Seago2

Are you one of the striking network writers that went on a cruise and skipped the picket line. Thanks for the review.:)

That has to be it!

Oh. My. God.

DUDE.

You know how to write.

That is the funniest @#$%ing thing I have ever read on CC- including my own hilarious (to me) reviews.

I think the funniest part was the dots and dashes from the funnel... :D :) :D There are not enough smiley faces to express how hard I am laughing right now!!!!!!!

THANK YOU for the last 8 minutes of my life- you MORE THAN made up for the last three weeks of mindless bickering on CC-

Wierdly enough, after 5 days my sticks are still in the "trace" category. Believe me, I know where hidden carbs are located, and I can only think of a few places where there have been possibly very low grams.

However, I am losing at the "normal" Atkins induction rate and I feel pretty cracked out- the way I usually do on Day 5.

There is the probablility that I have tampered with my metabolic resistance by being in Induction for three weeks, OWL for a week, then carb city for a week.

But is it possible to be gently cruising along in OWL after that week from hell, without getting totally purple and actually being back to "square one"?

Can't rely on keto breath as an indicator any more, thx SFS:) .

Well, today: no sausage (despite reading the label and being convinced there was no corn syrup/sugars), no half and half from Starbucks, and... where else the carbs could be coming from I have no idea.

Kreeb: who is your friend/was your grandfather? My DH will probably know your friend's husband. He's a 20 year sheriff's deputy and his father was the Erie County sheriff for 12 years. The last cruise we were on we had three cops on our roll call, and we ate with another male cop/female lawyer combo every night. It was great to meet people we had things in common with.

I totally understand about looking at the fat in this diet and thinking: maybe there's a healthier way. Unfortunately I can't have more then a salad until like 2008 so it's meat, meat and more meat.

I hear ya about gaining 80 pounds- my problem is that I work out for two weeks, eat well, and turn around and get discouraged that I haven't dropped 70.

OK, more coffee- good morning everyone!

SF Sheila- thanks so much again. That is the book I have. I have always shied away from the whole "net carb" thing for the same KISS reason that you refer to. I look at net carbs on an Atkins bar and I know the thing will throw me right out of ketosis so I stay away. So- myth or reality???

The thing that kills me is when I get out of ketosis- the appetite takes over, the bargaining begins, the loss of control-

here I go again.

Today is great, yesterday was great, and tomorrow I will be candy free and that is ILL.

TTYL-

Kreeb: OK, what you wrote is absolutely not what I do! Maybe I gotta switch :eek:.

I usually eat high fat things for the first 48-72 hours until I get purple. Then... I do try to stay away from salt because I want the scale to be my friend. However, I would say I eat much more beef than fish or chicken. When I eat chicken, it is with the skin on (chicken wings and blue cheese are Atkins- look at my home town- that is one of the joys of this WOE- why would I miss it?). I thought we couldn't eat "lunch meat" so I don't- with the exception of roast beef (I thought deli chicken and turkey, even if it seems "real," always has fillers...). I guess my thinking is always 'hey, as long as I'm on Atkins I might as well enjoy it.' His book is also filled with 'don't worry about calories, don't worry about fat (except to have a LOT of it the first few days), don't worry about portion size.' Of course, portion size doesn't even matter as I lose the hunger pretty quickly.

Oh- Sheila has in her website how to avoid "keto breath." Drink more fluids. Who knew? I used to be very conscious of the bad breath factor!

It's not the weight loss factor on Atkins. I get discouraged when I stall- but what kind of stall still has you losing 2-4 a week? It's just that it is so restrictive..... And I always have a hard time moving out of induction for some reason. I go from 20 to 25 to 30 to 300.

Carolyn: I hear ya. It's all about preparation and having the right food on hand. What can you tell someone- 'Can you make sure I have ribs, chicken wings and hamburgers on hand? That's all.' It is almost embarassing to sit there and go medieval on a chicken in front of someone who is eating a lean cuisine and weighs 40 pounds less. I have been staying at my mother's (she had surgery) for three days- hence the cashews- it was that or air, basically.

But I understand how life intervenes. It would be easier to be a multiply allergic vegan than to be in induction. But the carbs truly do kill me- I get literally out of control. I just saw it again last week and I don't need any more reminders. I guess I just stick with Atkins for a month or so and then *crash*. Plus with kids? I have five, DH has three, and they are all here together 10 days a month. Four are high school athletes and eat Power Bars, cereal, pop tarts, granola bars, pizza, waffles, dried fruit (a weakness), pasta... and three are younger and eat candy, yogurt, rolls, ice cream, more pasta, more pizza- you name it. My kids are here more days but it is less of a complete free for all. DH is an Irish cop- potatoes?????

Well, now that I just went on for half an hour about why I can't do it...

It really does work. I lost a huge amount after baby #4 on it.

Sheila: I know you eat mainly green veg and less protein and even less whole grains. But face it- I am months away from that kind of carb intake! Thanks so much for your help- everyone on here should go spend half an hour on her site- LOADED with useful content-

Purple vibes, everyone-

Sheila!!! Thank you so much. You are like a demi God to me at this point- I've spent tons of time on your site and fwded it to ten people. It really is helpful. The FAQ's are great and the motivation part is awesome . Read the magazine article, too (definitely played down the Atkins factor but played up the exercise factor).

I've read the Atkins book so many times it's sick. "Better than sex and sunshine" is how I should be feeling by... Monday. Actually, I am in the pink right now so I am on my way. I never, ever have nuts on induction- that was a rarity. I always rely too heavily on cheese. Oh well. Here goes induction again. I just can't believe I am sitting here, a year later, still fooling around with the same 20 pounds. It is so frustrating. At least I did post a ten pound lost on induction last month, three of which are still off. Considering the damage I did last week, I'll take it.

Thank you so much for your words of wisdom and support. I will definitely buy your dessert book if I can just cruise through induction without bargaining with myself. At the very least Easter will not represent a gain for me.

Hopefully the next time I post I will not sound like such a whiner!

Hey SF Sheila- OK, I fell off the Atkins wagon two weeks ago in the throes of PMS (is this the TMI thread at this point??). After eating candy with the kids for two days I made the usual bargain: I'll do WW Flex, stick within the points, and if not I'll go back to eating meat all day again.

My stomach bloated out almost immediately, I gained back 7 of the 10 I lost on Atkins induction (if you figure 5 is water on Atkins, then I really gained back two, but lost two weeks of time PLUS the three or four MORE pounds I would have lost if I hadn't fallen off). My eating brought new meaning to the phrase "out of control." Bummed out? Yes. Oh- and well over the points allowance every day, with the groggy mornings full of remorse and the reckless promises of a new day every night as I tucked in to ice cream or whatever.

So yesterday: back on induction, but played fast and loose there with some cashews so I probably won't get purple until Sunday.

I think what really drove me away, besides the sugar cravings- in spite of downing chromium picolinate like they were candy- was that my rate of loss stalled. Intellectually I know that is normal as my water loss had stopped. But then I macked out on some one gram flan and I turned around and went "OK, I've eaten ten eggs and two cups of heavy cream in two days. Weight loss zero in four days. This is insane. I'm out."

I have lost 50-70 six times (five pregnancies and one... let's call it depression). Atkins was a part of every loss but usually just to get me rolling for like a month. Now it is so much harder- I have no real reason to lose and yet my whole life is BUMMED OUT because I can fit into no clothes (lawyer = suits = thousands of dollars sitting in closet)- and my helpful FIL said to me two days ago: "I saw you watching that brownie and then I saw you eat it. Your backside is too big to take any more brownies." He is RIGHT. Out of the mouths of demented, decrepit old men... SORRY PAPA! We have a very jokey relationship but he is so right AND trying to spur me on to a loss here.

Sheila, your website is so inspiring. Maybe I'll go back to your FAQ's and try to get it going. I'm on board and looking forward to the water loss and flatter stomach but at the same time very, very unsure of how long I can make it. Seriously- PMS is the killer. DH and I have 8 kids between us- athletes and little kiddos- the food in this house is unbelievable.

OK, off to eat some bacon. BTW- last time I stayed away from the salty stuff (like bacon) and that really helped. Usually on Atkins I get a wicked salt hangover that no amount of fluids can handle.

Thanks again- oh, and nice to see your cruise went well!

I have been on Atkins since mid-2001, maintaining my weight loss since I made goal in late 2001, and have never felt better. :) As far as breakfast goes, the sky's the limit! Everything from low-carb pancakes, flax muffins, shakes, to even ribs or other leftovers from the evening before is doable.

 

As for cruises, there is no easier way to maintain or even lose weight. Even though I'm long at goal, invariably I return from a cruise a pound or two lighter just because it's so easy to eat well and get exactly what I want. Special requests of "no-this" and "extra-that" are truly a snap, and every cruiseline I have been on is ultra-accommodating whether you are doing the fine dining option, or are at the buffet.

 

I've got a cruise fast approaching next month, so I am so very excited! I love reading the posts here. Hope everyone is having a nice week. :)

Welcome, Sheila! I just went to your site- what an amazing resource. I particularly LOVE your FAQ's. I just sent it to about ten friends.

Hi all-

I'm doing very well on Atkins this time. I lost 40 on Atkins in '97 but then had a fifth child and although SOME weight came on I was still OK. Then... life happens... and here was me before my last cruise in january:

Ate a whole carrot cake in one day- a huge one bought for the office.

Ate Burger King while rolling through McDonald's- then got donuts.

Ate cereal at night when there were no more cookies or ice cream- two bowls.

ETCETERA.

After the cruise it was even worse. I would start off with oatmeal and a banana, pledging to be on Core for 6 months, and then be eating granola bars out of my purse by 10 am, then the sugar thing would just snowball. Everyone else in my office is fit to begin with- and they were all dropping Holiday weight. I would just take everything they weren't eating and laugh and walk away. I am a lawyer and suits are a pretty big investment. I wore the same two in December and January, and finally in Feb I broke down and bought two more. And I own about 15, from size 6 Talbot's to (now) size 14 Macy's brand on total markdown, squaresville ugly-a** horrors.

I remember a month ago, spending an entire weekend lying on the couch with my kids hanging around, watching about 10 movies, eating chips, etc etc, ordering out, sending the 12 year old out to get "us" some candy for the next movie...

DO YOU ALL GET THE PICTURE?

So anyhoo, started Atkins 10 days ago, induction is going the best it has ever gone- I think because I am staying away from the things that would really give me a "hangover"- such as a pound of bacon:D. My friend started with me and she is doing the things that make me gag, such as cooking a roast all day and then eating and snacking off of it for two days. I am trying to get in and get out, like a Navy Seal, just enough shrimp or cheese or meat or whatever, so that I'm not practically gagging at the thought of it the next day.

Sticks have been purple since day 3, appetite low since day 5.

RESULT: 188.6 ten days ago, 178.1 today. YES!:) Atkins says appr 4 pounds is water.

I know it will slow down asap, but I think I lost the water pretty quickly, and now it's a steady .5-1.0 a day.

I can't believe I have CONTROL. I'm just so PSYCHED that I have lost the obsession with food.

Anyway, we all know it works, so why is it exactly that we go off of it? Oh yeah, cruising. A good ten day cruise will have me bingeing on carbs for at least two months before (why not- I'll diet after the cruise), and then a floating complete binge for ten days, then I come back and I am a carb addicted ZOMBIE, dragging myself around, stomach bloated so nothing fits, eating 3000 cals a day, etc etc!

BTW, in case anyone cares, I'm 44, have five kids ranging in age from 23 to 8, am 5'9", and have been 150 and 188 in the last 2 years. Just for reference!

I always use the following analogies:

 

Carnival: Denny's & Saturn

NCL: Old Country Buffet & Chevrolet

Royal Caribbean: Olive Garden & Honda

Celebrity: Macaroni Grill & Acura

Princess: Bravo & BMW

Cunard: Capital Grille/Ruth's Chris & Mercedes

 

So would HAL be the Early Bird special at the Pompano Golf Club and a Model T?

THANK YOU!!!! Sending it to my mother and brother right now.

How can I forget her? First saw her in 1974, when I was on QE2 with my family. I was 11 at the time. I opened the curtain in the morning and was staring at my own name.

Carla C.

Okay... I'm gonna try it. Last time I sailed my suitcase had a card in it that said it was checked by Homeland Security. So I KNOW they went over my stuff pretty thoroughly. Are you sure that all they (by which I mean CCL, not HS- what would they care? But as long as it is open, someone from CCL might be standing there...) will do is confiscate it? They won't do anything more harsh, will they?