fourth of July (don't make them on a normal basis - but it was a special occasion / holiday!)

another great one is:
Low Carb Diets at About.com - Atkins South Beach and More Low Carb Diets

plus - I research. I love reading low-carb blogs as to what the health benefits are of low-carb / high-fat eating.
The Official Website For Jimmy Moore's Livin' La Vida Low-Carb

Protein Power

KNOWLEDGE is what gets me through this. knowing HOW my body reacts to sugar and the fact that SUGAR is what is turned into access fat in the body (not eating FAT) - is just mindblowing because we've been told that fat is what makes you fat when it's SUGAR that does.

it's hard - believe me, when I go out with family and they all eat dessert - it's VERY hard to say no - but that's when you sit and think to yourself - if you eat that, you will be miserable. it'll make you feel sick and it'll make you stay fat. (this is what I tell myself, hey - it works for me).

but as far as how I keep going...I know this works. there's no question about it. I know what I need to do to keep making it work - and that is - learn the steps/rungs and do it right.
I ALWAYS tell myself my quote from my siggy:
"Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyways; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use."

you CAN do this - and I wish you luck!!!!

[Gina8225]

Re: Starting again for the Umpteenth Time

Thank you all for all the tips and support. This is the first time I am trying to do this with support. I usually don't tell anyone that I am starting Atkins, because I don't want to disappoint anyone if I fail. But there will be no failure this time so I'm telling the world. This time around, I lost my appetite after the first day. That was awesome. I'm losing, but of course its water, but I'll take it.

Msanjelpie - Thank you for the encouragement and tips. I understand about putting the scale away, but for me, seeing the weight loss encourages me to keep going. And your words about quitting during the stall make so much sense, that I printed it out and posted it in my bathroom by the scale and in the kitchen to keep me on track. Thank you SOOOOOOOOO much!!!!!!!!!

Imagood1 - Thank you for all the links. I am a true believer of drinking alot of water. I used to just drink water with slices of lemon in them and that would be the only thing I would drink. But with a hectic life, I switched to the caffeine. But I'm doing good without so far. I also have used Linda's recipes. They are delicious, especially her potatoes with cheese. Yummy! I think I'll make them tonight.

Keriann - I used to find alternatives for "normal" foods back in the day. But somewhere along the line, I get very busy and don't plan my meals like I should.

But now, I'm definately taking the time to focus on this. I am going to finally do something for myself for a change. And this time I will stay the course.

Thanks so much for all the encouragement. I'm definately not used to it and I think that this time all the support is going to help me in this journey.

[stacy3477]

Re: Starting again for the Umpteenth Time

Great news gina! Welcome!!