First off, Happy 4th of July to all.

I guess this really isn't a real success story for me, but it kinda is for me.

For the longest time, I ate just about anything in the house, brownies, leftover dinner, pop-tarts, chips, and I was known to sneak into the dishwasher and raid it of the snacks inside (we have no more cabinet space and we odnt use the dishwasher, so we keep everything in there). Even when I told myself I was going to diet, the next day I would just NOT stop eating, even though I knew I shouldn't be doing it, I thought one more thing could not hurt, I thought my willpower was dead.

I had a very successful diet before, in which I lost about 60 pounds in 4 months. I was VERY fat then, so I just ate ALOT less and did alot more excercise. My dad didn't particularly like the idea, especially when he would take me and a few of my brothers to burger king and all I would have is a diet coke.

There was another diet in which I lost ten more pounds by just eating 2 bowls of cereal a day. I got down to 175, but I hit a stall and lost interest.

Since then I have gained back about 15 pounds, and at the rate I was going I would very easily hit the 200 mark once again, part of me didnt want that to happen, another part didn't care.

Then, we have some company over, and one of my mom's friends is on the Atkin's diet. I asked her a few questions about it, she gave me answers, so I thought I would try it. I experimented a little back that night, then the next day I went all the way. I have been trying to limit myself to about 5 to 10 carbs a day, and I haven't gone over it. Gone are my urges to raid the cabinets (I did it at first looking for stuff i could eat besides Tuna). I feel hungry alot, but I have read thats normal for the first few days. I have fought all temptation (like those little goldfish crackers I was feeding my sister), and so far have done very well (thats not much to say though, since this is only day 3). I don't know what it is, but I think this time around it's going to work. It's a little success for me, and I just thought I'd I share

Good luck guys
Steve

Steve!!! That's awesome! Congrats on finding something that's going to work for you!

So please tell me...what is this Atkins diet. I've heard so much about it but nobody has explained it to me. Care to indulge my curiosity?? <IMG SRC="smilies/question.gif" border="0">

Steve..congratulations on finding something that is working for you. Take things one day at a time..you have done a good job for 3 days...so there is nothing saying day 4 won't be just as successful. best of luck

Debbi

Wow Steve Congratulations!! I too, have heard alot about the Atkins diet, but do not fully understand. Maybe I'm a bit dense LOL. Anyway pat yourself on the back your doing awesome!!

Oh and I forgot to mention..I have heard alot of people having success w/Atkins and I would think that it is alot healthier than 2 bowls of cereal a day!! :) JMHO!!

Glad that you're having success!

Thanks guys :-)

Day four and I have lost 5 pounds...

:-)

For those who are curious, the Atkins diet is one where you the only thing you keep track of is how many carbohydrates you eat. For the first 2 weeks you can have up to 20 carbs, but I am still not really sure what happens after that...I dont have the book :-)

Steve congratulations on your five pound weight loss...you are off to a good start. You can probably get a copy of the Atkins Diet at a library or at a secondhand book store. You should read the book so you know what to expect. I am following a diet for my blood type. I read that people who have "O" type blood do well on the Atkins Diet. Do you know what blood type you have?

Artsy,
What do you mean by following a diet for your blood type? Could you explain a little more?

Thanks

I am so confused....I had no idea dieting went as far as blood type matching??/ Maybe that's why none of the diets I have tried have worked - they were wrong for my blood! Well that's just one more excuse to add to my pile! :laugh:

Steve congrats on your success so far and I hope it continues!

Great to hear your luck with Atkins. There are platuea's every now and them, but if you stick with it you will continue to lose.

The reference to blood type comes from a book called "Diet 4 your type". The suggestions have made alot of sense to me and the things they suggest I stay away from tend to be things that I am allergic to or cannot handle, nutritionally for some reason. The book is out there on the book-store shelves.

Look for Bill Phillips book as well. Originally meant for people into weight lifting, his premises are being touted by many current diet enthusiasts today. Basically it's a 40/40/20 x 5 (or 6) diet. What that means is 5 or 6 meals of 40 % protien, 40 % carbs, and 20 % fat; eaten every 2 to 3 hours. He suggest supporting that with daily slow aerobic, like walking, and toning with weights 2 or 3 times a week, and lots of water to keep the fat moving out.

It's working great for me. I'm never hungry and the weight is moving off.

Good luck to you, keep up the great work.

:peace:

Congrats on the loss and the gain of control! I too am a carbohydrate addict and the only way to turn those devils off is to control them!

You might also want to read The Carbohydrate Addicts Diet (Heller) which nicely explains why there are many of us who are truly "sensitive" to carbs. Eating them causes an overproduction of insulin which causes your body to crave more sugar/carbs to use up that insulin. The resulting high insulin levels also helps your body hold onto the fat. This is a simple version of the true physiology but it is really true for some people. The Hellers have a web site that has a "test" to see if your in the addiction range. I came out "severe"! I think it is carbohydrateaddicts.com but a search by their names will easily get you to the site if that is not right.

When you tire of Atkins, and you will, try adding only whole wheat breads and pastas, no white flours or sugars (minimal anyway). Remember that Atkins is very high in fat also and can contribute to heart disease. you can't eat like that for the rest of your life! The secret to control of the cravings, beleive me I know from personal experience, is to give up the processed sugars and flours on a regular basis. After a while, when you do want an occasional treat or for a special occasion, you will be able to control it because your levels will be low enough to not trigger that over production of insulin.

Good Luck~~ and remember, as nice as it is to lose weight fast, starving yourself is not the way to do it!

My cousin is on Atkins, so I'll explain the diet to everyone:

You are supposed to have 20 grams of carb a day or less for 2 weeks. This is called Induction. All these grams of carb are supposed to come from veggies and cheese - no fruits, no grains. So basically, you eat only protein and lots of green salad. There's a myth this is a diet where you live on lard, bacon and eggs. You *can* live on lard, but it's not what the book recommends. You can also do low-cal by eating tiny bits of fast-food, and that's not healthy either. Not to defend this diet, but you can do any diet the healthy way or the wrong way, I think - eating tons of grilled chicken, tuna, and egg whites like my cousin does is not bad for you.

After that, you are supposed to add 5 more grams of carb a day every week, until you get out of ketosis. When that happens, you need to reduce the carb again to remain in ketosis. Most people can eat from 25 to 35 grams of carb and remain in ketosis, so everyone needs to find their own limit. Berries are now allowed in restricted quantities, soft cheeses like cottage cheese, nuts, soy, and other veggies that were previously restricted. Still, there are no grains other than soy or fruits other than berries ever.

HTH