Hey all! I'm pretty sure I've posted before, but with going back to work full time a month ago, I seem to have misplaced where I was! So, back to the drawing board...with my involvement here as well as my diet!

My name is Rae and I just celebrated my 32nd birthday in July. I'm a happily married mother of three kids, aged 12, 9 and 6. They were all huge babies, and my lack of discipline and post-partum depression caused my small frame to balloon from 139 pounds to 252 by the time I was 26. I kept gaining during and after each child and never had any real way of losing it. Until in the dead of winter of 2002/2003, I'd had enough.

Chatting online with friends in the southern US, I was introduced to the Atkins diet. My first thought was that of most people who had been 'raised' on the low-fat, low calorie diets... how in the blue blazes can I lose weight eating eggs and bacon every morning? But according to my friend, he and his wife had already lost 50 pounds between the two of them in the past two months and really, I had nothing to lose at that point except pounds, so I figured, what the hey. In January of 2003 I jumped into the Atkins program with both feet, and by late March (seven weeks later) I had dropped 35 pounds! I had actually started the diet weighing in at 231 (22 pounds had come off over the course of four years), so being under 200 pounds for the first time since before I was married was THRILLING for me!!

But I have a serious problem with sticking with anything, and I missed my cookies and popcorn and peanut butter sandwiches and ice cream with corn syrup (I know...GROSS, but I love it!), and after celebrating an all-time low weight of 174 just this past May, I gained 30 pounds again!

Now I'm struggling to stay under 200 and hopefully get down to at least 155 by next spring. I decided that after struggling with counting carbs and all the side-effects that seems to stem from that, that I'm not going to stick with a strict Atkins plan. I'm still losing weight, though not as quickly, which, I think, is much better for me in the long run. I am still cutting out bad carbs, watching what I eat, trying to exercise (walking is best right now, Pilates later!), etc. I'd love to have a buddy that is going through the same things I am. As much as my family loves me, they do not have my problem with carbs, so fixing myself a separate dinner seems to be the only option these days. I love my husband, and although he always says he loves me no matter my size, *I* don't feel beautiful and desperately want to.

I would love to hear from any and all that are experiencing this. My doctor has told me that, due to my hypoglycemia, that a low-carb lifestyle is actually the best thing for me.

Can't wait to hear from you!

Rae

Gee, Rae, have you checked out South Beach? It is technically not a low carb plan but stresses healthy carbs and good fats. Whatever you choose, be sure to come back and join us.

hey rae, there's a thread with the dates on it, we post as often as life allows to say hi and give support. Any program, any questions, glad to have you! It sounds like you have the program down pat!

dottie

ruth, stop sending people to SOBE! Do you get paid by the head?

You sound an awful lot like me, except I only have two kids and am two years older than you! (Aggghhh!!!) I am trying to eat "low carb" but just by by cutting out all flour and sugar in my foods. South Beach is okay, but I like full-fat things that you can still eat with Atkins. But I don't want to say I'm doing Atkins because I can't eat bacon and eggs all the time, even though I know that isn't everything you eat, but anyway. . . I'm very long-winded!!
Have you had success with just cutting out sugar and flour? No bread, nothing like that? Nothing refined? Write back, let me know how you are doing!

Hi Rae welcome to the group. I have done Pp which is very similar to atkins and did great just like you but when I gained ti all came back and more but again that was my fault I did not stopo at McD's and order lightly i ate till i was stuffed!1 well you get the point. hey come on up and join the daily were we hang out and kick each ohter when it is needed and give lot sof support as there is more to you than just a diet there is the person that needs to be nutured to stick to any plan! Hope to see you there!!!

Hi there, it's me again...

Well since I last posted in this thread, yet another 10 pounds have been packed onto this body, but you know what? I'm working on it. Low-carb (or in my case lowER carb) is still the way to go for me, but now I'm not denying myself fruits and vegetables known to be higher in carbs. I'm still consuming less than 100 grams of carbs a day, but I'm doing it the smart way: whole grain breads/bagels/cereals/pasta and I'm doing my best to stay away from the sugary stuff (Diet Pepsi has become my best friend!). Plus, I started an honest-to-goodness workout routine at my local gym (the fee was a STEAL at less than $20 a month...how could I refuse THAT?!!), and I am happy to report that I can do a full 30 minute stint on the Precor elliptical machine there! That alone is worth the effort I'm putting in!

So here are my short term goals for the year (cuz I'm going to take the ENTIRE year to get to my goal weight! No more 4 pounds a week for me!):

I'm at 215 right now...

April 29th: 199 lbs
July 14th (my birthday!): 185 lbs
October 6th: 170 lbs
December 31st: 155 lbs and GOAL!

That works out to 1.27 lbs per week... sound reasonable?!

Wish me luck!!!

Rae

way to go rae it will work some weeks it will be more and some less but slow and steady will win the race. Work out is the real key to the whole thing.