Dana, I haven't seen a doctor about this issue specifically, but my doctor has told me to lose weight or I'll die, and at this stage, the recommendation was to do it without exerting myself too much because of my BP issues.

The heavy starchy foods are what are killing me. It probably doesn't help that I have two sons who work in bakeries either. lol Most of the root crops such as potato, carrots, yams etc are all high in carbs/starches. There are plenty to be found naturally.

The thing I'm finding is that although my diet is top heavy with protein based foods, I'm also eating a lot more green veges to fill up the gaps, and any nutritionist will tell you that's a good thing.

Pete, I've got a piece of pork here I'm going to roast later in the week. I'll keep the pork rind thing in mind. ;)

Clod, he wears it everywhere! lol He loves it sooooo much. He gets very shitty when the other kids take it off his head.

I'm going to check out your food blog later on and see if there's anything that looks tempting. :)

Yeah. I have a bit of a gut reaction (pardon the pun) to diets. Always a tad cautious.

A friend of mine was talking about a doco he'd watched on food nutrition and human physiology, and basically the point of the program was to say that if you can't chase it down and kill it, or pick it from a tree or vine, you shouldn't be putting it in your mouth. This is because the human body is not as evolved as we think it is, and it just can't process a major proportion of the crap we put into it.

Makes a lot of sense to me.

That's the good thing about Atkins. You really are on a whole food diet unless you buy into all the snack foods you can get once you've completed the induction.

quick homemade dressing:

olive oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper. smash a chili pepper in if you want a kick. taste to suit. No sugar added. I use this when I'm on Atkins. Actually, I make this even when I'm not on Atkins. By the way, I'm on Atkins for two weeks in hope to drop another inch or so by Vietnamese New Year, which is in two weeks. :D

Basically the caveman diet.

When you go to the grocery store, just shop on the periphery aisles and not the middle aisles and you will be fine.

This morning for breaky I had a small bowl of leftover ground pork from the san choy bou with two eggs. For lunch a small can of tuna. I think I'm going to have to have something else though. I'm still pretty hungry.

Exercise so far today is nil, but I'll be taking Max to the park soon, so we'll walk instead of driving and that should be good. It's freaking hot here today though. I'm going to sweat like a bastid!

Lola, that's pretty much the dressing I make for garden salads all the time. It's a good one. :)

I decided to go on with the tuna and made a salad using more tuna (lol) a baby cos lettuce and a cucumber. I mixed that together with some whole egg mayo and some lemon pepper seasoning. Now I'm eating it. Very yummy.

Usually, if you are still hungry after eating its because you didn't eat enough fat with the meal. Adding the mayo was the ticket. If you wanted to pass on the mayo, olives would have done it too.

Good luck Brianna and Ali!

I've lost 40 pounds doing low-carb (not no-carb). Like Brianna, I have insulin issues and have to control my blood sugar through diet. I don't eat a lot of fat either, it just makes me gag to have too much of it in my diet. I eat protein + veggies, with the very occasional brown rice or whole grain tortilla or something thrown in. Works well!

you can always try out low-carb whisky ;)

on a more serious and honest tone, good luck.
personally i've had periods where i was in better shape, working out or (more often) because life demanded it, but actually dieting & sticking to it is one of the hardest thing for me to do, so i have a lot of respect for those who do it.

Ali, I think you look beautiful in that photo.
Yup, overweight. But not nasty.
Sorry it made you cry, but worth it if it changes your life and makes you happier.

I'm still not sold on Atkins, but I prefer to agree to disagree with you (and I value the fact I can genuinely do that and not have a slanging match).

NOT that I off carbs in any way but... have just bought some pressed seaweed for snacking on at break. I might even spread it with Philly if I find it's not enough to satisfy me. There. Atkins friendly :)

Pico - over here the periphery is fresh fruit and veg at one end and alcohol at the other!
Basically they catch you while you still have good intentions re fruit and then snag you again when you are frazzled with booze.
Meat comes about midway and eggs and dairy are usually close to the back wall.

Most of the large supermarkets are fruit and veg and deli at one side. Seafood and meat on the back wall at the end of fruit and veg, then a little further along is the dairy and eggs. The one isle I almost always go down is the one that has all the stuff i need for baking and the other one that's popular with us is the condiments and spices. Basically, I'll be skipping the baking isle now and letting the boys bring home baked foods from work. I have plenty of condiments too, so I'll probably replace those isles and just run the gauntlet to the checkout down the cleaning fluids and personal care isles. ;)

I think Atkins is great for short-term solution. However, I wouldn't pile on fatty food. I've always eaten fish, skinless chicken, lean beef and pork when I'm on Atkins. What I've starting eating not for a diet but as my diet for permanent health reasons is fish or skinless chicken with salad, and occasionally 1/2 cup of brown rice. I've reduced my portion (I use a small or medium plate) and have a fruit for dessert. Up until now, I've been aiming to lose fat to look nice for Viet New Year, so no junk food and snacks. However, a fitness instructor said to permit yourself have one cheat day, so you won't feel so deprived that you'll overindulge on bad food.

Why am I telling you about myself? What I'm trying to say is that stay on Atkins as long as the Doc prescribed but don't stay on it too long. You then should switch permanently to a low-carb diet. Clobfobble gave it a name but I forgot what it is. :blush: By the way, I eat oatmeal or Cheerios for breakfast. Trying to add fiber into my diet too.

Good luck Ali and Brianna! By the way, do you know that there's a forum for Atkins eater? That's where my sister read about the shirataki noodle. I just bought it. I will take pix and post tomorrow. :)

I've found where I can get those noodles in Australia Lola, so I'm going to order some. :) I think it'll make a big difference to the amount of fats I have because I'll be able to make Asian style soups for meals, which I really will enjoy. :)

Thanks for the tip!