hey people!

I'm planning to start on the atkins 'again'!!
Found it hard first time with my anti-atkin's friends hassling me!

I'm a uni student in Oz. would love to hear from any female uni students in oz.

BYE!

Hi Loz,
I'm also a female Uni student in Australia. I've been on Atkins for the first time for a week and one day (and counting!). I haven't told any of my friends that I am on Atkins. I guess it will come out eventually, but I don't want them to make a big deal about it.
Good luck with your goals. (I find it really hard working in pounds, etc!)
halo

Hiya Loz,

Loz, I just had a look at your stats, and matey, I think you may want to rethink losing any weight. At your height 173 cm (5'8 in the "old money"), 135 pounds is already at the very low end of the normal weight range. If you get down to 110, you will be so underweight that you will be putting your future health in jeopardy.

I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but I have nursed too many people with eating disorders (ED) who have had tragic outcomes. I would hate to see you fall into the ED trap. Low carbing is about good health - not about trying to be super skinny.

How about starting off with your carbs at more of a maintenance level? I would suggest 60 carbs a day, and increase if you find you are losing weight.

I really worry about you and others like you. Please have a good look in the mirror, and see yourself as the lovely slim person you are!

I wish you all the best.

Rosebud

i second rosebud's comments, loz. it's hard, we have a very distorted view of our own bodies and often don't see what others can...it would be better in terms of your health to cut out processed flours and sugars, but you could still enjoy low GI foods like sweet potato and the occassional serve of basmati rice or wholemeal pasta. don't jeopardise your health to be super skinny.

Thanx for all your comments. I appreciate it.
Yeah, i kind of know that I do have somewhat 'twisted' image of myself.

but I suppose main reason for wanting to be on the Atkin's is so that I can drop a dress size. I'm more like a size 12, and would like to be 10, contradict me if I'm wrong, but sometime I have a hard time finding size 12 clothes, as they all seem to be tiny size 8 or the supposedly 'perfect' size 10, that the media keeps telling us!

Hi there Loz, Halo, Sam and rosebud. I'm Susie, 19, uni student from Sydney. I'm on Induction day 3, and things seem to be going well. Goodluck to everyone, and congrats on your progress so far! Talk to you soon

hey halo_slips and susie!

well, starting my induction 2morow.
feel soooo bloated at the moment thou, as I indulged my self in my 'last' carb loaded meal. anyway, i'm really excited!!!
Got my cheese, mayo and eggs ready to go!!

anyway, last time I did atkins, I found it really hard to eat every 6 hours or less, because I don't get breaks that often at uni.
plus, What do u normally eat at uni? I normally take my lunch, but obviously sandwich is out, and you can't exactly have steak or anything like that at uni.
any ideas?

I'm not telling my friends this time cuz last time they made a BIG BIG deal about it. everyday, they would tell me how it's dangerous, and how it kills this girl in US, etc etc, while they eat their white bread!!~
(I've tried telling them they should eat whole-grain bread but they just don't listen!)
but it got to the point where it was REALLY getting on my nerves. My mum was all for it, so I don't see why they should be so uptight about Atkins. If they had just taken the time out to actually find out what it involves, maybe then they would get over their opinionated mindset.

anyway, good luck with everyone's Atkin's, and may the temptations of carb-rich food stay away from me and you guys!

Loz, please don't do this!

As I've said before, losing weight when you are already lovely and slim can only damage your health. Eating disorders are nothing to joke about.

Please, I beg of you, ask your doctor to refer you for counselling to help you come to terms with the problems you obviously have with your body image.

If you truly think you are "fat," how about joining a gym and toning up a little?

Rosebud

Hey Rosebud
Thanks for ur concern.
I don't think I've got an eating disorder. But maybe u think I'm in denial.

actually, I went to my GP, and I told him that I'm going on the Atkins, and I actually asked him if it was safe and stuff. and he said that he doesn't object to it. So I asked him if it would be alrite for me to do it, and he said yes.

Hmm, no, I don't really think I'm 'fat' but I think I could be slimmer.
Don't really have time to go to the gym and stuff, cuz i'm at uni plus, I used to play lots of sports so I was quite toned, but didn't really like the whole toned-muslce look.

anyway, I really do understand that ur concerned, but don't worry, I'm far too smart to go and like diet myself stupid.
also, I realise my goal weight is quite low, so now I'm just looking lose about 7kg?
anyway, if I start to notice health probs, I'll come off it, like I did last time, cuz I thought the atkin's was affecting my exam marks.

but i'll keep u posted

Hey loz, it seems to me that you are doing everything in your power to ensure that what you are doing is not going to harm you. I think that it is really positive that you have consulted your doctor, and considering he has given you the all clear I don't see that you would have a problem. it seems to me that you are being realistic about your weight loss, and are willing to stop if it affects you in an adverse manner. In reality only you can decided how skinny or how large you decide to become (within reasonable limits offcourse) and providing that you are wanting to lose weight for reasons that involve you and not someone else’s ideal, then I say go for it and good luck to you. If being a size 10 is important to you then do it, I would be offering you very different advice if you we trying to get down to some crazy size like 4 or a 6.

Back to your question about what to eat at uni, I find I have to be extremely organised the week before. (This is my second time on Atkins, last time I was going really well until I became disorganised and began to cheat, after 10wks). This week I organised some individual bacon and spinach frittatas, which can be eaten cold or warm with a side salad, chicken breast and mixed lettuce salad with mayo and dressing, sometimes I have ham with salad. Pretty much I have just been rotating each day and then at night time I have a chance to make myself something a little more interesting. As you know there are limitations to what you can carry with you all day and then eat a lunch without it seeming too strange.

I haven’t told my friends either, because this is something I want to do for myself without having to answer all the questions, so the lunches I take are not overly different from that you could by from uni, e.g. chicken and salad.

I know exactly what you mean about not having breaks in which you can make sure that you are eating every 6 hours. I try to have a substantial breakfast before I leave for uni, and this usually ensures that I’m not starving by mid morning. I also have those mini prepacked cheese portions (20g each) and those Bega stringers (20g also) which are easy to eat whilst running between back to back classes and make sure you can make it until you can finally sit down and have something to eat.

Well I’m off to uni now, hope some of what I have written is helpful. Speak to you soon.

P.S. Which uni do you go to loz?

Susie

Did you happen to mention to your doctor that you are trying to get down to 110 lbs/50 kg? Somehow I doubt that you did, or any doctor worth his salt would have tried to persuade you to substantially increase your goal weight.

Whether or not you have an eating disorder at the moment (and I sincerely hope you don't), by aiming at such a low weight for your height of 173 cms, you are definitely risking an ED, not to mention your future health.

Please consider raising your goal weight to a healthier level.

Rosebud

Organisation seems to be one of the key ingredients for success in this diet, along with eggs! I'm lucky as I have a lunch break for 1 hour 15 minutes everyday, unless there is a meeting or something, so I can eat a proper lunch. I usually take a little Tupperware container filled with 1 cup salad with shaved parmesan. I also add roasted capsicum pieces, grilled mushrooms or bacon. Cooked rotisserie chicken is a good stand-by- you can pack a leg or some breast. THis week I cooked some chicken thighs with tarragon and butter in foil bags in the oven and then cut up pieces and put that in my lunch. Also I took some leftover fritatta. But dinner is when you have more time to be a bit creative.

Hello ppl!
thanx 4 ur replies!! I love logging on and finding mail!

anyway, 1stly to Rosebud, yes, I have decided 110lb is too low and I have been trying to change the goal weight on the profile, but I don't know how to ge into my profie thing to edit it!! plz help!

and to Susie, I'm at UNSW. WOW, ur menu seems soo yum. but my problem is that I don't really like cooking so most of the time can't be bothered to spend that much preparing food.

and today waz my 1st day on induction~!
Cuz today waz a long day, I took a packed lunch to uni. I've just discovered how yummy hard-boiled eggs with lots of mayo and cubes of cheese are!

Anyway, reading ur replies cheered me up heaps, cuz on the way home from uni, I got a fine for $200 on the train, cuz I accidentally hopped on the wrong train!! frigging 200 bucks!!
I waz sooooooo mad at the train guards who fined me, cuz they fully knew that it waz a genuine mistake. I ended up at this place which was half an hour away from my station.

There' NOOOOOO way, I'm gonna use my hard-earned money to pay for a simple, innocent mistake!!
I've just finished writing a letter to them, and hopefully it'll work!!!

well, good night!

Hiya Loz,

I'm glad to hear you are planning to increase that goal weight, matey.
All you do is go to at the top of the page, then click on the "profile" doovy there, and change your stats. Don't forget to click on "submit modifications" when you're done.

Cheers.

Rosebud

hey loz, i was at UNSW for a semester last year doing B. Commerce then I deferred for a semester and now i'm doing a B. Psychology (1st year) at Sydney Uni, small world isn't it! What course are you doing, what year are you in?

anyway, today is induction day 5 for me, and i've been managing to exercise everyday so far so i'm hoping that i will see some downward movement on the scales!

I know what you mean about not wanting to cook, it's so hard to find the time, mostly my mum helps me out if I get her the recipes from the net (she loves cooking so that comes in handy!)

hey loz, it is so unlucky about your fine on the train. i got a fine a few years ago, but from memory it wasn't as much as $200, the fines must have gone up substantially! that's really tough considering you had a valid ticket and just accidentally got on the wrong train! no way i'd pay it either!


anyway, i've got to get ready for uni, talk to you later,
susie