Hi I'm new to this type of diet and this site. Decided 2004 is the year of the diet, never tried a low carb diet, tried every other types and always failed.
If anyone has any tips to help me suceed I would be most grateful to them.

Pika, Welcome to LCE!!!! It's great to have you with us!!! First things first, you HAVE to read the book of your plan choice. That is the MOST important thing you can do. Spend some time reading other posts here. Go to www.atkins.com and read up. Get a game plan established. Clean out your cupboards of any and ALL junk foods so you won't be tempted to cheat. Get all the information you can before you start. Drink lots of water. When you feel up to it, start exercising. Even just a little walking will begin to help condition your body. When you have lost a bit and have energy, kick up the exercise a notch or two. Ask lots of questions here, we are here to help. Weigh and measure yourself and record it. Take before pictures. Keep a notebook of your progress. Go to www.fitday.com and track your carbs, fat, calories, etc there. Eat REAL food. Get rid of the junk. Eat as much real food as you need to in order to stay full. Don't skip meals. It's better to eat smaller more often if necessary. Never go hungry.

I have a newbie schpiel, but is not accessable right now, I will post it later.

Best of luck to you, and stick with these boards, we'll help you through.

Again, WELCOME!!!!

Barb - 30 lbs gone FOREVER!



Atkins-3/14/03
174/144.8/135 5'2"
"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."
Knowledge is POWER

Welcome to LCE! You'll find lots of info and great support on this forum.

Ditto to everything Barb said.

Best wishes!

Take care~
Susan


LCE Member since 01/02

Okay, I got it, it's kinda loooooong, but hits almost everything.

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!!!!!! (WOL-Way of Living) 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
9) Use a food tracker program, at www.fitday.com. 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,
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. Avoid anything that contains Maltitol or Lactitol!!!
18) READ labels!!!!!!!
19) Do NOT stay on induction levels forever. Your body will adjust to those levels and then you will get stuck there.
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 - 30 lbs gone FOREVER!



Atkins-3/14/03
174/144.8/135 5'2"
"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."
Knowledge is POWER

Thanks for your advice I have the diet revolution book that I'm in the process of reading at the moment. I will look at those websites you've given me
never thought of taking before photos usually hide when the camera comes out
Again thanks for the advice and in advance of the support I'll need in the coming months

laura
Atkins 02/01/04
350/350/140 5'3 1/2"

Welcome Pika,

Listen to Barb, she knows what she is talking about and she always gives great advice. LC is different and many people have lots of bad things to say about it, but since I have been LCing I have never felt better. Good luck to you.

BTW, my mother was from Wigan and Lancs is always part of the address, do you live close to it?


Susan ( AKA Northwest)
207/172/160/
size 16/12/8
LC since 4/03

Hi Susan
yes I live quite close to wigan it's about 7 miles away. My husband is from wigan and his family live there.

Thanks for the support it is appreciated

laura
Atkins 02/01/04
350/350/140 5'3 1/2"

Welcome, pika. Thie way of eating is wonderful for me! Barb is right, take pictures and measure. Measuring for me was, and still, is so imporat. Afetr all, it's the inches that people see - not the numbers on the scale. My tape measure keeps me motivated.

Check in often and let us know how you are doing.

Jen
175/132/120

Hi Jestey
I've not measured yet but will do later tonight I think that will become important to me too as i've so much to lose but I've decide this is the year
My parents are moving to spain as well so to be able to visit them I have to lose the weight otherwise I will not fit in the seats.
Thanks for your advice as wellas the info that Barb posted was great as well especially the websites, the uk now has its own atkins page which I didnt know about and that atkins products are going to be sold over here soon as well

laura
Atkins 02/01/04
350/350/140 5'3 1/2"

Welcome!

Member since 2001
http://www.ilovelowcarb.com