Hi, my name is Kim. I'm 32 (will be 33 in a few days). I'm a stay-at-home mom to 3 awesome kids, 12 years, 2 years and 6 months old. I am also a full time student (all of my classes are online so I can stay home with my kids).

Ever since I had my daughter in November I have unable to lose the weight. I lost a lot of blood with her after an extremely difficult pregnancy and was anemic for several months. This past January I was 170 after having her. I didn't like myself being that weight, considering I have never been over 115 in my life unless I was pregnant! I managed to lose some of that weight without doing anything and by March I was down to 156. I stalled. I could NOT get any lower than that no matter what I did, no matter how much I exercised, nothing worked. Then my best friend kept bugging me about Atkins so I finally decided to give it a shot. Today is my last day of induction but I plan to continue on for AT LEAST another week.

I started at 156 2 weeks ago, quickly dropped down to 149.5 in only a few days and I was ecstatic. Then, Aunt Flo popped her head in for a visit and my weight jumped right back up to 155. I got so frustrated and disappointed that I almost gave up. ALMOST! I kept going and even though Aunt Flo is still visiting I am back down to 150. My scale seems to not like me being under 150 so each time it dips down, inevitably, the next day it will be back up again. I'm sure once I'm over my period it will get back to normal.

My overall goal is 125, but 135 would make me happy. I am 5'8" tall and have have always been very little. Having kids really screws up your metabolism and then becoming a stay-at-home mom on top of that. I've lost a total of 7 pounds and I've also lost 2 inches in my waist, 1 inch in both thighs and my upper arms and 1/8 inch in my hips. My clothes are looser than they have been in a very long time so no matter what the scale says, that keeps me happy. My husband says he can see it my face more than anything.

I gained 100 pounds with my first child, lost it all because I was very young and had metabolism from hell. I was 135 when I got pregnant with my 2nd child but never got back down to that, stalled at 140 and then I got pregnant again with my youngest and, due to bedrest from all of the complications, I ballooned up quickly. I WILL get these last few pounds off.

I can honestly say that it is a very important thing to maintain a positive state of mind through this. It is difficult but if you let yourself get down or you start running those "tapes" in your head convincing yourself that you are a failure, it will happen. You will fail if you think you are going to. I'm going to take induction one more week to see where I get down to and then after that I will move on and start adding a few things back into my meals. Right now I stay at or below 20 carbs. The shakes help me a lot and the snack bars help more when I am craving sweets (which is a BIGGIE during my period).

I just wanted to introduce myself and say "hi" to everyone. It has been a rough few weeks but I like the way I look much better now. Has anyone else found this problem during their periods? Gaining the weight back and then feeling like you have to start all over again? That is the most frustrating thing for me. That is why I'm doing induction for one extra week, to make up for this week of PMS and bloating and stuff.

Nice to meet you all!
Kim

Kim, Welcome! It is very normal for a weight gain anywhere from 5 pounds or more during TOM (time of month). It is frustrating, and usually, I will stay off the scale the week before and during for that very reason. Sounds like you have a very positive attitude and that is 99% of it. Hope you will post often!

Rhonda

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196/135-135

Welcome, Kim!

I have a friend that is about your size (height and former weight), though she was 119 at her smallest and now teeters around 127. So I understand where you want to be.

TOM is a terrible thing, I'm dealing with that right now and it's a killer. A seven pound weight gain every month is a hard thing to deal with. The fact that you stayed on plan is awesome.

You've got a great attitude. I think you'll do fine.

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Noël


Worry doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrows, it empties today of its strengths.

Thanks guys, the support means a lot. I think that is the only way I have really gotten through this so far. My husband has been incredibly supportive and has even gone through induction with me. He's lost 8 pounds so far, weiner! If it hadn't been for his support of this I wouldn't have made it. It is so important to have a good support system in this situation and this board is a great way to obtain that. Staying positive isn't easy, espcially through this TOM but I know I will step on that scale in a few days when all of this is over and see a big difference.

Most people get on my butt because I want to lose so much and say that it isn't healthy for me to be that far under my "normal" weight for my size but they don't realize that I am VERY small boned, no matter how tall I am. My body shows this weight a lot more than most people my size. 125 is a good overall goal for me and I know that if I did it before I can do it again. It's just a long hard road and I was REALLY addicted to sugar. It is so hard to walk through the grocery store buying veggies and seeing all of the cakes and cookies and wanting some SO BAD. I never give in though, the worst I have done is have a few spoonfulls of the low carb ice cream to get me through the cravings and it hasn't hurt my loss any.

I am glad this forum is here for this kind of support because positive support can make all of the difference in the world when times get tough!

Kim

You'll do fine. Sounds like your attitude is in place. That sugar thing is a tough one for a lot of us. Even sugar substitutes can trigger a craving. One of my favorite sweet treats is frozen mixed berries. Pour on a little kefir or cream, and you've got a nutritious cold dessert.

Not to give you anything more than you can handle right now...but where are you on exercise? I know, I know. Chasing around after three kids is plenty! Still, a regular routine, just for you--let hubby take on the kids for a while--can relieve stress, shape up those muscles, and burn some fat along the way. Weight bearing exercise (like resistance training, and even walking) is also a good safeguard against osteoporosis, often a particular issue for small-boned women.

Best wishes.

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Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

Actually I do exercise as often as I can in addition to chasing around the kids. I have some line dance songs that I downloaded and I will do those for 30 minutes straight WITH 3 pound dumbells to make sure I'm using as many muscle groups at once as I can. I dont' do it EVERY day but I try to do it at least 3 times a week. I also have a stepometer that I wear each day and I average 8500 steps a day, just in the house! That equals out to just about 3.5 miles a day for me.

Kim

kim- welcome. sounds like you have a solid start.

a couple words on TOM-it's VERY common to temporarily gain during this time as others pointed out. most of us won't get near a scale during this delicate time period.

and a little word of warning: if you find you're not losing at the rate you'd like, the first place to look is the bars and shakes, which are absolutely famous for stalling people out. i know they taste good, and of course i'd rather see somebody have one of those than something way off-plan. but especially as you get closer to your goal, you may have to drop them to continue progressing. so if you stop loosing....that's where to look, ok?

and the other thing is that if you minimize eating any sweets for a bit, it will help re-train your pallette as time goes on. i'm not saying i never eat anything sweet--i do! but just be aware that it's usually best to make these infrequent indulgences as opposed to a regular part of your eating.

best of luck to you!

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Thanks for the heads up. Actually I had been having a bar and a shake ever single day for the first week but just a few days ago cut the bars out altogether unless I REALLY needed something sweet and it being that TOM you know how POWERFUL those cravings can get. The bars were the only thing that did it for me. I haven't had one in 2 days now but I still have my morning shake. If I find that my WL is stalling again, even without Aunt Flo visiting, the shakes will be the next thing to go.

After the first few days I got to where sweets weren't much of anything to me but then the TOM came and WHOA NELLIE! It was not a pretty thing and here was my husband talking about chocolate cake! ARGH! I could have taken his head off at that moment! Once this is done and over (2 more days) the cravings for sweets will also subside, I'm sure of it. That's how it went with me every single month.

Goddess~thanks for the advice! It is truly appreciated. I love your hair color by the way, my daughter's was the same color for about a month. Congratulations on your WL and all of the progress you have made as well!

Kim
15-25 pounds to go!

awbrey - glad to have you here!
TOM issues can be frustrating, but if you "keep your eyes on the prize" as they say, you can keep it in perspective. It's a journey: enjoy the ride!

Kim, just wanted to stop by and say welcome aboard!

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Libby

2004 174/142/138

Begin Again 2007

164/159/142

kim- thanks for the compliment. one thing about the pink hair at my age: nobody forgets you!

and all in all, i think gettting through tom with a couple of atkins bars and no serious injuries to anyone discussing cake in the vicinity is a major victory! you're off to a good start.

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It sounds like we have alot in common. I am 33 with an 8 month old son. My entire pregnancy was bedrest and STEROIDS!! However, after 11 years of infertility and 5 miscarriages - I am happy to be dealing with this weight - as the process to get here was a complete miracle. (@ least I'm trying hard to make myself feel better about it I am completely stuck at 146 - although I really haven't put much effort in to it until now. I am not buying new clothes for summer so I HAVE to get this off. 125 is also my goal. Maybe we can cheer each other on! It sounds like you have done great with induction! I'm just starting :(


Best of luck!
Shannon

Hi Shannon! It DOES sound like we have a lot in common! I wasn't on steroids but I was on Brethine for the last 3 months and at one point was hospitalized with premature labor for 3 days and received a total of 33 shots in the back of my arms. I did get the normal round of steroids then in case she came early but after that I stayed in labor, just not productive. She ended up coming 3 weeks early and was perfectly fine. I bled out though and they almost had to give me a transfusion. I ended up being anemic and your body gains weight rapidly to make up for the deficiency when you are anemic. After all of that, I was still only in the hospital with her for 24 hours! They let me go home early because everything was going so well. She is definitely a miracle to me too, that is why her name is Emerson Faith (Emmie).

I definitely need all the support I can get because even though I have made it this far through induction it is an uphill battle every single moment of every single day. Especially at this TOM. So far I've come up with 2 really AWESOME low carb recipes though and that helps a bit, changing things up. I'm hpoing that once this TOM is over I will see the decrease in my weight that I was seeing before it got here. Surprisingly I was averaging 2 pounds a day and then BAM, aunt flo! I can't wait til she leaves again so I can feel like I am back on track!

Thanks for replying and I look forward to helping you through anything you need. Feel free to e-mail me if you like.

Kim

Kim Welcome!!!! I agree, those bars can be very, very evil!!!!! Save them for later when you've reached your goal weight!!!! Eating REAL foods is the BEST solution for us all. A once in awhile treat isn't out of the question, but they have to be occasional treats. Check out the recipe section up top and find some yummy substitutes for the bars!!!! You'll be glad you did!!

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