I am starting to get a little down now. Almost to the point of having a great big "pig out" I did have a little macaroni and tuna salad today. If I don't lose even a pound soon I'm afraid I'll give up. This morning I ate half a hardboiled egg and for lunch some beef balogna and cheese (2slices) dinner I had a hot dog ( I was at my daughters trailer)I had some meatballs and the macaroni salad. When I got home I had a salad and then some LeCarb ice treat. I know I didn't have enough water today but not losing is making me depressed. I need some proping up......maybe even a goose !

Well...the macaroni salad isn't gonna help. Also, steer clear of the processed luncheon meats. I'm not gonna sit here and tell you "don't eat this and don't eat that" because then it would be a negative post, and you already sound kinda down in the dumps. But I will say this: instead of eating the "snack" foods like bologna and cheese and a meatball and an egg...here's a thought...why not have <gasp>...a full meal? By that I mean, have something like a meal that will fully satisfy you and then you won't be hungry and wanting something else. It took me a long time to realize that I could actually sit down to a full meal and, once I started doing that, I ate well and lost a lot of weight.

A full meal could be:
2 grilled hamburger patties
OR
2 grilled chicken breasts
OR
2 grilled pork chops
a large salad of iceberg lettuce with Ranch dressing and two ounces of cheese
OR
a hefty serving of steaming green beans with butter
OR
sauteed buttered mushrooms (yum!)
radishes or green pepper strips dipped in Ranch dressing

Now, THAT'S a meal, and it doesn't include any fillers or sodium that lunch meat has. It seems to me that you're not eating enough food. You could eat two meals per day like I just described (lunch and dinner) and then for snacks you could have more veggies and a handful of walnuts (very filling because of the fat content).

This is just my two cents and in no way do I mean to hurt your feelings. You just sounded so "down" and on the verge of quitting or, even worse, caving to carbs. There's really no need to do that when there's so many choices out there.

April
352 / 205 / 180
5'10", large frame, size 13 shoe
www.geocities.com/aprilreinhardt

I agree with April on this. It sounds like you're really trying to starve the pounds off, but on this type of diet that really doesn't work. The body gets confused and thinks it's in some sort of famine ravaged country, even exercising doesn't help cause (and I am cheating on this little laugh cause I read it on the Atkins site) your body thinks your in a famine ravaged country and for some reason a lion is chasing you. But it will CONSERVE and fight to hold on to its fat stores because it is afraid its going to need them in such a desperate country. LOL.

Funny as that sounds, it's about the phylosophy. Get rid of the starvation diet mentality. Eat like April suggests above. Just be SURE to count the carbs, and go to the Atkins site and see what the 'free' foods are. The ones you can eat all you need of. All meats are included, but, as April says the processed meats have some stipulations you need to be aware of.

315/301/150 (Started 8/17/03)

Also, I have to add that my husband is also 'sort of' doing this diet. Now you know its bound to fail, but I'm not knocking him over the head with it, I'll let him do his thing and watch while I loose. (although the stinker has far lessthan me to loose, and does loose easier than me anyway,) ... but he still will like this weekend I made us a nice meal of fish and broccoli, and he made himself a little pot of spaghetti noodles on the side. He does not eat a lot of carbs, so he figures a little won't hurt... but it WILL. It defeats the purpose and prevents the body from going into ketosis (did I spell that right?)

315/301/150 (Started 8/17/03)

Yes, you spelled it right

Chargeit -

I don't think you're eating enough!

1/2 a hardboiled egg? Why aren't you eating 2-3 eggs WITH a small pork chop or some bacon?

Only 2 slices of bologna and cheese for lunch? I usually have a LARGE salad with chunks of chicken, cucumbers, shredded cheese, olives, etc. OR a can of tuna with mayo and pickles and rolled up in a lettuce leaf.

And a hotdog for dinner?

No wonder you caved into the macaroni salad, you were STARVING!

Dinner should be a nice steak, large piece of fish, or a few pieces of chicken, with a a cup of green veggies covered in butter. And if you're really hungry, have a salad as well.

The point of this diet is to EAT. You NEED to eat protein because in the absence of carbs, it triggers the release of glucagon and THAT is what tells your fat cells to release fat.

You also need to eat fat. Butter or olive oil on veggies, mayo on tuna, full fat yummy dressings on salads, etc. Your body needs to be full and nothing does that better than fat. The fat is also necessary in many other body functions so don't skimp on it!

And of course, the water. You really must drink it. It's not fair to say the diet isn't working for you unless you're doing it properly.

I've been doing this for a long time and I'll tell you, when I first started, I didn't even THINK about calories. Please, don't think you have to eat like a bird to lose weight. You don't. I pigged out on steaks, chicken, and butter during my first 3 months. I was shocked I was losing weight with how much I was eating.

How much do you need to lose? If only 20-30 pounds then you might have to be a little more patient. I'm sure you've read about people losing 10 pounds in 2 weeks or 30 pounds in 2 months, etc. This is generally because they have ALOT to lose total. Like 100 pounds or so. The less you have to lose, the slower it sometimes goes. Give it a chance.

Try a few of these suggestions and up your water intake to about a gallon a day and give it 2 weeks.

I hope that helps! Good luck.


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

April, horesmom and Marcie are right on here, chargeit.

There's absolutely no reason to ever be hungry while following this way of eating. What you're currently eating would barely sustain one of my little kitties. If I ate that little I'd be both depressed and miserable - not to mention being a ***** on wheels - since I am not a nice person when I'm hungry.

Everyone is giving you good advice. I'd hate to think that you'd give up and think this way of eating failed when you haven't actually tried it yet.

Have you read the book yet?

Maggie
5'1"
Atkins since '98 (160)
Maintaining nicely (110)

Redhead until further notice!

What they said! You aren't eating enough and you're leaving out some vital foods by doing so.

Get those veggies in! I know I sound like a broken record on this point, but not eating enough veggies really is one of the main reasons for stalls.



Always eat your veggies first!

Thanks for the replies. That was a one day thing. We went to some vacation camp for the day and I didn't think about taking something"edible" My daughter's boyfriend has started Atkins but cheats alot. My usual menue is breakfast, bacon and eggs (scrambled with water) lunch, a salad with some tuna, and dinner meat with green veggies or a salad. If I want a treat I have some LeCarb . Gotta add more water to my day though.
Thanks

Wow! Thanks Chargeit,
I had no idea I was eating too little as well. I haven't really been hungry so I thought great.
So Thanks for opening the door of knowledge on this one. All the ideas were wonderful

Have A Great Day!!

Buffie, if you're not hungry, don't force feed yourself either. It's just a good idea to get as much 'good' food as you can. A salad, and a serving of vegies are important, but if you can't eat two pork chops and one fills you up, (or whatever meat) that's cool. Just don't hold back in order to 'cut calories' type thing, trying to loose like that is bad for this type of diet. By no means though if you're not hungry force yourself to eat a lot.

315/301/150 (Started 8/17/03)

Ya just gotta EAT! They are all correct. This is not a LF diet, this is a LC WOL. Plan your meals and enjoy them. I pack too much food when I go to work (I work 12 hour night shifts) that way if I am hungry, then I have more than enough to even share with my LC co-workers and we aren't even tempted to hit the vending machines. Don't worry about the fat at all... trust me, you will get full sooner and actually eat less because the protein and (good) fats are so satisfying. My DH was going on a LF diet the same time I started LC but within 2 weeks he was a hardcore LC convert! He was getting nowhere as I dropped the first 16 pounds! hehe, I love this WOE!
Susan

LC and feeling better every day!

Atkins since 7/18/03
210/190/140

Sorrry, I gotta do this, you need a lecture (or a goose or a kick in the rear.) Water, water, water.........veggies, veggies, veggies.......exercise???????? Real food, real food, real food!!!!! Are ya readin' the book yet???? (can't remember if I asked this before and what your reply was, sorry.)


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, either here at the Low Carb Tracker link or at www.fitday.com. The tracker link here 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, )
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.

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
174/151/135
"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."