Hello There,

I just wanted to Welcome you to the forum...it's a great place for information and some very inspirational stories...Best of luck to you!

Hello there, many thanks for the warm welcome. This truly is a fab site, I agree with you wholeheartedly!!
Anu

Hi ya ANU ... so sorry it's been forever!! our internet was down for some time , and also i was on vacation , had a lot of company over from ottawa and manitoba (canada) Iam again on vacation today YIP PEEE I leave in the early hrs tomorrow to take care of mom while my sis takes a little break for herself ,I have fell of the low carb wagon though i do have to crawl back on it for sure I have been very bad lately and OH boy its hard to get back into things besides all that ,Iam well busy with work and life, hubby is still away and returns this weekend , i think of you often and was hoping this interent would be fixed so much sooner lol so now I can con't to chat with my dear old friend again eh Anu well i hope all is well with your family and all is going smooth with dad , i will write again when i return from PEI , take care Anu and have a wonderful day !!! talk to you soon ... fm Patricia

[B] Well hello there you guys! I have read the messages of all 3 of you and though i don't have thyroid problems, i think you might be interested to hear from me.
I have suffered what they call here in Sydney Australia "Severe Pseudo Hyperparathyroid Syndrome" for almost 20 yrs. To cut a long story short, it ravaged my whole body, great damage and bone loss and doubled my weight. I lost 3" in height. Now i'm 4'11".
I have a young male friend who cares about me and he discovered a book in a shop in the city and thought it made a lot of sense and he read each chapter to me every night when he came to visit to see how i was. (I was not a well person). I agreed to give it a go. In the first 2 wks i had lost 7kgs. I've been on this Dr.Atkins diet for just over 2 and half years almost and i've lost 40kgs. I feel great. It has slowed down but thats only cos i'm not so strict on myself these days. I gave up bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, sugar, margarines, lollies, chocs, biscuits, cakes... the lot. I turned myself into a 'meat eater' and now i'm never hungry, i feel so good and i get better every day. And at 57 yrs of age, thats a really good feeling to know that things i eat now are helping to make me feel better with each passing day. The asthma that once killed me in 1991 (twice) is now almost a bad memory as this way of eating has almost cured me of that though i keep my medications just in case. I had gout also and that disappeared in about 3 mths. I had fluid retention so bad i had to take Lasix tablets but now i don't have that problem either. I drink lots of water every day and always did love water. I like to have a glass or 2 of red wine with the evening meal and i drink socially whenever I go out. I'm a musician (life long hobby), retired from the workforce due to my disabilities with my joints from all the damage done by the parathyroidism but i can manage most things though slowly. I can't walk for a long time or long distances because of knee damage but I am so thankful that i am alive still and that i got through this awful illness and am now recovering and feeling better than ever, thanks to Dr.Atkins guidelines. I have adopted this for life. Its not a fad diet to me, its very important for my own lifestyle and well being. So far, i have died 3 times in my life. I know that if i had been eating Dr.Atkins way all my life none of what I had suffered would have happened... i am sure of that. Because in all truth, we are what we eat. If you don't maintain a car it will break down eventually. If you don't maintain you body and eat junk you end up with health problems eventually. I have learnt this much is true.
Well i think thats enough chatter from me... just wanted to say Hello to you guys and if you want to reply to me that would be so nice to make the contact.
Good luck with your Dr.Atkins progress and take care, God bless you all..... HILARY in SYDNEY AUSTRALIA
PS: you can find out more about me on my website http://www.hothil.com.au

Hi Hilary,
Thankyou so much for your long lovely chatty letter. I'ts really nice to make contact with people around the world who share a common interest- if you've been reading this thread you would know.
I'm really sorry to know that you have been through so much, but i guess it's made you a much stronger person mentally and spiritually. I'm particularly happy that Dr.A has made such a difference to your life....this is an inspiration to people like us who get on the Atkins wagon and keep falling off - like so many drunks in a bus!!
It would be very nice to keep in touch with you, so do please keep writing in whenever you feel in the mood.
By the way, what instruments do you play? I'm asking because my daughter (16) is crazy about music, she plays the synthesiser and guitar and even though tone deaf that I am, I like the sounds she makes!
Stay well,
With greetings from India, Anu

Nice to hear from you ANU. Well you can find out all about me on my website if you like http://www.hothil.com.au I play guitar and bass since i was 17. But these days I am bass/vocals in a 3pce blues rock covers band in Sydney, just playing for fun not much work around but i am retired from the workforce, 57 yrs old and just like to enjoy my lifelong hobby as much as I can. I hope you give your daughter the opportunity to discover her musical talents. Good luck with your weightloss.

The way I see it, I may never be slim again but eating Dr.Atkins way ensures i am getting healthier each day and overcoming the illness that almost took my life some years ago, though my friend who is my greatest support, is certain I will end up with a sexy young looking slim figure even better than when I was 23 (so he says LOL) .... its comments like this that keep me going along with the fact that I do feel wonderful, energy abounds, mental aptitude & memory excels, and the best thing of all - I am never hungry and losing the weight gradually. Time is on my side, i've been through the worst years of my life and I am sure its all plain sailing from here on in so I am just going to do my best at enjoying the rest of my life and taking care of this old body to achieve the maximum life expectancy possible! lol One has to think positive you know LOL Read you next thread... take care ANU... best wishes from HILARY in SYDNEY AUSTRALIA

Hiya Patricia,
Phew! You finally got the 'ole internet fixed, eh? I was really beginning to wonder where on earth you had gotten to!
I would have replied earlier, but my computer had crashed too (sympathetic response ) It's just about limping to life now, so I'm babying it along, hoping it recovers fully....there shoud be an Atkin's for computers too, no .....literally the lean mean calculating machine
Good to know you're busy and taking care of your mum. How is she now? Give her my regards when you see her next.
At this end, i've fallen hard off the wagon too. First time it's quite easy but resuming needs some soild will power I'll say. I absolutely hate carrying a lunch box to work (feel a bit like going back to school ) but I guess one's gotta do what one's gotta do
Tra la for now and chat with ya soon,
Anu

HI again Anu, thanks for taking the time to check out my website and for the kind words you put on my Guestbook. Its so nice to make contact with others all over the world like this for support and stuff. Hope things are happy and well in your life. Take care, see u next time.... HILARY in SYDNEY

Hi Anu well Hm where do i start? think Iam going insane maybe ... been having one bad month to put it mildly my hubbys mom took a stroke (its been a month shes still in the hospital ) we belive her left side is gone but time will tell, we spend as much time as possible with her , our basement flooded , WHAT A MESS!!!!! so again no internet , and a lot of MOLD!!! ARGHHHH and my low carb has switched to high carb, Iam doing so poorly once again , I need to get back on track ANU ... there is so many things going on that i think WOW .... i need something to eat lol I have been working like a dog, my coworker lost her grammy so that left me (alone in the shop) with to many funerals and weddings to do ... so thats all of it in a nutshell ANU .... I hope things are going better on your side , I sure miss talking with you and checking in on our messages , well I wish you well , hope things are going good with you and your family , i hope to see my mom next week if i get a few days vacation , as long as internet is running i will try to check in more my dear friend take care and i miss ya !!! patricia

Hi Patricia,
It's so nice to hear from you again. I did'nt really think you'd abandon this forum just like that....I was sure you were in a jam and not really getting time to breathe. But you did get in touch again despite all that's going on...I'd say that really thoughtful of you.
It never rain...it pours.....I guess from your position at the mo, you must be really FEELING that old proverb! And dont worry about the high carb low carb thing at this time....with so much to get through and so much mental tension it would be better not to add one more woory line to the forehead, eh? So hang in there pal, you have the rest of your life to live!!
I'm very very sorry to hear about you ma-in-law. I really hope she gets better soon and is able to come back home. It must be miserable for her at the hosp. I wish her all the very best and a speedy recovery.
Hey, how did u manage to flood your basement? Did 'ole Katrina veer your way? just kidding!
I've been fine. We just finished our festival season here. It was vey bright and colorful and noisy and crowded and........fun! Ate a lot of forbidden sweets..they're just too delicious to pass up !
Bye now Patricia, keep your chin up and keep smiling Even bad times eventually come to an end and then the sunny days will come round again for sure!
Anu

Good Morning Anu finally me YES!! I just got back from visiting the "moms" had a few vacation days left , and now back to the bump and grind of WORK!! both ma's are ok... ma in law is waiting to go to the manor , she never got her left side back after the stroke, my mom is doing the same I will return for her birthday next week and spend the day with her . hubby is still away with work for one more week , I will be busy with my job for sure with ch'mas coming and all the plants to look after , also proud to say I am back on low carb not really hard at it yet but have done a real good start (wow can i gain if i dont watch it ) lol the giant flood of the basement is the same (no one came to rebuild it yet) hopefully soon cause it sucks now lol all in good time i guess so hows things in your life Anu? whats all new? your festival season sure sounds like fun to me , i love brite and colorful , and forbidden . How are things with your dad , did he return to your place? and your kiddies, all well in school for them this year? So let me know whats all been happening on your end of the world Anu ? I hope your having a fine day , Its time for work here Arghhhhhhhhh take care my friend .... Fm... Patricia your canadian friend .

Hiya Patricia,
Grrrrreat to hear from you again! You do sound as if you've been under a lot of strain lately. Chin up my girl....things have a habit of taking their own course, no point worrying about it.
Pls give your ma an extra birthday hug from me. All the best to your MIL...I'm sure the left side will recover in the days to come.
Things this end are fine. Yes my dad's with me now. He's been having some angina....I'll be taking him for an angiogram next week. He doesn't want to go....says these damn things just inevitably lead to a bypass operation and he's desperate to avoid one!
Kiddies, hubby are fine. The weather is just glorious now....just slightly nippy in the early mornings, mmmmmm delicious!!!
Tra la for now, keep in touch when u can.
All the best, Anu

Hi Aubby and all the great people who are on this thread- I would like to wish all of you a very very merry christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous 2006!
Cheers,
Anu from india

Happy new year Anu... I just returned from P.E.I visiting my family, it was a great relaxing 4 days off, I worked my tail off so i needed this break for sure! I also broke my l/c lifestyle woooops i slipped , but okay enough is enough ,now Iam back at it AGAIN!!! all is fine with me just to busy with my job to even think , i was spending 12 hrs a day there way to much, my christmas was very nice and i hope for the new years for all good things for everyone my mom is the same she still has her spirts though , the weather is well SNOWY here lol we had a snowstorm last nite 25 cm.... so a little of the white stuff fell down lol well i really wanted to say hello to you , wish you the best for the 2006 , and i will write when i get some time to sit and talk to you some more..... I do think of you and hope all is wel on your end.... take care ... love fm... snowy canada... patricia

Hiiiiiiiiiii Patricia,
Absolutely great to hear from you. I've come back to this site after ages and found your message of the 29th.....last YEAR! I'm slippin' and slippin' bad

Nice to know that you had a good break though it must be back to the grindstone by now? Back here it's much the same as usual. Dad's back with me. He's having some heart trouble...probably a bypass operation in the offing. We're doing the rounds with cardiologists, interventional specialists (quite a mouthful, eh!), trying to see if the operation can be avoided, but does'nt seem like it.

All of us had a good new year too. The best thing was that 1st was a sunday.....no office, yahoo!

I'm trying real hard to climb back on the lc wagon, not much success...I've put on all the weight I lost last year and then some. I guess it's harder the second time around. I suppose i just have to try harder.

Bye for now, Patricia, keep writing in, it's really nice to hear from you!

Anu