Thanks Alto for the inspirational idea. Since you bit the bullet, I guess I will too.

Today is day 29, the start of week 5, the start of the second month. This is my 1 month success story.

If you will indulge me, I'd like to share what happened to me in the days just before I discovered LCing. Those days were full of and disappointment at my weight, my lazy cooking habits, and my lack of discipline and stick-to-it-ness in general. In desperation, I had booked a mini spa day to uplift me. I've never done something like this before, and going into it I was sceptical. It was for an EMS (electro massage stimulation) and herbal body wrap, guaranteed to melt away a minimum of 6 inches all around.

EMS starts by dampening the abdomen and thighs, then applying round pads that are hooked up to an electrical pulse generator. It apparently stimulates and tones the muscles. When turned to the recommended dosage at the salon, it is nothing short of electrocution. The muscles certainly respond, by going into controlled spasms. During it I thought, OK, well this is one I won't go through again, but I had to try it once to see.

On to the body wrap. Guaranteed to trim off 6 inches all over or your money back. First, all your measurements are taken (oddly she seemed to pull the tape measure tighter on the after measurements than she did on the before measurements).

If you are sadly out of shape, lumpy, feeling low, then standing in your underwear in front of a stranger who is a slim and trim goddess, is completely demoralizing. The body is covered with green herbal goo that is supposed to help BREAK up fat cells. You are wrapped up mummy style from ankle to chin, in warm, wet elastic bandages that are pulled so tight it does nothing but pack your fat into less physical space. Knees or elbows cannot bend. You are basically immobile, then forced to try to get into a rubber suit and lie on a bed for 30 minutes. The fact that my final measurements were 9 inches less all over were meaningless. Once my body relaxed from the restriction, it would all come back. And the scales at home, they were the same in the afternoon as they were in the morning.

$225 was the final bill. It was the biggest waste of money of my life. It was the most important waste of money of my life. You see, one of the things the technician gave me was 3 pages vaguely describing a low carb diet. It was half a page of description, and the rest was food carb counts (which were grossly inaccurate). It recommended staying below 80 carbs a day.

There wasn't enough information on those sheets to satisfy my curiosity. So I got on the internet to do some searching. One of the first links I found was this LC site. For a day and a half I kept coming back, reading posts, reading information from the various sections, amazed that people could stay under 30 carbs and still eat well. After lurking around for almost 2 days, I decided to register, because I had questions, many questions.

I can't put into words how grateful I am for the support and encouragement from everyone here, and for the wealth of information that is posted. Nat, LC Sponge, Karen and Doreen are angels for watching over us. The everyday trials of people just starting out and sharing their thoughts and techniques, their feelings, their hurts, their successes makes this place all the more real. This little corner of the internet is worth it's bandwidth in gold. THANK YOU each and every one of you.

What has my progress been in the last month?

I've discovered how wonderfully supportive and caring my husband is.
I smile every day now.
I wear makeup again.
I take time to fix my hair nicely in the morning instead of my 3 minute "it's good enough for today" look.
I feel great about myself.
I've found something that I can stick with for more than one day in a row. I've stuck with it for 29 days now. There have been goofs. I kept going. For anyone who knows me well, I'm shy, I'm a bit of a loner, not a joiner. I've never lasted more than 2 or 3 repeats of things that required a regular schedule of meetings (like weight watchers). I hate routine and live a lifestyle that has no routine, no discipline. And yet, 29 days later, I have fallen into a routine that doesn't feel like one. I truly believe that this will be a lifestyle change for me, not just another diet.
Oh, I almost forgot - 15.5 pounds gone. 1.5 inches from my tummy, which is the only measurement I can do with reliability, and the only one I'm concerned with. Thighs are noticeably thinner. I am noticably happier. I smile every day now.

Yay!!!!! WAY TO GO!!!!

Thanks for sharing...... I enjoyed reading about your trials and errors and all of the highlights you have experienced!!!!


You accomplished so much in such a short time!!!!

A Thin me!