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  #1   ^
Old Tue, Dec-29-09, 09:30
cnmLisa's Avatar
cnmLisa cnmLisa is offline
Every day is day one
Posts: 7,776
 
Plan: AtkinsMaintenance/IF
Stats: 185/145/155 Female 5'5
BF:
Progress: 133%
Location: Oregon Coast
Default Advice for the Newbies

I have a feeling that the traffic will be picking up substanially starting Sat/Sun/Mon.

Soooo.....

Let's list some of the most important things for these newcomers so that maybe we don't need to repeat ourselves 12 times. We could just refer them to this thread.

I'll start off with:

1. Read the book. Know your plan. Follow your plan thru all the written stages.

2. Weight loss is not linear. DO NOT expect to lose weight every day. Weight loss comes in fits and spurts.

3. Measure before starting. Although you may see no loss on the scale, you could still be losing inches.

4. If you are at this again, I DO NOT believe in the one golden shot theory. If that were so, I would not be here at goal after the third time having a re-do. I do believe that the more you repeat, the more you are doing the plan by memory which is not such a great idea--you become a bit fast and loose with the plan when you're doing it by memory. In addition, you're older, you may have health or metabolic/hormone issues, you may be taking medication that makes it harder for you to loose, but not entirely impossible.

5. Stay away from bars, shakes, and other foods that are packaged as low carb, particularly in the beginning. Although perhaps labeled induction friendly (I'm thinking Atkins products) they are NOT. Don't be fooled.

6. Dieting is hard--don't let anybody try and tell you it's not. Being fat is hard. Pick your hard.

I could probably go on but I'll let some wise LC participants chime in here.

To all you newbies good luck!

Lisa

Progress not perfection.
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  #2   ^
Old Tue, Dec-29-09, 09:36
Kim8461 Kim8461 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 929
 
Plan: Atkins (What Else??)
Stats: 245/143/145 Female 5'3"
BF:
Progress: 102%
Location: NW New Jersey
Default

Very well said Lisa
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  #3   ^
Old Tue, Dec-29-09, 10:08
FreyaAZ's Avatar
FreyaAZ FreyaAZ is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 122
 
Plan: VLC
Stats: 212.2/203.2/140.0 Female 69 inches
BF:41%/41%/23%
Progress: 12%
Location: Pinal County, Arizona
Default

Very good Lisa...

Just a couple more came to mind as I was reading yours:

1. The first three days of induction can be very, VERY difficult. You may go through "carb withdrawl" and experience flu-like symptoms. Stick it out. It's worth it. Once withdrawl is over, you will feel wonderful -- probably more full of energy than you've felt in years.

2. To repeat what Lisa wrote, I cannot stress enough the importance of staying away from packaged "low carb" bars and (even worse) candies. These WILL slow your progress substantially and your cravings for carbs will return.

3. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!! If you have a question, no matter HOW strange you think it is, come to this forum. There is a real brother-and-sisterhood here, no matter how "alone" you may feel in what you're experiencing, physically or emotionally, the folks on here have been through it.

FreyaAZ
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  #4   ^
Old Tue, Dec-29-09, 10:14
Judynyc's Avatar
Judynyc Judynyc is offline
Attitude is a Choice
Posts: 30,111
 
Plan: No sugar, flour, wheat
Stats: 228.4/209.0/170 Female 5'6"
BF:stl/too/mch
Progress: 33%
Location: NYC
Default

Good job Lisa!!
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  #5   ^
Old Tue, Dec-29-09, 10:52
LC_mermaid's Avatar
LC_mermaid LC_mermaid is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 3,737
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 374/297/168 Female 5ft 2in
BF:Um yes
Progress: 37%
Location: Eastern U.S.
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by FreyaAZ
1. The first three days of induction can be very, VERY difficult. You may go through "carb withdrawl" and experience flu-like symptoms. Stick it out. It's worth it. Once withdrawl is over, you will feel wonderful -- probably more full of energy than you've felt in years.
FreyaAZ


1.This also needs repeating; After a week or so you will at least be back to normal. I lose alot of potential Atkins buddies because at day 3 they jump ship because they think they will always feel like crap. Hang in till the next week, just knuckle under and do it.

2. Also ingnore people who tell you Atkins will kill you or mess up your metabolism and lots of other crap. If possible don't tell anyone what your doing until you have gotten the plan under your belt and have no lingering doubts yourself.

3. Keep getting back up, it is very hard to get off of the national diet, it takes some practice to get your mind in gear. I can't count the number of times I started induction and re-started it again.

4. Remeber that those of us who are doing good or are at goal are not perfect and it hasn't been easy. Some of my fore mentioned friends have thought that I was just humming along right from the begining. We all have bad meals,days and even weeks.
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  #6   ^
Old Tue, Dec-29-09, 11:25
Mousesmom's Avatar
Mousesmom Mousesmom is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 3,633
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 156/146.8/139 Female 69 inches
BF:
Progress: 54%
Location: Victoria, BC
Default

A few more tips......

Fat is your friend.
Carbs are the enemy.
Fat keeps you full.
Eat when you are hungry until you are full but not stuffed - but only off the Induction list.
Water is your friend.
Induction flu will pass - be kind to yourself until it does!

Welcome in advance to all the newbies!!!!

Julie
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  #7   ^
Old Tue, Dec-29-09, 11:28
Merpig's Avatar
Merpig Merpig is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 7,582
 
Plan: EF/Fung IDM/keto
Stats: 375/225.4/175 Female 66.5 inches
BF:
Progress: 75%
Location: NE Florida
Default

Another tip I would suggest. There is more than one way to low carb! It seems like most newbies come here planning to do Atkins Induction. Maybe they find they don't like it. (Heck, I sure don't - which is why I have never done Atkins Induction - at least not for a full two weeks)

If you are not happy there is no reason to immediately abandon ship. Investigate multiple plans and see which you feel you might be happiest with.
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  #8   ^
Old Tue, Dec-29-09, 11:33
AZDweller's Avatar
AZDweller AZDweller is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,132
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 271/269/154 Female 5 feet, 6 inches
BF:43.7/..../24.9
Progress: 2%
Location: Arizona
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by LC_mermaid
2. Also ignore people who tell you Atkins will kill you or mess up your metabolism and lots of other crap. If possible don't tell anyone what you're doing until you have gotten the plan under your belt and have no lingering doubts yourself.


It's easier not to tell anyone except those who live with you for a while. When people start noticing your weight loss and asking about it (around 20-25 pounds depending on your start weight), then you will be comfortable with it. I tell most people that I've given up processed white flours and sugars -- that is actually the truth and it's acceptable. Mention "Atkins" or some other diet and they'll find ways to speak the devil into your head. You know this works -- don't let any nay-sayers win.

Join a challenge or a forum. Write a journal. Become part of the community that can help you when cravings start to get to you. And don't be afraid to take a walk or a bath when you get those cravings. Any activity that takes your mind off eating is good. Sorry, TV is connected to eating for me, so it does absolutely no good!
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  #9   ^
Old Tue, Dec-29-09, 11:38
Citruskiss Citruskiss is offline
I've decided
Posts: 16,864
 
Plan: LC
Stats: 235/137.6/130 Female 5' 5"
BF:haven't a clue
Progress: 93%
Default

A few from me:

1. - As much as possible, try to avoid processed meats (deli meats, packaged stuff with a bar code, bacon, ham, hot dogs etc.). Meat isn't supposed to have carbs in it, and if the meat you're eating has any carbs in it at all - then you're racking up unnecessary carbs - using up your allotment on something that shouldn't have carbs in it in the first place. This isn't to say you'd never eat hot dogs or deli meat - but save these for on-the-road emergencies or once-in-awhile meals. Cook up your own giant roasts for sliced roast beef, or roast up a whole chicken for lots of chicken slices etc.

2. - No matter what plan you're on, and no matter what your carb allotment is, make sure that most of the carbs you're getting are coming from low-carb vegetables. Don't waste your carbs on sauces, too much cheese or salad dressings.

3. - Speaking of salad dressings, one of the nice things about low-carb eating is that you can have stuff like creamy ranch dressing or blue cheese or any favourite, full-fat dressing. That said, most store-bought dressings do contain carbs - and a good trick is to make your salad, and put it into a large-ish mixing bowl. Measure out your tablespoon or whatever serving, and then stir up the salad like crazy with a wooden spoon or a spatula - this helps those wonderful dressings go a lot further, and reduces the chance of gooping on too much blue cheese dressing. The idea is to mix/toss the salad as if you're making a caesar salad. This will help you keep the carb count in check.

4. - There's going to be a lot more cooking than you're used to. To minimize the hassle factor, when you cook - cook way more than you'd need for any one particular meal. Make a whole pan of roasted chicken breasts and put the rest into the fridge for quick/handy food - you can dice it up and do a stir fry, toss it into a salad, make chicken salad etc. Also, consider doing this with cooked vegetables too. I didn't do this for a long time, and nowadays, if I'm going to make roasted broccoli florets for my dinner meal, I'll make extra and then toss those roasted veggies into a morning omelet or into a lunchtime salad. This saves a lot of time/prep/fuss.

5. - Don't head out to the mall or anything without eating something first. This'll minimize the chances of caving into the fast food at the food court or what have you. If you're going out, either bring some food, or eat something beforehand. This isn't to say you won't eat out, but you can head off potential problems by eating before going out. It's a heck of a lot easier to order the right thing in a restaurant or fast food place if you've already had a couple of eggs for breakfast. Don't let yourself get caught feeling hungry at the wrong place and wrong time.

6. - You'll likely eat way more food than you think is reasonable in the first several days of a lower carb eating plan. You'll feel really hungry and have lots of cravings. The way around this is to let yourself eat as much 'on plan' food as you need to get past this phase. Within a few days, the carbs will be out of your system, you'll have gotten past the withdrawal and the cravings - and your appetite will diminish quite a bit. In the meantime, eat as much as you need to stick to plan. It's not unheard of to have *two* bunless burgers, or need/want second helpings of roasted chicken or what have you. This is all ok - your appetite will normalize in just a few days. Whatever you do, do NOT cave into the cravings that are sure to be experienced in the first several days, and if it takes eating what seems like too much food (all low carb of course), then do it.

Good luck!
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  #10   ^
Old Tue, Dec-29-09, 11:41
LCScottish's Avatar
LCScottish LCScottish is offline
New Member
Posts: 21
 
Plan: General Low Carb
Stats: 248/248/200 Male 185
BF:
Progress: 0%
Location: Scotland
Default

Fantastic stuff Lisa and agreed on the golden shot thing...proved that wrong too.

I also noticed in week 3 a lot of people do not lose on the scale but do usually drop a few inches....YMMV but just something to keep in mind!

Good Luck Everyone
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  #11   ^
Old Tue, Dec-29-09, 11:52
Kristine's Avatar
Kristine Kristine is offline
Forum Moderator
Posts: 25,553
 
Plan: Primal/P:E
Stats: 171/146/150 Female 5'7"
BF:
Progress: 119%
Location: Southern Ontario, Canada
Default

Nice thread!

What everyone else said, plus a few more things that were important for me:

- Do lots of reading, as long as you're not prone to information overload. I wanted to suck up every iota of information on low carb eating as I could find. I joined this forum before I started, and read several books. Wanting to learn still fuels my success. I find it motivating to follow the LC bloggers such as Dr Kurt Harris, Petro Dobromylskyj (DVM), and Dr Eades (of Protein Power fame.) There are many others. Use Google Reader and you'll find them.

- I didn't approach this with a "just tell me what I have to eat" attitude; rather, I genuinely wanted to understand what's so wrong with the standard diet, and the consequences that I will face if I go back to my old eating habits. Having at least some background on the science will help keep you on the straight and narrow.

- Probably the most crucial secret to my success: I learned to cook. I'm with CitrusKiss - it doesn't have to be all that time-consuming if you stick to basic meals, use your crock pot, make large batches, etc. When I started LC, I didn't even know how to boil eggs. My mom rarely cooked and I had no skills. So if I can become a whiz, anyone can!

- Sort of a corollary to the above: shop ahead of time and keep a well-stocked kitchen. Keep lots of fully cooked foods ready to go in the freezer, and quickly-preparable foods in the pantry such as canned fish and veggies.

- Be prepared to make more changes than just what you put in your mouth. You might have to adjust your budget, how you spend your spare time, social situations, and even the vibe within your family can change.

(More)

All the best to our 2010 newbies!
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  #12   ^
Old Tue, Dec-29-09, 12:45
Merpig's Avatar
Merpig Merpig is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 7,582
 
Plan: EF/Fung IDM/keto
Stats: 375/225.4/175 Female 66.5 inches
BF:
Progress: 75%
Location: NE Florida
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kristine
- I didn't approach this with a "just tell me what I have to eat" attitude; rather, I genuinely wanted to understand what's so wrong with the standard diet, and the consequences that I will face if I go back to my old eating habits. Having at least some background on the science will help keep you on the straight and narrow.

Yeah, so for anyone who is a reader I say make the time to read Taubes's "Good Calories, Bad Calories"
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  #13   ^
Old Tue, Dec-29-09, 13:33
MommaTo3's Avatar
MommaTo3 MommaTo3 is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 64
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 231.4/231.4/140 Female 5 feet 4 inches
BF:
Progress: 0%
Location: Illinois
Default

Awesome thread guys!!! I started Induction yesterday and have been reading the Dr. Atkin's New Diet Revolution Book. My DH has had tremendous success and I'm amazed at how motivated and ready I really am to do this! These posts are a HUGE help! Thank you!!!
Now, can anyone tell me how to get past this Induction diarrhea? Its killing me!
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  #14   ^
Old Tue, Dec-29-09, 13:48
krystalr's Avatar
krystalr krystalr is offline
Induction ≠ Atkins
Posts: 5,886
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 270/164/180 Female 69 inches
BF:28%
Progress: 118%
Location: Frisco, TX
Default

All these are super tips.

Get some low carb cookbooks and browse the recipe section of the forum. So many great ideas. I love to cook, but it admittedly took me a while to "relearn" how to do so in a low carb manner. I think the biggest thing that helped me find meals and keep things interesting was to try and make low carb versions of things I loved, like chicken parmesan (and STUFFED chicken parm..omg..sooooo good). Once you open your mind to it, it's really pretty simple to come up with some really great recipes. Variety has helped keep me sane and on track!

Don't get discouraged if your weight goes up on some days (if you make the decision to weigh daily like I do). It happens. I have found that sometimes no matter how clean I eat and how much exercise I do, I can still end up a pound heavier in the morning. What matters is that it does eventually go back down. I lose weight in spurts. For example, in the middle of this month, I hovered between 209 and 210 for 12 days..it seemed and felt like forever. Then all of a sudden, I lost 9 lbs in a week and a half. Everyone will lose differently, and it won't always be a constant loss. I'll take it in whatever way it decides to come
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  #15   ^
Old Tue, Dec-29-09, 13:48
FreyaAZ's Avatar
FreyaAZ FreyaAZ is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 122
 
Plan: VLC
Stats: 212.2/203.2/140.0 Female 69 inches
BF:41%/41%/23%
Progress: 12%
Location: Pinal County, Arizona
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by MommaTo3
Now, can anyone tell me how to get past this Induction diarrhea? Its killing me!


I can't really say Momma, because I had <ahem> the exact opposite problem during induction. It's all part of the withdrawl -- your body is reacting badly to carb starving -- so at least you know that your LC plan is working! It will pass and you'll feel better soon, I promise. Hang in there.

FreyaAZ
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