The Men's forum is pretty dead, and this is low-carb related anyway, so I'll start out here with the chicks!
I'll post a the simple intro in the 100Lb forum when I get a chance, but here is the longer story.
I'm 24, always been overweight, just slowly growing over the years.
I lost a bit in college since I was walking 8miles plus a day (2 miles at a time straight), and I controlled *exactly* what I had in the house. It's easy to avoid cookies if you don't have any in the house!
I've been kicking around the Atkins diet idea for a while, and mostly avoided it since I didn't like the idea of forcing your body into something as agressive as ketosis. However, about 3 weeks ago, my mother found out that she was diabetic. Given that I know people from work who are diabetic and controlling it using Atkins, this rekindled my interest in it. I basically decided I would do it. My mother wants to, but I've told her to wait a while since they diagnosed her initially saying that the diabetes had already 'affected her kidneys', but they gave absolutely no details. She'll go back later on to find out more info and get their OK to do Atkins.
I didn't really intend to start Atkins when I did (this last Tuesday, 7/29/03). I ate sensibly (as I've been trying to do for a while), and by that afternoon I realized what I had eaten that day was within induction rules. I managed to pick & choose from what we had for dinner that night, and stuck with induction. I had done it one day, so figured....why not?
I've stuck to it since. I have NOT stuck strictly to the list of items in the book, but just to less than 20g of carbs a day. I hit the store and picked up some odds and ends. First, at Wal-Mart, I managed to find some of the various 2-carb shakes and bars, as well as the Atkins Basic 3 vitamins (I plan on doing research before they run out for a cheaper alternative). At the grocery store I picked up some stuff for making tuna/chicken/crab salads and some other odds-and-ends. I grabbed some string cheeses, and despite the nitrate/nitrite issue, I did get some beef sticks (Slim Jim type things), jerky bits, and the like. I have also gotten some aspartame based products (instant tea, diet Dr. Pepper, etc), but have since gotten other replacements for the future.
Needless to say, I did worry a bit about the use of the aspartame and nitrates, but I figured if they didn't work, I can cut them out.
My worries are, so far, unfounded. When I started, I weighed around 335. Friday night, I weighed in at 332. Saturday morning, I woke up and tried a ketosis test stick, and showed dark purple! Just for grins, I weight again -- 328.8. Granted, I'm at the upper limit of my scale (digital Oregon Scientifics), and readings are usually off a bit. But between the definite loss of weight and the keto test, I'm hooked. My scale is a good brand, so I'm trying to keep myself thinking about that...6 lbs in 5 days!
My staple foods so far:
Breakfast: Tuna salad or bacon and eggs. Once in a while I'll try out a 2-carb shake with it (yeah, with, not in replacement...better than coffee for me!) I live in San Antonio, which is packed full of Mexican food joints, so I can stop by one and order a couple bacon and egg tacos worth of filling in a cup.
Lunch: Weekdays, I go out to lunch with others at work who have been on Atkins for a while, and are still doing induction. They know plenty of places to go and what to order. Example: At one mexican food restaurant, a fajita plate, hold the rice, beans, and tortillas, sub with extra salad and guacamole.
Dinner: My parents usually take care of supper, but I didn't want to disrupt things any. They generally try to cook up a meat in a way that I can eat (i.e. no sauces, etc). If they have a vegetables I can eat, great. If not, I just have extra salad. I buy some pre-made bagged salads, and just have a cup of them with some a bottled lower-carb dressing, sometimes with a cheese (usually feta) and bacon bits (100% real deal, no additives).
Snacks: I've always had a huge appetite, which, true to word, is slowly deminishing. I have to keep a lot of snack-type things around, though, or I'm afraid I'll pick up the wrong thing. As I said, I have some jerky, beef sticks, and the like, but I do try to limit them. I have cheese sticks, and if I have a sweet tooth, I have some different 2-carb bars.
The weekend was more of a killer for me, but I made it. I usually don't do much of anything, so I often ended up eating out of boredom. I did that again this weekend, but I tried to manage it...smaller amounts more often. I stayed under 20g, so I'm set.
That was far more than I intended to write, but I've been lurking here for a year or two, so decided I'd finally chime in, now that I'm actually doing something other than reading!
Good Luck to you,
I had been doing Weight Watchers and I was stuck at about a few pounds above my goal.
I have been trying Atkins.for 1 month I have lost 5.5 lbs. I am a slow loser and don't have much more to lose, so it goes slower.
( I have Diabetes and used to take pills and insulin) But now I don't take either.
Keep up the good work.And figure out what works for you.
Dawn
Hi and welcome! I just started Atkins on July 28th and I am down 8lbs so far. I feel great and I am finally not craving carbs and sugar anymore. Good luck and I hope to see you posting more (I also post at the 100lb club, so come say hi).
Hi Brad, just wanted to say welcome, even tho this is a "bunch of chicks" you have landed in a great spot.
Also wanted to tell you, for your Mom, low carb was the best thing I ever did for my diabetes. It kept it more under control than any other diet plan I tried. Now, with that said, your Mom needs to find out exactly what they mean by it has already affected her kidneys.
Good Luck to you and I'm here to tell you..........a nicer group of "chicks" you will not find!!
Low carbing is the best thing your Mom could do for her diabetes! I'm Type II and have knocked my bloodwork (HA1C) down into non-diabetic levels. Losing weight is secondary to that! I'd sure get that kidney statement checked out though.
I'm glad you found us. It sounds like you have your life and diet in good control and can share lots of tips with us.
A little testosterone never hurt anyone Glad you found the group. I was switched over to Atkins yesterday by my doctor from another low carb plan that was equivalent to Atkins maintenace because I started going carb crazy. The Atkins bandwagon is getting every bigger and glad to have you aboard!
P.S. If you haven't tried already www.fitday.com is fantastic for tracking your food intact to make sure you're in that 65/30/5 fat, protien, carb ratio!
Aha, here is the rooster in the hen house! I saw everybody clucking about you in the daily chat so I thought I'd check you out. Looking good, my friend. You have made a good start. I have a lot of weight to lose too and I don't lose quickly but the first time I was on Atkins I was in my early 30s and hadn't yet developed my medical problems (Type 2 Diabetes and hypo-thyroidism) and the weight just melted away. Not only did the pounds go quickly but my roller coaster mood swings leveled off into an almost Zen-like state. LOL It truly was amazing. The younger you are when you start this woe, the better, I think. Once you get through the first few days of carb withdrawal and start to feel more upbeat and perky, it really helps to do some exercise. Yes, the dreaded "E" word. I really hate it but the easiest on my old joints is water exercise. When I was a young chick and on Atkins, I did a lot of bike riding and walking and that really helped me lose about 100 lb very quickly.
Welcome also to Loser and Raelyn. Nice to have you both here.
After most of those comments, I suddenly felt like I was walking into my company's accounting department. About thirty women, with women managers (of the thirty, half being 10yr or more veterans of the company). The only male in the group is the department head. No male has ever worked in that department longer than 3 months.
And to think, I got my sister a job working with that bunch (and she's survived, so far).
I actually have a FitDay account, and have had for as long as I've been lurking here (in fact, this is where I found out about it). I have tried it a couple more times this last week, but haven't kept up using it. I found that I had to create custom entries for *everything*, as none of the stock items are precise enough to worry about. Granted, since I have to do anything custom anyway, I can at least take care of my other problem: getting down to more details on carbs rather than the 'dummied-down' info they give.
I originally intended to wait and start Atkins at the same time as my mother, to help make sure we both stuck to it. However, it was going to be so long until she could start, I kinda fell into it anyway. At least this way I will have enough info/ideas/etc to make it a bit easier on her to get started.
The doctors only told her that the diabetes had 'already affected her kidneys', and put her a seperate medication for it (we found out it's a blood pressure medication). The just said that "it's probably early enough to reverse the damage." The doctors are just so vague, it makes you want to throttle them. She already found out (via a nurse) that her doctor has NEVER recommended Atkins in any way, shape, or form. Fortunately, she has an appointment with a diabetes nutritionist, and I told her to work with them to get an okay to start Atkins as soon as it's safe.
The E word. Yeah. This is South-Central Texas. You simply don't do anything outdoors unless you are reptilian. We're working in some walks (after sunset, but it's still pretty unbarable). My mother has seen the Gazelle on TV a few times, and given her knee and hip problems, this may be a good solution. Once I can get a few more lbs off, I'll likely start working a nearby gym into my schedule.
Fitday sure was a pain in the arse to set up initally with all the changes to the carb counts etc. but after that you're home free, after all there is only so much we can eat during induction.
Hope your mom is doing better soon, I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia 4 weeks ago, but after doing low carb from the moment I left the doctor's office that day, I'm no longer pre-diabetic!! But he wouldn't erase it from my chart, something about legal documents or some nonsense like that. Hopefully, they will let her low carb after they figure out the kidney issue
I would say that I am more of a lurker then a poster, but I'm trying to curb that, lol. I just started Atkins as well and since friday I have lost 6+ lbs. I'm sure it's mostly water weight, but that's ok with me, lol.
I hope things go well with you! And hope to hear from you often.
Hey Brad, congratulations on getting a great start! It's nice to meet you, and I hope we hear more from you in the future. Good luck to your mom as well. I hope she gets approval from the doctor for Atkins.
A guy just starting Atkins...
Welcome Brad
Glad you found the group. I was switched over to Atkins yesterday by my doctor from another low carb plan that was equivalent to Atkins maintenace because I started going carb crazy. The Atkins bandwagon is getting every bigger and glad to have you aboard!
