Thread: On my way!!

Welcome! I'm so glad that you are here. The biggest tip that I can give you is jump in! Join some threads including Jiggle all the Way challenge and you'll learn lots.

Welcome, Mandy.

My best advice to you is to explore the various low carb eating plans and choose one that seems like the best "fit" for you. Then get the book that goes with the program you've chosen and read it through. This will be your road map - and we will be there to offer tips and encouragement along the way.

I must point out to you that meat and water with an occasional salad is probably not a sustainable lifestyle for most people. Most of the low carb eating plans include good amounts of vegetables and expand your choices over time. The idea is to give you an opportunity to learn about your own metabolism and gain the tools you need to normalize your weight and sustain that loss for a lifetime.

Hope you'll make yourself at home.

Welcome, Mandy - it's great to have you join us and I'm looking forward to getting to know you.

Yes, the veggies are an important component of low carb diets, and they aren't that expensive - especially if you can shop the specials. It's quite okay to add a little butter, cheese, or mayo to the veggies, which can make all the difference, taste-wise.

howdy mandy! welcome! you'll find a great bunch of folks around here with a wealth of info. you couldn't find a better online support system, in my not-so-humble opinion.

and if you love food, you've found the best way of eating to lose weight and still be able to always eat when you're hungry! i've never found another "diet" that did that.

i will echo what the other folks have said: even on a tight budget, get the book! it will make the difference between success and failure. i've "done" low carb twice. once, just from what people said. i ate lots of meat with an occassional salad thrown in.

i lasted 2 weeks and lost 12 pounds.

then, i got the book and read up. for me, i started atkins...i learned what i needed to do. that was over 2 years and 100 pounds ago. take my word for it: it's the BEST 6 bucks you will ever spend in your life!

good luck to you, lady!

Most libraries carry some of the various low carb books. Where I live, they aren't in big demand, so I can even renew them easily or check them out again when I think my diet needs a tune-up.

Frozen and canned veggies are generally cheaper than fresh and are quite acceptable on a LC plan (as long as you choose the right ones). I'm on a limited budget, and find that $1 for a 1 pound bag of veggies is a much better bargain than a pound of meat.

Hi, Mandy. Low-carb is your best bet in losing weight, but make your goal to feel better, get more energy, and improve your health first, and make the weight loss secondary. There are few people who don't feel better doing low-carb, especially after the first 2 weeks. Hang in there! And, just like everyone else says, eat your veggies!

Mandy,

Welcome. When you have limited means, it is really important to buy foods in season, particularly veggies and sometimes even meat. Look out for markdown items that are close to their useby date and invest in some stay fresh bags to help them keep longer. Buy your salad veggies whole rather than pre-cut as this will save money and if you can get to the store often, only buy enough for a couple of days at a time.

Spread the meat out - take what you would eat over 2 meals and make it cover 3 meals.

Veggies like celery and radish can be cut and kept in water in the fridge.

If you can get a pot and grow herbs such as chives, thyme, oregano, marjoram, basil and dill. As well as adding flavour to meals, these herbs brighten up the kitchen. If you have friends with green thumbs, they may be able to supply cuttings. Oregano and chives are pretty robust, at least I haven't managed to kill them yet.

And don't buy anything that you don't know how to cook.

Mandy that is the same attitude I had when I found lowcarbing.

I tell everyone I was sick and tired of being sick and tired.

That mind set will help you so far with this journey, the other is the support of good friends
and this place seems full of them.

Connie