starting right away vs. starting sometime soon

[Grant]

It's a common occurance year round, but especially this time of year, that we see new members who introduce themselves saying "I plan to start on XX/XX date", or "next Monday", or "after I get the book".

I usually give the advice that rather then wait they should start ASAP. I figure the sooner you make the decision to start the better. I guess I feel that it's more empowering making the decision to start NOW then to start at some future point and that sooner you start taking charge of your eating and your life, the sooner you will feel healthy again.

On the other hand....

It's also common all year round to see people who jump into the diet with both feet and make mistakes that may be hurting their weight loss. If not caught those types of mistakes can lead to frustration and eventually to dropping Atkins altogether.

I guess I'm wondering what other people feel is the best advice to give. If the person is waiting to start so that they can have one last carb fest, or something like that, then I have no doubts. Other then that do you think it is more helpful to encourage someone to start immediately or to first read the book/forums to learn all they can before they start?

[Summerdressgirl]

Re: starting right away vs. starting sometime soon

It all depends if the person has reached a point where they are ready to lose the weight NOW or I think I want to lose the weight soon but not now because I know I am going to be eating all this food in the holidays. I made the decision of now because I knew if I could go thru the holidays without cheating then I knew I could get thru anything..but that is just me. I have seen people who are going to start Monday and they eat themselves to like 10 lbs on that weekend alone just because they are starting something on Monday lol Monday is the magical day. When you are ready that day drop the soda pop and grab a water bottle and you should be on your way.

Good subject! thanks for asking this

[Skeptika23]

Re: starting right away vs. starting sometime soon

After I got clearance to go back on Atkins starting with Induction, I took two weeks to "eat down" unacceptable foods and donate the rest, and buy things that were acceptable.

I think by taking the time read, prepare, plan, and clean out tempting foods, you're starting off on the right foot.

[Princessdmw33]

Re: starting right away vs. starting sometime soon

I do get your point but I do think that some people need to get their minds set for the change in their WOE. Also, I know that I needed the weekend to prepare for my new start on the Monday that I planned on starting. I needed to make sure that I had the foods that I needed in my house because if you are not prepared mentally and physically with the food you are setting yourself up for failure.

[Grant]

Re: starting right away vs. starting sometime soon

I do get your point but I do think that some people need to get their minds set for the change in their WOE. Also, I know that I needed the weekend to prepare for my new start on the Monday that I planned on starting. I needed to make sure that I had the foods that I needed in my house because if you are not prepared mentally and physically with the food you are setting yourself up for failure.

I'm not really trying to make a point. I just wanted to elicit opionions on which advice is better from the point of view of helping the person be healthy and happy in the long run:

Start Atkins now and learn as quick as you can

-or-

Obtain knowledge first and then start.

[Grant]

Re: starting right away vs. starting sometime soon

It all depends if the person has reached a point where they are ready to lose the weight NOW or I think I want to lose the weight soon but not now because I know I am going to be eating all this food in the holidays.

That's definately a reason why people don't start right away. So what advice would you give to the person who says they are waiting until after the holidays because they know they will be eating bad food? I don't think I could say "Well if you aren't ready, you aren't ready, so go ahead and eat what you want". I think in this case I would say "Take control of your life now and prove to yourself that you can do it".

[adreliluc]

Re: starting right away vs. starting sometime soon

In my opinion, I think it's better to start. Always waiting until tomorrow doesn't do any good when tomorrow never comes. If they have the book, I'd say read up to the induction part and get started! Or read the information here and just do it. You can follow induction just by following the advise here and menu. Read the book as you go...
If you're really ready there's no stopping you...
If you're going to do it - do it! Time's a wastin'...

[Lisa]

Re: starting right away vs. starting sometime soon

Yep, waiting for January 1st to roll around or any other day to start is like waiting for the Titantic to sink----it already did. Stop waiting.

[Summerdressgirl]

Re: starting right away vs. starting sometime soon

That's definately a reason why people don't start right away. So what advice would you give to the person who says they are waiting until after the holidays because they know they will be eating bad food? I don't think I could say "Well if you aren't ready, you aren't ready, so go ahead and eat what you want". I think in this case I would say "Take control of your life now and prove to yourself that you can do it".

That would be my advice! if you start monday or january first we are talking about 5-10 lbs you could already had lost. I did not have the book when I started here I had to order it from ebay walmart only had the new books. So I went to the induction page and got my info to start from there. But not everybody can do that, some people need to have things arranged and that is not bad either..if they need that to succeed then by all means

[not2late]

Re: starting right away vs. starting sometime soon

I'm not really trying to make a point. I just wanted to elicit opionions on which advice is better from the point of view of helping the person be healthy and happy in the long run:

Start Atkins now and learn as quick as you can

-or-

Obtain knowledge first and then start.

I'm in the "obtain knowledge first and then start" group. I've been around here long enough to see people do "atkins" by following what they think is Atkins or what they've been told is Atkins---and they screw up badly. I mean really screw up, like eating only eggs, cheese and meat for weeks or by eating whatever they want as long as they don't eat more than 20 carbs daily or (the worse scenario) starting Atkins while having medical conditions Dr. Atkins specifically mentions as contraindications to his diet.

Atkins like any weight loss regimen involves your overall health. It's similar to installing a child's car safety seat---would you just toss it in any old way or would you read the instructions on how to install it properly. I think if you really care about safety you would read how to install it properly, rather than toss it in any old way. Similarly, would you read your prescriptions and take only what is indicated by your physician or would you just take any number of pills? That's exactly what I think about Atkins----again, it's because I've been around here long enough to see how people do what they think is Atkins and mess themselves up.

The other factor is that some folks don't realize what Atkins entails because they never bothered to read the book. For example, there are many old posts with comments about "never" being able to eat fruit again if you do Atkins or "never" being able to eat more than 20 net carbs daily. Had these people taken the time to read the diet before hand, they would realize the error of their understanding of Atkins.

So when someone tells me they want to start Atkins, I tell them to first read the book, then after reading it, decide if Atkins is the right diet for them, before they attempt to start it. It saves alot of time and money.

[Grant]

Re: starting right away vs. starting sometime soon

I guess it just appeals to me emotionally to enourage people to stop making excuses and start immediately. I thinks it's because I feel like the moment they do they will feel, as I did, the empowerment that comes from taking charge of your life and making healthy choices.

BUT I think what not2late says makes a whole heck of a lot of sense (as always). Especially the safety considerations. No matter how enthusiastic someone might become as they are encourage to start Atkins, if they are the wrong person and make the wrong food choices because they weren't prepared with the right information, they very well could be putting themselves at serious risk.

I think that has to be the overiding factor when making the decision about what type of advice to give.

[JulieB]

Re: starting right away vs. starting sometime soon

I think it comes down to how long the planned delay is, and why. I took a few days to read the book, clean the carbs out of my house and buy the right groceries. If people are saying "next month" or "after the holidays" they aren't delaying in order to plan/prepare, they are planning to gorge. Same thing if they say "carbfest/binge for the next two weeks, then I'll start". I'd go by the feeling I got when reading the post.

[Kntrylady]

Re: starting right away vs. starting sometime soon

Very good subject Grant.... Very thought provoking to say the least.

I tend to lean towards a hybrid of the two. I may be wrong, but I would think that most people that sign up on this board have been lurking as a guest prior to joining. When they join, they have decided they want to do this, and some want to wait for the convenience of a few carb meals first. Some need to be encouraged that they have made the right decision and should go for it.

I know if the person has written that they have already read the book, I encourage them to start now. If the book is not mentioned, that's normally one of the first things I tell them. I agree with Julie that I decide on my words based on what they say in their posting.

[Suzanne_H]

Re: starting right away vs. starting sometime soon

I say go ahead and start. The mistakes made are worthwhile if they can learn from the experience.

[amandarose]

Re: starting right away vs. starting sometime soon

Good Topic. Okay. When I started this WOE I did great, but I did not have a book. When things started to slow down and my dh started complaining I lost some motivation. He wanted to do another "diet" and because it was a cheaper way of eating I let him talk me into it. I admit to everyone I AM struggling (Especially after this stupid diet change) I am BIG on education. I want to know why something works, I want to know HOW it works. When I was confronted I did not have enough information to stand strong for myself. Reading posts from people talking about percentages of this and that really started to overwhelm me and I felt a nagging feeling like I was doing things wrong. I feel like I need a lot more education on this whole thing. I really need a clearer picture of the science behind atkins. I still don't have the book and I am frustrated because I don't want to rely on everyone else's advice to decide if I am doing it right. Due to recent financial struggles a simple book has been a luxury that I haven't indulged in. I get a gift of cash at Christmas so my Christmas present to myself is buying the book December 27th! I will be restarting at that point, but I began this with my heart, to keep it up I need to understand it in my head.

I don't believe starting when I did was a mistake. When my dh got me to switch and my energy stalled I learned something valuable. When I started to get the hypoglycemia issues back I learned another very something valuable. I am sure I could have figured all this out had I started with the book, but life has always been my best teacher. With the next paycheck I am going back to Atkins eating because its what makes my body feel best (I did go to the store and grab atkins veggies halfway through our "diet" and some more protein... shhhh don't tell! I just felt so bad on the low fat, low cal junk).

I know everyone. I made a bad choice. I did do one thing right. I have been here every day reading this site and it is helping me so much. Just like this topic right here! Every time I read something it makes me think and better understand why and what I eat. That's something, but as much as I like it I KNOW I need the book.