The Losers' Lounge

[dreamof145]

Each one of us has made the commitment to change our lifestyles, live healthier and lose excess weight. It is a journey filled with frustration and triumphs. The ADBB has many people whose stories can help others see they are not alone. No matter where you are in your journey, others have been there and found ways to conquer the obstacles that you may be facing.

The purpose of The ‘Losers’ Lounge is to applaud the success of members who have achieved great weight losses and share their stories in the hope that it will inspire and motivate those that are just beginning their quest.

[dreamof145]

I'll spotlight my own story first to give you an idea of how The Loser's Lounge will be presented.


My story is a familiar one. My mother and father were divorced and I grew up with my six skinny half sisters and one skinny half brother. My mother loved us with food. Eating was a big part of our lives. I took this childhood practice with me into adulthood.

I used food as an escape route for every problem and anxiety that challenged me. My husband was military and gone all the time. I was lonely ~ I ate. My kids got on my nerves ~ I ate. I had stress at work ~ I ate.

I tried many diets over the years, but they didn't work because I didn't seriously commit myself. I didn't have a plan. I never changed my lifestyle,instead I just prayed for a miracle and hoped I'd lose the weight. It didn't happen.

When my husband left the military, I found it hard to cope with the transition of moving back into the civilian world. For the next twelve years, I didn't leave the house or make friends. When my mother died, I ate even more. I got fatter and felt very alone. I ate my way up to 285 pounds.

In February 2004, I went to a writer's conference. I looked around the room and watched everyone laughing and having fun. I realized how lonely and miserable I was. I wanted to change my life, but I didn't know how. My daughter had told me that some of her friends had lost weight low-carbing. I decided to give it a try. I didn't know what I was doing, so I looked for anything I could on the internet. I don't know how I found the ADBB site but this was the miracle I'd been praying for. I spent hours that first week reading the posts of people who were accomplishing what I wanted to do. Everyone was unique in his or her jobs, life situations and personalities, however they were all supporting each other with words of motivation and understanding. I immediately joined the group and started getting serious about losing weight.

The first thing I did was buy the DANDR. I remember Irish saying that is the most important thing when beginning the Atkins plan. Next, I made a copy of the acceptable induction foods and put one in the kitchen and one in my purse. I bought my supplements and started drinking more water. I cut out coffee (which I was totally addicted to) and salt. The first two weeks, I lost 17 pounds. I was ecstatic.

The following week, I decided to start exercising. The first day I went for a walk, I ruptured two disks in my back. I was bedridden for the next five weeks while I waited to get in to see the neurosurgeon. I was tempted to quit, but I continued to read the ADBB site and got the encouragement I needed to stay with the plan. It was a hassle arguing with my twenty-one year old daughter to make me low-carb when her life consists of fast food and sandwiches. Somehow, we got through that nightmare and the experience was worth the wait.

The neurosurgeon gave me a shot of cortisone and I haven't had any pain since. That was May 5, 2004. I also weighed myself at the doctor's office and I had lost thirty pounds total in the seven weeks that I'd been doing Atkins. This weight loss plan was working, I felt great and I made a promise to myself to stick to this WOE.

I started doing one-mile walks a day and swimming one hour. In late June, I began walking one mile in the morning and another mile in the evening to keep my metabolism burning all day long. I also use 2 pound weights and an exercise ball about 3 times each per week. I started out losing about 10 pounds a month but that has gradually slowed down to about 6 pounds a month.

UPDATE: 9/15/06.....I've now been doing Atkins for over 2 years. It is my way-of-life. It is not a diet. I've learned to work my daily schedule into my Atkins plan. I don't take occassional cheats or take the risk of going back to my "old" ways of eating. I've had issues in my life with family, moving, deaths, three operations, travelling, visiting relatives, invites to dinner...you name it, I've had to deal with it. Thats just a natural part of our life.

I decided not to use it as an excuse to stop taking care of myself. Instead, I use my WOE as a way to keep my sanity, happiness and health. When I am feeling my best - I have a better mental outlook on life and family. I make better choices in all areas of my life. My journey hasn't always been easy, but it has been the best thing I've ever done for me. I'm a better mom, sister, wife, grand-ma and friend to everyone around me.

I've learned that life is what you make it. There are ups and there are downs. Changing our attitude and improving our life-style is the secret to keeping our minds and our bodies in the best condition so we can deal with life and make healthy decisions for ourselves as well as our families.

[dreamof145]

Moochiecat no longer worries what other people think about her. After losing nearly 40 pounds, she has more energy and a new attitude. Her local scooter club (which she founded) meets 1-2 times a week as the weather permits. She used to agonize over being called the ‘fat lady on the scooter’, but that’s in the past. She’s noticed more power to spare, especially going up hills. Her only worry now is finding a cute little biker chick jacket to wear as she sails down the road.


I've pretty much always been overweight. I have family members who have had serious issues concerning weight, and somewhere along the line, I think I decided that dieting screwed with people's minds. Why bother? So I didn't.

Last February, I had what my doctor figured was a hernia. I went to a specialist, for a CT scan. My obesity made it hard for the doctor to tell what was wrong. The pain stayed with me for weeks. One day I decided to have a look at myself in the mirror to see if I could see anything.

Well, I saw a lot...I saw 194 pounds on my five foot tall body...and most of it was around my midsection. I was shocked at what my body had become, and I was shocked that I hadn't truly noticed it before. I knew I was heavy, but I had never really seen myself that clearly.
My doctor wasn't impressed with my sputtered excuses about not wanting to shell out money on a diet book, and his indifference made me mad! So mad, that I went out and bought the book and read it!

The thing that really sold me on Atkins is that I have had low blood sugar episodes that left me shaking, sweating, muddled, and in one instance, I couldn't see properly. When I read about how Atkins leveled out a person's blood sugar, it seemed so clear and sensible to me.

Shortly after I started Atkins, I discovered the ADBB site. That has probably been the biggest factor in my success. I found that I spent a lot of time in the 'Before and After' forum, reading the success stories.

After all these years of thinking that only 'other people' were able to diet and lose weight. As I looked at the photos, I had hope that this could really work for me too! One of my motivations was to envision having my own Before and After pictures in my signature. Now I do!

You'll notice I have this big smile on my face in my start picture. I remember thinking that I wanted to look excited about this great journey I was starting out on...because it IS so exciting...it's a life change that absolutely EVERYONE is capable of doing, and I'm living proof of that.

The biggest hurdle I've had to overcome is my emotional attachment to food and my feelings surrounding it. I've learned SO much about myself and how I used food as a comfort, a reward....it was my secret friend, and I got anxious if I didn't have some sort of special treat hidden away in the cupboard. Mourning the loss of this has been sad, and there were many tense evenings (my trouble time of day), I’ve turned to many boiled eggs and stood firm.

I did (and still do!) a lot of talking to myself, and a LOT of visualizing what I was going to look like when I'd lost some weight. I pictured the kinds of clothes I'd be able to wear and the activities I could take part in again. I don't know that it is a daily struggle, but definitely it's a day to day process of staying on my toes.

As far as I can see it, the two most important things that a person needs when they start Atkins, is patience and faith in the plan. If you are following the plan as it's laid out, it will work.

I take joy in every small change or achievement. I no longer snore. I am able to run up three flights of stairs to my doctor’s office without being out of breath and sweating. Once, my loose rings fell off my hand into the potty!

I like this feeling good stuff! It's been many years since I felt pride that was truly deserved...it's quite addicting.

[dreamof145]

Becky Sue has lost almost 85 pounds. People always come to Becky to get answers to their problems because they know she is an enterprising person. When the going gets tough, Becky gets tougher. When the Atkins WOE quit giving her results, she didn’t quit. Instead, she searched for the answers, followed through with a solution and continued on her journey to get healthy.

I remember being heavy as a child. I was always larger than the other kids and embarrassed about it.

My family history has diabetes on my dad's side. I have had an insulin problem, probably from the beginning. This is why it was so important to me to get this weight off and not develop a full-fledged case of diabetes.

My dad died at age 65 of a heart attack, he also was taking two shots daily to control his diabetes. His blood sugar sometimes got in the 600's. He was sick and determined to not do what the dr.'s asked him to do. I wonder if he was alive now if I could have helped him with this WOE. A question I will never have the answer to.

I am a Carboholic. I’ve been out of control on my eating as a child and for sure as an adult. I could never get full. The more carbs I ate the more I craved. Most of the people in my family have the same problem. We are out of control when we eat refined carbs such as sugar and white flour.

My family was normal - As far as normal goes. My dad worked and my mom stayed home. We ate meat, taters and gravy. I didn't even know about veggies like broccoli, asparagus, or cabbage. My dad didn't like them, so they were never on our table. We had corn, brown beans, peas, butter beans, cornbread, fried potatoes, white bread, sandwiches and lots of other carbs. All these foods were cheap and that helped stretch the grocery money too. You see the pattern. As the years passed, we became more addicted.

I always knew that something wasn't right, because I was always hungry and I could never eat enough to satisfy me. When I started doing the Atkins WOE, I learned that I could be satisfied and not want to eat constantly. It’s a wonderful feeling to have control over what I eat.

I began walking when I started this new WOE. It is my favorite form of exercise. I could walk one mile a day at first, now 17 months later I walk 2 to 2 1/2 miles per day. I have a new mp3 player and I put fast dance songs in it which makes my walk more enjoyable. You do have to figure out what exercise you like to do, so you will keep doing it. We have a soloflex machine and I do some weight lifting weekly, but walking is what I love to do, especially with my tunes in my ears.

I was sick as a child with kidney/bladder infections. Mom took me to different Dr.s and they always prescribed antibiotics. Eventually I ended up in the hospital in Amarillo. The specialists said I definitely had infections that were caused from the antibiotics over the years. I have suffered from Yeast (candida overgrowth) since I was a small child.

I started Atkins and had success for the first few months. I was very pleased. Then, all of the sudden the weight loss stopped for TEN WHOLE months. Not only was I eating cheese, foods with vinegar, cream and other foods that promote yeast overgrowth, but I also took antibiotics for some dental work. I have a heart murmur, so it was necessary. The yeast was back and making me miserable.

I had made friends with dreamof145 and we became e-mail support friends. She told me to keep doing what I was doing and the weight would surely start coming off again. But it didn't. I was afraid she was thinking that I wasn't doing the diet right, that I was cheating, however, I wasn't cheating.

I knew deep down the yeast was back in full force and I was in pain. I wasn’t loosing with all my effort and the physical pain that the overgrowth causes was present. I had the foggy thinking, the blurred vision, no energy what so ever, other symptoms like burning and itching(female problems). I was physically sick and I wanted to say to **** with it, but down deep I knew that I had lost close to 40 pounds and I didn't want to give them up.

I have been obese for the past 30 years. I was so embarrassed with my appearance that I avoided going out in public. Now that I have lost 84 pounds, I am a different person. I am more outgoing. When I go to stores, I talk to people who never gave me the time of day before. I wonder if it is because I am thinner or that I am more approachable. I have more confidence now.

I have 29 more pounds to lose to reach my goal. I know I can do it. I DO NOT cheat on my WOE, because I do not want to lose control over my eating.

In the past, the obstacles that I held me back were thoughts of being deprived. I always felt sorry for myself. Food controlled me. My thoughts were of what I was going to eat. When I was eating, I would think about what I would eat for my next meal. This is what I call Stinkin thinkin!!! Food processed me. Eating low carb has given me my life back and tamed the beast, thank goodness.

Some of you know that I eat KISS (Keep It Simple, Sweetie) I do not eat processed foods, this is to keep my yeast problem under control. I have to be thinking straight to be able to eat so restricted. My thinking is on target. I will not eat for pleasure. I eat for survival. Life is much better eating low carb.

I am willing to eat this way the rest of my life if this is what it takes to stay healthy, happy and slim.

It is all in our minds. Our mindset is so important, it determines if we are going to succeed or fail. I refuse to fail.

Nothing tastes as good as being healthy and slim.

[dreamof145]

Papajack is a crotchy senior citizen, rapidly approaching retirement. He has lost 150 pounds in the past 18 months, doing it the "Atkins Way."


In April of 2003 I was in my doctor's office for my regular 3 month check-up. At that time I was 60 years old, and weighed 416 pounds!

My life, for all intents and purposes, was over at that time. I could barely walk. I couldn't enjoy the company of my grandkids. I couldn't do a simple thing like going shopping with my wife. My knees hurt, my back hurt, and I was so embarrassed to be seen by anyone.

My doctor is a wonderful human being, a true gentleman ( I bet he steps out of the shower before peeing!). He's been my physician for almost 30 years and has seen me through weight loss, weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. He's never pressured me to lose weight so when he merely suggested I read the "Atkins book" I took him up on it. Bought the book, read it through the induction phase, started this WOL and began losing weight from day one. By day 10, I was sick as a dog. I may have read page 141 in DANDR about "addiction & withdrawal" but it certainly hadn't registered. All I knew was I felt terribly, so, of course, this was a reason the do what? - TO EAT! And because I are a "Georgia Red-Neck" that binge was my all-time favorite comfort food - Pinto Beans & Cornbread. Hence, I never finished my 2 week induction - but, I had lost weight!

Over the next 5-6 months, this became my way of dieting. Try as hard as I could to do Atkins, and then binge when the cravings became too strong. But, still I was losing weight!

So, after about 6 months I'm down about 50 lbs. My doctor's happy, my lovely wife's happy, my beloved son is happy, and my dear grandkids are happy. And I think I'm happy. After all, I'm losing weight, and think I'm feeling good. But, I'm terrified that I'm one binge away from losing it all and reverting to my old way of life.

About this time I discovered this board. Starting visiting every day. Read and read and read and discovered a few things I should have known all along:

1. Shakes, bars, and other so called lo-carb items could cause me to crave the junk that made me fat all my life.

2. A 2 week CLEAN induction is absolutely necessary for a variety of reasons (withdrawal from food addictions, to prepare my body for the miracle of burning fat, to curb my insatiable appetite, and to control my cravings for foods Dr. Atkins said I should avoid.)

3. If I do what Dr. Atkins advised he promised me I would lose weight, lower my blood glucose levels, lower my blood pressure, lower my cholesterol, and feel better.

Off course ALL I wanted was to lose weight - all the other promises didn't matter. JUST LET ME LOSE THE FREAKIN' WEIGHT!!

Long story short - I started a clean induction. Did 2 weeks just as Dr. Atkins advised. Not a cheat - nada. At the end of the 2 weeks, found I felt pretty good. Did another 2 weeks, which turned into 2 months. I then started OWL. Still, by the book, no cheats, no trying "my version". And Man, did I feel good! Felt so good that I had even begun exercising. Did this because Dr. Atkins said I should. Keep at it because I was waking up in the morning with so much energy I just had to exercise.

Exercise was one of the changes I made in my life that allowed me to continue losing, and to maintain a high energy level. You must realize this comes from someone who never, ever exercised. When I first began this WOL, I could only walk for about 5 minutes. I persevered, and over a surprisingly short period of time, I was able to work up to walking for an hour non-stop.

I then incorporated simple stretching exercises, and light calisthenics. I sensed that my exercise routine was still lacking, so I re-read Dr. Atkins' advice about conditioning where he points out nothing works the body more, and does it more efficiently than does weight lifting.

There was never a person more reluctant to begin "lifting" than was I. It was anathema to me. But, since every other thing Dr. Atkins suggested had turned out to be true, I took the plunge. It was the single most important addition to my new WOL that I have found. Believe me, I started slowly. But, I stuck with it. Dr. Atkins promised I'd feel the difference in 12 weeks. Again, he was "on the money" with that promise. I can accomplish more with a 20 minute "lifting" routine than with any other exercise I can perform. I heartily recommend anyone serious about this WOL giving this serious consideration.


I wrote that after my first 6 months of starting and stopping this WOL that I THOUGHT I felt good. Only after doing this the way Dr. Atkins wrote it did I come to know what "feeling good" really meant.

And I found one more benefit from doing this WOL the Atkins way, and this has been the greatest miracle of all. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE, I HAVE CONTROL OVER THE FOOD GOING INTO MY MOUTH!!! The food doesn't control me, I control it. Am I tempted? You bettcha! Much like I might be tempted to pat a pretty lady on her bottom. I have no problem avoiding that temptation - if I give into it I'll be slapped, at the least. If I give into my food temptations I know I'll spiral out of control.


This freedom from cravings and the ability to control what and when I eat is truly a miracle - one I am devoutly thankful for each day. I'm accepting this miracle from God which came through to me in Dr. Atkins' work. I don't know what tomorrow brings, but today I am truly blessed!

As I write this, I now weigh 266 pounds, still overweight, but it is a number on the scale I never thought I'd see. I can now wear an XL jacket, something I haven't done since my 20's. My blood glucose levels are normal, and I'm almost off all diabetic medication. My lipid levels amaze even my long time doctor. I feel better today than I did 20 years ago.

I read in the newspaper that the "lo-carb craze" is over..........people are giving up on this "diet." I am now approaching my 2 year anniversary "lo-carbing." I have no desire to go back to my old way of eating.

[dreamof145]

Dragnlady is a prime example of the zest that Atkins can add into your life. She has lost 90+ pounds. She now has the strength needed to train working weight pull dogs at her kennel, Dragon’N’Iron’s American Pitbull Terriers & Alaskan Malamute and have enough energy left over to run in the park with her small daughter.

My weight has fluctuated up and down, over the years for my entire life. I tried every diet imaginable, even the Cambridge diet. It was a diet where you drank a chalk-like drink three times a day. OH, it was awful! I did lose quite a bit of weight, but I didn’t realize how unhealthy a liquid diet was back then.

Six years ago, I found the Atkins diet simply by mistake. I though I’d give it a try. Within eight months, I’d lost 125 lbs, then I started feeling bad and thought that maybe Atkins had caused me problems or I had the flu. I went to the doctor, nope neither was the cause. I was pregnant again after 22 years! I gained some pounds back during the pregnancy and continued to gain now that I was a stay at home mom. Four years later, I decided that I had such great success with Atkins the first time that I would try it again. And walla… I had lost 90+ pounds within six months.

The hardest thing for me to give up was sweets. I really don't miss bread, potatoes and rice. Small amounts of fruit have become my new treats for the week instead of daily donuts!

My family had some fears about my weight loss. As many of you know I posted that my sister died of anorexia. My relatives worry that I am getting too thin. I think they will always worry about those issues.

My weight problems started then as my sister wasted away. I made up for her NOT eating by eating twice as much to prove to my parents they didn't have two daughters headed down the same path.

I can finally keep up with my daughter playing in the park without having to sit to rest. I run with and train my dogs without being winded.

Today I am 146 lbs exceeding my goal of 150 by four lbs. I feel great! I'm in the best shape I've ever been in and my Tae Bo skills would make me extremely dangerous in a good street fight!! LOL

[dreamof145]

Bowulf couldn’t shake the misery of how an underweight Guardsman had let himself gain up to 420 pounds. He tried not to let it bother him, but medical problems soon demanded attention to the "growing" problem. In a moment of desparation, he even considered weight loss surgery as a solution. The answer to his prayers came in the form of some healthy brotherly competition. When his brother lost 65 pounds on Atkins, he decided to jump on the bandwagon and see if it would work for him.


I was the typical overweight kids whose parents start charting their, his brother, and his weight when I was little 6 years old. I don't recall it ever helping, and I was usually the tallest and slowest person in my class. By the time I reached high school, teenage hormones has caused me to lose a lot of weight. By the time, I graduated I had already joined the Guard, gone through Basic Training, and was probably underweight. I weighed at that time about 180# and ran my 2 mile PT test in less than 12 minutes, which seems amazing to me now. However, I was unhappy I thought I was actually underweight and wanted a more bulk on my bones.

The other change that happened shortly after high school (9 days to be exact) was I got married to my high school (still) sweetheart. In the next few years, I spent scraping by going to college and grad school, working way too much, and overall not paying attention to my body. After 6 years of service, I reenlisted, but I was already on the fat man's list, and had problems passing the PT test. I endured another 3 years of some ridicule due to the weight in Guard but eventually had to leave the service. (The worst was being excused from a mission (12-14 mile road march in Hohenfels, Germany) because the Staff Sergeants did not believe I could make it and didn’t want to drag my fat butt home.) I tried at the time to do the right thing, but every single time I started an exercise program, it would only last a couple weeks. I just couldn't last, and it was just too difficult.

That was fine and dandy when I weighed at most 310 (I think it was closer to 290). I was still young, and the effects still weren't as prevalent. I was still hiking with the wife in the woods, and my hobbies gradually centered on my new career in computers. I just arranged my life that my weight mattered less and less and was more concerned that I was happy not healthy. What a fool I was... I eventually got to a point where climbing stairs was difficult, and I had to disguise the fact in meetings I was actually out of breath. I also suffered from a bad case of sleep apnea that caused more than one startled awakenings while driving the car or even at stop lights. I definitely saw the problems, and even though I wanted to ignore them eventually I couldn't. An accident will do that to you.

I started again trying to lose weight last April '03 on my own. I tried doing the right thing with eating, but I was woefully inadequate to the task. I tried exercising, but only succeeded in dislocating my knee (patella) in a painful basketball game last year. In the next 8 months I lost a total 10 pounds down to 419. It was pitiful, and it hardly seemed worth the effort. Then in January my brother decided to do Atkins. I met his weight loss efforts with skepticism and some derision about the "fad" diet. I ripped him in brotherly fashion while he proceeded to drop 65 pounds (450-385). It took me almost four months to realize if he could do it, I better at least give it a try. I had little hope that it would work, but that I would give it my best attempt. If it didn’t, I could always have weight loss surgery.

After a false start in eating low carb yogurt, I read the book basically in one sitting. I started officially on March 31, 2004. My Atkineer life has not been without problems. My induction flu period was particularly trying. I went from unhappy with my weight, but reasonably good person to an irritable and grouchy person as all my routines and comfort foods, like pizza and a 4 liter per day Diet Dew habit, had simply been ripped away. I am thankful my DW stuck with me during that period because I am sure I wasn’t pleasant to be around. She later said, “I hated Atkins in April for what it did to you.” However, the miracle of all miracles started to happen. The scale started to show weight loss. Not the painfully slow weight loss of the past attempts, but fast weight loss. Every day was like Christmas as the scale was dropping by pounds per day.

My spirits picked up as to did my relationships with others and myself. Coworkers saw what was indeed going on with me and although initially skeptical congratulated me for the loss. I once again resumed my exercise plan, and did what I could walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes, stopping often for shin pains no matter how I stretched. I continued on. This Way of Living started giving me more and more energy to try to cardio routines, like StairStepping and Elliptical Trainer. No longer was I huffing and puffing, but being complimented by the Wellness trainers for my gym determination and intensity of workout. I also rediscovered my love of biking and being outdoors. None of this would have been possible with Atkins.

I am also seeing other benefits as well. The sleep apnea, which could have had fatal consequences, has now reduced to the point where I can sleep unencumbered by my Bi-Pap machine without gasping or fighting for breath. The last but not least benefit is that it has allowed me to meet a wonderful group at ADBB. I couldn’t have lost this or stayed as motivated without this Board being here, and I remain in its debt. One last note, that brother of mine, whose weight loss I have been chasing from the start, I may at last catch him. He has been losing as consistently as I have down through 400’s, 300’s, and into the 200’s.

I could recommend to all those reading this article the standard stuff, such as use Fitday.com to watch for unintended carb creep or to make sure you exercise, to continue see results. Most of you have heard that before. I will however make my own recommendation, which personally affects each time I have a slow down in weight loss for a few days or week. Do not overthink the diet! By that I mean, start questioning everything from the time you eat your last meal to when you drank your last water for the day. Fitday.com or a food journal should point out any differences in the nutrient intake or potential problems, but in the absence of proof, tweaking the WOE (“well maybe if I only drink water until 6 pm,” “eat only iceberg lettuce up 20g and nothing else,” or “maybe cut back on my fat intake”) could only serve to slow down the return to weight loss. If the stall (defined by a lack of inches lost AND what the scale reports) has lasted 4 weeks, then post a menu to be reviewed and ask a few questions, but until then remain confident any temporary setback could be just that temporary.

My goal is to get down to 225, but that number is an arbitrary number. I am really looking to be as fit as possible, and whatever number that happens to be is where I am going. Really the end number is unimportant to me as my life and diet will hopefully change little at that point. I won't be returning to my old eating patterns and the old foods, like Chinese buffets, Krispy Kremes, or gorging myself on a whole large pizza.

It is at that point you know you are really living the lifestyle and not just following another fad diet.

[dreamof145]

Origam is a 29 year old with two children. She spent hundreds of dollars on various weight loss products – until she found Atkins. She’s lost 93 pounds and enjoying her life. She works in law enforcement and will be moving to Colorado in February!


I’ve always struggled with my weight. There isn't a time in my life when I can remember NOT fighting the battle of the bulge. I’ve tried lots of different diets, all with little or no success. I'd lose a couple pounds and then fall off the wagon. It's kind of hard to stay on the diet when you're starving, craving things all the time or bored with the foods. I spent hundred of dollars doing Jenny Craig and buying weigh loss products like Dexatrim - all in the quest to lose weight. Nothing worked for me! I pretty much had given up. For several years I did nothing about my weight and ballooned up more and more.

One of my "Oh my gosh, what am I doing" moments came when I was putting together my new bed. When it came time to test it out, I was petrified that I would break it if I sat on it! I couldn't keep up with my kids; I was always out of energy. When I got home from work I'd eat dinner and plop myself down in front of the TV with the kids and then go to sleep. In the afternoons I would take naps. I'd use part of my lunch break and go into the locker room and take a nap. I had high blood pressure, frequent tension headaches and was constantly getting sick from colds or flu that people would pass around the office. My immune system isn't all that great to begin with. I was in pretty bad shape emotionally and physically. I was beyond a mess. I was at war with myself trying to do as much damage as I could by eating junk food and sitting on my butt doing nothing. I put myself down on a daily basis.

I bought a bunch of different books on diets, read them all and decided that Atkins sounded like one that I could stick to. To be honest, I pretty much had it in my mind that I probably wouldn't stick to it for long either. Why should it be any different than all the diets that I had tried?

Well, here it is a year later and I'm down 93lbs. I now have the energy to play with my kids. I no longer have high blood pressure. I don't need a nap in the afternoon. I don't get sick as often! I exercise on a regular basis. And…I ENJOY it!! I can walk for long periods of time without getting winded. I eat foods that I like and have learned to love vegetables. In fact, now-a-days I'd rather have a yummy salad instead of potato chips. I am healthier today than I was before Atkins. I am also much happier! It's easier to smile when you don't hate yourself... and it's much easier not to hate yourself when you're feeling better!

I sound like an infomercial don't I?

My advice to anyone thinking about starting Atkins is: Don’t Give Up!! Atkins DOES work if you do it right and give it a chance. You can't expect to lose tons of weight overnight.. it didn't take you a day to put all the weight on. More importantly.. give yourself a chance! Don't think that you can't do it because it's too hard! I'm living proof that it can be done.

[dreamof145]

Grillmaster is a 40 year old artist who enjoys tennis, basketball and bicycling. He considers himself a good cook whose specialties used to be Chinese food, pizza and barbecue. Now he considers himself a great low-carb chef. He still uses his wok and grill ~ only the ingredients have changed to fit his new lifestyle.

I was never the overweight kid. I was a stocky guy, but never was I considered to be obese or even chubby, although I did have to watch what I ate to keep from gaining a few pounds now and then. When I was younger and active, I could eat what I liked and maintain a reasonable weight, but after my early twenties, I had less time to exercise and my metabolism changed. I still played basketball and tennis on a regular weekly basis, but my weight gradually climbed about 5-10 lbs a year until I was over 250 lbs and feeling miserable.

I tried unsuccessfully to diet many times. I tried Slim Fast, metabolism pills and cutting back on fatty food and vowing not to eat fast foods or sweets. In the latter years of my weight-gaining days, I agonized over food and my weight on a daily basis. But even though I was obsessive about food, I couldn't understand how I was continuing to gain weight in spite of playing sports and being active. I never lost more than five or six pounds on any diet attempt.

To make matters worse, I have had a congenital back problem that has plagued me most of my life, and the extra pounds around the middle was pulling my lower back even further out of alignment. My doctors would tell me that I needed to lose weight, but they never told me how.

Ironically, I first heard about Atkins in a doctor's office! I saw the cover of a 2000 Time magazine which showed a giant hamburger with a tiny bun. It made me curious, but I didn't read the article. A couple of years later, I heard more people talking about the Atkins diet and ketosis and, feeling I need to try something organized to lose weight, I decided to investigate. One evening I went to a local store and started to leaf through DANDR in the aisle, and after 10 minutes, I knew that this WOE made sense. I bought the book and started the diet the very next morning.

At first it was odd to me to be eating all the foods that I had previously had avoided (meats, cheeses, eggs, butter... whipped cream!) and to avoiding all the foods that I had thought were healthy choices (pastas, baked potatoes, milk... apples!), but the book made so much sense and I figured that if the testimonials in DADNR were factual, it must be worth a try.

After induction, I had lost ten pounds. In three more weeks I had lost ten more. After eight weeks, I was down 30 pounds. The WOE was easy for me because I felt renewed energy and saw results. Over 11 months, I've lost 65 lbs and am about 10 pounds from the goal weight I had initially set, and am currently on the upper rungs of the OWL stage, and eat a variety of foods. Oh, and I should mention that my stamina in exercising has improved and I won my tennis league last year! Though I did suffer a back injury this summer (which stalled my program a bit), I have gone several months without any back pain and I'm feeling healthier than ever.

My wife is amazed that I have not fallen off the wagon in nearly a year. I've withstood the temptation of birthday cakes and ice cream, Thanksgiving stuffing and Christmas cookies. I still have a sweet tooth which I satisfy from time to time with some "Franken foods", but the momentum of success and a lack of desire for starches and sugars have kept me going strong.

My philosophy throughout the year has been "been there, ate that" or "I can have some of that next year". I know that making a short term sacrifice will have long term benefits, and whatever comfort I once had from eating those things has been replaced by the comfort of smaller clothing and compliments from people who notice the change in my appearance.

[dreamof145]

Loonatika went from Junk Food Queen to growing her own fresh veggies. She’s gone from a completely unfit exercise phoebe to an exercise addict. Losing 44 pounds has given her a new outlook on life.


I've never been much of a goal setting person. I'm more of the 'I can do anything I set my mind to' type of thinker. I have a stubborn streak that mainly in the past has been my downfall. I wanted to use it for something positive this time - my health and weightloss. If I only knew then, how determined that mind of mine can be

It took so much arguing with myself to even start on Atkins. I'd tried it in 2003 and it worked great for 20lb, until I fell off the wagon big time following surgery. In April of 2004, I knew that something had to change. I'd look at myself in the mirror and not recognize myself. In photos, I'd blame bad angles as the reason I looked so fat. But finally one day the truth hit me and I knew I was the only one who could do something about it.

The hardest thing about my two week induction was cutting out sugar. I was a huge junk food addict - to the point where I'd go out at night if I had no chocolate or crisps left to buy more. I even rotated different service stations so that no one would think I ate too much junk food, or tell the attendant that I was getting supplies for me and my 'friend'.

The night before I started, I cleaned out my house of junk food - by eating it all. I figured I may as well make the most of it, and boy did I feel sick afterwards. That at least gave me a few days grace, as the last thing I wanted was junk food.

Whenever I felt like a candy bar during Induction, I cooked up chicken wings and had them instead. I must've got through so much chicken those first few weeks - but at least I stayed away from the sugar. After two weeks, I was down 8lb on the scale, and feeling absolutely fantastic. I haven't looked back since then.

I started my exercise plan - weight training and cardio which was another hurdle I had to jump over. I was completely and utterly unfit, and had very little strength due to the 3 month recovery from surgery. But I got there by taking it slow and knowing my limits. Everytime I had to use more weight on the barbell, I took it as a success. Everytime I could walk longer on the treadmill - I got excited and realized I may actually end up fit. I was closely watched by my physiotherapist, and the day I was able to completely control my stomach muscles (they were cut during surgery) in all the exercises she had me do, just made me so proud of myself. My physio got pretty excited too

Now, well over 9 months later, I'm nearly at goal. I have gone from a size 18 to a size 10 and even a size 8 in some clothing. My scale has slowed right down, but I'm still losing inches on a weekly basis. I figure I have about 10lb to go to 'goal', but my real goal is just how I look, not any size or weight.

My main gripe now is how I have to take in my clothing all the time - and I soon see the funny side to that. My sewing machine has become my best friend, and it is just so much fun to whack off the inches off the sides of tops or pants to make them fit again. I've got absolutely no clothing left from my size 18 days, there's only so many inches you can cut off and have an outfit still look ok!

I do owe so much to this board for keeping me motivated, accountable and on track. The times I've wanted to go back to my sugar eating junk food days, I think of how people will react on here, or how hypocritical I will be advising new people if I can't even stay on track. Plus I've even lost the taste for that type of food now - and I'm saving so much money with my Atkins eating. I just feel sorry for those service stations, their profit margins must have gone down dramatically

To say Atkins works for me is like saying the sky is blue. It's the only thing that has helped me health wise, the only type of 'diet' I can do without feeling deprived and I just owe so much to this way of eating for giving me back my confidence, waistline and most importantly - health.

_________________
30/f - 5'5 - 182/138/130 - Start April 04