No I'm not kidding! I mean vet's! One of my questions has to do with military service hehehe. My name is Trav and I am a recently married computer tech looking to join the Air Force in these slow tech market times. Unfortunately the USAF requires I me to be Under 215lbs to join up since I am 6'2 and 23yrs old. I currently Weigh 295lbs.avg.

I need some help choosing a diet that can help me loose the weight I need for the specific purpose of joining up. I have been looking heavily at adkins since I am in perfect health (aside from fat and have seen it help a few friends before they cheated.

I MUST thank all of you up front. I have been searching since 11pm, (it's now 4am) and I fianally found a community that isn't trying to sell me some book or product and doesn't charge a fee to support eachother. I like the idea that no one is getting phat off my fat. I found so many interesting articals I couldn't stop reading thanks to all your intuitive posts.

One such post was great for one paragraph that I really needed She listed several ways she is always prepared. You see any time I have tried to loose weight I end up cheating when I get home after a long day and there's one long complicated preperation health meals, the easyist thing to so is grab a fat snack. She mentioned things like having baked chicken or boiled egs ready to go in the fridge. Or broiled steaks sliced thin for snacking etc.

I would love to hear more "plan ahead" tips so please lemmie know how you do it!

-trav

Trav, I am on Adkins, but it does not work for everybody. We are all different, thank goodness . When you decide what plan you are going to follow, you need to buy the book. It is very important that you start armed with all of the correct info.

When I was just starting I cut out bread one
week and then potatoes the next. I lived { } so I then choose to do Adkins.

What ever you decide make sure you drink LOTS of water, and take your measurements. Sometimes the inches go faster than the pounds.

Welcome and good luck!

Susan ( AKA Northwest)
207/171.5/160/
size 16/12/8
LC since 4/03

Welcome Trav and good luck...These are great boards, everyone here is very supportive and very helpful...I still find it amazing that we lose weight and inches, and are able to eat meat, cheeses, butter, cream cheese, heavy cream, etc....Make sure you drink your water, very important, and get most of your carbs from your veggies!!!

Good luck and nice meeting you.

Tina
172/155/140
8/21/03

Trav
There are many low carb plans to choose from and you can always switch plans mid stream.
I have noticed that tall large framed guys lose weight very quickly on atkins. I've seen 15 or more pounds lost in the 2 weeks induction period by many large guys. I'm not a large guy at 5'9 with a medium-large frame but maybe some of the "BIG GUYS" will relate their experiences.
Good luck!
Rob
310/243/180

great thanks all!! I'll keep you posted

The easiest way to avoid those bad food snacks when you get home is to not have them in the house. Give or throw them away!

Have some deli meats handy or cut up veggies.

261/231/?
(recently re-joined)

OK, Trav, I haven't posted this in awhile, but rather than rewrite it I will paste my newbie schpiel here:

WELCOME!!!!!
OK, here's my schpiel for newbies:

You've chosen the BEST website for LC support. We are all in this together. We are ALL carb addicts. My weakness has always been French or Italian breads, cakes, cookies, potatoes and pasta. I did not think, in the beginning, that I would be able to do this. I am here to tell you I AM DOING THIS. I thought my cravings for these foods would be insurmountable. I scoured the internet for LC recipes. I read the book of my plan choice, Dr. Atkins New Diet (DANDR) I went to www.atkinscenter.com and read every article I could get my eyeballs on. I armed myself with KNOWLEDGE. I went to past posts here and read others' posts in order to see what people have struggled with and to get veterans' advice on how to do this successfully. I cleaned out my pantry and replaced it with allowed food. I cleaned out my fridge and stocked up on staples of this WOL (way of living.) I didn't exercise much the first couple of weeks. I just didn't have the energy and I suffered from headaches. I now know that I needed to de-tox and my blood sugar wasn't too happy with the lowered levels, but I adjusted. My body adjusted. I just had to give it time. I accepted that I wasn't going to lose weight overnight. The weight didn't come on overnight, so I know I won't lose it overnight. I am doing this for the rest of my life, so however long it takes, that's how long it will take. I like the fact that I can eat like a QUEEN, not go hungry and still LOSE weight. I love trying new recipes, so I now have a renewed interest in cooking. I had gotten into a rut and made the same old same old, night after night. Variety IS the spice of life. Here's what I have learned about this WOL and about myself through my journey and what you have to do to succeed:
1) Follow the book of your plan choice and the advice of LC veterans and read everything you can here and at other LC websites or other books-----KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
2) Drink TONS of water-for detoxing, flushing, hydration, to pevent headaches and balance
3) Take it one day at a time
4) Set small , reachable goals-imperative for success
5) Exercise AS SOON AS you feel up to it and as often as you can, even if it is just walking. Go to Target or Walmart and buy some 5 or 10 lb dumbells and come up with a routine of 8 different exercises, keep a journal and add 2 more repetitions the next time you do your routine.
6) Decide that you are going to do this the rest of your life, this is not a diet, it is a lifestyle change!!!!!! If you only do this temporarily, you will go back to the way you lived before and gain the weight back.
7) Create a notebook of recipes, articles, before pictures, journal your feelings and your goals.
8) Take beginning measurements and record them in a journal or at the Low Carb Tracker here at the top of the site.
9) Use a food tracker program, at www.fitday.com. The tracker allows you to input your food intake, your stats, etc. It is imperative that you track your food intake for at least the 1st three weeks so you can evaluate what you consume to see if you have a correlation between loss and consumption., i.e., if you are not losing, you can look at what you are eating and change things.
10) Come here often for support. We have all been in the same boat you are and are here to help YOU. I personally want each and everyone of you to succeed. There is no greater feeling of satisfaction and acheivement than to take control of your life through this WOL!!! I am doing it, and I want this for you too!!!
11) Yes, post your menus so we can evaluate it for you.
12) Weighing daily will show minute fluctuations and can be discouraging. Only weigh yourself once a week!!!
13) Expect stalls every now and then. If you expect them, they won't come as such a shock. I seem to stall every 3 weeks. This is my pattern. Learn what your patterns are and then just ride them out. I think it has to do with the dreaded TOM!!! (curses being a woman sometimes,) Disregard if male, LOL
14) expect some detoxing symptoms: headaches, diahrrea or constipation, fatigue, nausea. These symptoms usually disappear after the first week or two. Pamper yourself, don't try to do any strenuous exercise and sleep whenever you feel you need to and when you can. After that, kick it up a notch and start exercising and try to build up your exercise regimen.
15) Do your homework, look up recipes here and at other lowcarb sites.
16) Clean your pantry, cabinets, fridge and freezer of foods you will or could cheat with.
17) Do NOT use Low-carb bars or shakes in the beginning, they will stall you.
18) READ labels!!!!!!!
An afterthought: Don't panic. What I did in the beginning may be somewhat helpful to you. Get yourself a good Food Counts book, available at any bookstore in the Nutrition section. Next, do you know how to use Excel? If so, make yourself a chart and label it: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snack, and Water and then have a column for food descriptions and carb counts. Write down EVERYTHING that passes your lips for at least the first two weeks if not the first four. Print out a bunch of pages and put these in your notebook. This gets your head where it needs to be to recognize what foods you can eat and what size portions you can have. I have a little food scale, an invaluable tool. I would suggest you get one of those too. Some food labels only list their serving sizes in ounces, and /or kilograms/milligrams. Make sure your scale can measure in both.

I think I have rambled on enough, but there was a lot to squeeze in here. I couldn't leave anything out. If I have forgotten anything, I am sure other Vets will chime in and add to what I have said.
THE BEST OF LUCK TO YOU!!!! (I will stop now, my fingertips are raw, LOL)





Barb
Atkins-3/14/03
174/146/135
"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."

There, that's my schpiel. Now a personal note to YOU.
If your downfall is illegal eating when you get home, you have to deal with that issue. As I said before, clear your kitchen of foods you will cheat with, ESSENTIAL!!!! Then buy a bunch of eggs, dill pickles, olives, cream cheese, meat, raw veggies and dips, salad dressing (full-fat varieties), cheese, nuts. Have at the ready, hard boiled eggs, cut up veggies and dip, chicken salad with mayo (full-fat) etc. When I started, I munched on olives and raw veggies and dip when I HAD to munch. Finger food is sooooooo good. I take out what I can have and then put the rest away. This helps prevent mindless grazing. And above all, if you are doing Atkins, GET THE BOOK!!!!!

Best of luck to you. And by the way, if you can get exercise in ASAP, you will lose even faster.



Barb
Atkins-3/14/03
174/146/135
"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."

Hi, Trav. If you're into research, Laura Richard's book "The Secret to Low-Carb Success: How to get the most out of your low-carbohydrated diet" discusses and compares several different plans. Find it in the library or bookstore.

For me, Atkins is the simplest. Important to buy the book, Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution. Read it, pore over it, and keep it with you at all times!

Follow (the other) Barb's guidelines for sidestepping your bad habits. Enjoy!

P. S. My saving grace on induction was pork rinds and sour cream dip. Needed that munch! But the cravings soon go away.

Barb L.
Started Atkins January 2003
162/141/130