the beginning of a New Day!

[bandit]

Hello all!



I am very pleased I found this forum. I think it will help me with my weight loss goals.



A little bit about myself:



I’m 5’11, 34 years old. I’ve struggled with my weight all of my adult life. Almost immediately after high school, I started gaining weight and in 1996 I reached a peak of 260. From January 1997 to May 1997, I went on a low-calorie diet and exercise program, and I ended up getting down to 196.



After that, I slowly went back to my old lifestyle – lots of fast food and junk – and the weight came back on. I never got back up to my peak of 260, but in the spring of 2003 I clocked in at 235. I had done Atkins in the past intermittently, but had never been able to stick with it – although I always lost weight on it. In 2003, I started it in May and stayed with it fairly well all Summer and into the Fall. In October 2003 I was at my lowest weight since high school: 187. I was amazed and so happy with myself.



Then the holidays came… and I “went off” and never came back on. Slowly the weight crept back on. It got to the point where I was so discouraged, and I figured I may as well get used to it – I’m never going to lose the weight and keep it off. Why bother.



But I’ve been very unhappy about it, and I realize that as I’m getting older there are health considerations. I walked up the stairs to my office recently rather than taking the elevator, and I was shocked at how winded I was. SOO out of shape.



I realized that all I can do, even though I’ve failed in the past, is jump up and start again. If I don’t care for myself, who will?


I stepped on the scale for the first time in MONTHS yesterday morning, and I was afraid to look… it was 227.5. Not as bad as I feared, but not good either. I started Atkins yesterday. I had been thinking about it for a while. I bought groceries on Sunday, and some clothes that I will wear when I reach my goal weight of 180. They are sitting in a bag in the middle of my closet – just waiting. Every time I get dressed in the morning, I will see that bag of clothes. Hopefully it will inspire me. I also think this forum will help, reading the success stories of others, and reading how other people have lost the weight, gained it back, only to get back on the plan and be successful is a real inspiration.



So… here it is, the beginning (again!). 227.5 down to 180. It WILL happen. I will post my progress here. Wish me luck!! J

[Alexa]

Hi Bandit!

Weclome to ADBB, it is great for advice, info and support. It is definately worth joining an exercise challenge to kick start the weight loss.

Also, it is worth trying to get into the clothes that you are planning to wear and see by how much they don't fit. Measure how far the zip on trousers won't meet, for example so you can see that you are getting closer. It is definately worth measuring yourself generally too, as many people find inch loss a great motivation later when lbs loss slows down.

See you about

[boonie stomper]

Glad you joined us, Bandit. The benefits of getting back into shape await you with the challenges. The health benefits await you with losing weight and maintaining this WOE/WOL. The psychcological feelings you will get as you get closer and closer to your goal can't be beat.

Take a picture of yourself now. If you have one from around your goal or mini-goal weight, keep it handy like the clothes you bought. You can even post these pictures here to keep them fresh. Good luck!

[sallyseachange]

Hello there Bandit. Nice to have you aboard.
Thanks for posting about yourself and your past successes at losing weight. You'll lose again this time too... all you have to do is get into the mindset of making this a lifestyle change, and you'll not only reach goal but maintain permanently as well. ADBB is a wonderful place for support and information and hopefully will help you get into the new way of thinking.

Post often and let us know how you're getting along! We're rooting for ya!

[bandit]

thanks for the welcome, and the suggestions!

My plan for exercise is to walk nightly.. Since it's winter and fairly cold, i'll probably go to the shopping mall and do several laps inside. I'll start fairly slow, and work my way up. I have my iPod all ready to go with a "walking" playlist

I'm also going to take a "before" picture tonight when I get home from work - that's a great idea!! i want to be able to post it in a few weeks so I can show some progress. I'll stand in the same spot in the same pose so that the progress can be shown more clearly (i hope!!!)

Ya know, I'm feeling really good and exuberant already that I've made this committment... in a way, I think that's half the battle. I don't feel so hopeless.

[sallyseachange]

Originally Posted by bandit

...Ya know, I'm feeling really good and exuberant already that I've made this committment... in a way, I think that's half the battle. I don't feel so hopeless.

You're so right! Committment really is half the battle. Well said!

[LoveIsNoColor]

Welcome to the board! Visit and post often there is a ton of useful information and a great group of people here! You have made a great step in the right direction!

[Erin68]

Hiya Bandit, welcome! Sounds like you're feeling ready to succeed!! You can do this!

[sillygirl]

Hi bandit! I love your name, I had the best cat on earth named Bandit! Welcome to the board. You've done atkins intermittently, I'm glad to have you on board to do it permanently! Welcome!

[bandit]

Thanks all for the encouragement! I've been reading quite a few posts on this site, and I see so many people who have had similar struggles that I've had. And so many GREAT success stories!!! The pictures are just fantastic.

I've done 2 full days of induction, and I feel good. I haven't really been tempted to cheat. Somebody brought in a box of donuts to the office this AM - KRISPY KREME!!! - and I just looked at them and walked on.

One issue I am having is how to add some variety to my diet. I've been eating eggs, burgers, cheese, sausage, tuna, and salad. I'm going shopping tonight to get some chicken, but i'll be honest - - - i'm a very rudimentary cook, at best. I looked at some of the recipes in the "induction recipes" section, and i'd like to try those buns that you make with egg whites, but I have absolutely no idea how to separate the egg yolks from the whites, hehe. If I tried it, i'd probably make a huge mess. But maybe another positive side effect of induction will be trying to learn to cook more?

Tonight i'm thinking i'll grill some chicken breasts. Even I can't mess that up