Thread: New here!

Angie. In reading your post, it seems that you know all the right things to do. You've lost weight low-carbing before and you will again. Now, you've got yourself working out in a gym (something I don't yet do), so that is a huge plus.

As for "I look awful. I feel awful. I can't fit into nearly anything," I can so relate! I somehow ballooned from a pre-pregnancy size 12 to a post-pregnancy size 16 after my "baby" (who is now 17) was born and then I just kept getting bigger and bigger until I was wearing size 20 or 22...sometimes 24 in tops because I wanted them loose around my ever-widening waist.

I have a long way to go, but I feel so much better after losing just 20 pounds and I know that each 5 pound loss after that will make things all that much better. It will be the same for you. Now is a good time to start getting in better shape for the summer.

Welcome! And be sure to check out the recipe forums as well.

This is a great place to find encouragement. Starting over is almost more difficult than the first time, but YOU CAN DO IT. I restarted on Jan 3 this year, and I'm doing very well.

Be sure to get out your Atkins book and reread it. Keep it handy. Also, consider using a tracker like the one on this site, or Fitday.com. Holding myself accountable day by day is one of my most important tools.

I'm not much of a cook either, so I'm the queen of creative salads. That includes tuna and chicken salads I can make in big batches and use throughout the week.

Best wishes!

Welcome, Angie.

'Hope you'll make yourself at home.

Welcome, Angie! Since you low carbed before, I'd just like to reiterate Atkins and warn you that weight may not come flying off the 2nd time around like it did the first time. But it WILL WORK! So many of our members have young children and husbands that don't need to lose weight. With some planning, meal times can be quite easy. I don't like to cook, either. I am lucky in that my husband usually makes dinner. The basic salad, meat and vegetable. About once a week I will do a low carb recipe for dinner. There are lots of great recipe ideas on this site. Also visit the low carb cooking thread under "Special Interests."

I do think the key to success with low carb eating is to:

1) Realize and accept the fact that this is a healthy way of eating and that you will commit to it for life (with the occasional splurge!) and,

2) Have a good support team, like you have found at Low Carb Eating!

Looking forward to getting to know you . . . .

Hi Angie - looks like the others have said it all! Just wanted to extend my welcome as well! Don't be a stranger - i believe this site has helped me stay the course, there are so many who have been there, done that.

Hi Angie,
Welcome to LCE. Glad you joined us on our journey. This is a GREAT site just full of super folks with gentle spirits and good hearts ...and lots of helpful advice too!
Post often and let us know how you are doing...I know you will do great!

Shelley

Welcome Angie! Put the "I look awful, feel awful, can't fit into anything" in the closet for now. Focus each day on making good decisions about the things you eat and as for cooking for the family-offer them a baked potato or some rice or whatever along with the meat and vegetable you cook for everyone. My daughter is 9 and does not need to lose weight but notices a big difference in how she feels when she eats lunch at school and when I cook at home. She prefers the LC foods for the most part-she does eat macaroni and cheese occasionally, she has sandwiches where I may only eat the insides along with a salad, I allow her to have an occasional sweet like ice cream or a donut or candy bar but for the most part she eats just like her dad and I do. As a construction worker, the extra protein actually may help him put on some weight as added muscle! Welcome to a great place for support and guidance-though we will often send you back to look at the book too-if it were not for this site I know I would have give up after my first stall over the summer and never gotten to 72lbs lost. I am stalled again, but this time it is basically my own doing so no real complaints!

angie- welcome!

i think you'll find many of us, if not most, it took a time or two on and off the wagon to "arrive," you know? doesn't matter at all. as long as you're still working on improving, you're successful! the only way to fail is to give up.

i understand unhappiness and feelings of low self-esteem drive many of us to start looking at weight loss, so in that sense, it can help get you going. but please, do whatever you can to let those negative self-assessments go now. they will get in your way if you hold on to them through the normal ups and downs of making life changes.

imagination with your diet is very important for lc success, too! i got a couple of low-carb cookbooks and even though i don't cook all the time, the ideas were invaluable. with some practice, you will find that you can make minor modifications and stick to a low-carb plan while feeding your family just fine. most people eat the same stuff, but add a few sides for the family who want their carbs...and hey: weight issues or no, they don't really need a lot of sugar and junk food anyway, right? so while your husband and son may not need to lose weight, avoiding sugar and white flour and eating more protien and veggies is good for them, too! plus, you'll help insure your son never has to worry about his weight--what a wonderful gift to him!

as far as motivation, i find feeling great physically and feeling good about myself are the best motivation i can find. you just start taking steps, take time to appreciate your progress and feel good about every step you take, however small, and it will get you moving where you want to go.

best of luck to you!

Angie, the tracker Barb was referring to is a fabulous software program which does just that . . . you put in your starting weight, goal weight, and how long you want it to take (be realistic here!). Then it will give you a daily calorie goal. You enter ALL the foods you eat and it keeps track of calories, carbs, fiber, protein, fats, etc. The one at FitDay.com can be used, for free I believe, on line, however I understand it can be frustrating, especially if you have dial-up. I also believe you can buy it for download to your own computer. The program I tried and bought for around $55, was DietPower ( www.dietpower.com ) You can download it free for a 15-day trial. I have heard you can even ask for another 15 day extension. But I loved it so much, I went ahead and made the investment.

Also, please cruise the entire site. Look at the different threads. There is a wealth of information here!

Hi Angie,

Welcome to the boards! This is my third time on Atkins, I was completely derailed during my pregnancy in 2003 - 2004. My husband also does not do LC, though we generally eat the same things at dinner time - he might add corn, or rice, where I stick to my LC veggies (he cooks most of the time, but makes sure that what I eat is LC, at the very least the meat and one veggie are LC). I have been consciously watching my food for a week (I am on a maintenance plan as I am still nursing my son), and already I have lost 5.5 lbs and feel so much better and more alert. I have a closet full of smaller clothes for summertime, and I am determined to fit in them before the end of summer!

As for your son, he can eat more of a maintenance LC - meat and veggies and dairy, plus fruits (more the whole fruit versus fruit juice) and whole grains (whole wheat bread versus white), and very very limited sweets (or no sweets if you prefer, but unfortunately he will get sweet treats elsewhere). I think it's never too soon to teach kids how to eat right, and getting him accustomed to more whole foods (that aren't sweetened or so heavily processed that they have no nutritional value) now will help him later. Granted, I am not a doctor or a nutritionist, but I just don't see how white bread and sweetened cereals can possibly be good for kids

Good for you for jumping back on the wagon! Enjoy the ride!

I'll check out the free tracker....sounds interesting!

Wow Jen, you're second attempt on Atkins was outstanding!! So, you've done it three times, as someone mentioned on here, did you notice the last couple of times that it went slower than the first? I've just started today again, I lost 11 pounds in the first week the first time, but I know much of it was water....

I sure do try to help my 3 year old eat healthy. He doesn't get much for sweets, and I find it funny that so many people that bring him treats once in awhile feel they need to give him candy bars! I keep telling a certain family member (who I KNOW has bananas at his house all the time) that my son would be just as thrilled with a banana or something. He doesn't get too much in the way of sweets from us, we don't even keep stuff like that in the house.

The main thing I miss on Atkins is the cereal in the morning....it's also hard for me to find 'quick' things to snack on or a last minute meal. But I've been checking this site out, and have LOTS more to look at!

So, I've started today, and hopefully I can keep the mindset going....

Angie

Angie,

I don't remember a whole lot about my first attempt on Atkins, I think I lost 15 lbs on induction. The second time I think I lost 11 on Induction. And I am not doing Induction at the moment, because I am still nursing my son, but in the past week I have lost 5.5 lbs just by eating maintenance-style and limiting processed foods. Some of that loss I attribute to upping my water intake, some of it is from TOM which I just had, but I think overall it's because I am simply eating smarter and better, and I hope to hit a consistent "losing" stride here soon. Check out my journal ("I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!") in the Journaling forum to see what I have been eating and how I'm progressing.

Good luck, and post often!

i also like weight by date pro, which ISN'T free beyond the trial i think or maybe it's a shareware limited version...uh, anyway i digress. i like the tracking in that. you can do carbs, calories, food diary, exercise tracking (including calories burned, which i think is fun), measurements, body fat%, the whole nine yards. it also gives you your average weight loss rate, and a projected "goal date" based on your loss history. and it has a jouranl and can be set to play a little tune when you post a loss.

can you tell i like it? but it costs about $40 i think...anywho...

on my 2 inductions, time one i lost 12 pounds, and time 2, i lost 8. but it's the steadiness that makes the difference, not the speed.