Low Carb & Atkins Diet

WELSHGIRL · New Member Joined: 10 Jan 2010 Posts: 13

Hello everyone ,
I have been on induction now for 8 days since evening of 2nd january 2010.Im 35 years old with 3 kids and a husband (so 4 kids really :)and i am 4 foot 10 inches tall.I have done atkins once before for just over a month and lost a stone before i became lenient and allowed myself ''days off '' which was diet suicide for me.
My weight today after 8 days is 12st 11lb (loss of 7lb of water and fat).I am really pleased as i assume it would have taken a couple of days for my body to start to adjust and use up the carbs i ate on new years day (full new years dinner,pudding y know all that lovely stuff:)
Im not going to weigh myself every day but i will post my progress on here .

spirit · Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 2:38 pm Post subject:

Welcome Welshgirl. Im in the UK so relate to the stones and pounds thing.

You've done so well. Keep up the good work

Helen

tracyred · Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 2:56 am Post subject:

ha ha yes, i was trying to add in me head Smile

anyway, welcome welshgirl - you're in the right place - please tell us whether you've read the book?

if not, you must, you must! Smile

keep us posted - on your questions, feelings, etc - we're interested in much more than your weight loss

and - ha ha toni! i got here before you: take all your measurements!!! (for yourself, not for us to read - but for when you hit stalls, slow loss etc....to keep yourself motivated!)

tracy

WELSHGIRL · New Member Joined: 10 Jan 2010 Posts: 13

Hi tracyred and spirit, thanks for the welcome messages.Yes i have read the big orange dr atkins book .I bought it at car boot sale about a few years ago when i first tried atkins.
Today (13th jan ) i weighed in at 12st 9 lb .Im 12 days into my induction and iv lost a total to date of 9lb of water and fat .I feel really great, the headaches have gone and i have loads of energy and ''get up and go''.Losing this weight has given me a huge boost and i feel really positive that this time i really will lose all the excess ''baggage'' i gained whilst having my 3 kids.My kids are now 14,9 and 7 .My husband bought me the most beautiful dress for christmas and it was way too small with me needing size large (16 - 1 Cool

and this being a size medium (around size 12 - 14 ).I decided there was no point in me exchanging it for a bigger size whilst trying to be smaller Smile

So i have hung it in my bedroom where i can see it everday to give me motivation !!
We have had snow virtually everyday since 3rd january and only on the 5th and 9th have we been able to get out of the house !! Again today we are snowed in after 6 inches of snow last night !!
Im hoping i dont run out of atkins friendly food, we live on the preseli mountains in pembrokeshire wales and the nearest shop is 6 miles away and there are 5 foot snow drifts blocking our roads !!

Tril · Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 3:59 pm Post subject:

I suppose if you're not used to that seems like a lot of snow. For us, it's a dusting. LOL Hope you're able to get out and get what you need soon. We're headed to our cabin in the woods this weekend. We'll have to dig out the door so we can get in... it's usually waist deep every time we get there. I cut steps in the snow so we can get from the door to the level of the snow where our snowmobiles sit. But then... we're used to it and prepared for it.

Glad to hear your energy is back and how positive you're feeling! Take a picture of the dress... I'd LOVE to see it! I may be "outdoorsy" and wear camo and work boots a lot, but I'm nuts about heels and dresses, too. LOL I'm outdoor girly.

tracyred · Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 11:13 pm Post subject:

yeah, lets see the dress!!!

t

merlot · Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 1:02 am Post subject:

Tracy, you vixen you, you stole my "tape measurement" best line! LOL

WELSHGIRL, Welcome to you!!! You will get LOTS of support here!

This must be a terrible winter for you...hope it is not a repeat when the UK got a "little ice age" way back when in recorded time, between 1300 and 1800. And they blame this on "global warming?"

Hmmmm.

I'm anxious for Spring because it is dark, gloomy and cold in Richmond, Virginia, USA and I want to walk outdoors for a half hour at night, but can't yet. Soon.

My best to you!

Toni

WELSHGIRL · New Member Joined: 10 Jan 2010 Posts: 13

Hi all,
i know its been bit of a gap between progress reports . My weight is at 12stone 8lb , not a lot of weight loss the last week however i have a pretty good idea why i have only lost 1lb since my last post.
Firstly, i was not drinking enough water and therefore my body couldnt metabolise the fat storage,plus when you are dehydrated your liver has to work doing the kidneys job and therefore your liver doesnt break down your fat cells.I am trying to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.
Also yesterday i have to confess that i fell of the atkins wagon ;0
I bought a new fridge freezer as my old one broke and i put all my food in in and put it on fast freeze overnight.When i got up in the morning all my food had defrosted and everything except some bacon and eggs was ruined.
I had to take the freezer to be repaired so i had no fridge from saterday until this afternoon (i have borrowed one from a friend until mine is fixed)
Yesterday i was so fed up and there was no food for me in the house i ordered a lamb curry with rice, i ate 2 biscuits , approx 2 inches of french stick ,2 chocolate liquers,and a cadburys caramel bar that i found in the cupboard.
I was so full i felt like i was going to explode !!
Today im back on the water and being good i have food i can eat in the fridge and im not going to beat myself up with this .I look at the positives ,iv lost 10lb which is not water (because im drinking lots of water) and if i lose another 4lb in the next 7 days ( i can hope Smile

i will have lost 1 stone in a month.
funny thing is my keto stix are still reading positive for ketones this afternoon .

spirit · Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 4:01 pm Post subject:

that's the spirit! Get right back on track as soon as possible. Your doing really well. We've lost the same amount. Cool

WELSHGIRL · New Member Joined: 10 Jan 2010 Posts: 13

Been to tescos , they have a good offer on at the moment with 3 for £10 on meats.I bought 1 pack of 6 pork steaks and 2 packs of 2 x lamb steaks. Im going to have one pack of lamb steaks and a cup of broccoli with butter . Yesterday it was a bit crazy , after 24 days of no bread,cake,pastry,sweets,sugar then to eat all of them on day 25 im supprised i didnt start zooming around !! I cant say it tasted that great either (apart for the whisky liquors).Weighed myself today and im the same weight so no real damage done.
Well done on the weight loss spirit and thanks for the support.

Tatiana13 · New Member Joined: 20 Jan 2010 Posts: 22

Hey welshgirl,

kudos for getting back to plan. I'm also 4'10" (and a half...and a half!), and when I started losing weight, I was really close to your weight...I was 176 lbs. I know you've had some setbacks, but my advice (unsolicited! Sorry!) is to expect lapses. Some people are so disciplined and regimented that they never "fall off the wagon," but I had numerous moments along the way. But once I accepted that I wasn't ever going to be perfect, I would minimize lapses. The temptation when going off plan is to binge and to eat everything you haven't eaten (but wanted) in weeks...some ice cream, some pizza, take out...but when I accepted that these weren't "splurge gifts" but truly mistakes, I would limit it to one item, one meal, one taste, and then to get back on plan NOT the next day or next week, but immediately after swallowing that last bite! Resist the temptation to "start over." This is a way of life, not a diet, and life includes mistakes!

Good work so far and keep at it!

WELSHGIRL · New Member Joined: 10 Jan 2010 Posts: 13

Thanks tatiana, im back in ketosis and hopefully it will be another 3 weeks before i do anything daft again Smile

Yes being short is a drag when it comes to weight, when you are 4 foot something every pound gained looks like two on a taller person,when i say to people i need to be around 7- 8 stone to be my ideal weight they think that is too light as a 5 foot 6 person would be very underweight at that !!
Before i had my children i was 6 1/2 stone , very athletic i used to run 100 meters sprints at county level .At 21 i had my first child and i went up to 8 stone followed by my son at 26 when i reached 11 stone and at 28 after having my third child i developed PCOS which has made the weight thing worse.Hopefully as i loose weight it will improve

tracyred · Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 11:14 pm Post subject:

well done "coming back" W-G! yeah, look - here's another temtation though - to see that nothing terrible happened after your carb-fest may make you think you can do that every now and then and be okay. let me tell you from experience that it's not true Smile

- i did that for the second half of last year and didn't lose anything (hence, being back on track this year sigh!) - with still around 25 pounds to lose!

anyway, tatiana's advice was good - that just a taste will suffice. i too love to stuff myself, and you really were having some stress too, which didn't help! but just keep on, and try not to do it again (and again, and again and again!)

later,
tracy

WELSHGIRL · New Member Joined: 10 Jan 2010 Posts: 13

Hi tracyred, yes you are right it is not a good thing to do but in a funny way i think it gave me an experience which will help in the future.Firstly the food didnt taste that great and secondly because my stomach has shrunk a bit from not eating stodgy food i found the feeling bloated horrible . Next time i get the urge to stray, i will think how it wasnt that great and hopefully that will help me to stay on the straight and narrow:)

tracyred · Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 12:46 am Post subject:

excellent...(you know what i mean)- sadly, for me - the food *always* tastes great Sad

but for me it's a help to know that i actually don't want one cookie...i want 12 - or not just a taste of ice cream - i want a tonne of it. so i'm not having any!

Smile

but you are doing soooo well - and with your great attitude as well!
tracy

merlot · Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 2:05 am Post subject:

Gotta agree with Tracy! Just keep on plugging!

WELSHGIRL · New Member Joined: 10 Jan 2010 Posts: 13

Hi all ,
couple of questions for anyone who knows.
Firstly when i boil my brocolli is it ok to have a small abount of bisto gravy granuels with it?
carbs 2.3 grams of which sugers 0.5 g per seving fat 0.6 .
Secondly is there a connection between carbonated diet drinks and water retention?
i drank only water for 2 days and had less water retention but then i drank a couple of fizzy diet ginger beers and i noticed my rings were not as loose as they had been.Has anyone else noticed this?

Tatiana13 · New Member Joined: 20 Jan 2010 Posts: 22

Hi Welshgirl,

I can't comment on the gravy granules...but in the case of diet soda, it probably contains sodium...whether it has "alot" or just "some" sodium, it certainly has more than water and probably affects water retention. But I guess you have to decide "compared to what." When I eat anything besides basic food from my kitchen and water I retain a little more water, but I can deal with a little movement...a 1/2 lb or less is fine with me...but often when I go out to eat, I can gain 2 lbs of water overnight, which, always makes me think twice before eating at some places....Which is to say, if a little diet soda doesn't effect your weight loss (which it does for some people), AND it helps you to stay to your plan, you might decide a "little" water retention now and again is worth it to you, but if its a lot, you might make a different decision. Just pay attention to your own body and think about what makes sense for you.

That's my two cents!

merlot · Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 10:14 pm Post subject:

I Googled Bisto...those 2.3g carbs are for 4 grams. That's 10+% of your daily carb allowance. I wonder what the "other carbs" are since sugar is so low? Doesn't appear to be fiber. 'Tis a mystery!

I just looked at one of my Wyler's bouillon cubes and it was 4 grams, so "portion size-wise" it equates to a rounded teaspoonful is my guess. Does that flavor a large portion, or just your portion? Do you mix it with water, or sprinkle it dry when on veggies? I guess if it were me, I'd have to ask if it really adds that much flavor. A Tbsp of lemon juice is less than 1g.

Since they don't sell it here, I can't speak to the above. I might try it one time (maybe use less) and see what it does, but there are very few Induction approved add-ins. I'd wait if there were any approved add-ins I liked as well.

Let us know more about it.

tracyred · Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 10:44 pm Post subject:

alternatively, you can forget it entirely, and roast your broccoli in olive oil, and then dip it in mayo mixed with a bit of onion powder...

yummo!!

Smile

WELSHGIRL · New Member Joined: 10 Jan 2010 Posts: 13

Hi everyone,
Bisto is a gravy granuels , you add bioling water and it makes a thick meaty gravy , you can buy different ones for different meats but i tend to use original bisto gravy which can be used for all meats especially beef.It is prob the most common gravy you can buy in uk traditionally used for sunday dinner over your beef and yorkshire puddings.You can pour it over your veggies and meat but i have had to stop eating yorkshire puddings as they are basically pancake mix .Another food i miss are honey glazed roast parsnips , i love them !! but they are coated in sugar so very very bad !!
For the last 2 days i have restarted doing wii fit , i bought the wii fit last year and did it for a bit but now im going to do half an hour every day if possible to help raise my metabolism.Iv been hula hooping,yoga,running,step aerobics and balancing excercises.Too early to tell if it will have any effect on weight loss but if it makes me feel fitter i think thats more important.
When i first did atkins i figured i would do the induction and lose lots of weight and then continue to lose slowly.I realise that ''induction'' is really only the first part of the changes you need to make.Everyday i seem to change something ,some small part of my way of eating and or discovering what needs to change in order to improve my weight and health.The increase in energy that the diet gives you sets you in good stead to start to move about and do things more ,i found that since the carb cloud and depression i felt when eating lots of carbs, things seem brighter,my mood is better and i feel a lot more optomistic about life so i actually feel like doing something about my weight and health.No other diet has improved my PCOS which also causes depression and lathergy.My weight has not changed since last post but thats ok at least im not gaining !!

Tril · Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 1:50 pm Post subject:

"Bisto is a gravy granuels , you add bioling water and it makes a thick meaty gravy... "

Thick? Not clear like broth? Anything thickened usually has starch in it... which means high carb. If these granuels make a thick gravy, they are most likely NOT good for a low carb diet.

Tatiana13 · New Member Joined: 20 Jan 2010 Posts: 22

Welshgirl,

Kudos to you for not gaining and making a committment to add some exercise to your daily routine. Exercise seems to help with everything...mood, energy, feelings of self control, and at least for me, carb cravings.

Keep it up!

merlot · Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 1:59 am Post subject:

Your returning to Wii sounds like a GREAT idea, and I truly believe it will keep the fires burning and assist you in your weight loss, not just your mental frame of mind.

Sounds like you are on a VERY positive roll! Keep it up!

Toni

WELSHGIRL · New Member Joined: 10 Jan 2010 Posts: 13

Hi everyone,
weighed myself today and am down to 12stone 7lb so total loss since 2nd jan of 11lb .
Didnt quite make my goal of 1 stone in a month but im happy with 11lb.

shiver · Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 4:22 pm Post subject:

Good job!

merlot · Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 6:44 pm Post subject:

11 pounds is TERRIFIC! I'll bet you FEEL so much better, too!

On to month 2!

Toni

WELSHGIRL · New Member Joined: 10 Jan 2010 Posts: 13

Hi everyone, just passing through to let you know i am down to 12 stone 6 lb total weight loss of 12lb . Not the fast weight loss of before but slow and steady does it Smile

tracyred · Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 6:44 am Post subject:

very true WG - well done you!
t

merlot · Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 12:19 am Post subject:

Steady does it...sometimes I feel like a snail, but a happy, well-fed, satisfied snail!!

Actually, I like the tortoise analogy better...who likes snails? (other than in Escargot!)

Enjoy your progress, slow but steady!

Toni

WELSHGIRL · New Member Joined: 10 Jan 2010 Posts: 13

Hi everyone.
Well im down another 1lb to 12 stone and 5lb.Total weight loss 13lb just one 1lb to lose for that 1 stone milestone.I cant say iv been an angel, there have been times over the last 2 months that i have strayed a bit and had things which were not good but iv tried to limit what i have eaten during those times.I think my weight loss would have been much more if i had been good all the time.
However i am thankful for every oz of weight i have lost and determined to lose the other 3 stone + iv got to lose.

merlot · Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 3:25 am Post subject:

Hey, every "stone" counts (14 pounds for us here in the US!)

I'll take all the "pebbles" (one pound here) I can get!

Toni

WELSHGIRL · New Member Joined: 10 Jan 2010 Posts: 13

1 STONE LOST !!!!!!!
today iv weighed in at 12 stone 4lb !!!!!!!!!
i guess you could say thats a weight of my shoulders !!

merlot · Posted: Sun Mar 21, 2010 2:29 am Post subject:

Welshgirl...CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

Keep in touch!!

Toni

tracyred · Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 11:39 am Post subject:

yooo-hooo,
we're baaack!

Smile