Hi everyone-

My name is Patty and I have been lurking for a week or two. I am going to start my Atkins program tomorrow and I am a little nervous! I feel I am pretty prepared but I have been reading alot about people feeling sick the first week or so. I noticed that vitamins seem to be quite important so I will make sure I have some on hand. Does anyone have any other tips or suggestions? I have alot of weight to lose (110 lbs) and feel this is the best way for me to get a jumpstart. I have read alot of good things and excellent success stories so I am very excited! Any ideas/suggestions/helpful hints would be much appreciated! Thanks again-

Patty

Hi Patty,

Here's one suggestion.....

STAY AWAY FROM THE SHAKES,BARS,ECT.!!!!!


Seriously, I was doing great on induction for a little over two weeks. Then, I picked up a pack of Atkins chocolate shakes. They were great, but I actually gained half a pound the week that I used them. Plus, drinking them just seemed to make me crave other sweets. Some people don't seem to have a problem with them, but I would suggest that you stay away from them while you are on induction.

Just my two cents..


Welcome to the club,

tg

Thanks so much TG! I will stick just to the basic foods for now. Did you take any vitamins in the beginning?

Patty

The first week, I did take a regular multivitamin. Wow, did I feel lousy!! But, don't worry. Those icky feelings, and at least for me anyways, monstrous headaches (I gave up caffeine as well as carbs--eeke!) will pass. Adding potassium and calcium/magnesium supplements to the multivitamin I was taking made a big difference. I would definitely recommend adding them to your vitamin regiment.

(I would also think about purchasing some Metamucil as well )

Great! Thanks so much - I'll go over to the drug store at lunchtime. Any other ideas?

Patty

Hi Emmasmom!
Its great that you are starting induction! That is the first and the biggest step, for a couple of days you might have cravings and feel a little weird. Once the "Yucky stuff" is out of your body you will feel like a million bucks and the sugar cravings will be gone, and it gets easier. This site is great, for having any questions or when you feel discouraged. Everyone is really nice and helpful here.
There is lots of good recipes on this site also. A word of advice, watch your art. sweetener intake everyone is different and sometimes it can stop or slow down weightloss and can also trigger other cravings. I wish you the best of luck and HAPPY LC-ING!!
Cya
Shelly

Hi Shelly

Thanks and you are right - the people here are FANTASTIC! and so much information! I will be off from work tomorrow and then with the weekend coming up, I thought it might be a good time to start. Any other information or suggestions you may have woul dbe much appreciated! Thanks again=-

Patty

Drink lots of water (100 oz or more per day) - stay away from diet pop and remember your veggies. Good luck - you can do it. Another thought would be to start a journal and use fitday.com to track your progress - it helps keep you on track.

Vikki

I started Atkins on August 30, 2002. I've lost almost 20 pounds since that time. My mother uses the Atkins bars. I went to visit my parents last weekend and tried a few of the bars. They are perfect for those times where you MUST have something to satisfy a carb craving. But, I wouldn't and haven't included them in my daily diet.

Much like you, I decided that a long weekend would be a good way to start. So Labor Day weekend worked out nicely. The first day or two, I went through slight withdrawals. Also, this diet is a really good dieuretic (however you spell it). So, my trips to the bathroom were umm... interesting... at times.

Within the first 3 days, I lost 6 pounds. Mostly water I imagine. After the initial flush of water, constipation became a little problem. So, I went a got some of the fiber that is reccomended in the book. Solved that problem. I started having a few leg cramps at night. So, I bought a multi vitamin (no iron), Calcium/Magnesium and Potassium supplements. Those supplements helped me to feel alot better throughout this induction.

I have had my ups and downs. Mostly ups.

Besides the enormous feeling of control I have over my weight now. I really like these things:

I am sleeping better than I have in years
I no longer experience daily cyclical mood swings
I no longer wake up tired and depressed
I no longer feel extreme hunger pangs before regular meals
I am finding ways to cook meals at home for myself more often
I have overall increased energy
I no longer take hours to get going after I wake up in the morning

Oh I could go on and on. Take your time. Have fun. And before long, you'll be feeling better than you have in a long time.

John

Dear Patti

Just in agreement with everyone else - good luck on your new WOE!

Remember to get lots of rest as well for the first few days - I felt really tired, and while it went away within a week, the extra sleep really helped.

I've lost 14 pounds since 15 July, but I think if I drank more water, it probably would have been more. I'm sticking to mostly real food (I use liquid sweetener in the peanut butter cups, though!) and have felt really good. My husband has lost 32 lbs in about the same amount of time, and you can see how well John (poster above) did in a matter of two weeks - this WOE WILL WORK if you learn how to do it! I so rarely even think of "cheating" (I still drool when I smell french fries) and think I could keep up this type of eating for a very long time.

GOOD LUCK!

Dawn

Welcome to a wonderful, fulfilling way of eating. I've been on this WOE since 8/11/02 and can honestly say that I have not suffered any hunger pains. I keep some form of protein in the refrig for when I feel the need to eat something. Ham/or turkey/or corned beef are my favorites. I take a slice and put in a small amount of cheese, roll it up, sit down at the table and take small bites and I am satisfied. I would definitely suggest that you start a FITday journal - it helps to know what you've consumed in a day - I have days that I have to work to get my carb count up to 20. I will continue on induction for another week, and then up my carb level to 25.
YOU can do this........and you will probably feel better with more energy than you have in a long time.
Kay

Hi Patty, Welcome , glad you have made the decision to come and join the Atkins with us, Everyone here is WONDERFUL.. you have any question we will be happy to help, I have been on the atkins Since July 29th and I have lost 23 lbs.. ( ihave not increased my weight loss, I do it in 5lbs increments)I am very happy about this weight loss.

I do want to say I AGREE with EVERYONE here on there tips they are all fantastic, BUT and this is a big BUT!!! I did not read that you read the atkins book, I had started the diet with the atkins diet revolution.. I went to borders books on Monday and bought the New diet revolution and let me tell you, I wished I had read this book first.. It made me feel better and he has alot more information in this book than in his last...

So I would like for you to get the NEW book and you will not feel aprehensive at all.. it is wonderful.. and again you have us, I wish you much success and I will be looking in on you..


happy happy happy weight loss trails to you!!!!!!!!!


regards
Vivian

Hi Patty...congratulations on taking the first step! I just started over on Sep 1st with a brand new attitude, so we're pretty close to being at the same stage.

A few things that work well for me that may help you too...I buy the gallons of drinking water from Wal Mart - 58 cents or so - and take one to work with me. In the morning I wash down my med and vitamins with a large glass, and keep filling my water bottle every time it empties...usually before 5:00 my gallon is empty. It really helps me keep a close eye on whether I'm getting that water in. It's that important. If I keep it at home in the fridge, I mark my name on it!! It's MINE!!!

Also, keep sliced meats cooked and on hand in the fridge, same with hard boiled eggs, celery stix, etc. Because the first week when you want something, it should be something ready for you right away.

Most importantly, just eat when you want, as much as you need, don't EVER be hungry --- don't count fat, calories, etc. just the grams of carbs as you know! After your body detoxes the sweets and sugars, you'll feel SOOOO good.

Best of luck, stay in here with us, and let us know how it's going!!

Welcome, Patty!

Ditto what everybody said before me!

Don't forget the water - VERY important! I still drink my coffee (I'm hopeless when it comes to coffee ), but I match water to coffee - cup to cup ( in addition to the regular 100 oz.)

You are allowed pork rinds - great when you need the crunch! Also, I grind them up and use them as bread crumbs for breading on my chicken and fish!

Vitamins are also very important - especially Potassium/Magnesium - leg cramps are really yukky when they wake you up in the middle of the night!

Oh yeah, almost forgot, take your measurements NOW!
Sometimes people get upset that they aren't losing weight - actually, they are losing inches.

This is not a diet to me anymore - it's my WOL!

One bit of advice I would give is to remember to deduct the fiber from your carbs, thereby only counting the "effective" carbs of food items. For example, a cup of steamed asparagus may have a total carb count of 8 grams—but 3 of those carbs are in the form of fiber, so it only counts as 5 grams of carbs.

I, I'm embarassed to admit, forgot to deduct the fiber from my carbs when I was on induction. So, I thought I was getting 20 grams of carbs per day...but I was actually getting less than 10! And I felt terrible, too. Once I upped my carbs to an effective carb count of 20, I felt so much better, physically...and I still lost weight at the same rate.

And I second or third the recommendation to read the Atkins book. For good measure, I'd suggest also reading Protein Power (if you are interested in more scientific detail.)

Good luck on your journey—and visit this site often, it's an inspiration!

-G.