Hi I am new to the forums and so grateful I found them!

I am 31 years old and feeling really down right now! I have known that I am overweight but tonight for the first time I broke down crying! My weight has shot up over the last few months to the point where it is hard to get seat belt on, to be a good mother to my children to walk!

I am so scared of dieing and leaving my children motherless! I have to lose weight! But in the past I have lost my willpower! No one in my family but my sister is overweight! And she is in denial! So I have NO support system!

I hoping that by joining here I can have someone to help show me the steps of Atkins so I dont mess up and also be a friend to help support me as I will do the same!

I would love any advice you have to offer too!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Doll

Hi, Angela! I nearly cried reading your post! You are among friends here.

How old are your little ones? I'm almost 44 years old, and my youngest is 5. He's one of the biggest supporters I've got, even with all the other members of our family enjoying this new way of life. This evening he walked up to me, my waist at his eye level, and he said, "Mom, you're shrinking!" I said, "I'm shrinking, huh? Does this mean when I get too short to push the shopping cart in the store you'll put me in the seat and push it yourself?" He said, "No! You're shrinking this way!" and put his hands along the sides of my waist.

You know, even though your sister is in denial, you could be a great inspiration for her. I have three sisters, all overweight, and an overweight niece, too. Within two weeks, one of my sisters saw the huge change in me and started Atkins herself. Another sister has a lot of serious health issues, and I'm sure LCing would help her a lot (she's diabetic and has other problems too), so I sent her the link to Dr. Bernstein's website (LC specially for diabetics). I don't know if she's thinking hard about it just yet, but I know she's thinking about it.

My only regret is that I didn't start this sooner!

Best of luck to you! You'll find lots of support and friendly folks here!

I am preparing to start atkins as well.. I was on it earlier this year and decided to stop while I was moving here from st.Louis! Im in nebraska now, my hubbys family still all live there in st.louis.. I am 33 and a mom for 2, ages 2 & 4 years and believe me, I know what you are going through. I need to get healthy for my children and for myself.. I just hate looking in the mirror If you would like some support and someone to talk to, please email me ~ silvergryffin~joyfirehollow.org I have aim,yahoo & msn as well.. hope to hear from you soon! Love,Tiffany

I just realized your birthday is the day before mine LOL!!

Don't fret Doll, as long as your taking control then its going to work out great. I am a returning atkins, and just restarted, Hopefully I can get it into my thick head that this time is going to be it and this will be my way of life from now on. I do feel better (dont want to fall asleep in the middle of the day after eating all the crap Also my mind is clear not fuzzy, and at my age, lord don't need people thinking I have altimers LOL.) My advice to you would be take it one day at a time, don't beat yourself up if you slip, Walk with your head held high, your a great person. I will be glad to be a buddie, but be warned my spelling is really bad LOL. Have a great day and smile

I really appreciate all your kind words! I am trying to have faith in myself because the only alternative I have is gastric bypass surgery which I am very afraid of!

Thank you so much
Doll

Hi Doll,
I'm new too and being in my 50's I know it's harder to lose.But we have to know we can do this. I am in St. Louis,by the way.
I'm lucky and I have a friend at work who wants to do this too,but I also know I have to do something.
Hang in there and we will make it

Wow im across the river from St. Louis, Guess we have more then the one thing in comman. Yea we can do This

Hi Doll! Your post made me so sad. I can't offer much advice about this WOE as I'm new here too, but learning more and more every day. I can offer support, though! This site is awesome! You will find so much advice and support here. These people are just great. Please don't be so down on yourself. We can't change our past and the things we have done to get into this shape, but we DO have control of what we do from this day forward. You CAN do this!

By the way, I'm Stacy. I'm currently a SAHM of five children! My oldest is 18 and has already moved out, but I still have four more to keep me busy. Their ages are 18, 15, 8, 5, and 2! We're in Minnesota and it's so cold here already. If you ever wanna chat, drop me a line, either in my journal or email. sproch3384~aol.com.

Hang in there! This is a wonderful WOL!

Hi Doll and welcome! I know how you feel....how is it possible that we get to the point that we're uncomfortable with our weight. I've always been heavy (and the only one in my family ) so I've never really received their support either as they just don't "get it". I've probably tried every diet you can think of and have lost and gained hundreds of lbs over the years.
I'm determined to stay with this WOE now as I'm encouraged by the success stories I read here.
I'm on week 4 and find that I'm totally satisfied and never hungry...that's something new ! I have my ups and downs..not losing fast enough, wondering what I should do differently, etc. The people on this forum, however, have been very supportive and encouraging! They have great ideas and I've found some wonderful recipes. In reality, my biggest problem is in eating enough calories! Imagine that .
So good luck to you....we're all pulling for you and wish you much success. Time for you to take control; I know you can do it!

hey listen, go stand in front of the mirror and say out loud: "this is the LAST time i will ever weigh this much. In one month, I will be smaller!"

good luck and keep us posted on your progress. this is a fantastic place for support and answers.

Doll,you CAN do this.i'm into my 4th month of atkins.i've lost 47 pounds and 16 inches.i've never felt hungry and i've tried more diets than i've had packets of potato chips-believe me that's alot.i don't buy high carb foods unless they are needed by daughter or husband,then i make sure that there is only enough for them.if you can,buy the book.it's great for inspiration when the spirits are flagging plus you can always come to this board for support.there is help out there,don't be affraid to have a moan or to tell us each time the scale moves a fraction lower.
good luck,
dolli
mum of a 15 yr old,uk

Welcome to the forum doll!
you will be amazed at the support you will find here! You may not have the support you need at home right now, but I bet when they start seeing the results of your conviction, they will come around. It has happened to me. Also the kids are so supportive of me. They were the first to notice not only my shrinking, but my improved attitude towards life. If you haven't already I would suggest you start a journal to and a fitday log to track your intake. (www.fitday.com) it is free and one of the most helpful tools I have found. Good luck and any time you need a question answered, post away. Every question you have will get a response, and if you just need support, you will get that too!

Hi Doll, Welcome! This forum is even more addicting than all those carbs you were eating. Almost any question you have, people here will have an answer for. My advice is to take it 10 or maybe 20 pounds at a time. Look at all of the people with mini-goals posted. That way, every loss is a big success, and time to celebrate. I originally started at 217 pounds. Now, I am about 20 pounds from goal. You can do it! This is the BEST WOE there is!