30lbs by May 24th

[tinatina]

Hey Friends!

Busy Busy day here! Totally OP tho! I haven't been posting my menus this week, but I have stayed totally OP. Hoping to see a loss tomorrow! :fingers crossed:

Bethin - I know what you mean about having someone in the family dieting with you! Sometimes its just nice to have someone else to talk to about it! Glad you DD is doing well! A size 8! I am green w/envy!

GME - I hope you get the job thing figured out! That really sucks! Glad to hear that your niece is improving!

catne -

BBL or tomorrow!

[hummingbird11]

Hi everyone! I'm new to low carb life!

I began Somersizing on 03/10/08 (& lost 4 lbs) ~ and I've learned a TON of great info here & there on various websites & blogs over the past 2 weeks ~ and I have now decided to start the Atkins Induction on 03/24/08 ~ ANY TIPS?

I'm a 44-year old ovarian cancer survivor; I turn 45 on May 30th; heading to Kona on June 6th; and I'd like to be a good 20-30 lbs lighter by June 1st.

I have no idea if that is a reasonable goal or not (?) but I'm gonna give it a shot! Hubby will do this with me; but he only needs to lose 10 lbs.

I think RED WINE is gonna be the absolute hardest thing for me to give up! And chocolate! Oh and my sacrosanct 1 cup of coffee in the morning!

I would LOVE to give/get ~ support/encouragement/motivation ~ thru a daily menu check-in & weekly weigh-in etc. ~ and hoping this is the right place??

Question: What is "ketosis" and how does one test for it & how often, etc. ?

Please feel free to share anything you think might help me succeed!

Thanks! I am happy to be here! It feels right!

[hummingbird11]

PS ~ how do U get a picture to display under your name/stats to the left?

[Meekness29]

Hummingbird

First, let me congratulate you on beating cancer. Praise God for his mercy -

Secondly, your goal of 20lbs seems very doable. Just make sure to eat clean and exercise atleast 30 mins 3x a week -

You can add a picture by selecting "user control panel" at the top of the screen - then select avatar.

HTH and again, welcome

Meekness

[GME]

Welcome Hummingbird!

You'll see a lot of folks here who drop many pounds very quickly. It may very well happen to you too, but try not to get discouraged if it doesn't. The more you have to lose, the faster it can come off. If you stick with it it WILL come off though and no matter what you weigh when you go to HI you will feel better and have more energy.

The good news is many here (including me) never gave up coffee. It is very much a YMMV(your mileage may vary) thing.

[hummingbird11]

Thank you both very much, on ALL counts!

I did go under User Panel last night; but I didn't even know what an Avatar was till just now, so thanks!

I chose a butterfly as it signifies "transformation" and has been my symbol since I was gifted with The Big C in 2005. And it WAS a gift of perspective of what is truly important in life. I am fortunate to be able to say that even tho I got dangerously close to the edge of no return (literally) my life is even better today because of what I endured.

I look forward to starting Induction on Monday ~
(I'm still Somersizing thru the w/e) ~
Any tips for me in preparation of next week?

Until then, Happy Easter! Stay strong and don't eat any candy!
After reading this, you won’t want to!
The Lighter Side of Low-Carb
(I love this woman)

XO,
HB

[GME]

Boil eggs and mix up some tuna salad. That's what I do.

[hummingbird11]

Ready with the eggs! What's your recipe for "legal" tuna salad? I like to use mayo; mustard; pickle relish.

[GME]

I use mayo, celery and chopped SF sweet pickles. When I sit down to eat it I usually put some cubed cheddar in it and sprinkle some "Almond Accents" salad topper on top for crunch. I'm not on induction though. The nuts might not work for you and you have to limit cheese in induction. It sure is tasty though!

[hummingbird11]

Oh celery too, great idea! I loaded up on large cans of tuna in water, thanks for the suggestion.

I'm going to read everything I can get my hands on this w/e and get my mind untangled from Somersizing and wrapped around Atkins; my 2002 version of New Diet Revolution should be here soon (got it for .01 + 3.99 on Amazon!)

One quick question I have ... is FF Half & Half OK on Atkins?
(a "no no" on SS as it's a carb/pro/fat combo "funky food")

Thanks!
HB

[Antigone]

Can I join?

I figure its kind of late for me to join now, and I probably won't lose 30 by March 24th. But who knows, right?

I'm 180.2 pounds this morning. I really would love to get to goal by my 30th birthday - July 24, 2008, 135 pounds, but I'd take 150 or less.

[hummingbird11]

Hi Antigone, I'm brand new too. Starting Induction on Monday, 3/24.

I want to go from 175 to 145 or at least 150 by my 45th bday, May 30.

Here's what has been recommended to me by Cleochatra:

2002 version of New Diet Revolution (the red book)

Atkins Diet: Phase One: Induction

Atkins Diet Bulletin Board - What are the Rules of Induction?

Atkins Diet Bulletin Board - What foods can be eaten on Induction?

Wallet-Sized Card:

Atkins Diet Bulletin Board - Free wallet sized food list to print! NEW IMPROVED

Recipes & Menu Ideas: (asterisks next to induction-friendly recipes)

Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes - Home

You probably have all of this stuff, but just in case, I wanted to share!
XO,
HB

[Antigone]

^hey thanks!

I think you'd have no problem if you follow the rules to a T. Me, I don't know, I've been low-carbing for quite awhile so I may lose slower.

Thanks for the very warm welcome. =)

[GME]

Hey Everyone, Saturday morning! I'm about to hit the road for Easter so I'll go first.

Todays weigh-in: 225.5 That's 7.5 lbs in 14 days.

I'm not doing a strict induction and I was maintaining before I joined here, so that is a pretty good loss for me. I usually lose much more slowly. I think its coconut oil. That's the only thing I'm doing differently now than the hundred times before. I'm up to about 2 tbls a day in my coffee.

Butterfly, You're off to a great start! Dr. Atkins reccomends heavy cream and I stay away from "fat free" anything. What did they put in there when they took the fat out???

Antigone, Welcome I'm here til June 24th and trying to lose 34 lbs, so there are no hard and fast rules.

Have a great Easter everyone. Don't go near the chocolate bunnies!

[mrs I]

Hi
still going
Weigh in: 148

[catne]

Down 1 more pound...was hoping for more, but ended up doing several "Atkins" days this week, but with my messed up metabolism, I just don't lose much on Atkins (good for maintaining, and not gaining!) So, will be back hard on strict Stillman's Monday to get weight loss going better again. Still, I've lost 34.2 since 12/30/2007--so that's better than 10 lbs a month, and 11 since we begain this challenge...I'll take it!

Good to see others having success...with Spring arriving, we'll have even more incentive to stay on plan!

Have a lovely Easter, all (and stay out of the candy!!!!Step away from the baskets...)

[hummingbird11]

Thanks GME!

OK, I just spent the better part of the afternoon getting ready for Induction tomorrow!!

I printed a week's worth of Menus/Recipes from this AWESOME website: Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes - Induction Menus

And made myself an "Atkins" binder & shopping list + I'm headed to the store ~ and then home to cook and bake for me & hubby's weekly meals ... whew!

This may be a silly question ~ but if I eat everything per Linda's Induction Menu's ~ am I being truly "Legal"??

And please tell me about Coconut Oil ?
Oh and they replace the Fat with Carbs, that's what they do!

Many thanks!
Pulelehua (Butterly in Hawaiian)

[hummingbird11]

Hi Catne ~ congratulations on the 11 lbs! What is Stillman's? Thanks!

[catne]

Hi, Hummingbird...sorry I didn't see your post until this evening...was busy with holiday stuff.

Let me say first of all that I have an extremely resistant metabolism, with diagnosed hypothyroidism (medications still being adjusted.) After years of yo-yo dieting, my metabolism is so messed up, I tend to just maintain on Atkins, which is better than continuing to gain but will not get me to goal! (This is with absolutely no cheats, very small amount of caffeinated tea daily, no artificial sweeteners, no prepared/packaged LC foods.) So, a friend suggested trying Stillman's.

Basically, Dr, Stillman's is an earlier, much stricter version of low carb. This forum has a thread about it: Dr.Stillman's ~Quick Weight Loss Diet

The difference is on Stillman's Quick Weight Loss (QWL), you eat nothing but lean meats & eggs. No fat. No veggies. No Cheese. No dairy products except 1/2 cup very low fat cottage cheese per day (1% or no-fat if you can find it.) No packaged low carb substitutes like protein shakes/bars/breads etc. It is ultra BORING! And DRY! But, it works for me. Take a good multi vitamin.

What I've been doing is eating 4-7 days of very pure Stillman's, and then a day or two of Atkins' Induction. What happens for me is that I lose 2-5 lbs during the Stillman's version...then maintain that weight loss during the Atkin's induction. The benefit here is that the Atkin's Induction days seem like "cheat" days after the very dry & boring Stillman's days...on my Atkins days, I fry eggs in butter, have bacon & drippy greasy sausage for breakfast, eat my favorite cheeses, have small salads or small servings of green beans, aspargus, etc. But I only do that for a day or two, then it's back to lean meat & boring...and losing. I still do not use artificially sweetened products or diet sodas during the Atkins parts, either, because these items seem to stall me for days and/or cause me to eat non-stop...I think they must trigger insulin issues in me.

It's very restrictive, and definitely not for everyone. Several other people have had some success with this, while others find it just too restrictive to stick with. But it's the only thing that I continue to have success with, so that's what keeps me going on it. And getting the "reward" days of Atkins with fat, dairy & veggies!

[catne]

Sorry about that very long post...but one thing I forgot to add, Hummingbird:

try Atkins, "by the book", first. Many people lose happily with Atkins (I did, when I was younger, and before thyroid issues developed.)

It is much easier to stay on Atkins if it works for you.

I would not recommend Stillman's unless you find Atkins does not work.

[BeThin]

Hoping everyone had a wonderful Easter...

I am going to start induction today. I think it will help me out.

I have a friend from my church who is also doing it... So , we are going to keep each other accountable.

[catne]

How wonderful you found a partner for induction, BeThin...my DH is doing Atkins/Stillman's with me, and it is so much easier to have someone else to talk to about it, and work together/support each other. Good luck & happy Low carbing

[tinatina]

oops! I'm a ding dong, I forgot about the Saturday Roll Call! I was at 167. So I'm a whole 3 lbs down for the challenge! But, hey, I'll take it!

[hummingbird11]

Catne, thank you very very very much for the very comprehensive explanation! I really appreciate your taking the time to do that for me! Very helpful. I will take your suggestion and do "by the book" Atkins Induction for at least 2 weeks, possibly 4-6 weeks. Then go from there. I think your alternating plan is a good one and I wish you much success! I will drop in here and other threads from time to time but since I don't have very much spare time, (and if I do then I am not exercising enough!), I'm going to keep my actual postings mainly over at Bay Area Babes (ha!) under Challenges. It's a local group of N Calif gals keeping each other accountable and boy do I need that!

XO,
HB

[Lrr9305]

OK im going to do this, This will be my first challenge. im excited.

[missjazzy27]

Hi Im Becca.....he he Im normally a lurker/learner but would love to join my first challenge!!!