Wanna, w00t for a woosh, it's nice to see the scale go down. You're working hard so I'm sure you'll be down to where I am in no time.

Judy, I understand needing something. I think it's a matter of experimenting on varieties and finding one you can tolerate. How are the carbs on the slimfast shakes, I'm betting they are no better or worse ingredient-wise than Atkins ones. We need something like the create your own beer six pack the liquor stores do. You can sample only one of a shake so you don't wind up with an entire package.


Yesterday wasn't the best for me. Took my daughter to see Moana (finally) and had some popcorn. Tuesdays have movie/snack specials. The large tub, candy, and large drink (lite Lemonade) cost as much as the kids pack. Since I hadn't had lunch, I ate some popcorn. Fortunately I kept it too a moderate amount and realized online later the carbs aren't so terrible and I didn't go over 40 carbs even for the day. Since I'm out of induction, I should be only at 25 this week, but I don't think it should set me back too bad. Movie was good, I enjoyed it.

Hi! Nice to see another person on this thread and I guess we were posting at the same time.

Lost another pound - started last Friday and lost 5 lbs. total in my first week. Will be adding 5 carbs starting tomorrow.

Sue, I just had a 4 hour closing today - sheesh! I wasn't hungry while the ladies around me were. Loan officer left to go to lunch. Title Officer ate her PB&J sandwich in the room and the attorney ended up leaving prior to closing because she was starving. Not sure how my buyer felt - she didn't complain, probably too excited.

Nancy, I'm surprised you can function on such low carbs. Yesterday I ate zero carbs until dinner, and at some point in the afternoon I was losing my energy. Once I had my 20 carbs I felt much better. I've found in past diets where I count calories (or points), and I tried to keep it low, I lost less weight than when I used every calorie or point I was allowed. It was an eye opener and I'm wondering if that also applies to carbs. I was told on another Atkins group that I need to make sure I'm getting my carbs in, especially 12-15 good veggie carbs (very difficult for me - I'm lucky to get up to 10). In fact, I'm now 9 lbs. to goal (didn't have much to lose to begin with) and ready to start adding 5 extra carbs a day, bringing me to 25. I should really have started in Phase 3 but I wanted to go through the phases. So now I'm eating some foods in Phase 3 but keeping my carbs to 20 total. I started last Friday and lost 5 lbs., wondering what will happen when I start adding more carbs.

Neko - when I first started dieting I was always 100% on plan - there was even a forum for dieters that don't fall off the wagon (although a couple would & they'd get reprimanded for it). I have since been more forgiving to myself and as long as I can jump back on the next day then I'm good. In fact, what was nice about The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet was that you had one meal a day (had to be eaten within a 60 minute span based on insulin spiking) where you could eat almost anything, including drinking alcohol. We had some laughs with that diet. At restaurants I wouldn't take a sip of my drink until I knew my dinner was coming soon, or I'd wait for an after dinner drink. At a 4th of July party I brought my timer with me and didn't have any of the appetizers until my meal but looked everything over so I knew what I wanted to put on my plate. I had 5 minutes of eating left and a friend's kid walks past with an ice cream bar. I screamed, "where did you get that! I have 5 minutes left!" Everyone was running to get me a bar and everyone clapped when the timer went off. They couldn't tease me too much because it had worked very well for me. So, with all that, if I'm faced with something special that might bring me over whatever carbs I'm on that day, I'll treat it like a Carbohydrate Addict's Diet reward meal.

Judy, your story about that diet is making me laugh. So, I could have had all the candy and popcorn I wanted if I ate it in one hour? lol

Judyo that is tooo funny

Nekko Thank you for sharing about carbs are not always bad as long as done in moderation

I do like the suggestion about upping my carbs. I did do that in the first 6 weeks and saw only a loss of .4 to .6 pounds a week eating 18-20 carbs. As for calories staying low I don't know it is the large salad I eat at lunch I guess. But I eat when hungry and quit (except for the late night monster that lives next to the tv) when I am full. I am actually only cursing and talking sternly to my body 4 or 5 times a week now instead of everyday. It is more like the office bully ya know. Make it mad and it will stomp on the scale every morning until it has its revenge.

Neko - in the beginning I gorged on whatever I wanted during the 1 hour reward meal. However, you could only have 1 or 2 other meals for the day - no snacks. Each of the other meals had to be no more than 4 carbs total. The authors of the original Carbohydrate Addict's Diet (CAD) revamped the diet with a new book and showed how your reward meal should be - protein, a carb & a veggie and the sizes of each on the plate. As successful as I was, there must have been a lot of people that ate like I did during the reward meal and didn't lose any weight. I will admit, as I got closer to goal I did have to eat less during the reward meal in order to get to goal. But I swear, in the beginning I was eating all sorts of crap and losing weight. Candy, chips, doughnuts, cookies, ice cream, cake. The thing is, normally I'd be too full to eat more within about 20 minutes, so I only used that full hour for dining out (just because of the time for service) and special occasions.

Because I'm a binge eater I think forcing myself to "binge" only one timed meal a day, it reduced the carbs a lot from what I normally ate. The problem with the plan is if I wanted oatmeal for breakfast (this started happening towards the end after about 2 years), then that would be my reward meal and I wasn't really into eating my other treats in the morning. It was kind of like wasting my reward meal just for oatmeal. With Atkins you can spread your carbs throughout the day so it's more realistic eating.

Nancy Glad to have you join our thread and work with us on your (and our) journey

Hello Judy... Oh I know those 4 hour closings..., were you waiting on Funding Authorization from the lender? that is usually the reason. I have been doing this since 79 and I swear it gets more stressful each year (wish they would REQUIRE the lenders to get final figures 72 hours in advance Final not estimate) that is my wish

I am doing well on Atkins ... sticking to the 2002 guidelines and had a little woosh today after my 2+ lb woosh yesterday.. I am very happy!

Yes.. I agree with you all... you have to eat... if you don't eat enough your body does hold onto your storage thinking you are starving.. Best thing to do is find that happy middle ground and well then there is always hormones that wreck havoc! LOLOL

Have a TERRIFIC Day!

Good morning!
well scale down a bit this am so yeah me!
Just a quick comment I am considering adding the 5:2 diet along with continuing my low carb. It is fasting 2 days a week. I watched a documentary from the BBC on this and the now author of the book. The science behind it and what it can do for your insides health wise really intrigues me. So much so I bought the book and am reading it now. They do claim it is easier for us low carb'ers to fast twice a week than those on low calorie.

Any of you ever tried this?

That sounds much less fun. lol

I can see how allowing complete freedom for an off plan treat could be disastrous. You could do some serious carb/calorie damage in an hour or less


Nancy, I have a hard time sometimes of not being too strict and keep reducing to the point, I'm miserable. If you get too miserable, it's hard to keep on the diet.

I've been hearing a lot about fasting lately. Do you eat more on the non-fasting days or keep the calories/carbs the same and fast for two days?


Hoping my daughter will stop watching Disney Junior soon so I can go back to watching my guilty pleasure of watching "My 600 pounds life" on the DVR. Anyone else watching the current season?

RE: Fasting
I am still researching so to speak, but the premise is you eat regular portions 5 days a week and fast 2. The fast is pretty individualized from what I can see. Some eat nothing only water, coffee etc. others have a small container of broth, and the author found what worked for him was on fast days to eat only 600 calories or 1/4 of the recommended allowance for a male at that age. So I can see how someone would lose a 1-2 a week with the deficit. Some will pick first thing in the am for their 'meal' others late day.

Now I did not fast today I am still looking at it but...

Today for instance, I ate a snack last night and went to bed satisfied. This am I was hungry when I got up but continued on with normal routine. Did not eat my breakfast but took it with me to work (eggs and bacon), my lunch time is 1pm. so I did eat my large salad with fixin's less than 400 calories, went home and really could have skipped dinner but did not. I could see how I could easily move things around change up a few things and do a 'fast' two days a week. My challenge time would be in the evening while sitting at my computer watching shows or just bored. As long as I am busy the hunger pangs fade pretty fast and I would know that I can eat in the morning

I just noticed something that I now remember from back when I was LCing a long time ago. Last week before starting Atkins I looked in the mirror and said, "you're finally starting to look your age." My face was puffy and my jowls were starting to sag. My skin looked pallid and I noticed more wrinkles. I was sick the week prior so that might have had something to do with it, plus the weight I had gained over the holidays.

The last couple of days I noticed my skin was looking better. The puffiness was gone and my jowls looked normal. I had a healthy color and my skin looks dewey or glowing - I can't really explain it. I think I remember when I was LCing before my skin looked better and my nails grew longer and didn't break like normal.

I believe it's from the lack of sugar and the additional fats and protein with Atkins. Plus the extra liquids I'm now drinking. When I'm on low carb I'm thirsty a lot. When not on low carb I could go an entire day with one cup of coffee - it starts out hot and is cold when I finish it up. I had to force myself to drink something. Now I want to. Low carb bonus!

Sue - We were funded but it was an IHDA grant (a grant Illinois offers to qualified buyers) so we had to wait for that paperwork to be reviewed. The big wait was there was a $50.00 discrepancy. After much searching and waiting, we were told the lender undercharged the buyer for something. Funny thing is, today I had a closing and took my time getting there after the final walk through. I'm in Petco (thankfully down the street) and my buyer calls me asking how she can get the keys. I said "you're not finished, are you?" She said yes and they were in their car in the parking lot. I rushed to buy my pet food and told them that was a record closing! Less than an hour.

Nancy - congrats on the weight loss! I've read about fasting and I think I tried it but it's just not for me. I also tried the Up Day/Down Day Diet, also known as the JUDDD Diet and that worked for me once. Bet it would be even easier on Atkins. Best of luck with it.

Neko - I love my crime shows. I think I should have been a detective - LOL! My husband said, "you're watching this to get tips on how to kill me." I said, "No way, they always get caught! I'm too claustrophobic to do jail time - you're safe."

Nancy, that sounds interesting about the fasting. I know I've seen threads elsewhere about JUNG fasting. It's definitely something to try if you feel unhappy with current weight loss rate. A low carb diet probably would make it easier. With more stable blood sugar, you shouldn't feel the effects as badly. There seems to be plenty of evidence that switching things up and keeping your body guessing about calorie intake has better results. If you think about it, it's only recently, last hundred years or so, we have constant access to food on a daily basis.

Judy, LOL at your husband thinking you watch those shows to try and kill him. Tell him you need to watch so you can learn from their mistakes and not get caught.



Going to medieval times tomorrow night. Anything safe to eat besides the chicken?

Well gals I have a NSV to share
Today was the first time in 2 or 3 years I have been able to put my wedding set on and it be comfortable. I am so excited to show DH tonight

Along with that I have on a pair of slacks that have been in my closet for 4 years waiting for me...I am excited

As for the fasting Neko you are right about the food being so availible that the mind set is you have to eat every xx amount of hours which is so untrue. I really am not going to switch things up I will always continue to do low carb because it works for me. but just thinking if I cut my carbs down by 1/4 like the book suggests you do for calories wonder what would happen??? Going without a meal or two would not be a hard thing for me. so the thought of 24 hours or longer without a 'real meal' is ok.....broth is always good

Congrats on the wedding ring! That's a great NSV.


I didn't mean switching up carb amounts, just calories. I've seen threads/articles on JUDD, I know some people alternate with high carb days, but I think that would get confusing and reset most of the low carb-ing benefits. 24 hours I think is do-able without a meal, however the thought of more than 24...

I'm upping my carbs to 25 today. Lost 5 lbs. my first week - not quite Induction because I started with only about 15 lbs. to goal. So I kept it to 20 carbs but ate veggies and fruits allowed up to Stage 3. It will be interesting to see how my loss slows down, but 5 lbs. lost in a week and 20 or less carbs daily is still depleting my energy. I went grocery shopping last night before dinner and made my husband do the cooking because I had to sit down. I'm exercising today (every other day) so hopefully adding some more carbs will help with my stamina.

Being busy the past few days there were a couple times I needed something quick but didn't want to do a shake or yucky Atkins bar. I remembered I had some Atkins frozen dinners in the freezer that were sitting around because before I was counting calories and they were on the higher end so I hadn't eaten them yet. I had the Crustless Chicken Pot Pie and it tasted better than it looked. Yesterday for lunch none of my leftovers looked appealing so I grabbed the Atkins frozen turkey & cauliflower dinner, which I did have before. Again, it tasted really good. I can't eat them all because I'm allergic to wheat - some have wheat, some don't and they don't have a huge selection. Nice to have something quick to eat when necessary that isn't liquid. Plus, they taste better than other gluten free frozen meals I've been having.

Nancy - you are really doing great. I just remembered another kind of fasting plan I tried. It was the 8 Hour Diet and as it sounds, you only eat during a specific 8 hour period. It depends when you normally wake up and eat breakfast. I'm a night owl and not a lot of real estate happens in the early morning, so my breakfast is usually around 10:00-10:30. That would give me until 6:00 to be finished with eating. The fast should be 16 hours but you can drink water or plain coffee or tea. Although on Atkins I'm not snacking like I normally would after dinner, once in a while I'll have a piece of cheese or something else low carb. My problem is that we've been having dinner around 7-8 lately, which would mean I wouldn't be able to start eating until around 11:00-noon. I've done that before and when I do I'm not hungry, but I've always believed in getting the metabolism revved up as soon as you wake up by eating something. I might give it a try again though and eat dinner earlier to be finished at 6:00 or wait an hour to eat breakfast to push it out a bit more. But I'm doing good and probably won't try anything else unless I start stalling.

Neko - how was Medieval Times? What could you eat? This morning my son took me out for breakfast and I ordered a spinach, onion & tomato frittata with cheese and a side of fruit (2 pieces of cantaloupe, 2 pieces of watermelon and 2 pieces of pineapple - the pieces were like chunks). I'm guessing for the fruit about 9 grams of carbs since I couldn't weigh or measure them. Probably less than a cup for all of the pieces. Wow did that pineapple taste sweet! I'd normally only order eggs, bacon, hash browns & a side of gluten free pancakes and eat half & bring the rest home. But the pancakes & potatoes were out so I figured I'd try the frittata and took half of that home. It's almost 2:30 pm and I'm not hungry.

I'll be going to a Peruvian restaurant tomorrow night for dinner. I've been there before and there's actually a lot to choose from that would be low carb (a lot of meat choices), and I might save my carbs for the fried plantains as they're so good! Ooh, I just looked them up and although they probably only give about 1/4 cup, it's still very high in carbs - about 28 net for 1/2 cup. I'm going for them since I'm pretty sure it's less than 1/2 a cup but I'll just stay low to no carbs for breakfast and lunch.