Started Atkins on the 3rd of march, followed through with induction up until now. Still following a "modified induction" I love my veggies to much to cut them out. Still no starch or sugar. I weighed 293 and wore a fitted size 26 and 2xl, as of this moment I am 273 and wearing a 20 in the same brand (fashion bug.) And an XL on top. Trying to incorporate more exercise but not sure exactly where to start. I am fairly active at work. I do returns at Lowe's home improvement so that requires lifting bending and stretching with sometimes a pretty heavy load. ( packs of shingles tiles and the occasional tool set.) I am amazed with the quick change low cal low everything it took me nearly 3 months to fit into size 20 and they were extremely tight!

Brand new to this forum, so any tips or thoughts?

Not really many thoughts here just a congrats! I have found the same thing with atkins that never happend with low cal or fat. I am really enjoying this too! I started week three on monday and am doing a semi modified induction as well but I think it may have stalled me some for some reason. I added nuts but havent went over 20 a day in carbs and still getting almost all from green veggies. I guess well see what the week brings eh? Anyways congrats again I am really in love with atkins couldnt imagine my life without in now!

I fully agree. I thought I would hate it but just the exact opposite. I found out yesterday skipping breakfast is the worst for it though. I got home and grazed all night.

OK, well, I'm probably going to be the minority here, but I'm going to say that even though exercise is important, you don't need a ton of it to lose on this plan. Really, about 30mins. of cardio and then maybe some light weights is really all you need. I know these shows on TV show people working out for hours on end, but it's really not needed. An hour of cardio is great, but I don't have the time. I mean, 5mins. of warm-up, 30 of cardio, cool down, then weights and stretching.... That would take me well over an hour and with two small children, I'm lucky to get the 45 mins. 4 days per week! LOL And lately, I haven't gotten that! So, it seems like you'd be good just to start making little changes and getting in a couple of walks whenever you can.

No other advice really other than journaling and food tracking. And then of course, CONGRATS on the great loss so far!

I just wanted to point out that I lost 71lbs without exercise. I'm not saying it's good--exercise is GREAT for you and very important for your health and body! I'm just an example that losing weight can be done without it (I have started adding in walking/light jogging recently, though).

Congrats!

Wow - good for you fitting in a 20!

I think exercise is a very personal thing. I lost 99 lbs in 6 months without really doing any but then just felt like I had to for shaping, etc. I do very heavy weight lifting at very low reps after a 5-minute cardio warmup. I use the book The New Rules of Lifting for Women. Again, everyone has their own opinion - mine, and the book's, is that there's no such thing as toning with low weights. Sounds like you're doing some pretty heaving lifting in your job.

I like to tell people, I have amazing muscles under all this flab. I want the flab to melt away so folks can SEE them.

I see what you're saying about weights, but it just isn't true. You do NOT need weight at ALL to tone. You may get more muscle definition with lifting, but to shape you can use your own body weight therefore toning what you have. That's why Pilates and Yoga are so popular. What you're doing with the high weight/low reps is actually building muscle -- not toning it. And there is a HUGE difference for some women like me who have higher than normal testosterone. If I do high weights and low reps, I pack on weight like a work mule! So, I stick to using my own body weight or light weights with higher reps. Not saying it's not what works for you, but most people don't need a ton of weight lifting to get a good toned look. The Pilates does GREAT things for me when I stick to it! Just IMHO.

For the weight thing, I noticed that I use semi heavy weights with higher reps. I struggle to make it through 4 sets of 15.

Hi, congrats on the loss! About exercise and an active job... I used to waitress, and the constant moving is good (beware of new jobs where you sit all day, easy to gain even without overeating). I am not into "exercise" as a concept, but the moving at work, and a workout really are different. I think the constant movement at work will keep a metabolism up, but a straight 20 or 30 minutes of working out does different things. Since I tend to procrastinate, I tell myself I will just get up and move around anyway I feel like, usually with music, without thinking "I have to do x minutes". Walking, dancing, stretching, kicking, 3 lb weights. Since it becomes less of a chore for me to think this way, I find that it's easier to do quite a chunk of time. We have to know ourselves and figure out what works for us. Some people love planning their workout time, go to gym, have a routine etc, Not ME! So, this attitude is working well for me, oh and the days I DON'T do much of this, I FORGIVE MYSELF quickly rather than slap myself around mentally (another habit of mine). One day at a time also helps for me.
Best of luck sweetie!