Hello,

The last time I visited was in April '06! I had lost 20 lbs. doing Atkins, and felt great! I'm not sure exactly how and when I fell off the wagon, but slowly the weight came back on, plus 10 more!

My questions: Now that I've already done Atkins successfully in the past, will my body not respond as well this time around?

And; Why does it seem so much harder to get started again this time?

Any suggestions?

Shelley

p.s. That ticker below me is from last year, but I don't remember how to change it!

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Hi Shelly...Welcome..This is my Third time at atkins...first time I lost way down! But like you... fell off wagon and gained all back..plus about 12 to 15 lbs. I Have been on Induction for 8 days now. 6 lb Loss..Thinking it may be a little slower this time..But I sure feel better...I have a mind set and a determination like no other!! It will work again...Good Luck to You and hope to see you around! Have a Great Sunday!

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LISA

IT WILL! I did Atkins about 2 years ago and lost 50 pounds in about 6 months. I had some personal crises and fell of the wagon and gained nearly all of it back. I was tired of being tired, no energy and not being able to find decent clothes to wear to work and I had enough! I dusted off my Atkins book and started from sqaure one. I read in the book that it may be slower going the second time around because we may have missed the "Golden Opportunity" or something to that effect. HOWEVER, I have had even better success this time around. I started March 1st and have lost 41 pounds! Which I think is BETTER than I did last time. I attribute this to a couple things changed from last time:1. Write down everything you eat! This realy makes you accountable.2. Drink as much water as your bladder will handle (flavored or otherwise).3. Gets tons of recipes from this or any other LC site and use them for your entire family, not just for your own meal. It is harder seeing everyone enjoy the things you "can't have."5. Get at least some exercise in each day or just try to stay moving!4. GET SUPPORT!!! This website has been a godsend to me. I don't feel so alone in my struggles and I know it has made an impact on keeping motivated.GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!

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Welcome back, Shelley.

From my experience on this board, I find that most people have good results returning to low carbing as a way of life. For some folks it goes a little slower, and for others a little faster than their previous attempts.

Glad to see you here again.

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Yeah, I'm with Maggie on this one. Returning to low-carb, and truly making it a way of life and not a "quick fix" or a "diet" has proven the best route for me.

And finding support on this board has kept me accountable to myself.

As for the ticker.........I'm pretty sure that if you simply click on it, it will take you to that site and you can follow the directions to change it, after the password prompt.

Don't stay away too long!

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April

The face of a child can say a lot -- especially the mouth part of the face.

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I keep blowing it! I was doing fine until my husband brought home french fries...then I figured since I already blew it I might as well have ice cream.

This keeps happening!

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I think we need to name this syndrome - the "I already blew it, so I might as well eat whatever I want for the rest of the day" syndrome. And we've all been victims of it, too! We could shorten it - IABISIMAWEWIWFTROTD Syndrome.

I try to remember that eating off plan for just once, like french fries, is just a one-time splurge, and that continuing for the rest of the day just makes it harder to start over the next day. I try to just stop at the splurge, and go back on plan for the rest of the day. Damage control. I don't want to feel so horrible the next day. It works for me.

Just don't beat yourself up over it. Start afresh, you'll do fine.

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Nita

LOL! I think we need to shorten it even more! hehe

Thanks for the good advice...that ice cream was good though!

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well, since this is a way of eating, not a "diet", then there is no way to blow it. this kind of thinking will really slow your progress. try to think of it more like, "just how i normally eat" because, if you're going to lose and maintain, it has to become just how you eat. and if you usually eat healthy, low-carb food, then a couple of bites of something that's not doesn't really change anything, does it?

i don't know why we sometimes act like our bodies cannot gain weight on the weekends, or we've blown it if we eat something off-plan, or that our behinds will process lunch differently because of what we ate for breakfast. so what? eating 100 carbs more because you just snarfed down 15 that you weren't planning on sure doesn't get you any closer to your goal...been there, done that, you know? but the all-or-nothing thinking absolutely does not serve in this case.

you're going to notice the best progress when you work on changing how you think about it. take all the self-recriminations out of eating off-plan and what have you got? no guilt and a few extra carbs or calories. no failures, no proof of anything, no weakness. just some junk you don't need. and if you use that as a blank check to go until on a carb-snarfing rampage until the next magical monday-well, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. (let me guess: do you weight 12 times a day, too? that's what i used to do. )

keep posting and reading here- that helps. let go of the short-term thinking and banish the word "diet" from your vocabulary. the way you talk will impact the way you think.

i also find for me, a couple of things make it easier to stay on plan:

• having snacks ready at hand that appeal to me.
• making some lc "treats" for when i do want something sweet
• 15-minute rule: wait 15 minutes before taking any fork-2-mouth action
• no guilt: i'm not a bad person if i overeat. nor am i a better person when i don't. i just feel better. i prefer feeling better to sugar.

i think of low-carbing as essentially an act of self-love: i'm taking care of my body. good things, in my mind, cannot come from recrimination. good begets good, you know? shift your thoughts and your behavior will shift; then, your body will shift, too.

peace out to you.

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You are absolutely right! I totally see what you are saying, and I like it! I see how I am setting myself up for failure with the way I am thinking. I gotta beat this into my stubborn head...

btw....down to just once a day on the scale

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well congrats on the restraint! of course, i know 'cause i was just as bad...if i may suggest-if you have eaten off-plan, skip weighin for the next day or two. if you've been eating lc for a while and you have a minor carbfest, you will tend to retain water. it isn't permanent and it will only depress you. depression is fattening. be kind to yourself and it's easier.

the changes in eating aren't really that tough. low carb leaves you eating pretty good. but the changes in how you think are something different altogether.

when you expect perfection, your only option is to fail-it just becomes a question of how long you hold out. if you don't last long, you call yourself weak, and if you do, you hammer yourself for messing up "after doing so good".

you're moving in the right direction. keep the attitude upbeat and i'll bet things keep improving for you.

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