OK ladies, your suggestion to cut back on my intake of Bars and fake bread products paid off! I cut back on the bars and cut out the lo-carb muffins, and my test strips went WAY up!

This week, I lost the one pound that I gained plus TWO more! I am now at 304. I hope I can keep the momentum going! I am encouraged to say the least.

Thank you all for everything. I will continue to post how it is going.
GinaMarie
311/304/280 - first goal/185 - final goal

Good going, GinaMarie! See! You CAN do it without magic bullets!

Thanks Ruth!

WTG!!!!!

You're inspiring me to give up my bars. It's just that the Chocolate is sooo good. I broke my Coke addiction, so I should be able to do this too, right? Oops. Let me clarify, that's the kind you drink, not snort. I used to drink about 6 cans a day. (1080 empty calories for those keeping track.) any wonder I gained weight? Now I just need to give up the bars and Diet Mt. Dew. I'm down to 1 bar and 3 cans a day. Maybe I should go cold-turkey?

Wow Dyan! That is quite the Coke habit you had! LOL at your last post!

I would cut out the bars and replace them with a cheese snack. I replaced mine with pepperoni and mozarella. I do still use them occasionally, like on Saturday when I went to visit my grandmother and everyone was eating chocolate chips (Homemade!) and I had a bar.

I would also try to cut back to one diet dew a day...

I have one caffinated beverage daily. Either coffee or diet vanilla coke.

It helped me... Who knows! And I am with you. I LOVE my bars!
GinaMarie

I used to be a 6 cans of coke girl myself. Then one day I quit, absolutely cold turkey, didn't drink anything except water for a couple months.

I think Diet Rite is probably the best soda to drink on atkins or try other things like iced tea sweetened with splenda.

Its unfortunate that our body has a insulin expectation so even if we don't eat/drink sugar, but eat something our body expects will be full of sugar/carbs, it will release insulin. I think thats the basic reason for cutting back on an induction is to kind of give our body a rest from all the insulin and insulin expectations.

I wish I could get Diet Rite in this area. I've looked everywhere for it. I think I'll just go cold turkey to water. Right after this can. LOL

Good afternoon,
It is so comforting to know that other people are addicted to pop as much as me!
I was drinking a 2 litre bottle of pepsi a day before christmas. I now let myself have diet pepsi on saturdays as a treat. I am so thirsty though, on this plan. I drink at least 2 litres of water a day and use the bathroom more now than when I was pregnant. I really have found that I am loosing better without the aspartame but I would take a pepsi over chocolate anyday!
End of week three: down 15lbs... only ten more to my minigoal!
Tammy

Dang it. I only lost 1 lb this month. That does it. No more Diet Dews for me. DH will insist on his though, at least to take to work. The man works midnights, so taking away the caffine would be cruel beyond belief. Not to mention how grumpy he'd be.

I guess I'm one of that rare breed who doesn't care for soda pop at all. I don't like the way it goes up the back of my nose and gives me the belches. As for the bars...well, they are a trigger food for me so I try to avoid them. TRY, I said. It's best not to even go near the store that sells them.
GinaMarie, congratulations on your good loss. I know it's been a struggle for you the past four weeks and I've really sympathized. I too have a hard time losing weight on this or any other woe. After many trials and troubles with other diets, though, I've discovered that the low carb woe is the only one that doesn't leave me half-starved most of the day and binging on sweets half the night. Keep up the good work.

Alas, I hang my head in shame, I LOVE Caffeine free Diet Coke (the gold can). Drink far too much of it I am afraid. At least 2 cans a day and I shouldn't be having that. I guess they say confession is good for the soul?

Are the bars that you guys are talking about the Atkins bars? I haven't tried any of the products yet. Are they really that good or do they taste chalky like the slim fast ones?

LC Bar review:

Carbolite Chocolate Crisp Bar - Tastes like a Crunch bar
Carbolite PB Bar - Not so great, but it was okay.
Carbolite Gummy Bears - Good but tough.
Pur De-lite Bars - Choc, Dark Choc, Mint - OMG! Almost better than sex.
Atkin Endulgence Choc Bars - Great.
EAS Bars Lemon Cheese Cake and Apple Cinnimon - Edible but kinda chalky.
Met-RX Bars - Just eat a piece of chalk instead.

Just my humble opinion.

Dyan - Your bar ratings made me laugh... Just eat a piece of chalk instead! HA!

LindaBC - thanks for your support. I really appreciate it!

I would NEVER trade chocolate for soda! I am a true choc-a-holic!
I have some lo-carb hazelnut truffles at home. I think thay are pur de-lite. OMG! They are great!

I will have an occasional diet vanilla coke on the weekend as a treat.
Gina

Thanks Dyan, I appreciate the ratings!! One of my friends still drinks diet pop daily and is loosing steadily so I really think it is an individual thing. I always loose alot in the first few weeks and then even out to a pound or two a week.
Thanks again.
Tammy