Newbie with 4 stone to lose

kimmi1982

serial binger
Hi, I'm Kim! Like most of you I have been chubby most of my life and struggled with my weight. Over the past 3 years I have been battling the VLCD with little success. In 2011, I successfully lost 3 stone in 2011 using the Cambridge diet. I didn't eat anything from January 1st till March 23rd and got down to 13stone 3- the lowest weight I have been since leaving school 14 years ago.!! I then met my wonderful boyfriend and the binges and meals out began. I've been trying to get back onto the VLCD wagon again but it just doesn't fit into my new lifestyle.

I am now 16st 12 and only 5ft2 so have a massive BMI of 43.2. I like how ketosis feels and have had seem good results so hoping Atkins will work for me. I have read the book and find it a little complicated but think I have the main rules:
20g of net carb per day
12-15 of that should be veggies

So I did a big shop yesterday and am ready to go!! I need to sit down and make a menu plan for the week- that way I can't go wrong!! I'm worried that things will be to bland and ill get bored- need ideas on spices, sauces etc I can make!

So today I'm planning o n 1 egg omelette for breakkie, ham salad for lunch and chicken and veg for tea

So hoping this works for me!!! Any advice or tips much appreciated!!!
 
Thank you!! I'm still struggling to know how much of things I can have!! I've just cut the block of cheese up into 30g cubes and apparently I can ave up to 4 of these a day???? Really! I'm so worried I'm going to eat too much meat or veg!

Having a late breakfast of 2 slices of bacon, 1 fried egg and mushrooms- this so doesn't feel like a diet!!! Xx
 
A big hello Kim, lovely to see you here, and well done on taking the first step :D

Atkins woe (way of eating) tilts everything you're used to on its head - the %age ratio should be 55% fat, 45% protein and 5% carbs - you can use My Fitness Pal to set the ratios, then it's a lot easier :). As you note, most of your carbs should come from veg - green leafy veg, particularly, which will really help with weight loss. And LOTS of water!

As FTW says, have a really good read through the stickies - as well as recipes, there's a low carb shopping list, which should help too :) When you go shopping, becomes a label detective, you will be amazed at how many carbs there can be in some things - and they vary from brand to brand (just to keep us on our toes!).

Post your menus here and the very friendly community here will be able to advise - it gets a bit quiet on the weekends, but I'm sure loads of people will be by shortly :)

We're an extremely non-judgemental lot - everyone has their food Achilles heels, most of us fall off the wagon from time to time, and sometimes we mentally beat ourselves up for perceived failures (because we forget that we're human!) - so you will get all the support you need and more :D

We also post lots of real life drama stuff, and sometimes not on our own diaries - we're a bit like cats, there's no such thing as walls here :D

Re sauces - mayo will be your best friend, it makes a fab sauce - also full fat cream cheese. And oil - don't forget that you're free to drizzle it over everything :) A lot of people are fans of coconut oil (extra virgin) - google for all the health benefits, but it seems to help provide a weight whooshie :D

Look forward to hearing how you get on.

Susie x
 
Just worked my way through the 68 pages of recipe ideas!! Feeling motivated! Just had a cheese salad for lunch- need to wrk out the carbs in tomatoes!!! So want this o wrk!
 
Thank you Susie! I'm spending this very rainy Sunday reading everyone's diaries and the stickies and making lots of notes!! I know what I'm like and I get ft bored very very easily so having different meal ideas will be my saviour!! Am going to head over to fitness pal now and see how the carbs are counting up! X
 
Good to hear :)

Watch tomatoes, they are quite carby - there's an A and B list of veg for induction, and they are on the B list - but all good, in moderation :)
 
So day one nearly done:

Breakfast: 2 slices of bacon, fried egg and mushrooms = 4g of carb
Lunch: cheese, watercress, cucumber, spring onions and 3 cherry tomatoes = 8g of carb
Dinner: 170g of beef mince with spring onion and one egg made into burgers, cheese, watercress and cucumber = 7g of carb
Snacks: cheese, coffee with cream and water

So I think that looks ok for today- need to watch how much cheese I'm having as I loooove cheese!! I have cut it all p into 1 oz cubes so I have had x 3 today! I'm going to try and not eat after 6pm also to help my sleeping and start getting up a little bit earlier for work to make an omelette. It's going to take time for me to get used to eating breakfast, I'm a get up and walk out of the door kinda person.

I'm feeling very upbeat and motivated today- just hoping this diet works for me. After day one I can see this suiting our life and we can eat meals together rather than me drinking a shake while the other half eats- I used to hate him for this. My OH is type 1 diabetic, has been since the age of 8, at only 31 I can see how this affects his life. We are at the eye hospital every 6 months to have the blood vessels lasered around his retina, he has a concoction of meds to take alongside his insulin to keep blood pressure and cholesterol at bay, he has lost the feeling in one of his toes. He developed diabetes through no fault of his own - how cruel would it be for me to get diabetes because I'm greedy, because I couldn't control my eating habits. We are just beginning our little life together, marriage, new houses and babies will hopefully all be happening in the next 3 years and I need to be fit, ready and slim. Pease just please let this be the right diet for me xxx
 
Hi Kimmi

Good luck you are in the right place!,
My story is similar to yours and Atkins / low carb is the best way of loosing weight in my opinion around and I've tried them all! Never hungry and satisfied eating yummy foods! Keep at it and you will succeed.
 
Ps I'm only at the end of my second week and all is going awesomely :) I hope to start a diary soon on here lol but it sure helps to have info and people experiencing or that have experienced the same things !
 
Looking good Kimmi! :)

I'm so delighted that you and your Oh can enjoy meals together again, and I'm sure this is the right woe for you :)
 
So have just completed my fitness pal- looks like the carbs are ok for today but I need more fat- really???!!!
 

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I can't really tell from that, sorry - I use MFP on the puter. You go to Goals and manually set it for 5% carbs, 45% protein and 55% fat - and don't worry, it's good fats :)
 
Day 2- well first day at work while on Atkins. I got up that little bit earlier and had a mushroom omelette with a cup of coffee. Was soooo hungry by 11 am so ended up having my lunch then- watercress salad with ham and cheese. So by 5pm I was ready for tea- I felt slightly queasy so gave into my body- had spiced mince with egg topping, creamy mushrooms and salad. I felt so guilty having creamy mushrooms, cream has always been banned in my house and now I'm allowed it- just seems so wrong and can't help feeling guilty!! Was very yummy and now filling my tummy full of water to keep the hunger at bay!!

When I was on the shakes, the first 3 days were full of hunger until I was in ketosis- does Atkins work the same?? I have just completed my fitness pal and have only had 13g of carb, is that not enough? Should I be trying to hit nearer 20g??
 
It sounds delicious! I have to say that I started Friday (so I'm day 4) and only today am I starting to eat less. I was snacking on bacon, cheese with celery sticks, tinned mackerel in oil with a turn of pepper on it. Just eat more of allowed food when hunger strikes and ketosis will sort it out after a few days! Battling with keeping my carbs up too but try adding toms, onions or string beans, higher carbs than other veg.
 
Hi Kimmi

Great well done another day ticked off! :) if you we're not in ketosis from doing VLCD before you went onto Atkins the same few days of hell will apply if you we're you should not feel hunger so maybe you ate not using enough fats when cooking as they are vital to help the body release its own fat and also to help curb hunger, keep at it, follow it to the T and you will get there :)
 
And if you are hungry have a snack or nibble on something :) don't fret about cals but of course watch your carbs :)
 
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