a long winded noob...

[brownstar]

Hi all!
I'm a noob.
My dad did Atkins a few years back and did awesome; I've always been curious about it.
I only have about 15 pounds to lose so I thought I'd give it a shot! It's amazing how long it takes to finally get up the gusto to DO IT, you know? I'm 5'2 and my weight has always gone back to 139 on the nose no matter what (pregnancy/weight loss/whatever). I've been that weight probably since high school.
I did something kind of stupid last week and made up my own (starvation) diet. Halfway because I wanted to see what would happen, and also because I knew I'd be eating like a pig that weekend and didn't want to put on another couple of pounds before really going at it.
After the first couple of days I was sick of being hungry and gave Atkins some thought. I decided I'd start after the weekend.
So Monday I began!
I started at 139 when I began my own formulated "diet" heheh... Today I'm at 133 just about 2 weeks later and 4 days into induction.
So far the ketostix aren't saying anything; I think I've got trace ketones but it's barely that color. However it appears as if I'm still losing because I know after last weekend I had to have gained about 2 pounds. I didn't have a good scale until yesterday; I realized my scale was off when it gave me a different weight each time I got on!!!
Doing Atkins for me is a little challenging because I haven't eaten any kind of meats besides fish for about 7 years. So I'm eating a lot of eggs, a lot of fish. I also love veggies. I wish I could just eat salad with low/no carb dressing and tuna for 2 weeks lol! I'm actually thinking of incorporating other meats back into my diet seeing how well this is working so far. But I'm not there yet; we'll see.
The other challenge is that I love diet soda and when I cook fish I LOVE making it with brown sugar and seasoning. Splenda has been my friend but I've been using probably too much of it.
I made a cheesecake yesterday and kind of regret it now because I'm sure I could just eat the whole thing; it's as tempting as having a plate of brownies in your kitchen. I found out something interesting though. I was at Target and decided to buy cream cheese and they only had the tubs. The tubs of Philadelphia have 2 gm of carbs per serving, yet the bars have something like .5 I believe? I thought that was odd. So after finding out I could have made the cheesecake in a more carb friendly way I felt like I had wasted ingredients.
The diet soda thing is o.k. I can deal with water and get used to it quickly. You simply just don't buy diet sodas right? I do have some diet rites and I drank almost a whole bottle of one the other day.
I'm now wishing that the carb craze was as big as it was a few years ago when there were so many products. I suppose now you just have to be creative. I was missing honey mustard dressing, so I made my own using, guess--SPLENDA, mustard, vinegar, and mayo. So that was no carb compared to the one or two in ranch.
Speaking of being creative, at first I was worried I'd get bored with what I was eating but as I surf the net more and find more recipes and figure things out on my own, it's getting easier. It's just that I can't keep my hands out of the splenda bag.
I haven't gotten out of the being hungry all the time phase and that's frustruating. I mean, how can you eat 4 eggs with cheese and a few veggies and be hungry afterwards????? Hoping that will pass soon. I'm also feeling really sluggish and kind of out of it over the last day or so. Waiting for that to pass as well.
I think induction will do well for me for the 2 weeks! I'm not sure how far I want to take it; I really think that with regular exercise you can maintain your weight. That's how it used to be for me anyway
I haven't worked out in YEARS... this weekend however, dh and I are going to be visiting a local gym and will probably be joining.
I've felt that I looked my best right under 130 pounds but would LOVE to get under 120 just to see what it's like!!! Can anyone relate? Being so short, every pound really counts. If I gain 5 pounds, my clothes don't fit, kwim? But if I lose 5 pounds, they still fit. LOL! It's cruel.
Well I'm off to make some deviled eggs (with splenda?!? LOL) and thinking of trying snow pudding. I'm not so sure though that it's a good idea to have the sweets around just yet.
Take care everyone!!!!

[PaulaMM]

First of all, welcome!

Second, please be sure you are counting all the carbs in that Splenda! I'm guessing that with the Splenda and the vinegar, you're homemade dressing DOES have carbs in it.

If you can, you really need to try to cut back on the Splenda. As per the book, we are only allowed 3 servings a day of it. It sounds like you may be going over that by a bit. The most fundamental thing about Atkins is conquering your sweet tooth and bad eating habits and acquiring a healthier lifestyle. That way, when we reach maintenance, we are in control of our cravings instead of the other way around.

If you haven't read the book, I strongly encourage you to do so. Learning the proper way to do Atkins will benefit you now and in the future. There is so much to this eating plan than eating meat and counting carbs. If you read it, follow it, and live it, it can truly change your life!

I wish you the best of luck and success!

[speedyturtle]

Welcome brownstar, sounds like your off to a GREAT start. **step away from the splenda** hehe. I am a recovering sugarholic. I try to use as little splenda as possible because anytime I have something sweet it makes me want sugarey stuff. I am hoping that someday that will change but I doubt it.

[Discolemonade]

Welcome! I agree with the others!

I tend to also think You're just feeding a sugar addiction if you keep trying to placate it with splenda eventually you may find yourself after the real thing. MAYBE NOT. It may not affect you at all, I'm just speaking from experience. Anything SWEET makes me crave more sweet. Then it's downhill from there.

Just keep in control of yourself and you will be very very successful! BEST OF LUCK!!

[MrsD]

Hello Brownstar! Good luck on Atkins. I think the others have given some very good advice. Watch out for that sweet tooth. I know how bad it can get.

[brownstar]

Thanks for all the advice and welcome guys
I'll do my best to step away lol....
I suppose Splenda is one of those things that does have carbs yet says zero carbs on the package?

[PaulaMM]

Unless you are using liquid Splenda, it has maltodextrin, which has carbs. We count each serving, a tsp if using pourable and 1 packet if using packets, as 1 carb.

And remember: You are only allowed 3 serving of sweetener a day!

Cut waaaay back on your Splenda consumption and kick those cravings to the curb. You'll be so glad you did!

[brownstar]

Alrighty... I'll step back from the Splenda
Question though; is the 3 servings limited to help you with your sugar cravings or can the Splenda stall/slow your loss?
This truly sucks because I found a store today that still has Carb Smart ice cream by Breyers. Only 4 net carbs but probably not a good idea for me or for induction in general. I remember my dad getting it alll the time. We're kind of the same in where we like treats, but will only eat a spoonful of something once or twice a day. Definitely not the kind who sits with a pint of ice cream on the sofa.
And for what it's worth, I left the spoon OUT of the fridge where the dreaded cheesecake is currently residing. Makes it less tempting if I have to go and get a spoon. Luckily I'm beyond using my hands lol!!!
Don't hate me but I still don't have the book. I attempted to do this on Monday but for some reason my 2 year old went absolutely haywire in the library and I had to abort the mission. I should have it by the weekend when I can finally get some time to myself.
Thanks again guys!!

[sillygirl]

hi brownstar! Welcome to the board! Wow, quite an introduction. You can do this, we will all be right here to support you whatever you need! once you get started, it'll all fall into place. Your Dad's results eating this way should also help with the motivation!

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