New to ADBB, but an oldie returning to Atkins

[AllmostAnAngel]

Hi! I've been reading some of the messages on the board for the last few days but haven't posted. My husband and I went on the Atkins Diet 3 years ago after reading the DANDR book and watching our neice just melt off about 25 lbs. in about 6 weeks. We followed the plan religiously for about 3-4 months. I lost about 35 lbs and my husband lost 40. Then we cheated and never got back to the diet. We've been back on it several times since then, but we can't seem to make it more than 2-3 weeks without cheating, then have to start over on induction and after two months of this and not losing more than 2-5 lbs, we give up. Today, we started again. I'm 40 years old, 5'7" and weighed 250 lbs this morning. My goal is 149. I work in an office and get little or no exercise. I've smoked for 20+ years (I "quit" for 3 months to 3 years at various times and always start back) and drink way more than I should. I have hypothyroidism and am bipolar. In addition, I now have high blood pressure, high blood sugar (pre-diabetes), high cholesterol and elevated liver function tests. I've been married to my best friend for 22 years and we are at a point in our life where things just get better every day. But I'm afraid I'm going to die before I get to enjoy all the things we have struggled so hard for. SO this is is IT! ha I quit smoking yesterday afternoon when I ran out of cigarettes. At noon today I have had no nicotine, no caffiene, no carbs, no artificial sweeteners. The only food I've had: 2 scrambled eggs and a 1g carb piece of sausage for breakfast along with some pork rinds and homemade chicken salad (chicken, mayo, salt, pepper and 1 stick of celery) for lunch. I've had 4 8 oz glasses of water and I'm going to do it this time. :guns No cheating! Now I just need motivation to exercise. I've had a membership at the YMCA for 6-8 months and been there about 12 times total. I hate to exercise and it's embarrassing that I get so out of breath when I do. How much are you guys exercising? I like to walk on the treadmill but think it might be a waste of time. :help :angelanim

[CHFvictim]

Congratulation! You have a great advantage having a spouse/partner to share your lifestyle with. Atkins has brought my wife and I much enjoyment, cooking together, creating menus, discussing healthy eating habits, the whole nine yards.
Also, congrads on deciding to get back on the wagon, so to speak. It's never to late. You quit smoking and thats a great move! Remember you will continue to face temptation. That's what we are here for. Whenever temption sets in, get on your puter and vent. VENT, VENT VENT. That's what were here for.

Walking on the treadmill IN NOT A WASTE OF TIME!
Keep it up. Slowly work on walking longer and faster. Duration is more important than speed. I have a severe case of heart disease. So I do about 15min a day on the treadmill, I dont take the risk of getting out of breath and being too far from home. It's perfect. I may be bipolar myself but I certainly have anxiety problems and have found getting on the treadmill will calm me down.
Welcome back and good luck!

[AllmostAnAngel]

Thank you for the encouragement. It does help to have my husband doing this with me and we are both pretty determined to make it work this time. I know it's only been about 48 hours, but not smoking has been easier this time because I decided I was ready to quit, not because I was pressured into it by my husband and kids. It will probably continue to be fairly easy because I got a cold yesterday and by the time I get over it, I'll have passed the worst of the cravings. When the cold gets better, I'll go back to the Y and do the treadmill. When I stopped going about 2 months ago (I actually did go for about two weeks) I was walking 3.4 mph with a slight incline (I don't remember how much now) for 45 minutes. I had also worked with an instructor for "Coach Approach" to work out an exercise routine. That was the last time I went.

I saw on here where some people post how many days they are cheat-free. I think I need to do that because it might help prevent me from cheating. The hardest part will be during the summer because we spend a lot of time on the deck by the pool - usually with a cooler full of beer or a pitcher of margaritas. That's when we'll be tempted to cheat. Please don't get me wrong. I'm not an alcoholic. We don't drink every day and we don't have withdrawals if we go long periods of time without drinking. It's just become incorporated in our social activities and something we particularly enjoy during the hot summer months in Florida, but I think we need to stop before it becomes a problem.

Anyway, I wanted to thank you for responding. I'm trying to be positive but feeling a little doubtful, so it's nice to hear from someone else. I know the diet works - I've done it myself several years ago. But I know also that I've started and failed at so many diets including this one, that I'm afraid of believing I can make it work. If I can't stick to it this time, I'm considering gastric bypass surgery because if I don't lose the weight and get healthier, I'm going to die and I'm not ready to do that! :angelanim

[ztachick]

Welcome
just wanted to say a quick hello, and say that its great to have you here, and as you know this can and does work so i look forward to seeing more of your posts and i wish you the best of luck :wave

[CHFvictim]

Keep up the positive outlook. I would completely skip the alcohol until at least after induction and go by the book. Add the margaritas when DANDR says you can(been a while since I was at that stage). I say especially do not cheat since this is your 3rd go at Atkins. No cheat days, no cheat snacks, no cheat bites. I don't mean to sound negative, but there are really so many good choices out there. Make doing Atkins fun! Find recipes that motivate you. Get exctited about looking for recipes, cooking from scratch. I mean it, this WoE has changed my life. Never a dull moment, be creative. Do you know how many egg recipes are out there?Tons. That's just one example. Im not saying eat eggs all the time, hehe.
Discover new spices, and herbs. Watch the cheese, but spoil yourself with exotic cheeses and olives. Just check the labels and make sure it's Induction friendly. I don't know if you are religious, but faith can have a large impact on helping you eat right. It sure has me.
If you don't have salt restriction, like I do you can have scrumptious deli wraps, with deli meats, pickles, tomato, mayo etc, wrapped in lettuce.
Just some stream-of-conciousness ideas fer u.
Jim

[jroche5998]

Welcome to the board.

You can do this, and WAY TO GO for quitting smoking! There are several people around here who have quit recently and I'm sure could provide you with motivation (Aurora75 is one).

Good luck!