at the end of the rope.....

[sutukaya]

Hi to all.....I've been so inspired by the board, and the honesty of the folks who have posted their journeys. Could it happen for me? A lifetime of diet failures has left me feeling that those successes are only for others...but maybe not with Atkins?? Could it be possible? Induction seems a tall order, but I must give it a shot one more time. I remember doing Atkins in high school when it first came out, and with success. Since then, yo-yo dieting has cost me, and enough is enough. Today is the day. This board is a safe place....my thin family and friends don't really "get it." Thanks for the invite to the board, Tom.
Tresa

[gman]

Hello and welcome!

Here are some ideas:

- Approach this as a Way of Life rather than just a Diet.

- Read the Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution book - the red one which is what we refer to.

- Check out the postings under Induction for insights and support.
Atkins Diet 14-day Induction - Atkins Diet

- Refer to your eating as "eating a lot of veggies and salads and avoiding bad carbs" since a lot of people are uninformed and anti-Atkins which is not supportive, but can get your competitive juices going.

- Start an exercise program if you are not already doing one. The Mileage Challenge is a good one to start - with walking. You can jump in now and commit to a mile a day walking.
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...porting-8.html (September Mileage Challenge Sign Up and Reporting)

- Post here often to seek help. We have members who have lost more than 100 lbs., gotten in great physical shape through diet and exercise, and who are moving on to reach other goals in their lives.

- Envision yourself as thin like your friends if that is one of your goals. There is a lot of power in envisioning things, like in sports psychology, picturing the ball going into the basket!

[mitzimarie]

Hi, Tresa

Welcome to ADBB!

Hey, just wanted to let you know that I have been in your shoes... I thought that I was beyond hope. Let me assure you, that you CAN do this! I won't kid you... the first week is hard. But when you get through it, *cleanly*, I promise you that it gets easier.

As you can see from my stats, it took me more than one time to get it right. And the difference between that time and this time - this time, I followed the plan to the letter and developed the patience I never had before. The plan does work, so trust it and do your best.

You have a great advantage now that will help you with your journey - you found this board! It is an amazing place. And since knowledge is power, I've put together some information in a "sticky" at the top of this forum that can help you. Here is the link, in case you haven't seen it yet. http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...-new-read.html (If you are NEW, READ THIS!)

Immerse yourself in the Atkins experience! Success on Atkins spills over into other aspects of your life. It is a win-win-win situation! Best of luck to you.

[Lisa]

Welcome!

I've been there too, recently. It's a challenge to make decisions and commitments to ourselves...but you can do it. You can make those changes for a healthy life

[frankenspine]

Welcome , Tresa

I just wanted to let you know that I have been there. I underwent back surgery in Novemeber 2007; hence the handle FrankenSpine. My doctor made it clear that in order for the surgery to be successful long term, I would have to loose 90lbs!

After the surgery, I adopted a low-fat approach; cutting out fast food completely and limiting myself to 1,500 calories a day. After eight months of eating high fiber /low fat foods and walking 1.5 miles a day I had lost a mere 10lbs.

In July 2008 I had my fourth post opperative check up. Although my fusion was healing beautifully, my doctor shamed me about my lack of weight loss. He said, "You HAVE to get as skinny as your wife!". I was stunned. My wife is 5'7 and weighs a little over 100lbs. When I asked him what I should do, he said eat less and exercise. I told him I had been doing that and he gave me a scoffing look!

Loose 90lbs with limited physical activity?! I thought that was impossible! And my efforts up to that point confirmed it. I returned home in a deep depression. Then I found a thread about the Atkins Diet! I decided to give it all I had and commited to staying on induction until I lost at least 60 pounds! That was July 29th! As of September 6th, I'm almost half way there. I've lost 25lbs in a littel over 6 weeks!

It CAN be done! You CAN do it!. However, that doesn't mean it will be easy. Everyone in my family is 'naturally' thin and live on a steady diet of fast food, ice cream, candy, chips and soda. They don't exercise and never gain an ounce. Don't let these people discourage you! I veiw this as proof that my metabolism is poor; and Atkins is the only plan that addresses this problem.

It takes time to get it right. I completley stalled from week 2-5. Until I figured out I had overlooked some important points; including hidden sugars in herbal tea, mayo, etc. Once I began to follow the plan strictly, the wieght loss kicked in again.

I want to offer you three pieces of advice that have made a major difference to me so far.

1. Document your journey in FitDay!
2. Drink at least half your current body weight in ounces of water daily.
3. Exercise is not optional.

Good Luck! We're all pulling for you!