Looking for a buddy/partner that needs to lose over 100lbs

[trimedu]

Hello,

My name is Shawn and I am new to the boards. I have a few goals. I reached a huge goal of becoming a nurse. My other is to become a military nurse. In order to do that, I need to complete my Bachelors degree. I will be done in June, I want to lose the 150 I need by then in order to go into the military. I walk on days that I am off. But its not enough. I tried Atkins a few times before but never lost more than 30 pounds because I didnt have much support. Its hard being the only one in the house on a diet. Im eating salads/veggies/meat while others are eating candy/cookies and ice cream. I am looking for a buddy so that I can stay encourage and also help encourage them. I started last Friday with my diet and have only lost 2.2 pounds. I am beginning to feel discouraged. I still dont have much energy and feel very sluggish. So, I want change my way of eating by starting on Atkins. I just need a little help. If anyone can help me stay encourage I would appreciate it. Its just that when I look at how much I need to lose, I become even more discouraged. Thanks in advance.


Shawn

Highest Weight: 313
Starting Weight: 302.2 10/16/09
Current Weight: 300
Goal Weight: 150

Mini Goal #1: 300 DONE!!! 10/24/09
Mini Goal #2: 275
Mini Goal #3: 250
Mini Goal #4: 225
Mini Goal #5: 200
Mini Goal #6: 175
Mini Goal #7: 150

[trimedu]

Re: Looking for a buddy/partner that needs to lose over 100lbs

Even if you don't have to lose that much, encouragement helps. We can encourage each other... I am in desparate need of someone that is battling weight loss as well.

[Elizellen]

Re: Looking for a buddy/partner that needs to lose over 100lbs

Welcome to our ADBB family, Shawn

I am sure many of us can emphathise with your feelings, even if we are not at the starting line of our Atkins marathon alongside you. But we certainly can be on the side of the track encouraging you along the way!

We have a special forum for those who have a lot of weight to lose, where perhaps you will find extra support. It is called the 'Century Club' and is aimed at anyone with over 100 pounds to lose or who is in the process of losing that amount or more.
Century Club (100+) - Atkins Diet

We also have a special forum for people who are on their second or more try at the Atkins Way of Eating, called the 'Second Time Around Club' forum
Second Time Around Club - Atkins Diet

Our CC and STAC members are always happy to encourage new members, and even have daily 'rollcall' threads where you can post daily to help each other keep on plan.

[Sarina D]

Re: Looking for a buddy/partner that needs to lose over 100lbs

Even if you don't have to lose that much, encouragement helps. We can encourage each other... I am in desparate need of someone that is battling weight loss as well.

Hi Shawn,

It’s great to meet you! Congratulations on becoming a nurse, I wish you all the very best in your exciting career!

This is the second time I’ve written this post to you this morning…earlier on, I had just about completed it and lost the entire thing…..I shut my lap top and went out I was sooooo frustrated LOL!!!! Hopefully I’ll be able to remember everything I wrote before.

Congratulations on making the decision to get healthy and starting this way of eating last Friday….you’ve already lost 2.2 lbs!!! You’re on your way down the path to great health and that is very exciting…way to go…you deserve the peace, the happiness and great health that comes along with losing the weight. I am proud of you for believing in yourself and making the commitment to turn your life around….that is a huge step.

Pace yourself…..don’t get impatient….this will take time and you’ll experience both highs and lows….believe you me! So patience is something I encourage you to work on…..you’re going to need it! I think I have got to be one of the most IMPATIENT people around….it was a hard lesson for me and one that I have had to work hard at in order to lose weight and stick to the plan. Feeling sluggish so early into it is normal….this will pass. I felt the same way and very tired. Your body is detoxing and going through some major changes….drink lots of water and make sure you’re taking a good multivitamin and getting a proper sleep at night. Also, fit some form of exercise into your day starting now if you haven’t already. I am a huge “pusher” of exercise. Even if it’s 10 minutes of walking a day….even if your tired and feeling sluggish, just get out there and do your 10 minutes. It helps a great deal during this time of detoxing. It’s also a great stress reliever…get those fabulous “happy endorphins” pumping! Get your body moving!

Although I do not have 100 lbs to lose at this time, I know what it is like to have to lose 100 + pounds. Over this past year and a half I have lost a total of 229 lbs to date BUT I’m not done yet….so having said that lets commit to working together on this and making it happen together ok!?!?!?!

The biggest piece of advice I can give to anyone is to NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER…EVER give up….that just isn’t an option. Giving up just doesn’t work….believe me, I’ve done it countless times and got no where fast….other than gaining twice the amount of weight back and feeling very miserable and down.

This is my 2nd time around as well doing Atkins so I can appreciate having to start over but this time I did things differently. I read the book from cover to cover and made sure I followed it instead of making my own version up which ended up being unhealthy and something I couldn’t stick to. This way of eating is a way of life….not a quick fix and shouldn’t be attempted if it’s being used as a quick fix. Once we go back to eating the way we use to, it’s all over but the cryin’….trust me I know this first hand!!!!! Having said that, I’m not implying that you’re using this as a quick fix by any means, I just feel I need to cover this very relevant fact because there are people who do turn to this way of eating as a temporary measure and it shouldn’t be used as such…otherwise we’ll just keep losing the battle time upon time again and most of all, it’s not good on our systems when it’s used in an unhealthy manner…..nothing is.

Make sure you stock your kitchen with as many “legal” foods so that you can have food at hand and prepared that you can easily reach for. This will help you to make smart, legal choices especially during the times that you may come home tired and feeling not in the mood to start cooking. This reduces your chances of reaching for a piece of bread, a bagel, a cookie, a danish or whatever might be an easier grab and a temptation in the moment (as you said, these other temptations are in your household due to the fact others live with you as well)….they’re in my home as well. I watched my husband go in the freezer the other night an pull out ice cream drumsticks and eat them…..I could have taken him down in a heartbeat for one of them….I was TOTALLY triggered but instead of trying to have one too, I walked away….but I did end up needing to come back to eat a hard boiled egg. So, I survived the INCREDIBLE temptation and my husband lived another day to talk about it LOL!!!!

Cook up some chicken wings, chicken thighs, ground hamburger, cubed pieces of steak, roast beef, lamb, turkey, hard boiled eggs, egg salad mixture (this is great wrapped in a lettuce leaf or spread on a piece of celery), salmon salad, pickles, olives etc…..when you’re hungry or want a small snack, you’re going to be totally set!!!!!

Remember, be sure to fit some form of exercise into your daily routine starting right away. It’s important to start creating this healthy and very helpful habit. Once you get into an exercise routine, you’re body will start craving it. Exercise has been a crucial key to my success and it’s something I won’t scrimp on…not a chance and believe me, if you knew me a year and a half ago, you would have bet I would have never been able to stick to the exercise program I created for myself….exercise was just NOT me nor did it fit into my busy schedule but I made it happen even with my life being crazy busy. It’s all about prioritizing and getting down to business and making things happen….so make the commitment to start exercising and stick to it…you won’t be sorry I promise! Start out slow and pace yourself.

If you haven’t done so already, take your measurements and write them down. This is a VERY valuable yet under appreciated tool to determine how one is coming along. I personally am a scale junky however, as we all know…they don’t always show exactly how we’re truly coming along…..measuring however does. I sadly didn’t measure right at the beginning and I certainly wish I had.

I’m not one who is into keeping a journal but I started doing so last year. I simply jot down everything I eat, my weight that day and what sort of exercise I did (and the length of time exercising) each day and I have to admit, it has be a great tool for me. I’m glad I disciplined myself and kept up with it.

Come here lots, read as many posts as you can, post as often as you like and be sure to share your triumphs as well as the times you find yourself in one of those valleys that we stumble into from time to time. We can muscle our way out of those valleys together…sometimes we just need a bit of a push to do so and that’s why this board is such a valuable tool in our weight loss belt. We’re all in this together, don’t ever think you’re alone. You can come here any time of the day or night and there will always be someone here that cares and knows EXACTLY what you’re going through…..there’s amazing amounts of support here that can be utilized at anytime.

I look forward to walking down this path to great health together. Feel free to post on my thread under the “Before and After” picture section (the link is below right under my stats) or pm me….we’ll get through this together!

Talk with you soon,
Sarina
-------------------------------
Heaviest weight - 403 lbs. (2007)
April 1, 2008 - 387 lbs. (This is when I initially started to lose weight…but was not on Atkins at this point)
Atkins start weight – 347 lbs. (July 19, 2008 – began Atkins)
1st major goal met -----100 lbs. lost as of Oct 2, 2008 - Hit 300 lbs. on this day – From April 1-08 when I initially begin to lose weight.
2nd major goal met - 151 lbs. lost as of Jan 13, 2009 - Hit 249 lbs. on this day.
3rd major goal met - Wed, May 13-09 - Reached losing 200 lbs. in just over a year and a couple of months.
4th major goal met – Reached “Onederland” June 6-09 – 198 lbs.
5th major goal met - My 1 yr. Atkins anniversary - Weighing 184 lbs. this day
Current weight – 174 lbs.
Goal weight - 150 – 160

My personal journey - Before and during - From 400 lbs. to 247 lbs. Not done yet!!!

[mizski]

Re: Looking for a buddy/partner that needs to lose over 100lbs

Hi Shawn, welcome to ADBB! We have about the same amount of weight to lose but I'm curious as to how you came up with your goal weight.

Anyways, there is a lot of info and support here on these boards. Reading the DANDR 2002 book and the Induction FAQs and stickies helped me a lot in the beginning.

What wonderful goals you have set up for yourself. Please post often and you will get a lot of help and support that way too. I'm going in for major surgery in a week so I'll be offline for a bit but I'm usually on the boards everyday. I'll look for your posts when I get back up and around.

Take care and wishing you success on your weight loss journey.

[trimedu]

Re: Looking for a buddy/partner that needs to lose over 100lbs

Hi Shawn, welcome to ADBB! We have about the same amount of weight to lose but I'm curious as to how you came up with your goal weight.

Anyways, there is a lot of info and support here on these boards. Reading the DANDR 2002 book and the Induction FAQs and stickies helped me a lot in the beginning.

What wonderful goals you have set up for yourself. Please post often and you will get a lot of help and support that way too. I'm going in for major surgery in a week so I'll be offline for a bit but I'm usually on the boards everyday. I'll look for your posts when I get back up and around.

Take care and wishing you success on your weight loss journey.

My goal is to join the military after graduation in June 2010. The maximum weight to join is 155. I tried to enlist when I was 18, and I with weight fluctuations, my weight was 1 pound over. So this time, I want to get under the maximum so that I won't be disappointed again. Usually I have a hefty appetite. But after trying a calorie count diet for the past week, I believe my stomach must have shrunk. Which is kind of scary because I read you can stall if you're not eating enough. I kind of wish I had taken measurements last week because I do feel a little difference. How long have you been doing this? Have you seen good results?

I wish you the best and a speedy recovery with your surgery.

[Aways2Go]

Re: Looking for a buddy/partner that needs to lose over 100lbs

Hey Shawn - don't be discouraged just because you have a lot of weight to lose. Plenty of people here had a lot of weight to lose (75 pounds, 100 pounds, 150 pounds, whatever!) and had failed at other diets for YEARS and have gotten to their goal weight by visiting this board often, reading posts, asking questions, and believing in themselves and doing their best to stick to the plan as written in the book and not trying to shortcut things.

Have patience, and even though a couple pounds every week or so may seem slow, in a month or two you will be SO glad and those couple of pounds here and there will have really started to add up - 5 pounds, 10 pounds, 20 pounds....

Don't be disappointed when you lose, then stop losing at some point (or even gain a pound or two) for a few days or even a week or two - it happens to nearly everyone, and if you just hang in there and keep eating right and double check your diet to make sure you aren't having something you shouldn't, it will catch up to itself shortly and often you will then lose several pounds all at once. Even if you read this and KNOW it, it will still be very frustrating when it happens! Don't let it make you give up! I will also add that I have lost FASTER the past couple of months than I did the first month or two... probably because of reading posts here, asking questions, and getting suggestions, which helped me follow the diet a lot better as I went along. Plus as you lose a little, you get more enthusiasm and you feel better, so it sort of snowballs! I am no longer tempted by foods like pasta or sweets - you would have to arm wrestle me to make me eat those now and mess up my losing, LOL!

Be sure to drink an adequate amount of water daily - not drinking enough water will slow down your weight loss for sure.

Sign up for an exercise challenge for the month of November in the exercise challenge folder - you can set your own goal, and its a good motivator when you are posting regularly how much exercise you are getting in! Pushups, squats, walking, whatever - there should be several different challenges to choose from by the last few days of the month. It's one of the rare places in life where everyone roots for EVERYONE to win, LOL!

Believe in yourself, Shawn - other folks have done it, even those who didn't think they could, and YOU CAN TOO! If you can get through nursing school, which I know ain't easy, you can do this too.

Hang in there - it gets better!

[trimedu]

Re: Looking for a buddy/partner that needs to lose over 100lbs

Welcome to our ADBB family, Shawn

I am sure many of us can emphathise with your feelings, even if we are not at the starting line of our Atkins marathon alongside you. But we certainly can be on the side of the track encouraging you along the way!

We have a special forum for those who have a lot of weight to lose, where perhaps you will find extra support. It is called the 'Century Club' and is aimed at anyone with over 100 pounds to lose or who is in the process of losing that amount or more.
Century Club (100+) - Atkins Diet

We also have a special forum for people who are on their second or more try at the Atkins Way of Eating, called the 'Second Time Around Club' forum
Second Time Around Club - Atkins Diet

Our CC and STAC members are always happy to encourage new members, and even have daily 'rollcall' threads where you can post daily to help each other keep on plan.

Thanks alot... And you look great!!!

[trimedu]

Re: Looking for a buddy/partner that needs to lose over 100lbs

Hi Shawn,

It’s great to meet you! Congratulations on becoming a nurse, I wish you all the very best in your exciting career!

This is the second time I’ve written this post to you this morning…earlier on, I had just about completed it and lost the entire thing…..I shut my lap top and went out I was sooooo frustrated LOL!!!! Hopefully I’ll be able to remember everything I wrote before.

Congratulations on making the decision to get healthy and starting this way of eating last Friday….you’ve already lost 2.2 lbs!!! You’re on your way down the path to great health and that is very exciting…way to go…you deserve the peace, the happiness and great health that comes along with losing the weight. I am proud of you for believing in yourself and making the commitment to turn your life around….that is a huge step.

Pace yourself…..don’t get impatient….this will take time and you’ll experience both highs and lows….believe you me! So patience is something I encourage you to work on…..you’re going to need it! I think I have got to be one of the most IMPATIENT people around….it was a hard lesson for me and one that I have had to work hard at in order to lose weight and stick to the plan. Feeling sluggish so early into it is normal….this will pass. I felt the same way and very tired. Your body is detoxing and going through some major changes….drink lots of water and make sure you’re taking a good multivitamin and getting a proper sleep at night. Also, fit some form of exercise into your day starting now if you haven’t already. I am a huge “pusher” of exercise. Even if it’s 10 minutes of walking a day….even if your tired and feeling sluggish, just get out there and do your 10 minutes. It helps a great deal during this time of detoxing. It’s also a great stress reliever…get those fabulous “happy endorphins” pumping! Get your body moving!

Although I do not have 100 lbs to lose at this time, I know what it is like to have to lose 100 + pounds. Over this past year and a half I have lost a total of 229 lbs to date BUT I’m not done yet….so having said that lets commit to working together on this and making it happen together ok!?!?!?!

The biggest piece of advice I can give to anyone is to NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER…EVER give up….that just isn’t an option. Giving up just doesn’t work….believe me, I’ve done it countless times and got no where fast….other than gaining twice the amount of weight back and feeling very miserable and down.

This is my 2nd time around as well doing Atkins so I can appreciate having to start over but this time I did things differently. I read the book from cover to cover and made sure I followed it instead of making my own version up which ended up being unhealthy and something I couldn’t stick to. This way of eating is a way of life….not a quick fix and shouldn’t be attempted if it’s being used as a quick fix. Once we go back to eating the way we use to, it’s all over but the cryin’….trust me I know this first hand!!!!! Having said that, I’m not implying that you’re using this as a quick fix by any means, I just feel I need to cover this very relevant fact because there are people who do turn to this way of eating as a temporary measure and it shouldn’t be used as such…otherwise we’ll just keep losing the battle time upon time again and most of all, it’s not good on our systems when it’s used in an unhealthy manner…..nothing is.

Make sure you stock your kitchen with as many “legal” foods so that you can have food at hand and prepared that you can easily reach for. This will help you to make smart, legal choices especially during the times that you may come home tired and feeling not in the mood to start cooking. This reduces your chances of reaching for a piece of bread, a bagel, a cookie, a danish or whatever might be an easier grab and a temptation in the moment (as you said, these other temptations are in your household due to the fact others live with you as well)….they’re in my home as well. I watched my husband go in the freezer the other night an pull out ice cream drumsticks and eat them…..I could have taken him down in a heartbeat for one of them….I was TOTALLY triggered but instead of trying to have one too, I walked away….but I did end up needing to come back to eat a hard boiled egg. So, I survived the INCREDIBLE temptation and my husband lived another day to talk about it LOL!!!!

Cook up some chicken wings, chicken thighs, ground hamburger, cubed pieces of steak, roast beef, lamb, turkey, hard boiled eggs, egg salad mixture (this is great wrapped in a lettuce leaf or spread on a piece of celery), salmon salad, pickles, olives etc…..when you’re hungry or want a small snack, you’re going to be totally set!!!!!

Remember, be sure to fit some form of exercise into your daily routine starting right away. It’s important to start creating this healthy and very helpful habit. Once you get into an exercise routine, you’re body will start craving it. Exercise has been a crucial key to my success and it’s something I won’t scrimp on…not a chance and believe me, if you knew me a year and a half ago, you would have bet I would have never been able to stick to the exercise program I created for myself….exercise was just NOT me nor did it fit into my busy schedule but I made it happen even with my life being crazy busy. It’s all about prioritizing and getting down to business and making things happen….so make the commitment to start exercising and stick to it…you won’t be sorry I promise! Start out slow and pace yourself.

If you haven’t done so already, take your measurements and write them down. This is a VERY valuable yet under appreciated tool to determine how one is coming along. I personally am a scale junky however, as we all know…they don’t always show exactly how we’re truly coming along…..measuring however does. I sadly didn’t measure right at the beginning and I certainly wish I had.

I’m not one who is into keeping a journal but I started doing so last year. I simply jot down everything I eat, my weight that day and what sort of exercise I did (and the length of time exercising) each day and I have to admit, it has be a great tool for me. I’m glad I disciplined myself and kept up with it.

Come here lots, read as many posts as you can, post as often as you like and be sure to share your triumphs as well as the times you find yourself in one of those valleys that we stumble into from time to time. We can muscle our way out of those valleys together…sometimes we just need a bit of a push to do so and that’s why this board is such a valuable tool in our weight loss belt. We’re all in this together, don’t ever think you’re alone. You can come here any time of the day or night and there will always be someone here that cares and knows EXACTLY what you’re going through…..there’s amazing amounts of support here that can be utilized at anytime.

I look forward to walking down this path to great health together. Feel free to post on my thread under the “Before and After” picture section (the link is below right under my stats) or pm me….we’ll get through this together!

Talk with you soon,
Sarina
-------------------------------
Heaviest weight - 403 lbs. (2007)
April 1, 2008 - 387 lbs. (This is when I initially started to lose weight…but was not on Atkins at this point)
Atkins start weight – 347 lbs. (July 19, 2008 – began Atkins)
1st major goal met -----100 lbs. lost as of Oct 2, 2008 - Hit 300 lbs. on this day – From April 1-08 when I initially begin to lose weight.
2nd major goal met - 151 lbs. lost as of Jan 13, 2009 - Hit 249 lbs. on this day.
3rd major goal met - Wed, May 13-09 - Reached losing 200 lbs. in just over a year and a couple of months.
4th major goal met – Reached “Onederland” June 6-09 – 198 lbs.
5th major goal met - My 1 yr. Atkins anniversary - Weighing 184 lbs. this day
Current weight – 174 lbs.
Goal weight - 150 – 160

My personal journey - Before and during - From 400 lbs. to 247 lbs. Not done yet!!!

Thanks so much Sarina. I just got a little discouraged because I only lost 2lbs in a week. Usually I lose 5 or so. But anyway. I try to fit in at least 30 minutes of walking in on my days off. On the days that I work, Im running back and forth for the entire 12hrs, if im lucky, I can sit and chart around 5 or so. But by the time I get home, my feet are so sore, I can hardly walk on them. I missed the walk yesterday because it was raining, so I walked today.
Its great to know that I have others I can turn to that can pull me through this. I usually get 30lbs or so off and the momentum is lost because of all the temptations I drop off the wagon and say I will just cut back on what I eat, it never works.
Congratulations on your loss. I pray to be there one day. I will check out your link at well.


Thanks a lot

[trimedu]

Re: Looking for a buddy/partner that needs to lose over 100lbs

Hey Shawn - don't be discouraged just because you have a lot of weight to lose. Plenty of people here had a lot of weight to lose (75 pounds, 100 pounds, 150 pounds, whatever!) and had failed at other diets for YEARS and have gotten to their goal weight by visiting this board often, reading posts, asking questions, and believing in themselves and doing their best to stick to the plan as written in the book and not trying to shortcut things.

Have patience, and even though a couple pounds every week or so may seem slow, in a month or two you will be SO glad and those couple of pounds here and there will have really started to add up - 5 pounds, 10 pounds, 20 pounds....

Don't be disappointed when you lose, then stop losing at some point (or even gain a pound or two) for a few days or even a week or two - it happens to nearly everyone, and if you just hang in there and keep eating right and double check your diet to make sure you aren't having something you shouldn't, it will catch up to itself shortly and often you will then lose several pounds all at once. Even if you read this and KNOW it, it will still be very frustrating when it happens! Don't let it make you give up! I will also add that I have lost FASTER the past couple of months than I did the first month or two... probably because of reading posts here, asking questions, and getting suggestions, which helped me follow the diet a lot better as I went along. Plus as you lose a little, you get more enthusiasm and you feel better, so it sort of snowballs! I am no longer tempted by foods like pasta or sweets - you would have to arm wrestle me to make me eat those now and mess up my losing, LOL!

Be sure to drink an adequate amount of water daily - not drinking enough water will slow down your weight loss for sure.

Sign up for an exercise challenge for the month of November in the exercise challenge folder - you can set your own goal, and its a good motivator when you are posting regularly how much exercise you are getting in! Pushups, squats, walking, whatever - there should be several different challenges to choose from by the last few days of the month. It's one of the rare places in life where everyone roots for EVERYONE to win, LOL!

Believe in yourself, Shawn - other folks have done it, even those who didn't think they could, and YOU CAN TOO! If you can get through nursing school, which I know ain't easy, you can do this too.

Hang in there - it gets better!

Thank you so much for your inspiration and encouragement. I just hope I can keep up while at work. Sometime I dont get a lunch or breakfast from the time I get to work until I am off. I am trying to do my sit-ups, push-ups and walking. I will look for challenges for the month of November. I am so glad I found this website. I'm thinking I will get all I need from here to keep going this time and not give up.

Thanks again!!!!