A message from Lisa.

[Bren]

Hi! My name is Lisa, and I'm a carboholic. Not only am I a member of ADBB, but I'm also a stay-home mom of two very active girls and married to an outdoors-fanatic man for over 13 years. My titles of "mom" and "wife" don't stop there. I have also embarked on the journey of broadening my career horizons by going back to college to earn my degree in Elementary Education. I want to be a teacher when I grow up.

Just when I thought there wasn't enough hours in the day to do the jobs I have at home, let's throw in 4 years of research papers, studying, and teaching to take up even more time in my life! When would I have time to do what Dr. Atkins requires of us in order to be following the Atkins Diet the right way-- exercise? Exercise has not been easy to implement into my daily routine over the years, especially while going to school full-time. However, I am grateful that I chose to force myself to enroll into a 1 credit swim class this last Spring in order to keep up with the stress factors of finishing classes for the quarter; as well as having my treadmill and collection of exercise videos at home to remind me that there is no excuse for not making time to exercise no matter what is happening in my life. Exercise has been a great tool for losing weight this far as well as having the many forums of the board as an out reach for this way of eating.

Being a member of ADBB I have found a great comradery of people working on the same common goal: taking care of us the best we can while following Dr. Atkins Low Carbohydrate diet as a way of life. For someone just starting out on Atkins or new to the board I would highly recommend digging deep into the Exercise Challenges where one can find a great bunch of people going through the same feelings of making it through 6 weeks of exercise and earning the, "No Slug" award. Yes. It's hard to start an exercise routine, but it's worth every pound that disappears off the body to a healthier life.

While on this journey to changing eating habits and exercise routines, sometimes we just need to hook up with folks who have been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt (and maybe still in line to do it again). Life is not easy and I am not perfect. STAC (Second Time Around Club) is a great place to start over again. Folks in STAC were here for me when I returned from falling off the proverbial wagon a year ago this week and for that I'm truly thankful for their support.

As the journey progresses or just begins with this way of eating there are moments when we might feel alone and just need to vent out the frustrations or even share in the awesome wonders of losing weight with Atkins. Journal Chats offers this very personable part of the board with many attributes to help keep track of the daily parts of our walk with this way of eating. I have been given the awesome opportunity to be a Journal Hostess for the Summer while I take a break from classes, of which is quickly coming to an end. It's been a great pleasure being able to get to know folks on a more personal level and I am grateful for each one who has a journal and are willing to open up and share their lives. It's not easy sharing the deepest parts of your life, especially when it comes to eating and exercise, but when we do it's an amazing release to know there's someone out there going through the very same thing we are and understand. For that I am grateful and wish each person the best on their own personal journey with this way of eating for life.
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