I'm sure that I will be let go from the other site soon. At Becky's urging I turned in my resignation from admin of Kimmer's website. Truth be told, it was a bit of a relief... I've not been "on plan" for a while now, because I couldn't handle being on it or returning to it.... through no fault of anyone, or because of what is going on....

I came here not because I am staunchly against Kimkin's, not at all. It took me 18 months to lose 60 lbs, and the same was accomplished in about 4 months on Kimkins. That alone will probably keep me doing the plan as best as I can.

What I wonder though is, how on earth will I do this diet now, without stressing out? There were times when I was eating only 250-300 calories a day that I would berate myself for being so weak as to want to eat more. At one point I emailed a friend asking if I should be concerned that I was cutting so low... and her response was that it was only ok if I didn't find myself obsessed with cutting so low... which, she must have known, that I probably was Darn OCD!

I'm "fortunate" though, that when I get too obsessive with sticking to the plan, something always comes along to mess me up, through me off plan, sometimes for a long time... with always a justification.

Now with all of this hooplah, I have refrained from making comment on either side of the fence... mostly because in my heart of hearts, I know I CAN lose weight, but now it boils down to wanting to lose weight slowly, achingly on Atkins (like before) or go back to I know what works...


So in the interest of finding some sort of workable plan that I can stick to. I admit that I was very staunchly in the group of people who took Atkins rules very loosely, and the idea of going back to losing so slowly is very disheartening. There were times too, in striving to get my calories lower, lower... that I was genuinely afraid... when I had weird periods, and lost hair etc. I was told and accepted it was routine. (No, I cannot afford to see a doctor for a "checkup". I'm glad some people have great insurance that allows them to do that...) so I took what I was told and ran with it.

So what do you all suggest? I will be rereading the '72 version of Atkins, and hopefully it will be something I can stick with but for right now, I feel a little lost and floundering on how I can recover and move on...

After all, I wouldn't have been over there at Kimkins, if it wasn't the only thing I can lose weight on It is kinda like avoiding the cheat code in a video game... once you know how to use it, you tend to want to not play without it!

Help?

Wynn, I would recommend doing Atkins by the book. You admit you took the rules "very loosely" and that may well account for your slow weight loss. You may see fast results on a semi-starvation diet that feeds off your fat AND muscle stores but at what cost? Possible long term damage? And what happens when you reach your target weight and have to move into a maintenance phase? It sure didn't work out well for Heidi (if she ever really did initially lose the weight).

You've got to balance your desire to drop the weight with the realization it make take longer than you'd like if you want to remain healthy. Hair loss and irregular menstrual cycles are NOT normal and they should not be accepted on any weight loss regiment.

You need to do this safely. You can do it safely.

I thank you for your response, my husband and I are ready to get back onto a diet plan, it's been much longer off diet than I had intended...

I will do it by the book, and it will feel practically decadent, I know

I wish I could shake this feeling- like finding out Santa Claus isn't really real :/

Wyhnn,

You can count and reduce your calories, but do not go that low!

Find out your BMR and maintenance calories. (google it).

Then lower it by say 300-500 calories a day.

This is similar advice that Anthony Colpo recommends in his Fat Loss Bible.

http://www.thefatlossbible.net/

Wynn, I was on Kimkins too and going too low with the calories for a couple months. I have slowly upped my calories from 500-600 up to around 1200. My weight at first went up a few pounds, but I just looked at my fitday records for the month of Sept and I'm down 1.6 pounds for the month. Not the 10 pounds a month I was losing on KK, but still a move in the right direction and yes I do feel better. I guess I'm doing Atkins but counting calories. Atkins by the book just doesn't seem to work for me longer than a month.

Wynn -- I know exactly what you're going through. I am still struggling to keep my calories up to 1200. But I am working on it.

And if you can do Kimkins so strictly, I don't see why you can't do Atkins just as strictly. As other posters have said, do it by the book. Fat is so important, remember that. Even if you can't up your calories at first, try to up your fat intake at least. Stop with all the lean meat nonsense.

And you won't lose as fast as you did on Kimkins, but you will be more likely to keep it off. I mean, is it realistic to think you could eat so few calories? And if you do that for an extended period of time you could seriously harm your thyroid and metabolism.

I hope I don't sound preachy. As I said, I am still struggling some with the transition. But I know it's the best thing for me.

Good luck to you! And good for you on stepping down as admin!

Wynn!! ((HUGS))

I'm so glad to see you over here. I've been worried about you. I hope that you will find a nice new home over here. I agree about the Atkins 72 BTB. Great plan. Just remember to take it slow and you can do this! I'm so proud of you and I know that you and your DH will feel much better. Have you seen my video blog? I talk about many of the things that you are experiencing. It is scary when you're doing the vLC and all of a sudden you realize that you have what can only be described as an ED! ((HUGS)) Good luck and I'll be looking forward to seeing your posts here! You have so much to offer and I know you will be a fantastic encouragement to those here on this board.

See ya soon!
Christin

Yay, Wynn!!! I am SO glad to see you here!

Yes, life does get better, though it takes a while.
We've essentially been emotionally and physically abused via cyberspace by a malignant narcissist. I have come to believe that she has taken pleasure in the attention she has received, the trouble she has caused, and the damage she has done. The money was just a bonus.

Welcome to the club on trying to figure out how to eat.
Most of us either can't eat, or can't stop. I think right now about 80% of my calories come from fat, and I can hardly get enough. I am just now starting to get a grip, and I've been out since early August.

I also expect to have to count calories on a clean version of Atkins, and to work hard to rebuild my metabolism. I don't want to end up bigger than I started, like she did.

Anyway, it will all be over soon, and we will move on.

At least we have the friends we made there, right?

Hey Wynn,
welcome aboard, I'm so glad you are transitioning over to a more healthy way of nourishing your body.

I really understand the fear of adding calories and fat. Like Becky said, most of us either can't eat or can't stop, I'm having trouble eating, mostly out of a horrible fear of foods. The first thing I did was stop with the lean meats and began adding naturally fat meats to my diet and using butter for my eggs and eating more leafy greens the greener the better. My body is beginning to respond well and I am feeling better.

I wish you so much luck in your journey, its so important that we have all come together here to support eachother through all this.

Welcome Wynn. I can relate to what you are saying. I also lose very slowly even doing Atkins Induction. Slow losses after the hard mental work of staying on plan and the hard physical work of all the exercise it takes for me to lose even on Induction does make Kimkins appealing. However, Becky and the others are right. Kimkins is a health danger and when I find myself tempted to do it just for few weeks to relose the 20 pounds I've gained while off plan over the summer, I remind myself that one of goals is to be healthier for my family so that I will someday hold grandbabies in my arms (please, not for 25-20 years though!). Kimkins might get me to the "thinner" goal faster and more easily but it might just take away my major goal of good health. Please stay here awhile and let yourself get comfy here. This new family will help and support you when you decide you are ready to move forward and will provide cyber hugs and encouragement when the slowness of the path gets you down.

Hey Wynn and WELCOME to my forum! It's so good to have you here on this journey to better health. You've received some EXCELLENT advice so far, so let me know if I can ever address anything specifically for you.

I appreciate the time everyone took to write me back today, it's nice to meet new people and see some old faces too (Well, not OLD, but familiar!)

I have not started yet, but I've started steering my diet in the right direction. Here in a few days when I know what my new schedule will be, I will redo induction and stay to Atkins '72 as my guide. You're right, I can just as easily stay to the book as a guideline if I can stick to KK so hardcore...

I feel a little better today, this is not the end of the world. I am overweight but I am certainly in control of my health. I started losing weight, not because I HAVE an issue with my health but because I hope to look better, and feel better.... but it's not worth possibly MAKING myself sick over!!

Thanks guys I'll be around, but I am starting training (week 2!) of becoming a 911 dispatcher, and holy heck, is it work!!

Hey Wynn,

I could have written your post. I have to admit that if I hadn't been on Kimkins and lost this weight so fast, that I probably never would have lost it. I am so sick of years of dieting that I just don't think I have it in me to do the 1 lb. a week thing. I don't know what I'm going to do. Right now, I am one of the ones who are eating everything in sight and backsliding fast. I have been thinking of trying to do Kimkins, but with more calories and some added fat. I too was down to 300 calories and sometimes even lower then that. Thus the massive loss of hair. I have to try and get a grip on things soon before I gain back everything I lost.

I wish you the best in whatever you decide to do.

Lisa,

I hope you can get control of your eating. Even though you didn't lose it in a safe way this time, at least it's off. You surely don't want to gain it back.

I lost a lot of weight on a restrictive diet about 20 years ago. It was basically like KK's. I was going to see a friend in Florida that I hadn't seen in a while, so I was trying to get it off fast. As soon as I visited with her, I started eating everything in sight and gained a lot back. I got my eating back under control for my wedding, and then went the other way again, gaining everything back that I had lost and then some.

My parents were both sick for about 10 years. I lost my dad in 2001 and my mother in 2005. I was her caregiver and after she passed away, I just started eating everything in sight. I was eating my grief away. I used food as a drug, and I am a carboholic.

Realizing that I had to get control or die, I did the regular Kimkins and lost about 65 pounds between April 28 and the end of August. I tweaked which makes it not officially Kimkins, but I'm glad I did considering the problems everyone is having. I was gaining at an alarming rate and that was just as unhealthy. At least I can tie my shoes without huffing and puffing, go up and down the stairs without getting winded, and many other things that I was starting to be unable to do. I still have about 80 pounds to go, but I will take it more slowly.

For the last month, I have been coasting. I admit that I ate a couple of pieces of chocolate pound cake (on my birthday), I have eaten peanuts (really craved them), a few bananas (a big no-no even on Atkins, but was craving them, too), but I have tried to otherwise stay with meat and vegetables. I also eat sugarfree chocolate and some other treats allowed while eating low carb. I just limit myself because you can go too far even eating what is allowed. So far, so good. I haven't gained any, but I haven't lost any, and I don't feel deprived. My weight went up a few pounds, but they came back off, and now it is going the other way.

You do not need to let all of this turmoil get to you and cause you to eat the things and amounts that you shouldn't. You will be just fine. You need to get support here and let us help you get control before you have such a gain that you say to yourself, "I might as well just keep eating."

Please don't make the same mistakes I did before. You look so good in your picture. Wrap your head around the fact that IS you in that picture. I know that is also a hard concept to grasp. I saw some of your before pictures, and you look so much younger now. We never see ourselves like other people do.

Good luck! We are all in the same boat. We'll get there together.