If you could offer one pointer/word of wisdom to me prior to restarting (on Monday 3/13) Atkins what would it be?

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"Summer of PQ"
19 pounds down....
Atkins

I think I would have to say after reading DANDR all the way through, the next most important thing would be to get RID of any and ALL tempting foods in your house and don't replace them with the same type of thing, but with healthy alternative choices.

NEXT I would arm myself with LOTS of really good and tasty recipes to replace the foods you've gotten rid of.

MEASURE yourself, since the scale can lie sometimes.

Get your blood tested before you start, so you have a baseline to measure you blood lipids against. (Same with blood pressure and all that.) In other words, get a complete physical.

Exercise. It's not an option.

HTH

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Don't obsess over where you could be if you had stayed on plan.

I was doing that...oh I could have been 250 by now, boo-hoo...and there's no sense to it. It may just make you feel bad and we want to feel good! I restarted March 1 and have been doing better now than the restarts in the past. I'm not beating myself up anymore and just looking to the future and that's what I would tell you to do.

Good luck on the restart.

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Noël


Worry doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrows, it empties today of its strengths.

PQ - I'd check out goddess's site - I'll try to say this nicely - everyone on this board is exceptionally nice....supportive, etc. I love coming here and reading....but a part of me also needs it set straight and blunt - and Goddess's website - shrinkinggoddess.com I think - does that....

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Started: 261
Currently: 182

dee is right! goddess site is terrific!

uh.. barb... that was about FIVE things *L*

me? i would say drink half your weight number in ounces of WATER...every DAY!

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kims SECOND journal is HERE
kims new blog
KIMS BLOG !!
SUGARFREE BLOG

Hmmm... Let's see. ONE pointer.

Don't stress out.

Don't stress out if you don't lose a lot of weight right away.
You're eating a healthier way. The weight loss will come.

Don't stress out over EXACTLY how many carbs you're eating. Avoid sugars and starches, but beyond that make sure you don't go hungry. The LC isn't about starving yourself. Have a large chicken/steak fajita salad. (Just don't eat the croutons

Don't stress out about one mistake. This is a long journey. You've made the choice to live and eat healthily. Not over-reacting makes sure an ice cream cone doesn't become, an ice cream cone, a bag of snickers and a box of pop tarts.

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Wait, I thought of another pointer;

Prepare for success:

Set your menus in advance. Make sure you have a lot of low-carb snacks in the house (mmm... turkey jerky) Make enough food that there's left-overs so you can have it for lunch the next day. Avoid packaged foods. Do as much from scratch as possible so you really know how many carbs/sugars went in to the dish. Try and keep your variety up so that you don't get bored (just like "real life" ) Bring low-carb dishes to parties so you'll have something to eat (mmm... buffalo wings, veggies and ranch dressing)

Welcome back to the OC. The food's not bad over here.

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Sven
305/218/200
Start Date: 1/1/06

Welcome to low-carb eating.
The food's not bad here.

PQ, just take it day by day. Don't give in to the "since I had a donut, I may as well eat junk all day and start over tomorrow" thing. It's what someone here once called a slippery slope. Start over at your next meal. I've wasted many days and regained many pounds by thinking like that.

There. That's my one pointer (LOL@Barb)!

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I'm with Kim - drink as much water as you can.
Several times in my journey I've stalled, eating the same menu that I lost weight on the month before. Then it dawns on me; I haven't been drinking enough water. I up my water intake and start losing again.

I'd say keep DANDR in a holster on your hip. Read it constantly. Dr. A's voice is so adamant, you have to believe.

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Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

LOL, Kim and Max!!!! I had about 25 pointers I could have posted, but I didn't want to hog the whole thread!!!! LOL

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One pointer....

Atkins is not a crash diet. It's not a diet at all. It's a way of life. As soon as one grasps that fact, then it truly seems effortless because there is no time limit.

It's for life.

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April

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

My Blog

Amen April!!!!!

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Thanks everyone! Barb LOL! You are great! Exercise ( should I start that right away or should I wait til the detox is over with the first week) I am already brushed off the buns of steel tape off (lol) and my cardio tapes are ready for me. I did the measurements and realized that I don't have a waistline anylonger...how did I let that happen. Oh well no time to dwell...moving forward and looking to getting one. And I WILL be getting one....again. and showing it off. Blood test, check. My doctor lost about 75 pounds on South Beach ( God I love him he is sucha hottie.:hot: ..even before the weight loss.=) anyway he is a low carb believer (thankfully) my tests were great, I am healthier than a horse inside, visibly I need to lose the 60 pounds. :o

Water, water,water,water..... Love it and love drinking it, I will kick it up a natch though. 90% of what I drink now is water.

April~Thanks that is the hardest part and mostly what I struggle with is making this a lifetime change.

Keep coming everyone.....Monday is sooooon!!!!!
PQ

__________________
"Summer of PQ"
19 pounds down....
Atkins

Yes, yes--April said it all. I don't remember exactly when the epiphany occurred, but now that I'm an Atkid for life, I feel a sense of hope and control that no "diet" ever provided.

In the new edition of DANDR I just bought (2002--"completely updated"), Dr. A puts much more emphasis on exercise, and supplementation. I do a certain amount of supplementation, but I'm an exercise maven, and I can't emphasize enough how important it is to make it a habit.

PQ, if you're looking for a great group of home exercisers, go here:
www.videofitness.com This is my other internet hangout, and you'll find friendly folks at the forum. I have about 100 videos/DVDs and I exercise every morning at home.

You might have to take it easy the first week, but walking is a good start. I enjoy Leslie Sansone's walking workouts--they are not high intensity, but not wimpy either.

The thing about Atkins is, you eat enough protein to build muscle mass while you exercise, and fat provides plenty of energy for exercise. Low-fat/low-cal diets can turn you into skinny mush.

Best wishes!

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Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

Barb, I LIKE that!!! "An Atkid"!!!!!! TOO funny, I'm gonna steal it, K?

PQ, I wouldn't wait on the exercise. Why wait? And if when you are doing induction you find that you don't have the stamina to do an entire routine...............do what you can. You'll gain the stamina, believe me!!!! Part of the reason ALL of us are here is that in our former lives, we have been couch potatoes. I am sooooooooooo amazed at how much I LOVE and NEED to exercise now. I am such a changed person in that way.
(And I'm an old bag too!!! )

It's GREAT that your doc is on board with this, that's FANTASTIC!!!! So now that you know your numbers are good, you want to keep them that way, right????? For me, this journey has been more about the impact of it on my health, not so much the outer shell.

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