No surgery - just Atkins :)

[vmckelvie]

Hi Everyone

Long and lengthy intro – sorry!

35 years young, happily married - two beautiful 5 and 7 year old girls, but am very overweight, obese in fact.... I'm that girl who they all say "Oh she's sooo nice, but its such a pity that she's sooooo big".

My body fat % is in the high 30's, and my health problems the past couple of years have just seemed to bloom. I had started to wonder if I will be around to see my kids have children of their own.

I think I have tried every diet possible, from Jenny Craig, to Weight Watchers, to the dreaded diet pills, with little or no success but with great monetary expenditure.

At my last major checkup (beginning of the year), I was told that I had too much insulin in my blood and that I needed to start reducing my carbs... so since then, and obviously by taking some needed lifestyle baby steps, Ive lost about 14kgs (30 pounds), but now have come to a dead stop. My PFC intake was 50% protein, 30% fat and 20% carbs. Ive tried mixing it up at the gym in regards to my exercise routines – increased my protein - but nothing is happening, and hasn’t been for months.

I really need to lose at least another 60 pounds and quite a percentage of body fat, so that I can be healthy! and also so I don’t need to resort to lapband surgery – which is something my Dr has bought up and needless to say it nearly scared me to death.

So I find myself here.. I don’t want the surgery, and I know that I can succeed in doing this myself. To be perfectly honest – my main problems are - is that I never have a feeling of fullness after eating, and that in the past I have rewarded myself with food Duh! How smart was I?

I plan on starting Atkins tomorrow, it being the start of a new month, as well as its when I have my next checkup with my Dr. Because of my medical problems I want to have blood tests done etc… so I can see the results there also.

I feel very heartened by reading all the suceess stories here, and feel very motivated to do my absolute best!

I hope to be able to receive but also give support to others, because I bloody know how hard it can be to try and start doing the right thing to yourself.

My motto is persistance not perfection, because I refuse to beat myself up anymore. I am looking forward in getting to know everyone much better as well as becoming one of those success stories Ive just read about!!

Cheers, Veronica

[dreamof145]

Hi Veronica. Welcome to the board. Congratulations on the weight you've lost so far. You have a good attitude towards losing the weight and now you've got a great support system to help you reach goal. The ADBB is filled with people who are on the same mission to get healthy and lose weight. I'd suggest you do a clean 2-week induction with exercise (we have a lot of challenges right now), lots of water and supplements. Be sure to take your measurements also, as it is a great motivator to see the inches you've lost as well as the weight. Make a plan to succeed - You can do it. We are all here to cheer you on.

[jennyj]

Hi Veronica!! Welcome to the board!! You will find SO much support here!! Any question you have, there is always someone who can answer it here! Dreamof145 mentioned taking your measurements, and I cannot tell you how important that is!! If the scale doesn't move as fast as you want it to, you'll probably still lose inches and you will find so much motivation in seeing those inches drop! Good luck! Drink your water, follow the book and success will absolutely follow!

~Jen~

[ValidRouge]

Hi Veronica, welcome to ADBB. Have you read Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution (DANDR for short) version2002? It's a must read. We follow a 65% fat/5% carb/30% protein ratio during the induction phase which is the most restrictive phase. After that the fat goes down as we increase carbohydrate by adding foods back in one at a time in a certain order (this is what we call OWL rungs--Dr. A called it a carbohydrate ladder) All of that is in the book and in the stickies in all the forums here. Be sure to check out the Frequently Asked Questions forum...all the basics of the plan are in there. What you can eat, what you cannot. How to add foods back in, testing YOUR body as you go and customizing Atkins to your body.

You're not going to need surgery if you follow the Atkins plan the way Dr. A said to do it. If you haven't read the book....take everything you've ever heard about Atkins and FORGET IT!!! Then read the book There truly are so so so so many misconceptions out there.

[Adena]

Welcome, Veronica. I'm so pleased to see that you've come here because you don't want surgery. That will give you extra incentive to stick with it.

I think I have about the same amount to lose as you, perhaps a little more. Take it from a certified carb-o-holic... you will be utterly amazed by your new eating habits. I am rarely hungry these days (coming from someone who was always hungry). And, I each such a great variety of rich foods on Atkins that I hardly miss pasta and bread. And I tell you, me saying (and believing) that is HUGE!

You might find it a little hard the first few days or so. (Read up on the induction flu so you're prepared, just in case.) But, then, it's like you wake up and your cravings are seemingly magically gone. I won't imply it's easy all the time, and that I'm NEVER tempted, but overall, the transformation really is amazing.

You've gotten some great advice. Join some challenges (check the Exercise Challenges and Challenges forums), and if you like to write, consider starting a journal. Both are great ways to build a regular network of folks who encourage and look out for you. (If you like doing exercise videos, consider joining the challenge I'm hosting -- see link below.) If you feel tempted and lose your resolve, come here to post. If you post you are in trouble, I guarantee someone will respond very soon. And while you wait, read other posts. Being active on this board has been tremendously motivating for me. My friends here have kept me on track, helped me get back on track, and patted me on the back for staying on track!

Here's a link to a great web site for lots of easy low, carb and induction friendly recipes: http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/index.html. If you enjoy cooking, I encourage you to get creative. I've found it makes a huge difference in keeping me motivated.

Good luck tomorrow, come here often, and keep us posted on your progress. I hope to see you around the board!

[vmckelvie]

Hi Ladies!

Thankyou very, very much for your warm welcomes!

Tonight was review and preparation night. I read through the induction section once more of the DANDR, whilst also noting some of the yummy recipes at the back! The real life stories in the book are amazing - just like the successes I am reading about here - its so inspiring!

Ive hit fitday and added in sample meals for a full day, just to make sure I will be doing everything correctly.

I have snacks prepared in the fridge, my breakfast ingrediants ready to go (thank goodness my Dr appt is 8.30am in the morning) and I'm feeling good. Ive also made a list of extra foods I might want to go out and purchase, so that I can vary my snacks and make it interesting as possible.

Im definitely up for starting a journal, sometimes you wont be able to shut me up and the exercise challenges look good too!!

I have to admit to being the tiniest bit afraid ....its the fat content thats a worry for me, but in saying that I know that this WOL works, just by browsing the board. So with that said, a strict induction will I be starting on the morrow.

[staziaw]

Welcome, Veronica!! I'm looking forward to seeing great things from you!

Stacy

[2big4mysize]

what you doing for the mandatory exercise partr of Atkins? come join our exercise challenges. I'm sure you cn find several that you'd like and all are open enrollment so just pop in the topic tell them you are new and poof you are a member.

fitday is great and you will see the fats are small amounts to get to that high percent. remember the most important thing you need to do is learn to feed only your hunger not the empty belly space even if you got food on the plate and carbs in your budget. We can eat whenever we do get hungry but with the appetite suppression of ketosis you will be amazed at how little it will take to get smaller.

[vmckelvie]

Stacy, thankyou for your welcome and your motivation! Motivation is a potty word for me sometimes, so its great to know I will have people checking up on me

2big4mysize; Hi there and thankyou for *your* welcome also - Im feeling much more comfortable with you all stopping by to say hi, and it means a great deal to know Im not without support

Exercise- I regulary attend gym at least three times a week, and I count the minutes from when I arrive to when I leave! However, Im determined and have just recently switched to a 60 minute cardio work out, followed by (probably around) 20 minutes of free weights. My DH attends with me, so I have him stopping me calling it a day, which has come in handy more than once over the past three months, I can tell you!!

Its spring here in Western Australia, so I have also bought myself a good old pedometer and am walking my kids to school which is a round 2km trip - twice a day. I think thats around 2.2 miles on average - my conversions arent the best.

The exercise challenges look fab! Im seriously considering the videos, because I have a great bellydance one that I havent put on in about six months. What I was planning though, was to give myself to the end of the week, only due to the fact that I hear the induction flu (scary!) will take about three to four days to get over? Is that right?

Any advice is very appreciated, so please bring it on

[sillygirl]

hi VMC! Welcome to the board. You will love it here. I hope the people here can help you on your journey.