A while ago I was invited here from another thread somewhere.
I don't get a chance to check in here that often but I have found a lot of info here that is benificial.

I started on 9-15-03, after buying a scale I found out that I was about 50 lbs fatter than what I had thought and what I told my doctor. I told him I was around 440-450, he said he wanted to see me under 400 by my next visit in the first part of December. Well when I found out I was 498 instead of 448 I didn't think I would make the goal, after deciding to weigh every 2 weeks, I lost 28lbs the first 2 and 10lbs in the second 2 and only 7 in the last 2. Now I am thinking I won't make the doctors request.

I am doing the Atkins plan and so far it has been going well, Breakfast seems to be the most difficult meal and doing lunch while driving around town talking to customers has become quite a feat also. I have a lot of questions floating around in my head, but I don't seem to remember most of them when I have time to log in, I should take notes. I am still trying to stay with the more strict induction part of the lifestyle but I think sometimes I go slightly over my alotted 20 per day, and sometimes don't hit that figure at all.

I am always looking for new ideas and I look around here when I have the time, problem is the sight is so vast. Can anyone point me to the more related places on this sight or reccommend places to keep check on?

One last thing before I close this out. I have a problem with painful swelling of the lower extremities which sometimes makes walking and mobility difficult. I would like to be able to loose enough to try to start some sort of exercise routine and be able to keep with it. I have never had the drive to exercise and sometimes it was the lack of time. My present job does not have the same level of activity that my last one did, so the weight does not come off as easily as it did in the past.
Is there a way to somehow supercharge this mother so as to at least get back to 5-10lb per week loss that I began with. I know that I didn't get this fat overnight but I wouldn't mind if lost more of it in a shorter timeframe.

Sorry about the length and thanks to whom ever it was that suggested I come to this part of the forum. I look forward to coming back as often as I can.

Thanks again.

dave

Dave,

You are asking alot! Your weight loss is really good. I am new here too, but was on lc several years ago. Are you taking supplements? vitamins, chromium? Omega 6 oils?
Are you drinking enough pure water?

It doesn't matter if you don't make the Dr.s request. One day at a time. Let the Dr. know you were off in your weight estimate, and how you have been doing.
As far as exercise, I am not the one to answer that question, but off the top of my head, some small weight training would probably good, as well as water exercise, to take the strain off your legs.
Make sure you eat enough! Try posting your foods daily-start a journal to track your progress. That way if you run into trouble, others can help. God Bless, Tina

Hi Dave, Welcome to the TDC. You are doing great! Congratulations on the weight loss. I think a lot of us start out being overwhelmed by how much weight we have to lose. It is much better not to even think about how much is left to lose but to rejoice in the pounds lost every week.

I would bet your doctor was coming on strong to get you motivated to start. Once you tell him what your original starting weight was and that you are on the right track, I'm sure he'll be pleased. The key here is to make steady progress and not to worry too much about how long it will take or how much is left to lose.

One advantage we have over the lightweights is that this will truly be a way of life for us by the time we get thin, as it should be. This is not a diet that once you hit some magical goal weight that you can then just stop doing it. This is truly a life change. And the longer you do it, the easier it becomes.

This forum can be overwhelming at first, but it truly is a lifesaver! If you learn to use the search function, you can find a lot of the information you are seeking. You can also just post your questions here in the TDC and we will all try to help.

I don't do a lot of exercising. I know I need to, but I'm just not ready yet. I do try to incorporate more exercise into my daily routines by doing little things, like parking further away from the store entrances so that I have to walk a bit more. Or going up and down the stairs more at home. And even when I'm sitting here on the computer or watching TV, I'll do leg lifts or tuck my tummy in. I'm hoping all the little things will add up. But I know I need to start doing the real exercise soon. I've heard that weight lifting is really good to do, even if you start out small, like using a half gallon jug filled with water.

As far as breakfast and lunch go, try to think out of the box. You don't have to eat breakfast foods at breakfast time. I eat beef snacks, almonds and cheese a lot for breakfast. They are finger foods, so it's easy to eat while I'm working. I work from home so don't have to worry about lunch, but I do pack my daughter's lunch for her. She takes the same thing pretty much every day, roast beef & cheese on lc bread, cheese sticks and sf jello/fruit cup. Can you pack your lunch to eat while you are on the road?

I hope this helps some. I'm sure you'll get lots of info from the rest of the crew here. These folks are wonderful and very supportive.

38lb looks pretty good to me. Just stick with it and you'll get there. You'll find lots of help and support in here. I wouldn't worry about you Dr, after all your doing this for you. When you tell him that you're estimate was wrong, and how much you have lost I'm sure he'll be very pleased.
Can I recommend a visit to MrE, if you want to know about exercise, he is our TDC exercise champion.

welcome to the TDC I'm pretty new to the board and still having trouble navagating it myself.

Have you looked into getting a prtable cooler you can plug in to your cigarette lighter? that way you could have all your Low carb foods in the car ready to go when your meal time hit. Deviled eggs are great induction foods and travel well, Chef or ceasar salads hold the dressing until you are ready to eat., meat rollups, veggie sticks and dip are good. the list is limited only by your imagination. Just get your book and turn to the acceptable food lists in chapter 11 of the 3rd edition of DANDR and have at it.
As Dr Atkins says if you aren't exercising you aren't doing his plan. DO whatever you are able to do now for 30 minutes a day. I was walking the isles of the stores and mall before I shopped when I started for extra exercise. I did about a mile on my tread mill at 3MPH and was worn out. Now I can do 4.5MPH on an incline of 5 for 30+ minutes.
There are tapes and sitting aerobic classes you can do. You could do a water aerobibs class to take the stress off your joints. Find something you can do and do it. You will be amazed at how much better you feel and how fast the pounds come off with the added exercise.

Happy low carbing to you.

Hey Dave! Great to see your progress so far, you are really doing great! I always have a problem with lunches too. I've went from doing chicken salads to chef salads, hamburgers to leftovers, and I get tired of it all. I've actually started taking pork rinds to work with some lower-carb veggie dip and just having "Chips and dip". Just try and be creative. If I were in the car, I would probably just munch on some beef jerky or cheese and pork rinds.

Anyways... good luck to you on this journey. Can't wait to see more of your progress!

Welcome, Dave from another newbie! Congratulations on your weight loss and finding this forum.

You're right about this place being vast. There's so much help and information that it's hard to know where to go first. Coming in here is a good first step. The people are very helpful and willing to share what makes them successful.

I bought a digital scale before I started and found I was 15 lbs heavier. Since your weight was only a guesstimate, I'm sure your doctor will understand why you didn't make his goal in time. If he doesn't, find another doctor. You're doing this for you and your health, not for him.

Good luck!

Leigh

Welcome Dave. There are so many positive people here who understand. We know what it feels like to wake up one day and realize we need to lose weight. You are off to a really good start. It will take some time, but if you stay with this WOE, it will only be a matter of time.

Even if a magic fairy made all of our weight disappear today, we would still be faced with the problem of dealing with why we are heavy to begin with. It may be we eat too much junk food, we may be skipping meals and not eating enough, or any number of medical problems. Either way, we still need to solve the problem of why we gained weight, then we can understand how lose the weight and not gain it back.

Changing our eating habits along with regular exercize are the two biggies. Just do what you can and are comfortable with. Hang in there, keep your chin up, and make the time to check in to this board.

You work hard for your customers, you deserve at least the same effort for yourself. You are worth it!

A: about the doctors request for you to lose THAT much before your next visit? Get a new doctor. Just a suggestion...but yours is surely a few pork rinds shy of a serving.

B) for breakfast suggestions visit some of the journals of the folx in here and see what they eat. I am a bacon and mock danish kinda guy but there are many people with many different things to eat and at different times of day. I eat my 1st breakfasts at 4 or 4:30AM (bacon)and my 2nd breakfasts (like the hobbits) at 8 or 830AM (mock danish). I have historically taken my lunch and as far as a good "cold" lunch I do tuna salad with eggs and celery and mayo or any kind of meat salad made like that. I carry a cooler when I am away and it keeps fresh just fine. I have plastic forks and spoons here in the office.

C: my early exercise was limited to a Richard Simmons tape titled "Sit Tight" (or something similar...I sent it off to someone's mother here from the forums when I finished with it)...all the exercises could be done seated. And I did. Started with 5 minutes of it then graduated thru the tape. Trick for this old gimp fella was to MAKE MYSELF do the exercise. I always had better things to do (not) and was always too busy (not). By doing what I knew was right and not what was easiest, me and God took me from invalid to something better. I will not win many races today. But I can walk again.

Here is to your success-filled future!

Hi Dave! Welcome to the Triple Digits Club. I'm very glad someone pointed you over here--I only hope it was me!

You'll note from my stats, that I can totally relate to your starting weight and difficulty with your legs. When I started I could barely walk...

You're right that there is a lot of information in this part of the forum and in others. Specifically, I'd recommend that you navigate around the Kitchen and Recipes areas. They have just been reorganized and cleaned up quite a bit and there are lots of recipes to help keep you on track.

Good luck! If I can answer any questions for you, please feel free to ask!

Donald

Hi Dave,

You've taken a huge step and should be very proud of yourself! I agree with the previous posters about your doctor - don't worry about it! You're doing this for you! Just explain to the doc that you understated your original weight and make sure he knows how far you've come.

Welcome.

Thank you to everyone, the reason I am trying this plan is because my doctor's both think I should consider the surgery. I am 37 and no one has cut or hacked at me yet and I would like to keep it that way for as long as possible. I figured that I would have to give this plan a go for a few months to see how well it works.

I see a lot of good numbers from the post that I have read and it is encouraging as is the fact that I am loosing some weight with out much trouble.

I will try to keep up with this site and with the plan.

Now maybe I will ask some questions.

dave

Dave.
Just a suggestion, but it would help you if you started a journal. Then we can come and visit. You'll get a lot of support and encouragement if you do.

Hi Dave. You're off to a great start. One of the keys for me has been to check out the receipes section of this website to find lots of different things to make for breakfast especially. In addition, when I'm doing a lot of driving, I always keep some legal snacks with me in the car so as not to be tempted. I just take one of those insulated six pack carriers with an ice pack and include a couple of bottles of water, some cheese, turkey or roast beef roll ups. I also carry some non perishible things, like Pumpkorn or pecans in a ziplock. I'm also having a hard time with the exercise thing and am gradually increasing the amount of time I walk. I can tell you after just having spent a little less than a month being totally committed and cheat free to this WOE that it has made a tremendous difference in the way my body feels and I feel so much better mentally too. As others have recommended, you should consider a journal and entering your food into Fitday.com. I find both of these to be excellent resources. Good luck to you! Julie.