Hello LCE friends!

It has certainly been a while since I visited you all, and thought I'd send out an update on what's happening with me.

As some old timers may recall, I lost over 100lbs on Atkins back in 2003-2004, and even started a low-carb grocery store in Augusta, GA. Unfortunately, the end of the First Low-Carb Epoch brought about an unfortunate end to that enterprise, not to mention my personal finances. Not wanting at the time to get back into the old information technology field I'd been in for 20 years previous to 2003, I worked to start a real estate business. To provide benefits for myself and the family, I also drove a school bus part time. Not good money, but good health and dental.

Well, real estate is tough, even back in 2005, and the food budget was REAL tight. I ended up slowly getting off low-carb because it was cheaer to spend $3 on a loaf of bread and some cheap bologna for a week's lunches that buy a bunch of salad stuff. Poor excuse? Probably, but my options were pretty limited back then. Rent and electricity had a higher priority than blood glucose.

At any rate, I began to have marital problems and decided to get a divorce. Since we were all from Kansas originally, and had no friends or family in Georgia, I decided to move us all back to Kansas before I began those proceedings. I went back into the IT field with a bank, and the income was nice and steady once again. By the time I got back there, I was up around 350 again, and pretty miserable.

On August 15 last year, I decided the budget was stable enough, and the income decent enough to start Atkins again. As of today, I've lost about 100 pounds again, though I have been less the fanatic about walking and exercise that I was the first time. Frankly, the dogs had aged significantly, and I had no one to walk with! So while I still agree exercise is important, its amazing what I've done without it.

While previous to last fall, my marital problems had stemmed from fidelity issues with my wife, I ended up meeting someone myself. I filed for divorce last May, and have since moved to Florida with my new darling. I am again working in the IT field as a network security specialist, and am adamant about low-carb. I have been in temporary living arrangements since May, but in November, I'll be moving into a place with a proper (and well equipped) kitchen, and I plan on getting back into low-carb cooking as seriously as I was last time.

I see a couple of my recipes are still in the database, but I hope to add many more soon. My new SO wants to start low-carbing too (like she needs it...) and I want to wow her and the kids with foods that rock without carbs. I saw the recipe for the coconut flour bread/pound cake and am awefully excited!

I also have solved my dog problem in the meanwhile... Meet Holly, our 17 week old Australian Shepherd!

Ain't she darling! And, she loves energy runs around the block with her old man. I plan on training her to frisbee, because I've always wanted a frisbee dog. Aussies are about the perfect breed for this, as they are highly intelligent, highly trainable, have endless energy, and are loyal to a fault.

Just to give some particulars for those who are geekish about low-carb like I am. I limit my carbs still to about 35-40 a day, with occasional excursions to 50, though not often. I eat a proper breakfast EVERY DAY, which is basically protien and fat, with little carbs, in other words, bacon and eggs, or a one minute muffin, or maybe low carb pancakes (once a week, see recipe here for "Real Pancakes" from about 2003). Lunch is always a big salad with 4 oz meat, 2 oz cheese, egg, etc., with (YUMMY!) Ken's Steak House Light Italian (1g! Man, I love that stuff, though usually avoid anything with the word "light or lite" in it because of higher sugar content... not the case here!) Supper is always a nifty serving of protien and some great veggies or a little more salad. Snacks are almonds, usually (oh boy has Blue Diamond got me hooked with their "Bold" smoky jalapeno and wasabi/soy! Though read the label on those, there's a little maltodextrin) I find the "Bold" almonds keep my portion size down due to their inherent "boldness" :P I nibble sunflower seeds a lot when I'm playing WoW, though. Hint: Buy small packages, not by the bucket.

About once a week I enjoy a little Carb-Smart or a mock danish. BTW, I found that adding a nice big tablespoon of natural peanut butter to a mock danish makes it even more incredibly insane (though bumps it up *5* grams! O'course you can't do that without a couple little spoonfuls of sugar-free strawberry jam on it when done... OK I'll stop!)

Well, anyway, I need to look around the board some more and see what everyone is up to these days, I do see some names I still remember from back when. Thanks TONS to Maggie and all the other mods for keeping it all so much like home!

Talk to you all soon, I'm sure!

Mikey
(350-ish/242-ish/220-ish)

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Darling pooch you have there!

Good to see some oldtimers coming back to perk up the forum!

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Nita

welcome home, Mikey!

you'll probably see more of your old recipes in the database once i get off my #$## and get the rest converted over. it was kind of a big job redoing the site and i'm not all the way done.

thanks for sharing your update- you've been BUSY! - and the reminders that LC does make the difference. and the pup is a SWEETIE!

i think you'll find this is still the same place you remember. i sure feel like it is, and am very grateful. the folks here are super.

make yourself right BACK at home.

:waves:

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Mikey!!!

You sure have been through the wringer the last couple of years! I'm glad to hear that things seem to be evening off for you.

'Love your pup ... and love those bold almonds, too ... 'specially the wasabi.

We've got several WoW'ers on the sight, and some of them (including me) have posted screen shots in their photo albums. I'll have to try the sunflower seeds next time I'm on the game .... but they'll definitely have to be pre-measured, since I'm sure I'll keep noshing 'till they're done.

So glad to see you back here!

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