youngster in the house

[chunk!]

Hi everyone. I've been here (and on the Atkins program) for awhile but I thought I would pop in and introduce myself.

I'm 21, a college student and full-time worker, and I have always struggled with my weight and had self-image issues. I haven't been seriously overweight since I was a kid but being overweight once in your life tends to stick with your self-esteem... anyway.

My entire teenage/adult years I have been interested in food, the impact it has on our bodies, and how individualized eating really needs to be, as well as grouping it with environmental/disease issues and things - food is so important! (I guess I should've majored in Health/Nutrition.) I was vegan for awhile, a raw foodist for awhile, vegetarian, then pretty indifferent... my hair would fall out, I would be cold and weak, and I wasn't even starving myself! While I am not comfortable preparing my own meat to eat, I have definitely realized that after a lifetime of carbohydrates, what my body really needs to sustain itself is protein, dairy and vegetables as my dietary staples. I have never felt so FULL before.

I really love the Atkins program - it is immensely worthwhile if you can follow it "the right way" ... right now I am having difficulty exercising (finding time, but I don't believe in gyms anyway) - instead, I take public transportation and walk to work / around campus / on errands every day. This program is something I am going to have no trouble sticking with - I'm already a few months in (I think I started around the beginning of November?) and down about 22 pounds. I'm off the sugar and plan to stay that way! I know that if I allow myself to indulge once, I won't STOP, but I don't even feel the slightest urge to eat anything high in carbohydrates.

This is a really long introduction.. oh well. My reward for myself once I hit my goal is to get a manicure! I've bitten my nails down past the quick for as long as I can remember and have never had fingernails, and right now I am attempting to grow them. So it's kind of my motivation for two different things... growing my nails AND reaching my weight goal.

I will end my intro with a question... have any of you tried stevia as a natural sweetener? I'm interested in using it for cooking and for coffee and such but I've also read something alarming regarding it being a potential mutagen.

Thanks for having me here! Good luck to you all. What a supportive community.

[scaleskl]

Hey Chunk,

Welcome! You'lll be getting that manicure in no time.

[cafe_et_creme]

Hi and welcome!

Great job losing the first 22lbs and good luck with the rest of your weight loss journey!

[Jace]

Welcome to Chunk!

Best of luck on your weight loss journey and if you need anything please feel free to give a shout!

~Far la bella figura!

[sallyseachange]

Warm welcome to ADBB Chunk! Nice that you decided to join us.
Here's to that manicure very soon! You can do it!

Re Stevia... I've tried it. Can't say I was very impressed. It had a bittersweet taste to me. I'm told that if you use half stevia and half splenda, it's better. Many here use and like it.

[sillygirl]

Welcome to the board! Sounds like you're doing just fine.

I don't like stevia either but sweetfreeze is good. They used to have a sweet freeze website, but I am unable to find it today on Google for some reason. It's liquid splenda. I bought the little one and seriously, one drop is all you need.

[sillygirl]

found the site:

http://sweetzfree.com/

[jrbiddix@verizon.net]

I AGREE WITH THE OTHERS. I THOUGHT STEVIA WAS VERY BITTER TASTING. I TRIED THE LIQUID AND THE PACKETS.


I PREFER SPLENDA.