Hello! Like others, I too have lost weight with Atkins and fell off the wagon for some silly reason. Since turning 40 this year, I have decided that it's time to get serious! My boyfriend is also going to do this with me, so we will have more accountability and support in making this a lifestyle, not a diet.

Our "official" start date is Sept. 27. Why the delay? We are taking a trip to Vegas next weekend, and since it's our first time there(and our first time on vacation together EVER), we are going to wait until we get home so we can concentrate on starting off on the right foot(and not cheat/have to restart)! We've started the exercise part of it, and so far it's holding up pretty well, and we're weaning ourselves off of going out to eat so much(that's probably going to be the hardest part!)

We're pretty excited to do this, and I know this time around for me, it will be much more fun, with all the wonderful recipes and advice out there!

I've made the shopping lists and put together some ideas for meals, so I think by the 27th, we'll be set! For now, I'm going to peruse the excellent threads on the forum--good stuff here, and so many inspirational people!!

Sounds great!

See you on the flip side!

I'm 'flippin' out reading all the good stuff on these boards! :-p I think I've written a book's worth of notes to prepare....the only thing that could go wrong is not putting the plan into motion--and I'm getting pumped to do this thing!! Wish I could start now, but I know for a fact that I won't be able to keep on track once I get to Sin City. Won't be long now though! I'm inspired by seeing everyone else's success stories!!

Good luck and have fun in Vegas! It's definitely a good thing to be mentally prepared to start this and it's probably best to wait until after your vacation. See ya when you get back!

Alright, I'm back from a great vacation and ready to do this thing!! I indulged a bit while in Vegas, but not as much as I thought I would. I think being mentally prepared did help a bit!

Started the morning with 2 eggs fried in olive oil and butter. Made tuna with mayo for lunch, along with a couple pieces of cheese. That's about all I had in the kitchen, so I'm going shopping after work!

I've been browsing the threads and feel motivated when reading what others are eating and doing for exercise. I think it might help me to do that too....so I'm going to try to post on more threads, and more importantly, here on this one....to hopefully keep that motivation up. Might look like I'm talking to myself, but hey....whatever works, right? ;-) And of course, some critique and tips are always welcome--in fact, I hope that if someone notices that I'm doing something wrong, they will whack me on the head and set me straight. I'm not only doing this for myself, but I'm guiding my boyfriend into this lifestyle (he hasn't read the book yet, but I gave it to him and told him he should make the time to do it very soon!)

Here we go!!

I seem to be on an egg kick the first couple days, and making good use of my favorite salad dressing, blue cheese! The only one that seems to be within the carb count AND tastes good is the Litehouse brand. Good stuff!!

I'm not really measuring out the cups of lettuce and veggies.....hope that doesn't end up biting me in the butt.

So far I think I'm going to stick with a pretty basic meal plan:

Breakfast: 2 eggs with some kind of meat, and/or cheese mixed in.

Lunch: a can of tuna with mayo and hard boiled egg, raw broccoli and cauliflower dipped in blue cheese dressing.

Dinner: Chicken, steak, or turkey stir fried with some cabbage or other veggie, or dipped in mayo or blue cheese dressing.

For my sweet tooth, I've made some sf jello to keep in the fridge, and also whipped up some cream cheese with Torani and a splash of heavy cream. So far I haven't had to dip into it.

In between meals, I'm allowing myself a choice of these:

1 hot dog dipped in mustard
Broiled chicken strips dipped in mustard or mayo
a small salad with olive oil and salt and pepper
a slice of cheese
Egg salad, made with mayo and mustard only


I think I can do this. It's when I start getting tired of the same thing is when I will need to ramp things up and actually preparing some of the fabulous recipes I've been looking at!

sounds like you have a great plan!!!!

Thanks! So far so good! I'm trying to figure out how we can still do a good fish fry on Fridays and not fall off the plan....I know I won't be eating the deep-fried stuff anymore! If we can skip the roll, pick the croutons off our salads, and sub the potato with a veggie, we'll be golden!

I'm hoping to find a good recipe for a creamy coleslaw somewhere. I'm going to miss that stuff.

Hey Squeeker, I'm a Cheesehead too! Go Packers, Go Brewers!
It seems like you are off to a great start. I do miss fish frys, but we found one place that has a very lightly breaded perch. I can tolerate that once in a while without going out of ketosis (of course no taters). I have found that too much cheese will stall me, as will beer (even the low carb kind)
I haven't tried your torani treat...sounds like a good go-to sweet.
Hang in there for these first 4-5 days and you will feel a definite boost of energy and lack of hunger.

Hiya Zogo! I'm actually a Bears fan...but I love this time of year, no matter how much I get picked on!

Still plugging away on Induction--getting a little less hungry, or maybe it's that I'm not hungry for eggs and the same kind of meat every day. Whatever it is, I'm ok with it. I'm getting a good amount of water in every day too, which is surprising me, because I've always had a problem drinking enough water.

I got engaged yesterday so it's even a bigger incentive for me and my fiance to be healthier by our wedding day!

WOW! Congrats on the engagement!! Have you set a date?

Sorry to hear you're a Bears fan but, we are on the same WOE path, so it'll be easy to overlook.

Glad to hear the water is going down easy...and change up the meat and eggs if you can. Look up some LC recipes to stir things up a bit.

Thank you!! We're looking to buy a house together soon, so we are hoping to peg down a date once we get settled into our home.

I'm trying to have different kinds of meat handy in the fridge--I'm pretty good with it as long as I have something to dip it in. I love the LC recipes I'm seeing here and on other sites and I'm hoping to experiment a bit!

You've made some fantastic progress...congrats!! Are you incorporating exercise? We walk and bike, but it's been rather infrequent with the weather getting cooler....although this week it's a great time to be outside!!

I'm excited to get on the golf course today, for what could be the last time before the snow hits us! After that, I'm hitting the grocery store with my list:

Pork ribs
Turkey breast
chicken quarters
smoked picnic ham
hamburger
boil in bag veggies(on sale, so going to give them a try)
block cheese
cream cheese
Mayo

I've already got canned tuna and chicken stockpiled, so I should be set for a while with this list! My fiance did his shopping already....it will be sooo nice when we're together in the same household so we can shop together, and help keep each other from putting the wrong thing in the cart.

I made an egg bake the other day, with a dozen eggs, turkey, sausage, cheese, brussels sprouts, and broccoli that is amazing! Smear a bit of butter on it and nuke it for lunch and I'm all set! I love this way of eating!

Hi Squeeker, Mmm that egg bake sounds delish! With all the food on that grocery list, you should be set for the first blizzard Glad it's such a nice week outside and no snow in sight (yet).

Isn't it amazing how the foods allowed on this WOE satisfy and fill you up. It is the only WOE I have found that doesn't leave me hungry. I've really tried to up my water intake as well. On days I do well with my water, I'm never hungry.

I started P90X "lean" back in June. I got through 70 days and quit for a couple weeks in order to get my son off to college. I never did finish the last 20 days to make it to 90. Instead, I started Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. I haven't been very consistent with that. Maybe 3-4 times/week. I like it because it is only 20 minutes instead of the p90x 1 hour workouts. Not sure where I am going next with my exercise. I just know i need to keep at it.