Newbie-ish...

[jgurl1026]

Hello alllllll!!!

I'm new to the website, but not to atkins. So I am excited to find a site like this to get more support on my weight loss journey!!

I used to be on atkins about..4-5 years ago, when I was about 19-21 years old. I was very successful on the diet and was very happy with the way things were going...
unfortunately, my life got completed turned upside down when i turned 21.. here comes the long version..ready??? lol....i was engaged at a very early age, and we decided to go our separate ways when we turned 21 and realized.. we are too young to get married and settle down.. found out there was a lot more we needed to do in life before getting married and having kids! so i was heartbroken at the time.. and of course had this new hot new body, and single for the first time as an adult... and of course going out with my friends to the bars and clubs.. drinking alllllllll kinds of alcohol.. and eating allllllllll kinds of food and carbs!!! naughty naughty!!!! soooooo... after me not caring about what i ate.. of course it eventually all crept back up on me over the years..

since then.. i've tried the lowfat dieting.. which does work, but i felt so restricted and ending up bailing out on that... the thing is.. atkins comes so easy to me and i know it works.. i just threw my healthy lifestyle out the window when i just was younger and wanted to have fun! boy do i regret that!!! i was down to 167 lbs when i stopped atkins right around my birthday Oct. 2004... that left me at a size 10 in pants.. i was sooo happy!!! well then it slowly crept up to a 12..then 14..then 16.. then 18.. then...OMG.. 20?! and i'm not daring to purchase a pair of pants that are a size freakin 22!! (no offense to anyone out there that size..sorry!!).. so now here i am.. May 2009..4.5 years later... i'm a size 20 and 241 lbs!!

Well I'm ready to rock now!! i have a friend that i was doing it with before those years back, that i am doing it with again. She was actually my inspiration to start doing it again... over the last month since she has started.. she's lost 27 lbs!! i know that probably includes a lot of water weight.. but it can't ALL be water! lol.. besides i know better.. i've been there and done that.. IT WORKS!! that's why i'm excited that i had this wake up call and can't wait to feel better and look better!!

i will be doing a combination of Pilates 20 mins at a time a few times a week, along with walking my dog everyday (weather permitting) for about 45 mins. i also plan on staying on induction until i get to my goal weight.

Size 10 Jeans............ I'M COMING HOME!! YAY!!!!!!!

[jimmie 48]

Re: Newbie-ish...

we're so glad you woke up! lol hey, we all had that wake call and that's what brought us to what i think is the best way of eating ever!

your story is like many others in that we lost, had life events, gained, got rid of weight, was happy, life happened, we gained. what a trip we've all been on. now we do better and feel better.

it's good to see that you are being active. maybe we'll see you some challenges. adbb had a mess of them!

now i am wondering something and it's something that you will read alot on this board.... here goes... have you read the book? we use the 2002 version, Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution. i ask this because of your statement that you will stay on Induction till you reach goal. that is not how atkins is designed and i can tell you from being here awhile, members who do that, that try to do that, get bored, get tired, and give up, never making goal. by staying on induction you are going to rob yourself of learning how to eat for a lifetime... a healthy way of eating where you won't get bored and you'll rob yourself of learning how you can maintain your new healthy weight for a life time. hopefully you'll reconsider the induction time frame.

[imagood1]

Re: Newbie-ish...

hey jgurl -- welcome back to the atkins way of life. I agree with Jimmie Jo saying you'll stay on induction until you reach your goal isn't realistic and isn't the way the plan was written. You go through the rungs (steps) adding back new foods every couple weeks to see what your body will and can't handle. When you get to your goal you'll know exactly how much you can eat carbwise on a daily basis to maintain your new weight. I am already eating more of a variety of food and more volume of food than I did before and I still loose weight - slowly but I loose.

Read the stickies and and book - get a variety of foods, drink at least 64 ounces of pure water (nothing added) daily and the exercise you described and you should do find.

Good luck

[blueberrylady]

Re: Newbie-ish...

Welcome to the board, jgurl!

It sounds like you are ready to do this so just jump right in and get started! But do remember to move up the rungs because that's the way the diet works.

[jgurl1026]

Re: Newbie-ish...

Thanks for all of your responses everyone!!! I appreciate the feedback!!

I did indeed read the 2002 version when i started the diet back in 2003.. and i've re-read it a couple times after that.. so I am quite aware of how the diet works. Years back when i was successful doing the diet, i stayed on induction majority of the time, and did not struggle with it.

The reason for my diet failing the last time is me just plain not caring about myself and my body.. wrong food and alcohol were my drugs of choice at the time.. so I've grown up and want to take care of myself.. I don't plan on staying on induction FOREVER.. like i said above.. just until I get to my goal weight.. then I will slowly increase new foods into my diet.

Thank you all again!! and good luck with all of your journeys!!!

[chinadoll]

Re: Newbie-ish...

Nice plan but the idea behind the rungs is that it takes quite awhile to sort out which foods trigger problem eating for you later. Each food is introduced one at a time. If you wait till goal to start that process, there will be nothing left of you by the time you sort it out! LOL . Also many people here lose faster once they start up the rungs. Changing things up keeps your body from getting too comfortable at one rung so your metabolism stays higher. Many people make the assumption that extended Induction means faster losses. That is not the case, and you dont learn the lessons you need to keep it off later.

[wanna-look-hot-again]

Re: Newbie-ish...

Your story is very simliar to mines. My first time on Atkins I went from 184 to 123 within a 6 months period. Ofcourse I was doing Introduation all the way. After I regain that new body of mines, I did what you did, party and live life forgetting all about what my focus was. And after about 4 years, I can't seem to shake all this excess fat that I have gained. I weighter myslef last night and I stand at 199.8. But yeah I just wanted to tell you that I know how you felt when you had to go through all those jean sizes. Same here. But I started Introduction on May 6th, so if you don't mind lets keep each other posted on our way to getting ourselves back.
-Alana