First thanks so much for starting this. I am on day 2 starting on 9/1/03. I have the munchies already for something sweet. HELP
Well its in the evening and I did survive however, I'm trying to last the next 12 days on the induction diet.

This is not the first time I did Atkins. I started at 286 in 1999 and went down to 240. It just seems much harder now. Has anyone eles had this happen to them?

Thanks again for the website. I don't feel so alone now. Everyone that starts with me cannot go the distance. I feel this site will help me stick to it.

Yes, the second time is a little more difficult for many. Myself included.

However, you can rejoyce in the fact that it DOES work!

Just hang in there, drink alot of water, and come here for support.

Welcome aboard.


LCE Member since 2001
http://www.ilovelowcarb.com
Low Carb & Loving it!

I too have had that problem
my first year was great...
lost 40+ pounds, maintained for a while then got sloppy, and the past 3 yrs have been a total roller coaster... mostly with the scale going up, not down

for me.. it's just getting thru one day at a time.. total baby steps

but with the support of this board - we can all do it together!

Welcome aboard!!

Terese
LCE Member since 12/00
My LC web site

Yes, i also have done atkins successfully the first time a few years ago and lost 45 lbs. but now i havnt been able to follow through,,, now i cannot get through the first few days. i don't know what it is. Ive been severly depressed and i know i need to do this low carb eating. its also hard when people around me act like eating has nothing to do with the way i feel. i guess its harder to fight peer pressure than i thought. does anyone have any suggestions?

I lost over 80 pounds doing protein power in 1998. PP doesn't have the 2 week induction but I lost 9 pounds in the first 7 days and about 3 to 4 pounds the second week, so 12 or `13 pounds in the first 2 weeks. This time I lost 8 pounds doing induction. A little slower going this time but I'm not in a hurry. This time I'm planning on keeping it off.
Rob

I'm now in day 3 and doing a lot better. My co-workers are only supportive when we are all talking about it. but doing it is another story. I have now committed myself in just doing it. I received 2 invites for lunch today, instead, I brought my low-carb lunch I fixed lastnight and ATE it for lunch I then had about 1 liter of water. I feel great!! I am realizing that I'm my only road block. I have to JUST DO IT.

Yes, I was and possibly still one that stays on the rollercoster of low carbs (remember I'm only at day 3) but this website really helps me by reading others experience. I have stayed motivated. Also check out the personal web pages some of the members have. Truly inspirational~~love the before and after photos!!

Good job on keeping on the wagon! I am ONLY on day 2 and fell off this afternoon already! I had a cupcake, that in itself was my total daily carb intake. I feel bad but it just gives me more motivation to keep doing it. I did not feel good after eating the cupcake and I know I will not do that any time soon. it was not worth it. Keep up the good work. And good for you for bringing your lunch. What low carb meals do you fix for work?

Well first I'm a single mother of 3...15, 13 and a 2 year old. That's why it is hard for me to stick to this low carb plan because I have to cook for them meals which include carbs. I just take what ever meat I cook for dinner (last night was ground beef and sausage). I made them spaghetti and took my two portions of meat out before I added all the sauce. I did leave me a little sauce only to give the meat some flavor .

I then put my portion in another skillet and simmered it with cabbage. Now I did not get this from a recipe book I just try and make stuff up just so it has some flavor and taste. It was good. I had it for dinner and lunch today. It is the only way I don't go to Burger King which only NEXT DOOR. Yes we also know BK has salads...but the WOPPER is better.

Thanks! That sounds really good. I have a hard enough time thinking of things to cook as it is, with a picky boyfriend at home and all. I guess I will have to get creative in the kitchen! You seem to be doing really well, I know it is hard cooking for others too.

I find BK's salads so damn expensive, it is so much cheaper to get the whopper meal. ha! But not anymore! Keep up the good work

~Steph

...er... confession ...

I, um, never made it through induction. I was going crazy with it; so I just went on to Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL).

It's not that I don't think that Induction is useful for jumpstarting weight loss and reducing cravings - I believe it is good for that.

I just couldn't hack it; and decided to move on to OWL and see if I couldn't make that work. Basically, I added bigger portions of veggies, a little more cream, a few nuts, and some Splenda (artificial sweetner)to my day for about 5-10 g carbs. I figured I could always go back and try induction again if I needed to do so. But, I immediately felt comfortable and I was still losing weight, albeit, slowly. So, I just decided that was going to work better for me (YMMV).

Picking up some good LC cooking tips and recipes from this site helped a lot. It led me to rediscover that I ~like~ cooking and homemade food better than fast food.

Discovering new foods and new ways to prepare old foods is one of the joys of this way of eating, isn't it?

~~~Teelbee

"remember, amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic."

174 (Mar. 2002 highest weight)
164 (Jan. 2003, begin LC)
164/135.5/137-134

Yes, I have not stopped yet. Thanks to all the support from this web site. I'm on a great day 4.

Thanks so much for all your support. I'll keep checking in. I feel I'm not alone this time.

Excellent point by Teelbee.

If, with the challenges of 3 kids - etc, induction is too restrictive, try going to the next phase immediately. That would allow a much broader range of ingredients and still be very healthy.

LCE Member since 2001
http://www.ilovelowcarb.com
Low Carb & Loving it!

what everybody else said -- skip induction if you need to. It's better if you can do induction, but if you can't, just skip that.

What I do for lunch every week? I bring in Salad in a bag, dressing, shredded cheese, a bag of cheese cubes for snacking, and some lunch meat.

Every day I MAKE A CHEF SALAD at work to eat for lunch. I keep a shopping bag in the fridge of all my ingredients. No carting food back and forth, no "forgetting to pack" a low carb lunch. I make it here.

My husband says, "Why don't you buy a head of lettuce and make your salads at home?" I say, "Because I would never do it! I just wouldn't. I can't take that chance!"

Hope this helps someone!

Valerie, 35
Wife to Shaun (36),
Mother to Madison (2) and Jackson (6 mo)
Weakness? CHOCOLATE!

5'4"
LC 7/1/03
243(pregnant)/216 (prepregnancy)/215(now)/145 goal

I just have to say that I'm on my day 14 of Atkins. I actually lasted the entire 14 days without stopping this time. I did drop 10 pounds very quickly during the last 14 days. I'm so excited that I'm not sure if I want to move to the next level. I feel good and want to keep going this time. Does anyone have any advice on the next step. I know you are to increase your carbs to maybe 25-30 per day..but keeping under 20 is working for me. I'm scared that I will get into a stall...

Is it o.k. to keep under 20 or should I increase my carb levels?

Also I know I would not have made it this far if I was at it alone. The support here is GREAT.

MzJonesinmn
247/237/200
Atkins since: 9/1/03