RamonaK

I understand exactly how you feel. You don't list your start weight on your stats, but when I started the beginning of April of this year I weighed 320 lbs and I was desperate to lose weight. I had not really been trying to eat low fat or low carb or anything to that point. I had gained, and gained steadily since having a baby about a year before and was depressed and felt unable to do anything about it.

When I made the decision to try low carb, I had finally MENTALLY become ready to try to lose weight. I went to my doctor, I had a complete physical and he suggested following a typical "diabetic" diet. Since I live way up North in a Remote, fly in community, I depend a lot on the internet to research and find information and products. That is where I discovered this website,and learned a lot of information about low carbing.

I, like you, was not convinced by even the success stories posted here and throughout the net that this WOE would work for me. For all I knew this was as big a scam as the rest of the scams out there in the dieter's world, and we all know there were a lot.

At 320 I really didn't feel like I had any room to "experiment" with something I wasn't positive would work. I kept thinking, like you, what if I start packing in all these calories and all this fat and just gain even more. Being as depressed as I was at 320, even gaining 1 more pound would probably have sent me over the edge.

I got the Atkins book by mail order, I read it thoroughly and I visited this board at least 5 times a day to read other peoples successes and question. Even armed with the data, it was hard to accept that this WOE could work. That is how strong the "low-fat" brainwashing has been engrained in our minds I guess.

Anyway, I went for it, and holy smokes, the weight started to come off. I ate tons, still do. Good food, filling food, lots of food, fatty food....ate and ate. I lost weight. To this day, 53 lbs, finally at my prepregnancy weight as of yesterday (but still a long way to go).

I can tell you that this diet works. A few people I know (my parents included) have started this WOE as a result of my success and I always give them the same most basic piece of advice. I happens to one of the same ones that Doreen (the most expert expert I know). Follow the induction to a T. Do not even overindulge once on too much broccoli as innocent as that may seem. Give yourself that 2 weeks, to really 100% give it your all so you can make a clear, and totally informed decision about how this WOE works for you.

Give it a chance, try to put your worries aside for two straight weeks at least. Give yourself that much of a chance and take it from there. But 53 pounds ago I was asking the same questions and I am pleased to say that I am quite satisfied with the answers.

Cheers,

Mari