Hi everyone!!! My name is Randi, I am 23 and have 86lbs I want to lose. I was trying a low-carb diet and started having bad headaches. After about a week I binged and of course hated myself for it. Well like 2 hours after my big binge-breakdown, I found the new Atkins book. Seems like this is totally for me. My DH and my mom (lives with us) is going to go on it as well. I know the first week is going to be extremely hard, so I will need a lot of support through that, but if I can quit smoking cold turkey then I can get through a week of ****.

So now for the typical question, whos lost what and how long did it take you before you weren't struggling so hard to follow the plan? I can't wait to get to know everyone.

Hi Randi. Now's not the time to ask me how I stay on plan Welcome to the board and you'll get all the support (and then some) you need here! Jump right in and it's nice to meet you

Hi Randi and Welcome to the board!

I think everyone has problems staying OP from time to time. I stayed on induction for approx. 1 month. As of now I'm sort of inbetween induction and OWL. I stick to the basic rules (under 20g's etc. ) but I've added more varity of food into plan. When I find my cravings too powerful to resist I whip up low carb treats. I figure it's better then diving into the Hostess snacks or Hershey kisses. Still evil if not done in moderation but I limit my treats to only 1 per week.
I just promised myself that I would stick totally to plan for 2 weeks and take it from there. I struggled through the first week as well. Had HORRIBLE headaches, was sleepy and grumpy. I figure it was due to my caffine and carb. addictions. By the 4th day I was feeling better and by the end of the 2nd week I felt great! Now I feel wonderful, I can't even recall the last time I had this much energy or ambition to do anything. So this is deffinatly my WOE and WOL.

Welcome aboard Randi!!!

Let me see.....

It was on Atkins about 3 weeks before I stopped thinking about carbs every hour on the hour. Now, about every 2 weeks I get an attack for something sweet that's so severe that I start foraging through the cabinets and actually contemplate throwing in the towel. Like Trazzie, however, I'm prepared. I make a large lasagna-sized pan of sugar free Jello jigglers that I keep covered in the refrigerator just in case. It's great for satisfying that sweet tooth. PLUS....I also keep a container of Cool Whip in the freezer so that I can scoop out a big spoonful and only add a few carbs. Hey...it's better than downing a box of Cheez-Its.

Once you're off induction, check out the La Tortilla Factory tortillas. I haven't tried them (too afraid to get into the habit), but a lot of the ladies here seem to rave about them!

Great to have you here, Randi!

Thanks for the tips and the warm welcome I am not sure yet when I am going to start. Need to get the food for it and all that. In the meantime I am going to stick with my low-carb diet, so who knows? Maybe I won't have such a hard time with induction......yeahsure . I am pretty excited about it. I noticed the headache thing seemed to be worse then any cravings so far. How much weight have you ladies lost so far?

Since January 21st I've lost a total of 24 pounds and I would say I didn't start actually exercising until my 3rd week and even then it was sparatic. This past week is when I've actually said "ok time to work out" and went about my business on any sort of a schedule. I still need to work on routines but at least I'm making the decision to just MOVE

Welcome Randi!
Is your name short for Miranda? That is my daughter's name Getting headaches is common for the first three days. They can last up to a week. I've been on Atkins for five days, and I have lost about nine pounds, I am not bloated, my allergies seem to be getting better, my blood sugar is stable, and I am not as much of a b***h as I have been! (What a blessing for everyone!) Hope to see you back soon!

great to meet you Randi, the first week is the hardest but if you get through that......it is cake after that!! (not literally of course!)

Hi Randi, welcome to the board. We're almost the same age, with nearly the same stats, very cool. I'm in my 8th month on Atkins, like everyone the first week was a bit gross but not too hard because I was so psyched about it. I started by prominsing myself 2 weeks and it has turned into 8 months. I've lost 56lbs so far and have 19lbs left until goal. I work out 5 days a week religiously, no one dares get in the way of my kickboxing and me I get a real nasty craving once every 2 months or so where I just fiend for anything that I should not be eating. I too keep lc treats around for those occassions and there's nothing in my house that would really set me off track too far if I ate it anyway. I'm in OWL my carbs are now around 30-40gm a day with higher calories due to the exercise.

Honestly, it's hard as all **** sometimes but other days you will be just shocked at by passing all the foods you normally ate. It really retrains your brain to know when it's hungry, something I had long since forgotten and portion size too, I used to eat till I was sick before, not to mention my daily mcdonalds run, omg it was terrible.

Welcome to the best place ever, I owe each and every lady here at least 5lbs a piece for how supportive they have been.

Good luck, it's always best to start sooner than later, just one day at a time, don't get too far ahead of yourself with how overwhelming it seems at times. This WOE is forever so what's a week in forever?

Tummy

I've been on Atkins since 1/3/04-lost 20 pounds so far. I've not lost weight in the last couple weeks due to my own fault--didn't pay attention to my carb count. So it's back "in training" for me!!
As Tummy said--why wait to start? Unless you're studying on it, which I can tell you will help but you'll end up with tons more questions as you go along. So why not start and question things as they turn up? Good luck and welcome (again )

Hi Randi

Welcome aboard

Thanks for such a warm welcome It only adds to my excitment about getting this started. You girls seem like such a great bunch. Congratulations to all of you on your hard work. For those who asked why wait, well I just went grocery shopping and have to wait until I can go again. My Dh and my mom have decided to do this with me so thats a lot of meat and veggies to buy. I dont want to get started on this just to do great for a day or so and then run out of stuff I need and have to start all over. Plus I also want to make sure I have all the vitanutrients. Do any of you use any of those? If so which ones? Im having a hard time finding a good multivitamin that doesnt have Iron in it, all of them seem to have it. I think I will have to visit a health and nutrition store.

(BTW) By the way, what is WOE? At first I just thought it was a typo, but I am seeing it more and more.....

Hi Randi and welcome!

Glad to see you are read to try this...and definitely the BOOK is a must. Please read thru it - and ask questions if you don't understand!

You may also want to check out some other low carb sites such as : www.atkins.com, www.atkinsbythebook.com and www.lowcarber.org - all of these have lots of info and recipes to try.

You should also check out www.fitday.com and get a free account so you an keep track of your carbs/fats and proteins.....

Good luck and let us know how you're doing!

Froufy

Cool thanks for the sites and counter! I was going to make one like that, or try to find one to keep in my purse or on my fridge. Thanks again! I love the bunnies.

Randi,

I found that if I drink enough water, it doesn't matter if my vitamins have iron or not. I used to have all of Atkins vitamins. They didn't make me feel any better than any other vitamin. Now when I get vitamins, I just make sure they say they don't have any starch or fillers. Atkins has a good program, but his products are just too expensive! I am glad to see you back, and good luck!