I am on day four.... and I am freakin' out... what if this does not work for me? The tape keeps running in my head. Did this happen to anyone else?

I think I am going to go and get a scale. I have not had one in years.... because I did not want the scale to dictate my mood for the day... but I am just so afraid of eating like this and gaining weight... never mind not loosing at all....

It is like it is breaking apart EVERYTHING I know about how to eat to stay healthy and lose weight. Which apparently being the weight I am ... obviously was not working!

I am feeling better physically, l am not as stiff in the mornings when I get up....and my lower back pain is much less. So in that regard it feels great.

Please someone reassure me!!!! Please tell me I am going to look back on these days and just laugh!!!!!

Ramona

Hi Ramona,
I'm here to reassure you that this WOL does definitely work (and lots of other will reassure you, too). I've tried so many other diets to lose weight and keep it off but had no success with any of them. This is the first plan that actually worked for me and QUICKLY!! If you follow the plan, you'll lose. (I've done this WOL before and fell off the wagon, so to speak, so now I'm back on it for good - hopefully - )

Also, don't buy a scale if you don't want to. I don't weigh myself too often because I would rather judge by how my clothes fit and how I look and feel. You might only want the scale to know if you're getting close to your target weight but, even then, you should be able to see how you're doing by looking at yourself.

Good luck and happy low carbing!!

Regards,
Stephanie

S'okay .. yes low-carbing really works. How could you NOT get healthy by eating real natural meats, eggs, fish and fresh vegetables and salads? Real dairy butter and natural olive and vegetable oils.? How "healthy" is white flour, white bread, white pasta, white rice, margarine, sugar, sugar, sugar? OK, I'll stop ranting .. I understand what you're feeling though ... the media and marketers of processed starch and sugar foods have a lot invested to convince the public that HIGHcarb is the way to live.

Click on Success Stories on the orange menu bar at the top of the page. Scroll down to the Journals/Bootcamp forum .. and read about members who are losing weight and getting healthy with low-carbing. Read through the Health forums, you'll see folks with all kind of health problems - heart, cholesterol, diabetes, depression, thyroid, etc .. all feeling better than they have in years by eating low-carb. Many have been able to get off medications!

Follow Atkins Induction to the letter. It's only 2 weeks ... that's ten more days for you. You can do this!! Then you can decide whether or not this is for you. But, I think you will be so pleased with the fat-loss, and how much better you feel, you'll WANT to stick with it forever.

Another piece of advice: don't be in a hurry to get those scales. Quite a few members only weigh once a month. One member refused to buy scales ... but when she visited the local KMart, used a display model to weigh when she shopped once in a while .. Your best guide is a measuring tape. And your clothes fitting looser and looser. Do take your measurements, and not just the "basic three" - chest, waist, hips. Measure your ribcage under the bust, your arms, legs, neck etc ... since it's normal to sometimes lose from one area, and not from another from month to month.

You can do this!!!

Doreen

Thanks Doreen and Scase ---- your encouragement is helping. I think the idea of stopping by my local K-Mart or Target is hysterical!!!!

I am following the program to a T. Atleast as I know it. The food is great! I think that is what freaks me out --- nourishing and loving myself... imagine that!!!!! Instead of DEPRIVATION!!!!

Have you found that there are a few basic guidelines? --- that are really general rules. What recommended changes do you guys have after the 14 days?

Thanks again....

Ramona

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

Wow... Mari... Thanks

I could relate to so much of what you were saying. Congratulation on your results! How exciting!!!!

I believe I am working the program to a T. It really is not that hard... from what I understand, keep my carbs to below 20g. eat alot of protein/fat. Water.. Water.. Water... supplements... and then of course... exercise...

What worked well for you ? Anything specific?

Thanks Again!!!!

Ramona

Hi Ramona
I felt like you did 5 weeks ago, but I have lost 10lbs, still a long way to go, and not as much as some on the site, but better than I have done on any other program. I put on the weight when I was working for a company making Betty Crocker mixes, and part of my job was to taste every batch! All that sugar & white flour! I could control my weight up till then by eating real foods. For the last 7 years my eating and weight have been out of control, and I was scared of fat but ate loads of flour, bread, pasta etc. If this can work for me, it can work for anyone! I had a week's stall at TOM, but even then I only had one chocolate biscuit, not 3 packets. I can now fit into a pair of jeans I couldn't do up 8 weeks ago, and they get looser every time I wear them! Good luck, keep up the good work, we're all in this together and we will get there!

Hi Ramona!

I was exactly like you, I could not believe that eating this way was good for me. I like everyone else had been brainwashed and thought forsure I was going to pack on the weight on this diet instead of loosing it. But when I bought my scale and weighed in at 225, 10 more then I thought I weighed.. I was determined to give it a go.

I thought forsure I would have a cardiac stuffing my body with all this fat and protien, I mean really...bacon everyday? But after 2 days I saw results and kept on induction to loose pretty much 10 pounds in one week.... I was a carb junkie so I believe that is why I had such good results on induction... for my month in total I lost about 12 or 13.. it does slow down. However, after the initial water loss or whatever you want to call it I believe we fall into a nice appropriate time frame for loosing.. not fast not to slow.

As for after induction, myself, I raised my carbs to about 40 per day and continued....hit a plateau at 210...I have been eating anything I want lately ( no sugar and no white flour ) and I still measure carbs to stay within the 40 zone.. No weight has been lost and none has been gained. My only advice is to maybe raise carbs by 10 after induction and see if you still get results.

I started back into induction because of my plateau and have finally gotten over my stall!

This diet is sooo amazing, and the good thing is..Maintenance is not a issue because it really is my way of eating now.. forever.

I dont crave pasta or rice or potatoes, and I dont crave potatoe chips or bread... How wonderful is that?

I have kicked the carb habit.. and you can too.


About the scale... well, maybe buy one if you feel like a kick start getting going.. I know when I saw that 225 I almost died... very depressed.. but so excited to see 3 days later 223 and so on.

Best of luck
Shannon

Hi,
I just want to echo some of the thoughts above...
Atkin's has been a very successful program for me. It is hard to imagine going out to dinner-having salad with real blue cheese dressing, veggies, and steak and call it a diet ! However- By following Atkin's plan, I have gone from 388 to 294 in less than 8 months.

Additionally, my lipid profile, insulin levels, and fasting blood sugar are greatly improved. (Lipid profile says that I am now 1/2 Average cardiac risk). This improvement has occurred thru dietary changes only, no cholesterol lowering agents !

Stay on induction and see what happens. I think you will be amazed.

Even though it was by accident, on Sunday I caught my bathroom on fire and the blow dryer and the scales burned up. That must be a sign.

The support here is awesome so keep eating and coming here and overtime you will look back and laugh. This morning I put on jeans I haven't been able to wear for a couple of years. This weekend I am going out and buy a smaller size and use that as my measurement and once they are fitting, I will buy an even smaller size.

Keep up the good work everyone


Kathie

HI...I pretty much have more of the same from above about how awesome this works I also think that it is crazy how much so many of us are brainwashed into thinking what will make us lose weight (low-cal, hig-carb). When I grocery shop I get embarrassed b/c I have bacon, butter, steaks, pork medalllions, etc. It's only been a month, so I know I'll get over it, but I just don't feel like I look normal for someone who wants to lose weight...
BUT I have and you will too
I've had three friends do this diet and they all lost bw 30 to 50 lbs in actually a short time (about 4 months) and have not gained any of it back. Now I'm kicking myself for not doing this earlier.
The 11th will be my one month anniversary on Atkins and I'm at 14lbs gone, and hoping to be at 15 (hey I still have a couple od days
A couple of tips for after induction, would be mainly...don't fall off the wagon. I went straight from 15 during induction to about 30 and my body was like "hell no," so I am gradually bringing that number up (I have about 25/day). Make sure you're drinking loads of H2O - I can't stress that enough. I'm not much of a sweet person, but if you are watch out. For example, my friend that is trying to do this diet with me is having problems b/c she really wants sweets. Everytime I see her she's got sugar-free gum in her mouth, eating sugar-free jello, and she always has diet-caff-free-coke with her, and she is not losing weight. I stopped drinking soda 26 days ago and I probably have something sweet (sugar-free jelllo and I attempted to make lc donuts) about twice a week

GoodLuck with everything.

Ramona,

I know EXACTLY how you feel...LOL! I was freaking too. I am still in disbelief. I had bacon and eggs for breakfast. BACON AND EGGS!!!! But i will tell you this... i started this WOE on Sunday, October 28. That was 9 days ago. I weighed in last night and i have lost a total of 7 lbs. in 9 days. EATING BACON AND EGGS!!!!

It is in our brain that fat and meats and proteins are BAD, BAD, BAD. Well, i will tell you this. If this is bad, i am gonna be BAD! LOL! I feel great, i am not bloated, i am not hungry, i am completely off coffee, that i was drinking mainly to control migraines, that i have found i am able to deal with better since being on the WOE.

So, huni, i can definitely understand where you are coming from and i still feel like i am in a dream, but i am just going to keep on doing what i am doing and see where it takes me...you will see results...just wait and see!!!!!

WOW --- thanks to everyone for being so encouraging... I am excited. I am finishing my 5 day and feeling better everyday!!!

Thank you !

Ramona

Ramona~

I felt EXACTLY as you when I decided to try this low carbing thang...and I even posted a similar question to the board. It may have been tamarian (sorry if I don't remember) who posted the response that said it all...and I pass it along to you

...and I quote, "We can't all be wrong...can we?"

You have nothing to loose, Ramona...except the weight, and EVERYTHING to gain!

Muse

You've heard from everyone else, and they all speak truth.

I think the most important thing to remember on this WOE is that you do not combine refined carbs with fat. Yes you can eat bacon and eggs, but don't have that doughnut. Don't even eat a 9-grain bagel.

People on low fat eating plans restrict their intake of fat, and always feel hungry. People on low carb restrict their intake of carbs, but don't feel hungry.

Yes, you have to restrict a food group, but the difference here is that you're not hungry doing it. If you eat lots of fat and protein (on low carb), you have to restrict the carbs to force your body to use its fat for energy. If you throw in a cookie or toast or noodles or something, the body will stop burning your fat because it's easier to burn the carbs. This is OK (in moderation) AFTER you're at your goal.

This is why people will stall if they have a piece of candy here and a cookie there. You have to get your body to the point where you're burning off your stored fat. That's when you'll lose weight and shrink in size.

This can be a hard thing to do, and I know I've probably oversimplified it, but this is how I try to view things. It helps me stay away from (most of) the Halloween candy, etc.

You can do this. Just work out the cause/effect in your head and you'll be able to follow the plan just fine.