The Losers' Lounge

[dreamof145]

Each one of us has made the commitment to change our lifestyles, live healthier and lose excess weight. It is a journey filled with frustration and triumphs. The ADBB has many people whose stories can help others see they are not alone. No matter where you are in your journey, others have been there and found ways to conquer the obstacles that you may be facing.

The purpose of The ‘Losers’ Lounge is to applaud the success of members who have achieved great weight losses and share their stories in the hope that it will inspire and motivate those that are just beginning their quest.

[dreamof145]

I'll spotlight my own story first to give you an idea of how The Loser's Lounge will be presented.


My story is a familiar one. My mother and father were divorced and I grew up with my six skinny half sisters and one skinny half brother. My mother loved us with food. Eating was a big part of our lives. I took this childhood practice with me into adulthood.

I used food as an escape route for every problem and anxiety that challenged me. My husband was military and gone all the time. I was lonely ~ I ate. My kids got on my nerves ~ I ate. I had stress at work ~ I ate.

I tried many diets over the years, but they didn't work because I didn't seriously commit myself. I didn't have a plan. I never changed my lifestyle,instead I just prayed for a miracle and hoped I'd lose the weight. It didn't happen.

When my husband left the military, I found it hard to cope with the transition of moving back into the civilian world. For the next twelve years, I didn't leave the house or make friends. When my mother died, I ate even more. I got fatter and felt very alone. I ate my way up to 285 pounds.

In February 2004, I went to a writer's conference. I looked around the room and watched everyone laughing and having fun. I realized how lonely and miserable I was. I wanted to change my life, but I didn't know how. My daughter had told me that some of her friends had lost weight low-carbing. I decided to give it a try. I didn't know what I was doing, so I looked for anything I could on the internet. I don't know how I found the ADBB site but this was the miracle I'd been praying for. I spent hours that first week reading the posts of people who were accomplishing what I wanted to do. Everyone was unique in his or her jobs, life situations and personalities, however they were all supporting each other with words of motivation and understanding. I immediately joined the group and started getting serious about losing weight.

The first thing I did was buy the DANDR. I remember Irish saying that is the most important thing when beginning the Atkins plan. Next, I made a copy of the acceptable induction foods and put one in the kitchen and one in my purse. I bought my supplements and started drinking more water. I cut out coffee (which I was totally addicted to) and salt. The first two weeks, I lost 17 pounds. I was ecstatic.

The following week, I decided to start exercising. The first day I went for a walk, I ruptured two disks in my back. I was bedridden for the next five weeks while I waited to get in to see the neurosurgeon. I was tempted to quit, but I continued to read the ADBB site and got the encouragement I needed to stay with the plan. It was a hassle arguing with my twenty-one year old daughter to make me low-carb when her life consists of fast food and sandwiches. Somehow, we got through that nightmare and the experience was worth the wait.

The neurosurgeon gave me a shot of cortisone and I haven't had any pain since. That was May 5, 2004. I also weighed myself at the doctor's office and I had lost thirty pounds total in the seven weeks that I'd been doing Atkins. This weight loss plan was working, I felt great and I made a promise to myself to stick to this WOE.

I started doing one-mile walks a day and swimming one hour. In late June, I began walking one mile in the morning and another mile in the evening to keep my metabolism burning all day long. I also use 2 pound weights and an exercise ball about 3 times each per week. I started out losing about 10 pounds a month but that has gradually slowed down to about 6 pounds a month.

UPDATE: 9/15/06.....I've now been doing Atkins for over 2 years. It is my way-of-life. It is not a diet. I've learned to work my daily schedule into my Atkins plan. I don't take occassional cheats or take the risk of going back to my "old" ways of eating. I've had issues in my life with family, moving, deaths, three operations, travelling, visiting relatives, invites to dinner...you name it, I've had to deal with it. Thats just a natural part of our life.

I decided not to use it as an excuse to stop taking care of myself. Instead, I use my WOE as a way to keep my sanity, happiness and health. When I am feeling my best - I have a better mental outlook on life and family. I make better choices in all areas of my life. My journey hasn't always been easy, but it has been the best thing I've ever done for me. I'm a better mom, sister, wife, grand-ma and friend to everyone around me.

I've learned that life is what you make it. There are ups and there are downs. Changing our attitude and improving our life-style is the secret to keeping our minds and our bodies in the best condition so we can deal with life and make healthy decisions for ourselves as well as our families.

[dreamof145]

Moochiecat no longer worries what other people think about her. After losing nearly 40 pounds, she has more energy and a new attitude. Her local scooter club (which she founded) meets 1-2 times a week as the weather permits. She used to agonize over being called the ‘fat lady on the scooter’, but that’s in the past. She’s noticed more power to spare, especially going up hills. Her only worry now is finding a cute little biker chick jacket to wear as she sails down the road.


I've pretty much always been overweight. I have family members who have had serious issues concerning weight, and somewhere along the line, I think I decided that dieting screwed with people's minds. Why bother? So I didn't.

Last February, I had what my doctor figured was a hernia. I went to a specialist, for a CT scan. My obesity made it hard for the doctor to tell what was wrong. The pain stayed with me for weeks. One day I decided to have a look at myself in the mirror to see if I could see anything.

Well, I saw a lot...I saw 194 pounds on my five foot tall body...and most of it was around my midsection. I was shocked at what my body had become, and I was shocked that I hadn't truly noticed it before. I knew I was heavy, but I had never really seen myself that clearly.
My doctor wasn't impressed with my sputtered excuses about not wanting to shell out money on a diet book, and his indifference made me mad! So mad, that I went out and bought the book and read it!

The thing that really sold me on Atkins is that I have had low blood sugar episodes that left me shaking, sweating, muddled, and in one instance, I couldn't see properly. When I read about how Atkins leveled out a person's blood sugar, it seemed so clear and sensible to me.

Shortly after I started Atkins, I discovered the ADBB site. That has probably been the biggest factor in my success. I found that I spent a lot of time in the 'Before and After' forum, reading the success stories.

After all these years of thinking that only 'other people' were able to diet and lose weight. As I looked at the photos, I had hope that this could really work for me too! One of my motivations was to envision having my own Before and After pictures in my signature. Now I do!

You'll notice I have this big smile on my face in my start picture. I remember thinking that I wanted to look excited about this great journey I was starting out on...because it IS so exciting...it's a life change that absolutely EVERYONE is capable of doing, and I'm living proof of that.

The biggest hurdle I've had to overcome is my emotional attachment to food and my feelings surrounding it. I've learned SO much about myself and how I used food as a comfort, a reward....it was my secret friend, and I got anxious if I didn't have some sort of special treat hidden away in the cupboard. Mourning the loss of this has been sad, and there were many tense evenings (my trouble time of day), I’ve turned to many boiled eggs and stood firm.

I did (and still do!) a lot of talking to myself, and a LOT of visualizing what I was going to look like when I'd lost some weight. I pictured the kinds of clothes I'd be able to wear and the activities I could take part in again. I don't know that it is a daily struggle, but definitely it's a day to day process of staying on my toes.

As far as I can see it, the two most important things that a person needs when they start Atkins, is patience and faith in the plan. If you are following the plan as it's laid out, it will work.

I take joy in every small change or achievement. I no longer snore. I am able to run up three flights of stairs to my doctor’s office without being out of breath and sweating. Once, my loose rings fell off my hand into the potty!

I like this feeling good stuff! It's been many years since I felt pride that was truly deserved...it's quite addicting.

[dreamof145]

Becky Sue has lost almost 85 pounds. People always come to Becky to get answers to their problems because they know she is an enterprising person. When the going gets tough, Becky gets tougher. When the Atkins WOE quit giving her results, she didn’t quit. Instead, she searched for the answers, followed through with a solution and continued on her journey to get healthy.

I remember being heavy as a child. I was always larger than the other kids and embarrassed about it.

My family history has diabetes on my dad's side. I have had an insulin problem, probably from the beginning. This is why it was so important to me to get this weight off and not develop a full-fledged case of diabetes.

My dad died at age 65 of a heart attack, he also was taking two shots daily to control his diabetes. His blood sugar sometimes got in the 600's. He was sick and determined to not do what the dr.'s asked him to do. I wonder if he was alive now if I could have helped him with this WOE. A question I will never have the answer to.

I am a Carboholic. I’ve been out of control on my eating as a child and for sure as an adult. I could never get full. The more carbs I ate the more I craved. Most of the people in my family have the same problem. We are out of control when we eat refined carbs such as sugar and white flour.

My family was normal - As far as normal goes. My dad worked and my mom stayed home. We ate meat, taters and gravy. I didn't even know about veggies like broccoli, asparagus, or cabbage. My dad didn't like them, so they were never on our table. We had corn, brown beans, peas, butter beans, cornbread, fried potatoes, white bread, sandwiches and lots of other carbs. All these foods were cheap and that helped stretch the grocery money too. You see the pattern. As the years passed, we became more addicted.

I always knew that something wasn't right, because I was always hungry and I could never eat enough to satisfy me. When I started doing the Atkins WOE, I learned that I could be satisfied and not want to eat constantly. It’s a wonderful feeling to have control over what I eat.

I began walking when I started this new WOE. It is my favorite form of exercise. I could walk one mile a day at first, now 17 months later I walk 2 to 2 1/2 miles per day. I have a new mp3 player and I put fast dance songs in it which makes my walk more enjoyable. You do have to figure out what exercise you like to do, so you will keep doing it. We have a soloflex machine and I do some weight lifting weekly, but walking is what I love to do, especially with my tunes in my ears.

I was sick as a child with kidney/bladder infections. Mom took me to different Dr.s and they always prescribed antibiotics. Eventually I ended up in the hospital in Amarillo. The specialists said I definitely had infections that were caused from the antibiotics over the years. I have suffered from Yeast (candida overgrowth) since I was a small child.

I started Atkins and had success for the first few months. I was very pleased. Then, all of the sudden the weight loss stopped for TEN WHOLE months. Not only was I eating cheese, foods with vinegar, cream and other foods that promote yeast overgrowth, but I also took antibiotics for some dental work. I have a heart murmur, so it was necessary. The yeast was back and making me miserable.

I had made friends with dreamof145 and we became e-mail support friends. She told me to keep doing what I was doing and the weight would surely start coming off again. But it didn't. I was afraid she was thinking that I wasn't doing the diet right, that I was cheating, however, I wasn't cheating.

I knew deep down the yeast was back in full force and I was in pain. I wasn’t loosing with all my effort and the physical pain that the overgrowth causes was present. I had the foggy thinking, the blurred vision, no energy what so ever, other symptoms like burning and itching(female problems). I was physically sick and I wanted to say to **** with it, but down deep I knew that I had lost close to 40 pounds and I didn't want to give them up.

I have been obese for the past 30 years. I was so embarrassed with my appearance that I avoided going out in public. Now that I have lost 84 pounds, I am a different person. I am more outgoing. When I go to stores, I talk to people who never gave me the time of day before. I wonder if it is because I am thinner or that I am more approachable. I have more confidence now.

I have 29 more pounds to lose to reach my goal. I know I can do it. I DO NOT cheat on my WOE, because I do not want to lose control over my eating.

In the past, the obstacles that I held me back were thoughts of being deprived. I always felt sorry for myself. Food controlled me. My thoughts were of what I was going to eat. When I was eating, I would think about what I would eat for my next meal. This is what I call Stinkin thinkin!!! Food processed me. Eating low carb has given me my life back and tamed the beast, thank goodness.

Some of you know that I eat KISS (Keep It Simple, Sweetie) I do not eat processed foods, this is to keep my yeast problem under control. I have to be thinking straight to be able to eat so restricted. My thinking is on target. I will not eat for pleasure. I eat for survival. Life is much better eating low carb.

I am willing to eat this way the rest of my life if this is what it takes to stay healthy, happy and slim.

It is all in our minds. Our mindset is so important, it determines if we are going to succeed or fail. I refuse to fail.

Nothing tastes as good as being healthy and slim.

[dreamof145]

Papajack is a crotchy senior citizen, rapidly approaching retirement. He has lost 150 pounds in the past 18 months, doing it the "Atkins Way."


In April of 2003 I was in my doctor's office for my regular 3 month check-up. At that time I was 60 years old, and weighed 416 pounds!

My life, for all intents and purposes, was over at that time. I could barely walk. I couldn't enjoy the company of my grandkids. I couldn't do a simple thing like going shopping with my wife. My knees hurt, my back hurt, and I was so embarrassed to be seen by anyone.

My doctor is a wonderful human being, a true gentleman ( I bet he steps out of the shower before peeing!). He's been my physician for almost 30 years and has seen me through weight loss, weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. He's never pressured me to lose weight so when he merely suggested I read the "Atkins book" I took him up on it. Bought the book, read it through the induction phase, started this WOL and began losing weight from day one. By day 10, I was sick as a dog. I may have read page 141 in DANDR about "addiction & withdrawal" but it certainly hadn't registered. All I knew was I felt terribly, so, of course, this was a reason the do what? - TO EAT! And because I are a "Georgia Red-Neck" that binge was my all-time favorite comfort food - Pinto Beans & Cornbread. Hence, I never finished my 2 week induction - but, I had lost weight!

Over the next 5-6 months, this became my way of dieting. Try as hard as I could to do Atkins, and then binge when the cravings became too strong. But, still I was losing weight!

So, after about 6 months I'm down about 50 lbs. My doctor's happy, my lovely wife's happy, my beloved son is happy, and my dear grandkids are happy. And I think I'm happy. After all, I'm losing weight, and think I'm feeling good. But, I'm terrified that I'm one binge away from losing it all and reverting to my old way of life.

About this time I discovered this board. Starting visiting every day. Read and read and read and discovered a few things I should have known all along:

1. Shakes, bars, and other so called lo-carb items could cause me to crave the junk that made me fat all my life.

2. A 2 week CLEAN induction is absolutely necessary for a variety of reasons (withdrawal from food addictions, to prepare my body for the miracle of burning fat, to curb my insatiable appetite, and to control my cravings for foods Dr. Atkins said I should avoid.)

3. If I do what Dr. Atkins advised he promised me I would lose weight, lower my blood glucose levels, lower my blood pressure, lower my cholesterol, and feel better.

Off course ALL I wanted was to lose weight - all the other promises didn't matter. JUST LET ME LOSE THE FREAKIN' WEIGHT!!

Long story short - I started a clean induction. Did 2 weeks just as Dr. Atkins advised. Not a cheat - nada. At the end of the 2 weeks, found I felt pretty good. Did another 2 weeks, which turned into 2 months. I then started OWL. Still, by the book, no cheats, no trying "my version". And Man, did I feel good! Felt so good that I had even begun exercising. Did this because Dr. Atkins said I should. Keep at it because I was waking up in the morning with so much energy I just had to exercise.

Exercise was one of the changes I made in my life that allowed me to continue losing, and to maintain a high energy level. You must realize this comes from someone who never, ever exercised. When I first began this WOL, I could only walk for about 5 minutes. I persevered, and over a surprisingly short period of time, I was able to work up to walking for an hour non-stop.

I then incorporated simple stretching exercises, and light calisthenics. I sensed that my exercise routine was still lacking, so I re-read Dr. Atkins' advice about conditioning where he points out nothing works the body more, and does it more efficiently than does weight lifting.

There was never a person more reluctant to begin "lifting" than was I. It was anathema to me. But, since every other thing Dr. Atkins suggested had turned out to be true, I took the plunge. It was the single most important addition to my new WOL that I have found. Believe me, I started slowly. But, I stuck with it. Dr. Atkins promised I'd feel the difference in 12 weeks. Again, he was "on the money" with that promise. I can accomplish more with a 20 minute "lifting" routine than with any other exercise I can perform. I heartily recommend anyone serious about this WOL giving this serious consideration.


I wrote that after my first 6 months of starting and stopping this WOL that I THOUGHT I felt good. Only after doing this the way Dr. Atkins wrote it did I come to know what "feeling good" really meant.

And I found one more benefit from doing this WOL the Atkins way, and this has been the greatest miracle of all. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE, I HAVE CONTROL OVER THE FOOD GOING INTO MY MOUTH!!! The food doesn't control me, I control it. Am I tempted? You bettcha! Much like I might be tempted to pat a pretty lady on her bottom. I have no problem avoiding that temptation - if I give into it I'll be slapped, at the least. If I give into my food temptations I know I'll spiral out of control.


This freedom from cravings and the ability to control what and when I eat is truly a miracle - one I am devoutly thankful for each day. I'm accepting this miracle from God which came through to me in Dr. Atkins' work. I don't know what tomorrow brings, but today I am truly blessed!

As I write this, I now weigh 266 pounds, still overweight, but it is a number on the scale I never thought I'd see. I can now wear an XL jacket, something I haven't done since my 20's. My blood glucose levels are normal, and I'm almost off all diabetic medication. My lipid levels amaze even my long time doctor. I feel better today than I did 20 years ago.

I read in the newspaper that the "lo-carb craze" is over..........people are giving up on this "diet." I am now approaching my 2 year anniversary "lo-carbing." I have no desire to go back to my old way of eating.

[dreamof145]

Dragnlady is a prime example of the zest that Atkins can add into your life. She has lost 90+ pounds. She now has the strength needed to train working weight pull dogs at her kennel, Dragon’N’Iron’s American Pitbull Terriers & Alaskan Malamute and have enough energy left over to run in the park with her small daughter.

My weight has fluctuated up and down, over the years for my entire life. I tried every diet imaginable, even the Cambridge diet. It was a diet where you drank a chalk-like drink three times a day. OH, it was awful! I did lose quite a bit of weight, but I didn’t realize how unhealthy a liquid diet was back then.

Six years ago, I found the Atkins diet simply by mistake. I though I’d give it a try. Within eight months, I’d lost 125 lbs, then I started feeling bad and thought that maybe Atkins had caused me problems or I had the flu. I went to the doctor, nope neither was the cause. I was pregnant again after 22 years! I gained some pounds back during the pregnancy and continued to gain now that I was a stay at home mom. Four years later, I decided that I had such great success with Atkins the first time that I would try it again. And walla… I had lost 90+ pounds within six months.

The hardest thing for me to give up was sweets. I really don't miss bread, potatoes and rice. Small amounts of fruit have become my new treats for the week instead of daily donuts!

My family had some fears about my weight loss. As many of you know I posted that my sister died of anorexia. My relatives worry that I am getting too thin. I think they will always worry about those issues.

My weight problems started then as my sister wasted away. I made up for her NOT eating by eating twice as much to prove to my parents they didn't have two daughters headed down the same path.

I can finally keep up with my daughter playing in the park without having to sit to rest. I run with and train my dogs without being winded.

Today I am 146 lbs exceeding my goal of 150 by four lbs. I feel great! I'm in the best shape I've ever been in and my Tae Bo skills would make me extremely dangerous in a good street fight!! LOL

[dreamof145]

Bowulf couldn’t shake the misery of how an underweight Guardsman had let himself gain up to 420 pounds. He tried not to let it bother him, but medical problems soon demanded attention to the "growing" problem. In a moment of desparation, he even considered weight loss surgery as a solution. The answer to his prayers came in the form of some healthy brotherly competition. When his brother lost 65 pounds on Atkins, he decided to jump on the bandwagon and see if it would work for him.


I was the typical overweight kids whose parents start charting their, his brother, and his weight when I was little 6 years old. I don't recall it ever helping, and I was usually the tallest and slowest person in my class. By the time I reached high school, teenage hormones has caused me to lose a lot of weight. By the time, I graduated I had already joined the Guard, gone through Basic Training, and was probably underweight. I weighed at that time about 180# and ran my 2 mile PT test in less than 12 minutes, which seems amazing to me now. However, I was unhappy I thought I was actually underweight and wanted a more bulk on my bones.

The other change that happened shortly after high school (9 days to be exact) was I got married to my high school (still) sweetheart. In the next few years, I spent scraping by going to college and grad school, working way too much, and overall not paying attention to my body. After 6 years of service, I reenlisted, but I was already on the fat man's list, and had problems passing the PT test. I endured another 3 years of some ridicule due to the weight in Guard but eventually had to leave the service. (The worst was being excused from a mission (12-14 mile road march in Hohenfels, Germany) because the Staff Sergeants did not believe I could make it and didn’t want to drag my fat butt home.) I tried at the time to do the right thing, but every single time I started an exercise program, it would only last a couple weeks. I just couldn't last, and it was just too difficult.

That was fine and dandy when I weighed at most 310 (I think it was closer to 290). I was still young, and the effects still weren't as prevalent. I was still hiking with the wife in the woods, and my hobbies gradually centered on my new career in computers. I just arranged my life that my weight mattered less and less and was more concerned that I was happy not healthy. What a fool I was... I eventually got to a point where climbing stairs was difficult, and I had to disguise the fact in meetings I was actually out of breath. I also suffered from a bad case of sleep apnea that caused more than one startled awakenings while driving the car or even at stop lights. I definitely saw the problems, and even though I wanted to ignore them eventually I couldn't. An accident will do that to you.

I started again trying to lose weight last April '03 on my own. I tried doing the right thing with eating, but I was woefully inadequate to the task. I tried exercising, but only succeeded in dislocating my knee (patella) in a painful basketball game last year. In the next 8 months I lost a total 10 pounds down to 419. It was pitiful, and it hardly seemed worth the effort. Then in January my brother decided to do Atkins. I met his weight loss efforts with skepticism and some derision about the "fad" diet. I ripped him in brotherly fashion while he proceeded to drop 65 pounds (450-385). It took me almost four months to realize if he could do it, I better at least give it a try. I had little hope that it would work, but that I would give it my best attempt. If it didn’t, I could always have weight loss surgery.

After a false start in eating low carb yogurt, I read the book basically in one sitting. I started officially on March 31, 2004. My Atkineer life has not been without problems. My induction flu period was particularly trying. I went from unhappy with my weight, but reasonably good person to an irritable and grouchy person as all my routines and comfort foods, like pizza and a 4 liter per day Diet Dew habit, had simply been ripped away. I am thankful my DW stuck with me during that period because I am sure I wasn’t pleasant to be around. She later said, “I hated Atkins in April for what it did to you.” However, the miracle of all miracles started to happen. The scale started to show weight loss. Not the painfully slow weight loss of the past attempts, but fast weight loss. Every day was like Christmas as the scale was dropping by pounds per day.

My spirits picked up as to did my relationships with others and myself. Coworkers saw what was indeed going on with me and although initially skeptical congratulated me for the loss. I once again resumed my exercise plan, and did what I could walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes, stopping often for shin pains no matter how I stretched. I continued on. This Way of Living started giving me more and more energy to try to cardio routines, like StairStepping and Elliptical Trainer. No longer was I huffing and puffing, but being complimented by the Wellness trainers for my gym determination and intensity of workout. I also rediscovered my love of biking and being outdoors. None of this would have been possible with Atkins.

I am also seeing other benefits as well. The sleep apnea, which could have had fatal consequences, has now reduced to the point where I can sleep unencumbered by my Bi-Pap machine without gasping or fighting for breath. The last but not least benefit is that it has allowed me to meet a wonderful group at ADBB. I couldn’t have lost this or stayed as motivated without this Board being here, and I remain in its debt. One last note, that brother of mine, whose weight loss I have been chasing from the start, I may at last catch him. He has been losing as consistently as I have down through 400’s, 300’s, and into the 200’s.

I could recommend to all those reading this article the standard stuff, such as use Fitday.com to watch for unintended carb creep or to make sure you exercise, to continue see results. Most of you have heard that before. I will however make my own recommendation, which personally affects each time I have a slow down in weight loss for a few days or week. Do not overthink the diet! By that I mean, start questioning everything from the time you eat your last meal to when you drank your last water for the day. Fitday.com or a food journal should point out any differences in the nutrient intake or potential problems, but in the absence of proof, tweaking the WOE (“well maybe if I only drink water until 6 pm,” “eat only iceberg lettuce up 20g and nothing else,” or “maybe cut back on my fat intake”) could only serve to slow down the return to weight loss. If the stall (defined by a lack of inches lost AND what the scale reports) has lasted 4 weeks, then post a menu to be reviewed and ask a few questions, but until then remain confident any temporary setback could be just that temporary.

My goal is to get down to 225, but that number is an arbitrary number. I am really looking to be as fit as possible, and whatever number that happens to be is where I am going. Really the end number is unimportant to me as my life and diet will hopefully change little at that point. I won't be returning to my old eating patterns and the old foods, like Chinese buffets, Krispy Kremes, or gorging myself on a whole large pizza.

It is at that point you know you are really living the lifestyle and not just following another fad diet.

[dreamof145]

Origam is a 29 year old with two children. She spent hundreds of dollars on various weight loss products – until she found Atkins. She’s lost 93 pounds and enjoying her life. She works in law enforcement and will be moving to Colorado in February!


I’ve always struggled with my weight. There isn't a time in my life when I can remember NOT fighting the battle of the bulge. I’ve tried lots of different diets, all with little or no success. I'd lose a couple pounds and then fall off the wagon. It's kind of hard to stay on the diet when you're starving, craving things all the time or bored with the foods. I spent hundred of dollars doing Jenny Craig and buying weigh loss products like Dexatrim - all in the quest to lose weight. Nothing worked for me! I pretty much had given up. For several years I did nothing about my weight and ballooned up more and more.

One of my "Oh my gosh, what am I doing" moments came when I was putting together my new bed. When it came time to test it out, I was petrified that I would break it if I sat on it! I couldn't keep up with my kids; I was always out of energy. When I got home from work I'd eat dinner and plop myself down in front of the TV with the kids and then go to sleep. In the afternoons I would take naps. I'd use part of my lunch break and go into the locker room and take a nap. I had high blood pressure, frequent tension headaches and was constantly getting sick from colds or flu that people would pass around the office. My immune system isn't all that great to begin with. I was in pretty bad shape emotionally and physically. I was beyond a mess. I was at war with myself trying to do as much damage as I could by eating junk food and sitting on my butt doing nothing. I put myself down on a daily basis.

I bought a bunch of different books on diets, read them all and decided that Atkins sounded like one that I could stick to. To be honest, I pretty much had it in my mind that I probably wouldn't stick to it for long either. Why should it be any different than all the diets that I had tried?

Well, here it is a year later and I'm down 93lbs. I now have the energy to play with my kids. I no longer have high blood pressure. I don't need a nap in the afternoon. I don't get sick as often! I exercise on a regular basis. And…I ENJOY it!! I can walk for long periods of time without getting winded. I eat foods that I like and have learned to love vegetables. In fact, now-a-days I'd rather have a yummy salad instead of potato chips. I am healthier today than I was before Atkins. I am also much happier! It's easier to smile when you don't hate yourself... and it's much easier not to hate yourself when you're feeling better!

I sound like an infomercial don't I?

My advice to anyone thinking about starting Atkins is: Don’t Give Up!! Atkins DOES work if you do it right and give it a chance. You can't expect to lose tons of weight overnight.. it didn't take you a day to put all the weight on. More importantly.. give yourself a chance! Don't think that you can't do it because it's too hard! I'm living proof that it can be done.

[dreamof145]

Grillmaster is a 40 year old artist who enjoys tennis, basketball and bicycling. He considers himself a good cook whose specialties used to be Chinese food, pizza and barbecue. Now he considers himself a great low-carb chef. He still uses his wok and grill ~ only the ingredients have changed to fit his new lifestyle.

I was never the overweight kid. I was a stocky guy, but never was I considered to be obese or even chubby, although I did have to watch what I ate to keep from gaining a few pounds now and then. When I was younger and active, I could eat what I liked and maintain a reasonable weight, but after my early twenties, I had less time to exercise and my metabolism changed. I still played basketball and tennis on a regular weekly basis, but my weight gradually climbed about 5-10 lbs a year until I was over 250 lbs and feeling miserable.

I tried unsuccessfully to diet many times. I tried Slim Fast, metabolism pills and cutting back on fatty food and vowing not to eat fast foods or sweets. In the latter years of my weight-gaining days, I agonized over food and my weight on a daily basis. But even though I was obsessive about food, I couldn't understand how I was continuing to gain weight in spite of playing sports and being active. I never lost more than five or six pounds on any diet attempt.

To make matters worse, I have had a congenital back problem that has plagued me most of my life, and the extra pounds around the middle was pulling my lower back even further out of alignment. My doctors would tell me that I needed to lose weight, but they never told me how.

Ironically, I first heard about Atkins in a doctor's office! I saw the cover of a 2000 Time magazine which showed a giant hamburger with a tiny bun. It made me curious, but I didn't read the article. A couple of years later, I heard more people talking about the Atkins diet and ketosis and, feeling I need to try something organized to lose weight, I decided to investigate. One evening I went to a local store and started to leaf through DANDR in the aisle, and after 10 minutes, I knew that this WOE made sense. I bought the book and started the diet the very next morning.

At first it was odd to me to be eating all the foods that I had previously had avoided (meats, cheeses, eggs, butter... whipped cream!) and to avoiding all the foods that I had thought were healthy choices (pastas, baked potatoes, milk... apples!), but the book made so much sense and I figured that if the testimonials in DADNR were factual, it must be worth a try.

After induction, I had lost ten pounds. In three more weeks I had lost ten more. After eight weeks, I was down 30 pounds. The WOE was easy for me because I felt renewed energy and saw results. Over 11 months, I've lost 65 lbs and am about 10 pounds from the goal weight I had initially set, and am currently on the upper rungs of the OWL stage, and eat a variety of foods. Oh, and I should mention that my stamina in exercising has improved and I won my tennis league last year! Though I did suffer a back injury this summer (which stalled my program a bit), I have gone several months without any back pain and I'm feeling healthier than ever.

My wife is amazed that I have not fallen off the wagon in nearly a year. I've withstood the temptation of birthday cakes and ice cream, Thanksgiving stuffing and Christmas cookies. I still have a sweet tooth which I satisfy from time to time with some "Franken foods", but the momentum of success and a lack of desire for starches and sugars have kept me going strong.

My philosophy throughout the year has been "been there, ate that" or "I can have some of that next year". I know that making a short term sacrifice will have long term benefits, and whatever comfort I once had from eating those things has been replaced by the comfort of smaller clothing and compliments from people who notice the change in my appearance.

[dreamof145]

Loonatika went from Junk Food Queen to growing her own fresh veggies. She’s gone from a completely unfit exercise phoebe to an exercise addict. Losing 44 pounds has given her a new outlook on life.


I've never been much of a goal setting person. I'm more of the 'I can do anything I set my mind to' type of thinker. I have a stubborn streak that mainly in the past has been my downfall. I wanted to use it for something positive this time - my health and weightloss. If I only knew then, how determined that mind of mine can be

It took so much arguing with myself to even start on Atkins. I'd tried it in 2003 and it worked great for 20lb, until I fell off the wagon big time following surgery. In April of 2004, I knew that something had to change. I'd look at myself in the mirror and not recognize myself. In photos, I'd blame bad angles as the reason I looked so fat. But finally one day the truth hit me and I knew I was the only one who could do something about it.

The hardest thing about my two week induction was cutting out sugar. I was a huge junk food addict - to the point where I'd go out at night if I had no chocolate or crisps left to buy more. I even rotated different service stations so that no one would think I ate too much junk food, or tell the attendant that I was getting supplies for me and my 'friend'.

The night before I started, I cleaned out my house of junk food - by eating it all. I figured I may as well make the most of it, and boy did I feel sick afterwards. That at least gave me a few days grace, as the last thing I wanted was junk food.

Whenever I felt like a candy bar during Induction, I cooked up chicken wings and had them instead. I must've got through so much chicken those first few weeks - but at least I stayed away from the sugar. After two weeks, I was down 8lb on the scale, and feeling absolutely fantastic. I haven't looked back since then.

I started my exercise plan - weight training and cardio which was another hurdle I had to jump over. I was completely and utterly unfit, and had very little strength due to the 3 month recovery from surgery. But I got there by taking it slow and knowing my limits. Everytime I had to use more weight on the barbell, I took it as a success. Everytime I could walk longer on the treadmill - I got excited and realized I may actually end up fit. I was closely watched by my physiotherapist, and the day I was able to completely control my stomach muscles (they were cut during surgery) in all the exercises she had me do, just made me so proud of myself. My physio got pretty excited too

Now, well over 9 months later, I'm nearly at goal. I have gone from a size 18 to a size 10 and even a size 8 in some clothing. My scale has slowed right down, but I'm still losing inches on a weekly basis. I figure I have about 10lb to go to 'goal', but my real goal is just how I look, not any size or weight.

My main gripe now is how I have to take in my clothing all the time - and I soon see the funny side to that. My sewing machine has become my best friend, and it is just so much fun to whack off the inches off the sides of tops or pants to make them fit again. I've got absolutely no clothing left from my size 18 days, there's only so many inches you can cut off and have an outfit still look ok!

I do owe so much to this board for keeping me motivated, accountable and on track. The times I've wanted to go back to my sugar eating junk food days, I think of how people will react on here, or how hypocritical I will be advising new people if I can't even stay on track. Plus I've even lost the taste for that type of food now - and I'm saving so much money with my Atkins eating. I just feel sorry for those service stations, their profit margins must have gone down dramatically

To say Atkins works for me is like saying the sky is blue. It's the only thing that has helped me health wise, the only type of 'diet' I can do without feeling deprived and I just owe so much to this way of eating for giving me back my confidence, waistline and most importantly - health.

_________________
30/f - 5'5 - 182/138/130 - Start April 04

[dreamof145]

Starmaker has a physically demanding job, as a DJ, she is required to not only get the party started and keep it poppin all night, but to also teach all the latest dance moves, and showcase the energy on stage that is expected in her profession. After quitting smoking in 2002, the weight piled on as bad eating habits took their toll, and she was left wondering if she would have to give up the profession she loved after finding she could no longer handle the strenuous stage work outs. Her audience deserved better and so did she...



Weight issues..had them all my life, but untill this point in 2002, I was able to lose the few pounds I may have gained here and there. I didn't notice that I was replacing the cigarettes I had given up with high carb junk food. I felt that I should be rewarding myself for a job well done, it was quite a feat to give up cigs, and in my mind, I deserved it! I was totally blind to the mirror that year.

A music magazine did a feature on my company and I and I was mortified when the pictures came out, I looked so big, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Friends and family were eagerly anticipating the issue coming out, and I was so upset at the pictures that I hid it from everyone for 2 weeks. I cried myself to sleep every night.

In my youth, I had tried slimfast, low fat, suffered from eating disorders, anorexia, bulimia, you name it, I had abused my body, and all for a fashion magazines ideal of what a women's body should look like. I am lucky to be alive today after what I have done to my insides. I will never be the same again physically due to that abuse. I was not going to kill myself doing what I did before, I was devastated, but I was also convinced that somewhere out there, there was help for me.

The internet, such a vast source of information. It didn't take long for me to find reference to Dr Atkins and low carb. I read on with interest and was surprised when I realized that it made total sense to me. I ran out and bought the book DANDR 2002. Best investment I ever made!

Almost immediatly I began hearing from friends and acquaintances."Atkins diet will kill you", "Your kidneys will explode" "you are going to wreck your liver". I wasn't prepared at that time with all the snappy educated comebacks and proof that I am armed with today. I caved to their disapproval and tried to do low carb my own way. I ate low carb one meal, cheated on the next, bought frankenfoods, pigged out on them and wondered why I wasn't losing weight!

Then I found a forum, not this one, but another one where the moderator and I constantly butted heads. Why? cause she was right, and I was trying to do things my own way. I argued with her til I was blue. She was patient to a point but then one day just threw up her hands at me and said "look, you can do this your way, but its obvious your way isn't working for you, come back to me when you have decided what you want to do". I was frustrated, angry even, and left the forum never to return. It took a great deal of time before I realized that she was right all along.

I was the person with the camera at all family functions. I took plenty of pics of everyone, but no pics of me were to be found. If someone did take a pic of me, I made them destroy it, or swear they wouldn't show the pics to anyone else. I was a thin person in a fat persons body and my inner fox wanted OUT!

Round 2, I re-read my DANDR, did a totally clean induction, no cheats, no frankenfoods, and water water water, and what do you know? I lost 20 lbs in 2 weeks! Wow! Imagine! Nothing was going to stop me now! Guess I should have listened to the people on that forum in the first place! (dummy slap)

I set a goal for myself and reached it in the early part of 2004. 150 lbs! My doc told me that I was way over 200 when I started. I don't weigh myself, so I really didn't know, and didn't WANT to know. I knew I was wearing Delta Burke brand clothes in 3 X sizes at one time. I am deleriously happy to be in regular sizes now.

I have to admit, it wasn't all smooth sailing either, I wrestled with sugar cravings, had a bad bout of induction flu when I gave up caffine, and feel off the wagon briefly a few times more than I want to admit. but I kept going, and kept picking myself up and dusting myself off. Eventually the cravings went away. My motto became eat to live not live to eat as it had been all my life. The energy returned, I was once again bouncing around all over the stage.

I recently set a new goal for myself at a smaller size, then I went looking for a forum where I could both find and give support, well here I am! What a great place, what amazing people within. I have found my home, and the weight is continuing to melt off of me.

I find myself still wearing my fat clothes, almost like my 'woobie', I seemed to need them to make me feel secure. But the rest of the world can't see my wonderful results if I keep covering myself up! I am going to go and buy some new clothes! I am so excited! I never thought I'd ever see the day that I could pack away all those baggy black clothes.

I've learned a great deal. I learned that I could do this the hard way, or the right way. The hard way being I just cut everything down, cheated here and there, argued with my low carb mentors, and the cravings never went away. The weight went up and down. End result? No better off than when I started. Once I did it the right way, man! I just melted before my own eyes! I have never felt so healthy, happy, or confident as I do now.

Thank you Dr. Atkins! Thank you to the most excellent people on this forum who pushed me along and applauded me. I have my life back! If I can do this, you can too! And we will all be here on the sidelines cheering you on!

High Maintenance Female

[dreamof145]

Dawn is not only a full time Mom but also a full time college student. After years of yo-yo dieting, Dawn discovered the Atkins diet and has lost 95 pounds in one year. 2005 is the "Year of the Mucko" as she will graduate from college and hopefully reach her goal weight.

The Professional Dieter

I’ve been on a diet all my life… or so it seems. My Mom had me on every fad diet you could imagine as I was growing up. Besides the latest diets, my parents tried bribes, humiliation, and degradation. I was called “Rolly Polly. Daddy’s little fatty.” (From an old country song) I was constantly compared to my beautiful and thin Aunt who was one year older than me. (I was adopted by my Step-Dad.) She was the beautiful blonde hair, blue eyed, svelte beauty, and I was the brown haired, brown eyed, chubby kid. My heart longed to be her. I always felt like I was a disappointment to my parents.

Regardless of my chubbiness, I was very athletic. I played all sports, even football, and I was good! I could keep up with the best of them even though I was carrying an extra fifty or more pounds on me. Heck, I was even a cheerleader in high school. Yep, there’s nothing like a fat cheerleader! LOL

I didn’t really date any. I was friends with all the guys in my school, but I wasn’t pretty enough to date. Well I’ll take that back. The guys would tell me that I had a pretty face, but my body was a turn off. So I spent a lot of my time day dreaming about dating and some hunk falling in love with me.

I began binging and vomiting after meals when I was 17. One of the girls in my school was doing it and she was absolutely beautiful. She would openly go vomit after eating a big meal at school! I decided to try it and after getting the hang of sticking my finger down my throat to throw up, I became a champion vomiter if there is such a thing and lost over 60 pounds. Oh, I was also using ex lax and exercising for at least two hours a night. That all came to end after a visit to a doctor when my throat began bleeding. Come to find out I was cutting the back of my throat with my fingernails. The doc had a long talk with me and I quit. I gained that 60 pounds back extremely fast and gained even more weight.

When I was 18 I met and married a man within six weeks of meeting him. I think I married him so fast because he was the first man that ever really showed interest in me. I craved the love he gave me and enjoyed the security of having someone.

In the ten years we were married my weight would bounce up and down. I weighed up to 290 pounds at times and then would diet and lose the weight very quickly. I lost over 100 pounds with Weight Watchers. Then I went to place called The Diet Center. I basically lived on tuna, green beans, and mustard. I lost over a 100 pounds at The Diet Center, but after five months… yes five months I lost over a 100 pounds, I had a gall bladder attack and had to eat regularly. I gained all that weight back plus some within six months.

My husband left me for another woman after 10 years of marriage and one child. He did tell me that my weight gain was one of the factors. I felt miserable. I joined Weight Watcher again and lost 100 pounds. I felt great and started dating a lot. During that time I met my current husband. I weighed around 170 when he met me.
Right away Jim (my current husband) and I were surprised to discover I was pregnant. It wouldn’t be the first surprise either. After five years of marriage, I had been pregnant THREE times! Of course with each pregnancy I would gain a large amount of weight, then diet to lose it after the baby was born. My last pregnancy did me in though. I hadn’t lost any of my baby weight yet when I discovered I was pregnant with my last son. I was shocked. I was a few weeks pregnant and weighed 300 pounds! I was scared to death and requested a dietician immediately. I was put on a diet to help me maintain my weight during my pregnancy. I was then switched over to the American Diabetes Association Diet when it was found out that I had gestational diabetes. The doctors warned me if I didn’t lose the weight after the pregnancy, my odds of having diabetes were very high.

My husband and I moved to Florida with our family so I could be a Stay at Home Mom with our four sons. I found myself alone a lot since he was a truck driver. Raising four sons on your own is not an easy job and I became very lonely and depressed. I had had a career for over 14 years, and leaving it behind to stay at home with the boys was very hard for me. My depression caused my overeating. I refused to weigh because I knew I was HUGE. I would diet, lose some weight, and then start eating again and gain everything back.

I decided the best thing to do was to start my life outside of the house again, so I enrolled in college and started taking classes. As I excelled at school, my confidence began building. Then my husband took a local job so he was home every night and that really helped. I started going to church again and became more active in the community.

I knew this last year that I needed one more thing to change and that was my weight. My health was deteriorating. I was short of breath just doing simple chores. I began wondering what would happen to my boys if I died. Also, as a Christian, I knew I had abused the body God had given me. I would joke that God gave me a temple and I turned it into a circus tent! Joking aside, I believe God calls us to be the best we can be, and how could I be the best I could be at 300 plus pounds? I became angry with myself for what I had allowed myself to become.

I knew I wanted to do something, but didn’t know what. A dear friend sent me DANDR in the mail for a Christmas present. I decided to give it a shot and read the book in December of 2003. As I read it, I felt like Dr. Atkins was talking to me. I saw myself in many of the people he described. I knew I was a carb addict and the whole blood sugar thing made total sense to me. I decided to give it shot in January. So, January 2nd, I began Atkins. I had terrible induction flu, but hung in there. I really liked the Atkins way of eating and all the different varieties of food I could have. The biggest thing I struggled with though was not eating low fat dressings and butter and mayonnaise. I couldn’t believe I could eat eggs for breakfast more than three times a week if I wanted too! I had been so brainwashed with all the fats are bad stuff, that I had to MAKE myself eat fats. I couldn’t believe I was enjoying my food for the first time in a long time. I believe I lost nine pounds the first week and then about five pounds the next week. I stalled then and got confused. I wondered if I was doing it right. Come to find out I was retaining fluid. I was going to have my first “cycle”. I hadn’t had a period in at least a year! That’s when I knew this WOE was working! I also started exercising. I work out three days a week at the YMCA doing Power Flex, Cardio, and Weight lifting.

I found ADBB very early on in my Atkins journey. It became an essential part to my weight loss. The Century Club became my home. It was wonderful to meet other members who were as heavy as I was and had a long-long way to go to meet goal. The members in the Century Club have become my Internet family. They have inspired me, encouraged me, and made me laugh, cry, and celebrate. Their journey has become as important to me as my own journey. They are such a wonderful bunch of “losers”. I don’t know what I would do without them. (I love you guys!)

I have now lost about 95 pounds. I’m in a stall right now (of course my body would stall me right before I hit the 100 pound mark… how cruel!) This is the longest I have ever maintained a weight loss. This is also the healthiest I’ve been in YEARS.

I have to thank God, Dr. Atkins, my Century Club friends, and other members at ADBB for helping in this journey. I could of never done it by myself.

[dreamof145]

Irish has been an inspiration for many people on the ADBB site. I know she was the one I listened carefully to when I was just a 'lurker' on the board. Her progress is remarkable and her story is just as inspiring.

Well, if you are reading this, we probably have something in common. We are not happy at our current weight or we feel unhealthy or both. For me Atkins has been the answer. This is my story. It may not be your story, but maybe you can take something away from it.

I had an intact family. I wasn't an unhappy or miserable kid. I was just fat. And the truth of it is, I never knew it as a youngster. My Mom and Dad also had weight problems. Food was celebration and it brought the generations together. We had Sunday dinners and holidays and parties with family friends and our relatives. And they were all happy times. I associated food with being happy.

As a child, my Mom used to take me shopping in Boston at Lane Bryant's "Chubbette Department". For some this is hard to imagine, but, there were no large Malls and shopping in a downtown district was the only option. And I had lots of clothes. Mom always made sure I was well dressed and even made some of my clothing from styles I saw and liked. I never felt different because of my clothing.

It wasn't until High School that I started to realize that my weight was a problem. I felt terrible during gym class. Try as I might, I couldn't do all the rope climbing and gymnastics and running as well as the others. Of course the most humiliating part was having a gym uniform that was the largest they had and the snaps were gaping open.

As a teenager, my parents made many attempts to have me diet with promises of money, new clothing, a telephone of my own ... and I'd try but I'd fail each time. And the trying and failing became the pattern I followed through college and starting my first job and continuing throughout my life. I tried the AYDS diet, Metracal, Weight Watchers (several times), Diet Workshop, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, Cambridge Diet, Slimfast, Lean Cuisine. I followed the heart association diet, the food pyramid, low fat diet, the diabetic diet all under the direction of nutritionists. I tried fad diets like eating cabbage soup every day or the juice diet. And I've tried the Zone and South Beach and Sugarbusters. I saw counselors and attended OA. Suffice to say, I dieted and lost some weight only to regain it all plus some more.

In the fall of 2003, my diabetes wasn't managed well, I had high blood pressure, I had injured my knee in a fall and injured the other rehabbing from surgery requiring more surgery, I had broken the promise that I'd made to myself at 50 to get healthy. It was finally suggested by my doctor that I consider gastic bypass. And I was shocked. It finally struck me. I was nearly 500 pounds. And now a doctor was suggesting gastric bypass. That scared me. For me, I wasn't ready to accept that as the alternative. So during the month of December, I picked up Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution. While my husband watched television in the evenings, I read my book and as I progressed, I'd tell him about Atkins. The more I read, the more excited I became. Shortly before Christmas, I asked him to look at the Acceptable Food List. We both agreed that we could do this. Our tastes were in alignment with the choices we would have, but something still held me back. I did some more research finding some of the studies referred to in the book and on websites. I needed to be sure because if I failed at weight loss again, I wasn't sure I'd live long enough to have another chance.

My academic background is Chemistry and Math and so the science supporting Atkins interested me and I continued to read everything I could including this website. Yes. I was a lurker for a while. On New Years Day, my husband and I made the decision to prepare to begin Atkins. We committed to it by cleaning out the pantry and giving away any food that wasn't on the Acceptable Food List. And then we began the task of developing menus and from the menus we developed shopping lists. We began Atkins on January 5, 2004, in the midst of one of the greatest New England Patriots seasons and we are huge Pats fans. But despite that, we planned how to make it through the playoffs and the big game! We knew we couldn't make another excuse not to begin Atkins.

The first two weeks were intense. Before Atkins, we ate out every night or ordered the usual take out foods. Cooking at home for those two solid weeks was difficult to get used to, but it was the best thing we ever did. And the two weeks went by quickly and we continued as we saw results.

It was shortly after a month living this WOL that I registered for this board. At my weight I was embarassed and somedays mortified. I remember asking many of the long time members if anyone had actually been as heavy and had as much weight to lose as I did. And they were warm and gracious and offered to review my food plan and offered me support at every Monday weigh in. My confidence increased as I got to know people more. My "home" forum is Century Club. The people there have been my friends and have been key to my success here and I love them dearly.

Medically speaking, I work closely with my physician having blood work done and have since before I began this WOL. My doctor was reluctant to have me start Atkins, but knew I needed to do something. He supports me completely today. My blood pressure is now within normal limits and my HmgA1C is at an all time low as well as reduction of medication. I've had to have my thyroid doseage adjusted with my weight loss. One of my medical goals is to reduce or eliminate some of my medication and I have no doubt that I'll accomplish this.

On January 5th of this year, I celebrated my anniversary with members of this board. They have become my support, my inspiration, my friends, my sounding board, my mentors, my comic relief and my new family. And every day I come here, I'm reminded by someone how lucky we are to have the ha

I've made it through the first year by following Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution(2002). Yes, I'm aware that there are other books, but this is the one that the people who lose the most and have the most solid foundations followed. And I also study Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution. As a diabetic, I needed to be informed and as much as fellow Atkineers were willing to help me, the best advice they gave was to get this book.

In just over a year, I've lost 140 pounds and my husband has lost 64 pounds. He is nearly at goal, I'm not. This is a WOL and I accept it. I still have a long way to go to meet my goal. I'll get there, but it isn't a race.

My tips for anyone who wants to find a successful WOL with Atkins:

Don't treat your weight loss plan as an event. This isn't a diet ... it's a process, a way of life which can bring much satisfaction if you adjust your attitude and accept this. Believe in something. I rely on my spiritual beliefs to help me daily in all aspects of my life. You may rely on other inspiration. If you have 30 pounds to lose for a vacation in two months, follow the plan as it is written without cheating. You may not meet your goal, but you'll certainly be on your way. It isn't a loss on demand kind of plan and it only works if you follow it.

Approach this plan in an organized, systematic way, but don't use it as an excuse not to start. Plan your menus daily until you are comfortable enough to know you are ready for anything. Plan your grocery lists. As others on this board say, "Failing to plan is planning to fail."

Don't find excuses to cheat or reasons to go off the plan. Planned cheats can become planned failures. That one bite may be the reason you fail. I know I have many cheats left in me, but I may only have one recovery and I'm not willing to chance that.

Find support with family or friends. They may not all support your efforts ... some may think that your relationships with them will change, but find someone among your friends and family who is willing to support your efforts. And rely on this board. The support of the Admin team, the Mods and members is invaluable. And participate in the and practice the "play it forward" philosphy. You'll take more from this board if you give to this board through your posts or other contributions.

When in doubt, read DANDR. Most of the answers are there. It's a WOL so invest something of yourself in this WOL. Your success will be more automatic and your journey less problematic. And look for the people who have the program you want and follow them and see what works for them. Be open to new ideas and suggestions from people who have had success.

I have my heroes here and I'm grateful every day. I know you'll find your heros, too.

Bless you all.

IrishIrish/Jo

_________________

[dreamof145]

Raised in a family where food was a celebratory event, it was ingrained early on that food meant happiness, celebration and comfort to cleochatra, a lively and *hip bumpy* free spirit. Little did she then realize that the Foodenanny of Fun would spiral into a nightmare of health woes, overweight, and depression (in other words, total “not fun-ness”).

The best way to begin is to say I was born thin and it all went downhill from there (who knows—I may have been a fat egg who lost weight dividing into cells). Having a mom who was depressed and had weight problems of her own, and a dad in Special Forces who, conversely, ran over 5 miles a day and was in peak physical form but was never around, my habits towards food were learned from my mom, and where I placed the unnecessary calories on my body was entirely maternally biased-genetically-speaking.

Soon I was an overweight 10 year old, teased at school and called “butterball” by some of the kids. I remember even splitting the seam in my Scooby Doo Halloween costume that year and had to wear a coat to cover my Shazam! underoos! Ruh Roh! My mom further added to the malignant joys of childhood by sewing my clothes for me, which often were contrived of polyester jumpsuit embarrassment, embellished with flared legs, and zippers which ran the length of the unitards of social death.

Through the rest of my school career, I battled with my weight, the death of my mother (I was 13), a runaway younger sister, and my father marrying a woman who could have learned charm from Eva Braun, and did my best to maintain an upbeat attitude. I was well-known in school (in a positive way—well, that’s what they told me. Hmmm), was my high school mascot, in drama club, voted “Most Spirited” of my class and won the ASB secretary position with campaign slogans like, “Vote for me or I’ll talk a lot more!” (a frightening and potent threat if you consider how much I can talk. Not that any of my loquacious personality shines through at ADBB or anything).

Later on in life, even after several successful attempts at weight loss, I still was plagued with the same self-defeating attitudes and emotional eating practices for comfort I had been practicing for so many years and had now perfected. I went off and on Atkins successfully since 1984, but always quit this way of eating because I assumed I could go back to my old eating habits and continue to stay at my weight.

And look at how well that mentality worked for me! I’d gone from the platform at Successland and ended up in the high-carb dining car on the train to Stupidsville.

The last six years of my life I’ve weighed over 250 pounds; over 300 pounds the last 3 alone. I was taking a daily cornucopia of medications from Prozac to Nexium to high blood pressure medications and my doctor was really doing the not-happy-dance when I delivered my final baby at a weight of 318 pounds.

When I was at my greatest weight of 325, I was reintroduced to Atkins in August of 2004 by a fellow Cub Scout leader who was looking pretty snazzypants after some obvious weight loss. I found out he had been doing the Atkins diet and had lost a lot of weight. I was motivated. The very next day I re-punched my ticket and climbed back aboard the Weight Loss Express. Woot Woot!

Unfortunately, I didn’t know about ADBB at the time nor about the 2002 version of DANDR, and so followed advice of my well-meaning Atkins-possessed helper from Hades (and the frankenfood manufacturers) and happily munched low-carb ice cream bars, candies, and other frankenfoods, not tallying my carbs carefully, and continuing my 2-litres of Diet Coke per day of bad-yumness. And exercise why? In short, I was doing everything to fail at this way of eating!

Now, because of the support at ADBB and the unconditional *hip bumps of sprinkly happylove* I am on strict induction and losing again at a fast clip! I’ve finally kicked cravings out onto their ample bottoms, and I’ve been exercising for the last 6 weeks, and have lost 14.5” over the last month-and-a-half alone. I have so much energy (you’re saying to yourself she needs more energy WHY?) and I feel like a million dollars (minus the tax issues) and I no longer require any medications for depression, blood pressure or acid reflux!

I’ve lost over 80 pounds since August 20, 2004! That’s in less than 5 months!

My next goal is to hit a 100-pound loss by the end of February (my 6-month anniversary and my weight-loss halfway point). After that, who knows? Throwing caution to the wind and going for world domination of cute purses, and another 100 pound loss hopefully by the end of the year. I plan to be at my final goal of absolute physical cuteness by this New Year’s Eve, 2005!

I’m here at ADBB for the long haul. I know alone I did a pretty fair job of not following the Atkins way of eating on my own, and support can’t be had anywhere else like this fab, wild and crazy Atkinsapalooza of fun known as ADBB!


1. Education is key for this way of eating. To arm yourself with a shield of knowledge is to protect yourself from temptations as they come at you. So “Shields Up!” (No, not you Brooke)
2.Smelling food items you can’t have will give you a sense of scent-sual satisfaction. Go ahead! Sniff the donut! Become one with its donutty fragrance.
3.Read the 2002 Version of the Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution early and often (note: sleeping with it under the pillow, while showing devotion, does not work in an osmosisy fashion. Not that I’ve tried it or anything.)
4. Don’t overanalyze the Atkins way of eating. Follow the rules and you’ll lose weight.
5. Frankenfoods are only good if you also like corduroy pants with slingback sandals and a tube top— they seem like a good idea at the time, but someone’s benefiting from that faux pas and it’s not you. It’s probably the person at table 7 snapping clandestine photos of the situation to post on his website for the fashionably hopeless.

_________________
325/244/125

[dreamof145]

Firemedic had everything; beautiful children, a caring husband and a job that she loved. She realized that her life was at risk and she could lose everything if she didn’t take the necessary steps to get healthy. Thanks to Atkins, she is now 80 pounds lighter and enjoying her life and her family.

I was always an athletic kid and young adult. I over-ate, and ate stuff that was bad for me, but between running (I used to run with my dad and sister every night) and softball and bowling I kept my weight under control. I wanted to be a firefighter, but it wasn't a career that was encouraged for women back then, so I let it go.

When I went to college, I still ran, but it was harder to control my weight as the temptations of college life became too much. By the time I graduated college I was 200 pounds. I was still healthy, but I didn't want to admit that I was finding it a little harder to do the things I enjoyed doing.

Over the next several years I worked desk jobs first as a radio producer, then as a media writer and public relations exec. All that sitting didn't help, and I pretty much quit exercising by them (although I would still walk from the train station to the office every day).

At some point I rekindled my childhood interest in the fire service and went to paramedic school. Working part time as a paramedic and firefighter I found it easier to grab junk to eat at 2am than something healthy. By the time I was 30, I weighed about 250. I lost weight a few times on various different programs and drugs, but nothing stuck for long.

Then we adopted our children, and my weight sky-rocketed. It was just too hard to concentrate on myself when I suddenly had two, then three, toddlers at home. My weight crept up to 300, and then before I knew it, I was at 330. This whole time I was trying to function as a firefighter and paramedic, and it was getting harder and harder. I took a fulltime position at a local fire department that had pretty lose physical fitness standards, and my sleep and eating habits took a bigger hit.

That's when I knew, if I want to stay in the job I love, and stay alive for my children, I needed to do something. My father and my sister lost a ton of weight on Atkins. I wasn't a meat-eater (I had been a vegetarian for the past 10 years, shows how healthy that was, huh?). But I bought the book and started the next day.

Now 80 pounds later, I have saved my life and my career. I function better than I ever did at my job. I can chase my children around the yard. My husband and I have a better relationship now that I feel better about myself. I haul patients up and down staircases. I pull hose without becoming winded. I've developed the confidence to apply to better fire departments. My cholesterol is down, my skin cleared up, and my acid reflux is gone. And most importantly, I can run and exercise again.....

It hasn't all been easy. I've fallen of the wagon a few times, mostly for emotional reasons. All my exercise had aggravated my knee and my foot. I have tons of lose skin. And I'm still pretty fat. But I will never go back now....I have too much to lose (literally and figuratively).

That's my story.
Anne