Newbies and Mentors Meet Here

[PrincessLeia]

:wave Hi everyone. I just wanted to join in and announce that I'm a newbie. Just started Atkins today. Wish me luck -- I'm going to need it.

I've actually been on Atkins 2 or 3 times before and lost about 15 pounds each time. I have never stayed on it more than a couple of months. I tend to lose interest or get bored with the food (or rather, I tend to crave fruits really badly, more than the recommended amount on OWL). Plus, I tend to stall after that 15 pound loss and it's disappointing to stick with it when I see no results for so many weeks after that. But I guess that is the way it works. You have to stick with it... maybe even do some alterations to get things moving again. I will need help with that later. For now, I'm confident that I should have no problem losing the first 15 pounds.

I'm currently 160 lbs. which is A LOT for me because I've always been very slim my whole life. My normal weight is around 115-120 so I've set 120 as my goal. It would be so nice to see that again.

The main reason I'm wanting to lose this weight is because I feel so unhealthy. I'm uncomfortable all the time, have started having almost constant hearburn, my clothes don't fit -- and these are my "fat" clothes :yikes , I am basically just miserable. I know I need to do something about this before it gets worse. And it already is trying to get worse, as I'm actually needing to buy a bigger size of pants (I just have refused to do so). So instead of letting myself get bigger, I've got my mind set now to make sure I start getting smaller. I know I can do this, especially with the support of wonderful people on this board.

Thanks for listening! :wave

[twomeeps]

WOW! I like this feedback already. I do have 2 questions, NO COFFEE? NONE at all? Decaf? I have a vivarin habit I formed on the 2nd week of driving a truck (No Pea stops), and it is what starts my morning. What is a replacement for caffine because if I go a minute without my morning start, a headache is soon to follow. But, I am here to form new habits, so lay one on me! Also, I don't see any mention of salt. Is that because there is no salt? Is there pepper? Thanks for the tips, BigInBakersfield :help

[PrincessLeia]

Originally Posted by twomeeps

What is a replacement for caffine because if I go a minute without my morning start, a headache is soon to follow. But, I am here to form new habits, so lay one on me!

Caffeine is a drug and there's no replacement for it (other than eating healthy). Really, you want to get it out of your system, just like you would want to get any other drug out of your system. Once you're eating healthy and have adjusted to the Atkins WOE, then you should feel better than you did by consuming caffeine.

By the way, those headaches are withdrawal symptoms when you eliminate caffeine from your diet. They can be severe but will go away fairly quickly (shouldn't last more than a couple of days). Bear with the headache for a tiny while and you'll experience something better afterwards. And you should have better weight loss too!

Hope this helps!

[Chynna]

Twomeeps, you can have decaf. If you need time to ween yourself from your regular caffinated coffee, you can mix it with decaf to do so. Mix 2:1 (your coffee:decaf) one day, then the next 1:1 and the next 1:2 and regular decaf on the day after. This should make for an easier transition.

Caffeine tends to raise your insulin levels, which in turn cause you to have cravings. This can stall/slow weight loss, so you definitely want to stop drinking it as soon as possible. If you tend to have headaches, increase your water intake. If that doesn't help, try having a fatty snack, and resort to taking something for the pain last.



Welcome to ha , Princess Leia! That was a great answer to twomeeps' post!

If you are looking for support, you have definitely come to the right place. We are a great network of people who are here to provide you with information and as much support as you need to accomplish your goals!

You can do it, I know you can! :yes

[brendastarr]

:help I am new at this - my first time visiting a forum. I am interested in starting the Atkins diet and don't know where to begin. Someone please let me know which book or books I should purchase to begin my downsizing. Any helpful hints that I may be able to use before I purchase the books would also be appreciated.

[Chynna]

Originally Posted by brendastarr

:help I am new at this - my first time visiting a forum. I am interested in starting the Atkins diet and don't know where to begin. Someone please let me know which book or books I should purchase to begin my downsizing. Any helpful hints that I may be able to use before I purchase the books would also be appreciated.

Welcome to ha ! This forum is pretty easy to navigate. You will get the hang of it the more you visit! :yes

Well, for starters, you should definitely read the book. After that, do some grocery shopping for the items you need. Clean out your house of bad carbs (if possible, if not, stash those things away from your foods so that you will not get the urge to eat them when you see them), get your supplements and vitamins (check out the Vita Nutrient/Supplements forum), plan your meals ahead of time so you can keep track of your carbs, get an account at www.fitday.com to track your nutritional intake (as well as exercise, weight loss, etc.), get an account at www.mybodycomp.com to track your BMI and inches lost...

... and the most important thing, you!



Book... Dr. Atkin's New Diet Revolution, 2002 edition.

DO NOT invest in the Atkin's Nutritionals books, since they were all published AFTER Dr. A's passing and are just advertisements for the products.

[Elizellen]

The book recommended on this board is
Dr Atkins New Diet Recolution published 2002 (aka DANDR 2002) (the UK edition was published in 2003 btw)

Also you could read the postings in the FAQ forum here
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...forum.php?f=58

Right at the bottom of that page are two posts vital for anyone starting induction to read and remember - about the rules for induction and list of what you can eat when on induction.

yYu could also visit the Atkins site www.atkins.com but be warned thay do suggest you buy their products which are not all suitable for induction, so check if they are suitable for the phase of Atkins you are in before wasting monay buying them - you can easily do induction by buying normal foods!

[Betty]

If I can help any of the newbies, just send me a PM. I have been doing this WOE for 2years now. Lost 41 pounds, and have maintained my weight for over a year.
I will be supportive. but be warned I am a by the book person for induction, and as the former commander of boot camp here I tend to really frown on the franken foods.
Really I will be very supportive, but want you to know I will tell it like it is.

[thatsbolderdash]

Originally Posted by Chynna

Hi thatsbolderdash and welcome to ha !

What types of frankenfoods are you consuming? If you can stick with a clean induction for just 2 weeks, you will be able to eliminate the cravings and you will find that it is easier for you to pass on the extra sweeteners and frankenfoods. All you need is 2 weeks, which I am sure you will be able to do, once you get started.

As far as your sweetener goes, try switching to liquid stevia. It has no carbs and, therefore, no limit on the amount you can have. It only takes a little to make your coffee as sweet as you like it, without the guilt!

The importance of doing a clean induction is to eliminate your cravings and to rid your body of the foods that have caused you cravings in the past. Doing induction in correlation with supplements does help to kick cravings to the curb! :yes A couple of great supplements to take that will help you suppress those cravings are L-Glutamine (5g each time you have a craving) and chromium picolinate (1000mcg daily).

I am confident that you can do this. Now all that's needed here is your confidence and will-power to do an absolutely clean induction!

Happy New Year!

Wow! Thanks for such a great response and I'll definitely look into those supplements and alternative sweetener to help me kick the cravings while I grudually ween myself off artificial sweeteners.

Thanks so much!
:dancingb:

[jenivieve74]

:yikes I am new to this. i am 30 years old and 5ft 1 in. 180 lbs. I have done atkins before and lost about 10 lbs. before re addicting myself to carbs. I am ready and no fooling around this time. I am tired of it hurting to bend over and tie my shoes and getting out of breath when I go up stairs to get my kids ready for school. I am on my 3rd day of induction. I was up peeing all night and had bad leg cramps. I wasn't going to weigh again for awhile, but after peeing all night I decided what the heck. I was down to 177. Hopefully the leg cramps won't last long. I need lots of encouragement. I was up til 2 am reading lots of the success stories for encouragement. I would like a weight loss buddy. I would love any help from anyone!