I can see it happening to the newbies...

[Chef Kevin]

We are 3 weeks into the new year and the newbies are struggling. I keep seeing the same posts over and over:

They are "bored"
The haven't lost 50 pounds this week
They want a cookie

Well, look, you didn't gain this weight overnight, so it will take some time to lose it people. Remember, weight loss isn't linear.

as for "Fluctuations". Weigh yourself right now. step off the scale. Drink a glass of water. Weight yourself again. There, you gained a pound. That is why weighing yourself all the time (day to day) means NOTHING! You are burning fat, it takes time. Relax.....

"BORED": well, you have no one to blame but yourself. This WOE is so rich in foods and choices, I can't see how people get bored. So you can't eat a lil debbie snack cake or cheesey poofs. Big deal, I'm sure you have been on some other diet before, probably low fat and low calorie, and you sat there thinking about food all day and felt horrible. Well, if you are hungry, eat. Try looking up a new recipe for tonight. Make something really good. Don't sit there and eat bologna and cheese everyday thinking that is all you can eat. Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes - Home

So, let's take a step back.
We are here to change something about ourselves. Something that has made us fat. Something that has hurt the way we look at ourselves. And something that could well be killing us. That is our way of eating.

If we don't make a change, then we know what will happen, nothing! Change isn't easy, but with a little thought, we can get used to it. We can get thru the little cravings until our bodies are used to not living on sugar 24/7. We can learn to listen to our bodies and drink water when we are thirsty. (that's right, our oceans are not full of Pepsi, we are made out of water...) We can make these changes. They are not difficult once we get past the first small step. And we will thrive.

Abundant health will be yours. A healthy body that can do things again without strain. Climb steps without being out of breath. You will be there soon enough. Anything in life worth having isn't easy, but this is the easiest plan for health and weight loss I have ever seen. But it is a choice. If you are fighting yourself here, you will fight yourself on any plan (and probably have).

I have seen several people here in my community have gastric bypass surgery and lap bands and all that. Guess what? They are still fat. Every single one. One person had surgery a second time because she stretched out her stomach. Well, they are all fighting their own body. They all chose the most radical thing to do to lose weight. They were cut open and had something removed, re-routed, or tied off. And it didn't change their brain. They didn't stop to think that a milkshake is still a billion calories or chicken tenders with honey mustard isn't the best choice. They knew that they had a miracle surgery and all was well. But it didn't work.

The same thing happens here. We begin this way of eating. Until it becomes a part of us, we struggle. We have to fight what the media says, because we know what we are doing, but the talking heads on TV tell us low fat is the way to go. Yet with all the low fat foods available, we keep getting fatter. Hmmmm.... Don't they feed cattle carbs to fatten them for slaughter? Yep, they sure do, cattle ranchers caught on to that fact a long time ago.

So, once this way of eating becomes just the way you eat, it becomes easy to live with. It will happen. You won't have to think about it as much. You won't crave the sweets. Veggies won't be foreign to you. Water isn't just an ingredient in Diet Coke.

It's a long post, but I hope that someone will read it and realize that they are not alone. Any big change is difficult at first. You just have to get thru the first steps and it will be ok.

[Papa Deuce]

Tuff love brother..... Amen. I'm all for that.

I'm a little upset that I already have "stalled" it seems.... HOWEVER, there is NO giving up, no whining, no cheating, NO FEAR.

[hopejoy]

Very well said and very true!
liz

[Chef Kevin]

Chuck,
I am so glad you are on this board. You have a real goal (living as an example to your daughters) and you have been overcoming your initial fears and thoughts. I remember your early posts and am so glad you are having success.

Yeah, you have a stall, but you know it won't last. No giving in, no quitting.

It's all in your attitude, and that is what needed to change first.

First you looked around. Decided to do Atkins, and did some research. Sounded pretty good, but still questioned it and you asked those questions. But then you DID IT!

Started having some success, and then it began to get a little easier. But you are feeling the results and that is where you are ahead of some of the others.

It has been a real pleasure getting to know you here on the board.

[Biba21]

Well I disagree, I'm one of those people who is bored with this woe and discouraged by weight lose, not a newbie though. I'm not wanting it to happen overnight, and I was cutting down on junk food before I started Aktins, so I'm not crying out for snack cakes or anything. It's quite boring, to be honest I'm starting to really dislike meat, it wouldn't be so bad if I could have some SF jello and cream, or a diet rite, but I am trying to be as 'clean' as possible. I'm just not used to all this salty and savory foods, I never was an egg person either.

And it is a little discouraging when someone like me who did atkins before and did induction 'wrong' diet cokes and jellos a lot and still lost a lot of weight, compared to now trying induction with correct foods and very little sweetener or none on some days and hardly see anything.

Anyway, that's just my 2 cents, I am thankful to you guys for the help though.

[BamaKelly]

I have to say that yall are really into the tuff love thing around here..which is fine I can handle it but I bet its a little off putting to some. IMO.

Well coming from a Newbie, day 18 of Atkins, day 20 of being a non smoker, this has been a breeze. I have given up anything containg sugar, flour or bread. I have rid my home of all packaged foods and non Atkins anythings. I did not have one symptom as far as withdrawl from carbs. I have felt better than I ever have before every day.

I only have 26 pounds to loose and I have already lost 10.2 pounds in less than three weeks. This is the first diet I have ever been on and will be the last as I plan to continue this WOE forever. I know that I am probably fortunate for all of the above to be going so easily and I am greatful for that. I hope those that arent having such an easy time hang in there. If I can do it anyone can. Just a month ago I ate candy & cookies and anything fried I could get my hands on. Processed and packaged, that didnt matter! Hungry at 2am in the morning, no problem... I have gotten out of bed and ate a plate of fried chicken and then went right back to bed. Do I miss that? Heck No! Not after experiancing the energy level and the feeling of accomplishment that I have over the past three weeks.

So now I eat three hours before bed, I work out for 45 minutes each evening. I eat breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs & bacon or sausage every morning. I have a sensible snack before lunch. At lunch I eat two cups of various lettuces with meat and cheese on top and 1T dressing. Dinner I have a healthy portion of meat and a cup of good carb bearing veggies and thats it. I am so much better for doing this and the fact is anyone can be!!

I didnt mean to go on but I wanted you to know there are newbies out here committed and doing great and to those newbies who arent......just do your best, make an effort and each day it will get easier.

Best Wishes!

[TexasExJen]

Chef, you are right! This CANNOT be looked at as a "diet", it's a total lifestyle change. I've done it before, and had great results. Then, life and a lot of stress happened, and I went back to my old habits, and guess what - I put weight back on. I have tried them all - weight watchers, low fat, you name it, I have tried it. But, I have done best when I follow the Atkins way of eating/living. And yes, if you don't try new recipes, it can get boring. But that's all up to YOU, and what you want to accomplish for yourself. There is such a variety of foods available, but you have to go and try new things. Don't get stuck in a rut.

And regarding plateaus, you will experience them on any diet, no matter which one you try. They happen, your body is adjusting to weight loss, and then it will return to losing weight. I just got past one myself this week. But, I knew that it would pass.

Like you said, Chef, we didn't get in this condition overnight, and it won't go away overnight. But, if you follow the program like Dr A outlines in the book, you will lose weight. And, feel better. And, be more healthy. The benefits are awesome! But, like anything else in life worth having, you have to put some effort in to it.

That's how I feel about that! Any questions?

[Sunny_0ne]

Chef Kevin, I am so glad that this board tells the non-PC truth. Coddling us will undermine us instead of helping us.

I was getting tired of meat, eggs and salad. But then I started playing with the ingredients... using bok choy, chicken and peppers in stir fries; mixing cream cheese, egg, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and Splenda in with pumpkin and microwaving an awesome dinner dessert; mixing salad ingredients with my tuna to enliven it, and using hot pepper flakes to let my mouth know in no uncertain terms that I've just eaten something.

I am by no means a chef, but I've discovered that playing with the permitted foods... mixing them up in unusual combinations with spices and herbs... turns them into food I can truly enjoy over the long haul.

I was so sick of what my body looked and felt like that I am incredibly grateful that I have found the only plan that works for me. And I will do whatever it takes to stay on it.

[Zarabelle]

Very wise words. I can see you being a Mod one of these days x

[MommaRuthie]

Great post! Even for us non- newbies a bit of reality with no salt added is needed!