New Guy Aboard!!

[joeythejammer]

My name is Joe. I'm from Baltimore, Maryland and currently living in Ellicott City. I live with my girlfriend, our daughter who is 3 years old, and my girlfriend's 3 kids who are 11-13-15.

I am 38 years old and first tried Atkins in 2004. I went from around 230 pounds all the way down to a low of 183. I am 5 ft. 11 inches tall, so I think around 180 is where I should be.

After mid 2005 and the birth of my baby girl in July, I began to eat poorly once again. My weight started going up and up and I just wasn't motivated to diet or to stay on the Atkins course. I know that it's not just a diet now. After trying like 3 or 4 times from 2006 to 2007 I failed each time, always giving in to burgers, fries, pizza, and bread and chocolate.

I have lately started to watch videos on YOuTUBE of guys like me who have done it before and are doing it again and getting good results. So, I decided that after my vacation I would re-dedicate myself to the Atkins WOE and try to get those good feelings back again.

I started my current plan on Wednesday, August 6th- one week ago today. My weight that morning was 229. This morning, the start of day #8, I weighed in at 220. I am very enthused and I know that I am going to see it through this time and not ever fall off the wagon again.

I was worried that the past few times I tried the diet during '06 and '07 that the weight just wasn't coming off as it did the first time. I started to think that I screwed up my ONE GOLDEN SHOT as they say.. I am starting to realize that I may have just given up too soon those times and my effort wasn't whole hearted to begin with.

Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself and let everyone know how good I am feeling only one week into induction.

My foods of choice are chicken breast cooked on the grill, steak, eggs, bratwurst, ham and turkey breast, some cheeses, lots of tuna and chicken salad, small portions of veggies like green beans and broccoli and of course lettuce with salads (mainly cobb salads) topped with Ken's Steakhouse Ranch. I love bacon, although I watch how much I eat because I could down a pound at a time without blinking.

I have always broken one rule of Atkins and that is that I always have caffeine. I lost almost 50 pounds in 2004 without heeding the caffeine warnings. I love coffee in the morning with low carb half and half, and I drink all of the diet sodas (pepsi and coke mainly) and my favorite drink is home made iced tea sweetened with saccharine (sweet & low).

I don't think I will ever go above the 20 carbs per day even after the two week induction because I didn't the first time. I am feeling more and more comfortable with my food selection as each day passes. I am very motivated to make this a lifetime deal this time as I never want to go back to my old ways of eating.

I hope to meet others who share some of my diet similarities and will look to this forum for support and motivation when I need it most.

Joe A.

[chrisabel45]

Re: New Guy Aboard!!

Good for you Joe,

I am on my third day of induction and have not cheated. I tried Atkins about 3 years ago and I did well, but this time I am going to reach my goal and not give up. Good luck, I know you can do it!

Christina

[Rick]

Re: New Guy Aboard!!

Hi Joe! And welcome to

One thing right off... ditch the sweet and low and move on over to Splenda. It tastes just as good and is much much better for you.

It's great that you are ready to make this a commitment for live, because that's what it is if you want to be successful on Atkins. It works. But, it only works if you follow the rules.

At some point you will NEED to move beyond the induction rules and 20 carb limit. There are a lot of healthy carbs out there that you will want to add back in at some point. Once you get to within 5-10 lbs of your goal, you should be in pre-maintenance, and then on to goal and maintenance for life. At this point you should have a quite a bit higher than 20 carb limit per day, though that will have to be determined, and the book tells you how to figure out what that number should be.

Just know, Atkins is not just induction... took me a while to figure that out too, but it's so much better to move beyond it, and you can still maintain that great loss that you find in the earlier changes. Some people even lose better as they move up the rungs of OWL.

Best of luck to you, and know that there are a lot of people here to support you on your journey! Congrats on coming back!

Rick

[Sherri]

Re: New Guy Aboard!!

Before you begin:

1. Read Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, 2002 edition.
At the very least, read chapters 10 through 14. These chapters tell you how to do the diet, what to expect, and why the first 14 days are so important.

ADBB uses DANDR 2002 as its reference. Granted there are other publications by Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. but we like to do the diet as it was written by Dr. Robert C. Atkins because in our collective experience Dr. Atkins' diet is more effective than Atkins Nutritionals, Inc's version.

2. See your physician.
Dr. Atkins recommended this himself. See your physician for a complete physical exam, including blood tests before beginning this or any other diet and exercise program.

Also take the Blood Sugar Symptom Test found in the book.

3. Make a commitment.
Commit yourself to giving the 14 day Induction a fair shot. If you can't commit yourself to 14 days of following rules and eating the foods listed in the acceptable foods list, this diet might not be for you.

4. Prepare your kitchen
If it's not on the list, remove it from your home. If you live with people who aren't on a low carb diet, then put your food(s) in areas separate from theirs. Also make sure you have low carb snacks available to you at all times, in case you get hungry.

5. Recruit your family and friends.
You are about to embark on a completely new lifestyle. Getting the support of your family and friends will help you through this. Be frank with them and tell them your intentions and that this is very important to you. If they have any doubts about this diet, ask them to read the book because knowledge is power.

6. Keep the Induction Rules and Foods List handy.
Make two copies of these documents: keep one on your refrigerator at home and keep the other one on your person at all times. This will save you a lot of guesswork and worry when eating out or grocery shopping.

The Rules of Induction can be found here:
What are the Rules of Induction?

The Induction Acceptable Foods List can be found here:
What foods can be eaten on Induction?

7. Read the entire label, including the ingredients.
Some foods have little carbs, but contain things like hydrogenated oils (trans fats) and sugar, which makes them unacceptable for Induction.

8. Keep a food diary
It is of utmost importance to keep track of your daily carbohydrate intake to make sure you are not exceeding 20 net carbohydrates daily.

Some people keep a notebook journal. Others like to track their progress online.

Here are some resources:
An Atkins spreadsheet:
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...ead.php?t=4570

http://www.fitday.com ---This is a free online service (registration required) that allows you to input your foods, track your exercise, etc.

Carbohydrate Counters:
http://www.atkins.com ---The Atkins site has a downloadable Carb Counter.
http://www.calorieking.com ---This site has nutritional information for most foods and beverages.
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/ ---This is the United States Department of Agriculture Nutrition Database.

9. Exercise
According to Dr. Atkins "exercise is non-negotiable"! So get moving. Begin according to your level of fitness. Visit the Exercise Forum.

10. Vitamin Supplements
These are also recommended by Dr. Atkins because many of us have poor nutrition and we need extra nutrients. Visit the Vita-Nutrient Forum.

11. Weigh AND Measure Yourself on Day 1

Make sure you weigh and measure yourself before you begin this diet. Contrary to what we are lead to believe, the scale isn't the best tool for measuring weight loss (fat loss). It doesn't tell you how much muscle you gained. It doesn't tell you how much water weight you gained or lost. It doesn't tell you that you will fit into that pair of jeans.

Tips for weighing:
a. Weigh yourself at the same time of day under the same conditions. You can weigh "more" after a meal or after you drink water or you can weigh "less" after you exercise or have a bowel movement. So pick a time and stick to it. Likewise, clothing can also add on "pounds". So if you choose to weigh yourself wearing clothes, make sure you are wearing the same clothing or nearly the same clothing.

b. Use the same scale. Scales differ slightly. So the scale in your doctor's office or at the gym might have you weighing more or less than the scale in your bathroom.

Tips for measuring:
a. You can measure whatever body areas you want: chest, waist, hips, thighs, upper arm, wrists and ankles. To make the measuring easier, you body landmarks like your belly button or a mole or scar, to guide your tape measure placement. For chest measurement, women can either measure under their armpits and/or under their breasts.

b. Don't "pull" on the measuring tape because that will give you a false reading (and stretch the tape). The tape should be snug, but not tight.

c. Don't suck in to make yourself smaller. Again, that will give you a false measurement.

Measuring tapes can be purchased at craft stores (the sewing section) for under $5.00. If you can't find one, you can use a piece of string. Just mark that string with a marker pen to indicate your "start" points". Or if you have an old belt, you can use that too.

Another good "measuring tool" is your clothing. Non-stretchy clothing like a dress shirt, jeans, or dress is the best thing to use. Stretchy fabric (like t-shirts or anything with spandex) will conform to your body as you shrink so you might not see the results. Try on this article of clothing periodically to see how you are losing inches.

Good luck to you on your 14 day Induction journey.