Newbie in the New Year
 

I have been posting for a week or so and figured that introducing myself would be the polite thing to do. I am 71 years old and retired with my wife of 40+ years in southern Virginia. I have been overweight my entire life and like most people here have been on many diets having some success but always regaining the weight.

In 1998 I was at my all time high weight of 348 pounds. Following the usual eat less routine, I managed to get my weight down to 316, not bad, but after stalling for a while my weight climbed to 324. I had been at this crossroad many times and knew I had to try something different to have any chance to succeed. That is when I discovered Atkins. I read Atkins Diet Revolution, Protein Power and Carbohydrate Addict's Diet. I set a goal of getting down to 260 and reached the goal in five months. I kept the weight off for 2+ years but after I retired, the I started regaining. We also moved to a place where we used to go on vacation which put us in vacation mode all the time, dining out often including drinks and dessert. Before I knew it I was back over 300 pounds. I bounced around between 295 and 330 for the next 12 years or so.

So as we start 2018 I have survived another holiday season and weigh in at 296.4. I started 2017 at 320 so I am satisfied with where I stand. I am going to stick with Atkins and see where it leads me this year.

I would like to say a few things about this board. I have been on several similar boards, Low Carb Friends, 3Fat Chicks, Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle and Atkins. They are all welcoming and supportive and they all have people with tremendous success stories. To me there are 3 things that set this board apart. First is longevity, so many people who have been here a dozen years or more and many of them continue to stay long after they have met their goals. Second is how modest people are. There are many people here who have completely turned their lives around and no one is shouting from the rooftops about their accomplishments or preaching down to others. Third is the dedication to education. Every day I look forward to following links to writings and videos from world class expert in all aspects of the low carb lifestyle.

This has been really long winded so I will close by saying I am glad to be here and look forward to interacting with you.

Ken

Welcome to the board Ken
here's wishing you continued success and I hope to see you around :)

Another Ken and another fellow Virginian! Welcome. After reading your post I can assure you that we have a lot more in common than that. Congratulations on your progress thus far. Stick with this and you will get to where you want to go.

I agree with your comments about this forum wholeheartedly. There is a lot of history and good information here. The success stories, particularly those with a ton of weight to lose, let me know that what I wanted to do was actually possible. I think I'd given up on ever being a normal weight a long time ago. And the members that hang out here on a regular basis are the best resource of all. There are some good people here.

I see that you've started a journal. Good move. I was going to recommend doing that if you hadn't. You are going to do something amazing in 2018. You may as well log what you are doing as you go. Leave a trail of bread crumbs pork rinds for the next guy to follow.

Again, Welcome! I look forward to getting to know you as you make your way down the path to better health.

bluej - Thanks for the welcome. I see you have made excellent progress on your journey. I am barely off square 1 but it feels good to do something positive for my health. See you around.

khrussva - Someone else posted an introduction recently named meetow kim. He is also named Ken and he is from Virginia. Perhaps we could start a company called 3 Kens from Virginia, all we need is a product to sell. LOL. Your numbers are astounding. Congratulati0ns. I am just trying to go day by day for as long as I can and see where it takes me. Thanks for the welcome.

Ken

An actual product to sell is for yesterday's man. I propose KenCoin.

Teaser - You are a forward thinker, right up there with the Winklevoss twins.

Hey, nice to meet you, and welcome to the forum, Yup, I have to agree this is a safe and supportive place, soooo much information here, and the friends you make along the way is a huge bonus..Congrats on your success this far, all the Best to you, we will be here to guide and support, if you have questions, just ask, have a positive day, ttyl

zoogirl - Thanks for the hey and the welcome. I am through the first week ok and looking toward the horizon. I hope to see you around here and there.

Ken

Welcome, new Ken from Virginia! Thanks for affirming what we long-time hangers-on feel about this excellent forum. I've been on the LC journey since 2003, and Journaling here since 2007. I can vouch for the steadying influence of the good company here, who have seen me through not only the ups-and-downs of weight management but life crises as well.

In fact, I consider accountability through conversation here one of the essential strategies of my weight management journey. While I'm not one of the dramatic success stories, "stubborn and serene" is also a good report.

Best wishes.

Wecome to the forum its a great place to hang around and be around people who are going threw a lot of the same challenges

bkloots - Thanks for the welcome. your numbers look good to me, 76% of the way to your goal. I like the fact that everyone here has a low carb mindset. I was on one site, which was very good, but half the people were trying to lose weight and the other half were trying to build muscle There was some overlap but everyone did not have the same goal.

Ken

Welcome, Ken :wave:
Thanks for that helpful intro!
A common story we see here. Have you considered Dr Westman's version of the Atkins diet? http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=471186
Depending on how "south" in Southern Virginia you are, getting to his clinic is a snap. Are you near the lakes? Hop on I-85. Also the first Tuesday of every month is a support group meeting at the Hilton next to 85, Kristi Sullivan will be at the upcoming one in February, I may be also. http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=470795
There are some great dudes on this forum, and more you can meet in person.
Keep reading here and asking questions, happy to help.
All the best,

Hi Janet

Thanks for the welcome. I do know of Dr. Westman's version of Atkins, I bought the pamphlet from B&N and I also have the Taubes book. Westman is a guy I give a lot of credit to, he was introduced to the Atkins diet from a patient, He was interested enough to contact Atkins and visit his clinic in NYC.

I live in the Hampton Roads area and I am 200 miles from Duke. I know the Drive on I-85 very well, my wife and I visit several doctors at Duke and we travel there 4 or 5 times a year. I would be interested in Westman's clinic it's just not feasible to travel there regularly. The meetings could be a possibility, we sometimes travel to Durham on Tuesday for Wednesday appointments.

Thanks for all the LC research links you post, it is sorta one stop shopping for current developments.

It is nice to meet you

Ken

Hi, again Ken. Your comment about goals prompts me to update my "fake numbers." ;) I've been here so long I forget about 'em. The "goal" of my thirties, forties, and fifties is just silly. Truthfully, my only real goal in all my weight management years has to do with that top number: NEVER go there again. Maintaining is a reasonable goal for now.

So thanks for the nudge. What you see is what you get. :lol:

madeyna - Thanks for the welcome. I see you have made your goal, I hope to follow in your footsteps.

bkloots - You are doing great - down 40 puunds

Ken