AS A ROSE BLOOMS INTO BEAUTY

It was first a seed sowed in the ground, watered...given care--
and who would know looking at the mound of dirt,that a flower waited there.

Given rain as a drink and sunshine as its food
it daily pushed and strived, even when none could see how it grew...

then one day, a bud appeared, the first evidence--
that something was in creation, it was no coincidence...

It'd strived hard to get to this place,tho many had not seen
the days when it was not so easy, or knew where it'd been....

As the flower opened... revealing it's beauty for all to see...
but there were some who'd always known... just how lovely it would be (for Kat,by Suzanne 10-11-02)
http://forum.lowcarber.org/attachme...=&postid=589740
Kat...this is just off the top of my head~ hope you like it... the rose analogy is you... how you started, your struggles... and then there are those, that have always seen your beauty... who are behind you 100% and will be there the rest of the "blooming"... huge hugs and lotsa love~ Suzanne~

Congratulations!

What an accomplishment! Thanks for sharing! With determination like that we can all benefit! Just imagine how different the holidays will be this year with you in control and determined to stay the course!

Here's to a little LC celebration for each milestone and a pat on the back to boot...I see black suede and fringe on the horizon...!

Beth

Thanks for the HOPE.
I can do it also.
I am
very.
very happy for you.

Hello Marilyn, and welcome to this group! I see you are tall too. You've lost 20 pounds already? That's terrific! I bet you feel great!
Yes, you bet you can do it, all the way, gal, and what a journey it will be. If I can do it, anyone can.

You might want to think about starting a journal- most of us have them, and a lot of the real action here goes on in the journals as we visit each other back and forth. For me, it was a tremendous help to post my previous day's menus, and know that there are beady little eyes watching that hold me accountable. Lots of times, when I want to wimp out on exercise or don't feel like drinking my water, or even when I want to eat those "extra" goodies. I am stopped by the thought of having to post what I do!

Come visit me in my journal, if you like, if you have any questions or just want to visit.

Hugs,
Kat

I take it that the calories of 200 is not what u stay at every day. I spent last winter trying to live on low fat 1000 and felt bad and run down and in need of food all the time. I love Atkins because I feel good
I worked in the kitchen at a wedding today. I remembered reading that we can eat anyplace. So, I got meat and pickles. After 2 glasses of ice water I took some salad and more meat. I took 2 bites and was full. I walked away. That is what is so great about this way of eating.
I left before the cake was cut, not due to any danger signal ,but I needed to get home.
I have not counted calories after I heard about the rule of 10. That we can eat our wt x 10 in calories. I get full long before I eat that much. Well , I do if I stay low on carbs.

Hi Marilyn!

Did I maybe make a mistake when I posted my figures? 200 calories?Me? Not in this life! I stay under 2000 calories and waaaaaay under 20 carbs, daily, however. I am not hungry, unless I have exercised a lot that day.

I personally think that rule of ten is nonsense- way too high, if we want to lose weight! If I followed that, I could eat 3000 calories a day! Don't I wish! It's all based on simple math: your BMR plus your calories spent in daily activities and exercise (which for me averages about 3400 a day) That is what you theoretically could eat and maintain your current weight. Then subtract the calories you actually do eat, and that represents weight burned off. In theory, every 3500 calories lost equals a pound.Where the low carb comes in is that being in ketosis reduces your hunger, so you automatically cut down the calories, as you have noticed. So big gals like us can lose maybe 3 pounds or more a week without starving to death!

The problem happens later on, as you get smaller- when I get down to say 180, then my BMR plus exercise will be about 2000 calories, so I will have to eat much less to even lose a pound a week. That is the main reason for stalls as you get near goal- you either have to exercise a lot more,be content with a slower weight loss, or crunch calories a lot too.

At this stage of the game, you are losing great and don't feel cravings or hunger, so I would just keep on doing what you are doing. You don't have to get all complicated and count calories! Just worry about that if you start to slow down and want to know what is going on.

I would stringly recommend that you see if you can find some kind of exercise that you like, and start that on a regular basis. It will help keep you from losing muscle, rev up your metabolism, and most important of all, help keep you from regaining. Walking is a great way to start.

Good luck on your journey, and keep in touch.
Hugs,
Kat

Sorry- it posted twice and now I can't delete the 2nd one.

Thanks for the advice. I see the change in the scale but not in my body yet. If I can just keep going thru this period. I will be ok. So I want to keep in touch with u and others doing what I am doing and seeing success. I need to get 50 off before it starts to show to me and to others.
7 yrs ago in June I was 307, I was so close to makeing it to the 2s. Then my oldest girl died and I ate and slept and ate and slept for a yr. I weighted in a 395. The phen Fen that they took off the market got me started with a 40 # loss.
My body yo yo has not been below 330 since then.
I need input from all people who have been in the high 300's telling me it is possible.
ARE THERE MANY OUT THERE TO HELP ME

Marilyn, I am sorry to hear of the loss of your daughter~ I know no words will fill the void left inside of you at her passing,... and I understand the grief... excesses in sleeping and eating... altho I have not yet talked about it here... I lost 2 babies before they were born... my oldest son will be 26 in November, my 2nd son is 22, and lil miss KaeLyn just turned 1... my goes out to you~ and altho I am not weighing in my higher 300's, I am carrying too much weight for my body... so far in a month... I have lost 20 lbs., and you can do it too... the ppl here are GREAT SUPPORT!! and shoulders to cry on... and smiles to share... welcome here... we hope to see you succeed with your goals~

Hi Marilyn! So great to meet you and have you join us in the forum! You will find a lot of support here, great ideas, and a wide range of opinions. No wonder you were so depressed after the death of a child. I can't imagine such a horrible thing but I sure am glad you are here with us! You have had a great weight loss! I know it is a long hard road but you don't have to do it alone! I look forward to seeing many more posts from you. Cindi

Hi Marilyn- thanks for coming to visit me!
I am sorry about the loss of your daughter- I too lost a son, to AIDS, during a time that a lot of other bad things were going on in my life, and used emotional eating to get through that time. Not a good coping mechanism, but sometimes you do what ya gotta do to get through things. But now comes payback time, huh?

You've lost a lot of weight, fairly quickly, and actually, as I explained yesterday, it is actually easier and quicker for us big beauties to take it off quickly, because our increased size means a higher BMR and higher calorie allotment just to sit in a chair and keep alive! In fact, I burn twice as many calories watching TV in bed, eating pork rinds, as a tiny gal does working out! That's a good deal, huh? But later on, as we get smaller, the party is over, and we have to work!

But Marilyn, to get the fat off, and keep it off, we need to work on the "head thing"- why we got fat and why we use food for comfort. If we don't get that part right, and make this "diet" a way of life, including (sorry) exercise, then it will truly be just another diet, and we will yo-yo back up again. Just look at me- this is the umpteenth time on Atkins, but the ONLY time I have lost a significant amount of weight and stuck with it. And NO CHEATING, not even once, since May1. Not because I am strong and great, but because I am scared!!! That is because I have admitted to carb addiction, and faced that I will have to stay away from certain things forever. Now Sherry B doesn't like that "forever" part, and many on this path don't feel that they are food addicts, but I know, for me, that certain foods trigger cravings, and I do not want to risk that. I CAN'T risk that- I want to live!

"I see the change in the scale but not in my body yet."

Yes, I have noticed that same thing, and so have others here. It is so weird. I tend to lose in "whooshes", and it seems to take a while for my body to catch up! My last twenty pounds came off pretty fast, but I didn't LOOK any different! Now, weeks later, I am starting to see the change. Sometimes, if you take photos along the way and then compare them, you can see the change better, especially when those cheekbones start popping out! Atkins is so different from low fat diets- it is kind to your skin, and your face will take on a healthy glow, not that bony starving look that scares your friends and family.

You didn't say if you are trying any exercise yet? Even walking helps. Sometimes, when I felt tempted, I would go exercise and/drink more water, and then I would forget about it. I think exercise, drinking lots of water, and the higher fat content of Atkins helps with that dreaded "fear factor" of loose skin- at least, it isn't a problem so far, even at my age.

Marilyn, if you start a journal, we'll all come visit you, I promise. And you might want to go visit some other big folks here in the Triple Digits too. Go see Shark- yeah, I know he is a sweaty jock guy, but he is doing so well with his own weird plan and exercise. Guys always have an interesting viewpoint- when they wanna lose weight, they just DO IT< with all the emotional issues we gals have.

Sure you can do it, and we will help you! We'll have that Xena Warrior Princess costume waiting for you when you are ready!

Big Hugs
Kat

Marilyn,
I too am very sorry about your loss. I don't know what I'd do without our little Katie. If it helps, I used to weigh over 400 lbs, and yeah it's a long road......so start taking those little steps now. Even if you lost just 20 lbs per year over the next 5 years how much closer you would be to you goal.

Kat -

You are truly amazing with what you have accomplished so far you are quite an inspiration.

And this isn't so much about weight... to you and Marilyn - I feel so sad for your loss, we have all experienced loss before but a child. It truly hurts my heart.

It really moves me to see that you are such decent people and that you have gone on and can still be such a positive forces.

All the best.