Atkins diet update from Fat Boy

[BlackIce]

Fatboy- Did you notice any less energy when you first started the diet?  Also, you been excersizing as well or just the diet?  After I quit smoking I am thinking of trying it.  Food will taste different to me anyways so maybe I won't miss my favorites of rice and or potatoes as much.

[Fat Boy]

BlackIce, I've always been pretty active playing on 2 softball teams in the spring and summer, also coaching soccer for my daughter's team and running wind sprints and laps with them.  But, I don't have a regular exercise program.  Had I done that, I'd have lost the 30 extra pounds by now for sure.  I plan on joining my gym at work for cardiovascular work and lifting too in February, maybe January if I have the money.  Xmas kinda cleans me out financially.  That way, I'll be in good shape with no burn out by softball season!

Water wolf, Polar, Schwung79, Dark Cloud, Fishdaddy, The Clam and others, nice work losing the pounds - whatever way works for you...get them off.  My doctor gave me a good bill of health, bloodwork looks good, but said for me to add more green veggies and fruit for a while, then cut back after the Holidays again if I want to lose.  That way it gives my kidneys and liver a break and I won't gain weight, maybe even still lose some.  At any rate, since we're all losin' the pounds, I guess we'll all be able to fish a bit closer together early season/first ice!

No more having to hold my breath while bending over to skim ice chips off the holes that I've just cut!

[vancouvercanuck]

BlackIce, I've always been pretty active playing on 2 softball teams in the spring and summer,

I play on a mens fastball team, and my motto has always been I'M A BALL PLAYER NOT A ATHLETE.

[Fat Boy]

Vancouver, you're absolutely right.  Good point.  Softball activity doesn't qualify as exercise even if you are the most active player on the team.  So, in addition to the soccer workouts, I've incorporated running stairs into my routine every day.  I've also lost more weight, 60 pounds total now.  I'm not doing this to become an "athlete" but to improve myself in general and as a "ball player".  I should pick up speed on the bases, increase my batting average, improve my range at short and quickness at third, and enjoy the game with less pain then before.  The one disadvantage is that when I had the extra weight, jacking home runs came easily.  This year I'll find out if I had simply learned to hit them or if it was the weight.  Either way, I'll enjoy the game more.

With the ice season in our area fast approaching, I can add cutting holes with my hand auger to my exercise list.  With a hand auger, good ice, and a willingness to move and find fish, the exercise is inevitable.

I'm down 60 pounds now from last March.  Only 20 more to achieve my ultimate goal of reaching my weight of 25 years ago and 10 more to reach what I was the year that I met my wife...

I need new clothes now!!!

[olgeezer]

Good job Skinny Boy,
I too have lost 35 pounds and feel great! I didn't go on an Atkins diet though. I stopped my beer drinking (well almost stopped) and the pounds went away! I was at 220 and now 185. Instead of a six pack a day it's now a six pack a month! Kind of boring at first but the result is worth it! Can't do much fishin if your dead!
Congratulations man and hope you keep it up!

[arrowhead]

Hey congrats on all of your weight you've lost!!  
I just started the diet a week ago. It's really hard for me to give up some of those foods,especially milk and bread! But I've lost about 8 pounds... only 17 more to go until i reach my goal!
 
     Good fishin and good health
   
                         Arrowhead

[Fat Boy]

Thanks for the support everyone!

I'm telling everyone about it because:

1) It works.
2) I'm never hungry.
3) If I can do it anyone can because I have no will power any more.
4) It's a lifestyle change with me.
5) I can feel better on iffy ice now.
6) Hopefully my experience with it will inspire others to give it a try or stick to it.

Things that I've noticed:

I lose about a pound every 3 weeks now, but it comes off in chunks.  Like, I plateau, don't lose any weight at all and then all of a sudden I'm 5 pounds lighter than I was 3 weeks earlier.  My first 30 pounds fell off.

I don't miss the sugar or bread.  There are good substitutes out there.  Read the labels.

Take a good daily vitamin.

Get your doctor's opinion.  Mine says it's OK but wants me to eat more fruit for a couple weeks to give my kidneys and liver a break, then go back on it.  People who have trouble on this diet are diabetics or close to it, so check with doc first before trying it.

Good snacks for sweet substitutes:  Klondyke Slim-a-bear ice cream bars with Splenda, only 5g carbs per bar.  Atkin's Advantage low carb bars, lot's of flavors and only 2 or 3g of impact carbs per bar.  I like the cookies and cream flavor and the smores flavor.  Ultimate 2 low carb bars are good too in the smores and french vanilla flavors... Hickory Farms party bites (like cut up Slim Jims) work good and have zero g carbs per serving.  There are others, basically Splenda is the best sweetener for this diet because your body thinks it's foreign and isn't digested.  Not sure about Aspartame but the Atkin's web site says it's not as good.  I drink some diet drinks with it and am still losing weight...

Drink lots of water...it probably won't freeze while your ice fishing after you drink it!

Good luck to all who try and congrats to all who have succeeded in losing weight no matter how they did it.  Heck, I feel great, you will too.

[genz_man]

My doctor just gave me the go ahead to try a modified version of atkins. I told her about how well fat boy is doing and how I tried it and got sick. I had a bad headache for 3 days along with below zero energy. She said that going from 100 g to zero g carbs a day is probably what caused it so I am going to gradually decrease the carbs on a weekly basis.  She told me if I did not lose the weight I will die of stroke or heart disease. I am a soda junkie also but as of today no more regular just diet only. I am 300 plus pounds and feel like crap all the time so I will give it another go round cause I know it works. Fat boy aint no fat boy........he really has done a great job and is sticking to his guns. Heck after I lose all the weight maybe I can give up smokin next aye?!?!    

[Fat Boy]

Genz Man, consider this...One meal, lunch that your buddies bring back from work:

The best part of a cheeseburger is the inside, meat and cheese, right?  

McDonalds double quarter pounder with cheese 39g carbs.

Super size Fries:  77g

Super size regular Dr. Pepper:  115g

Apple pie:  34g

That second sandwich, maybe a McChicken for a dollar:  41g

Total cost is about $7 for

For $7, you can have 6 double cheeseburgers plain with no bread and a diet drink for a total of maybe at most 5g carbohydrates...and not be hungry.

And, if you have to eat carbohydrates to keep from getting sick, then eat fruit and/or veggies.  You may lose the weight as fast, but at least you'll still lose and be healthy.  I'm thinking that the reason that you got sick was because withdrawal symptoms from sugar or caffeine.  Another risk in addition to heart problems is diabetes, so get control of it now g.  You won't regret it in the long run.  It may be painful at first, but your body will get used to it.  If you're not sure, draw up a diet on paper and run it by your doc.  Lay off the bread, rice, pasta, potatoes and sweets and you'll drop the weight quick.  Like I said, if you need carbs, then eat fruit.

[JerryofWNY]

Congrats Fat Boy (or should I say Slim Boy)
Hey G-Man,
If the Atkins program gave you a hard time give the Suzanne Sommers diet a look. Found it to be easier in that you can eat more fruits and vegetables and only have to be careful in what you combine them with.
She promotes her products which are expensive, IMO, but they aren't necessary. Any of her cookbooks have great recipes and give an easy to understand explaination of why the process works. I shed 30 lbs in 6 weeks and never felt hungry. Any way you go, good luck and remember these plans aren't diets, they are life styles

[NOSNILMOTNOD]

''WOW'', SOME GOOD TESTIMONY THERE. NOT SO FAT BOY. GOOD SHOW''.  AND THANKS TO EVERYONE ELSE FOR THEIR INPUT. I THINK I WILL HAVE A GO AT IT, NOTHING ELSE HAS WORKED FOR ME. SAME SYMPTONS---GRUNTING WHEN I LACE MY BOOTS, LOWER BACK PAIN. OUT OF BREATH, NO ENERGY. THANKS FOR THE INSPIRATION AND KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. 'CHEERS'.  DON

[boxcar]

I've been on the LA Weight Lose Program since June 2003 and have lost 95 lbs. I still have 30 to go. Let me tell you I feel great. I cannot wait to hit the golf courses this spring. Thats what I do when I can't fish. Hard water rules!!!

[TGF]

Way to suck it up boxcar

[reelcharacter]

Starting my own home grown weight reducing program this spring. As the ice goes, so hopefully will the pounds. Plan to be fitter and trimmer for the ice season next year.

Great job Fat Boy, will keep you posted on my progress.

(Perhaps there are enough portly sorts here, we should start a "Fat Boy's" [ice fishin weight reducin] support group)?   

-Reelcharacter

[Fat Boy]

LOL!  Good luck RC!  If I can do it, so can anyone.  So I know you'll do just fine!

[reelcharacter]

Each time I have a tummy growling moment, I think of catching fish, rather than eating fish (and soda, PB&J sammiches . . .)   

-Reelcharacter

[fishguts.]

ive just started the atkins diet two weeks ago first week i droped almost 5 pounds, but this week i gained back a pound. im not gonna give up on it though. hopefully next mon when i weigh in ill have droped some more. its good to hear sucsess stories it gives me more hope thanks guys see ya, next mon with my weighin result.

[Polar]

I've loss 27lbs so far.

[pot-belly-perch]

first of all fatboy  we got to chat  in mirc !!
& congrats  on looseing  the pounds
 & yes  it was the caffine he got bad headakes from
 & I should  loose  pounds  to

ok keep up the good work
 also i gave up drinking  for about 7 years now
& that was hard to do

Steve  8) 8)

[Fat Boy]

Fishguts, don't give up.  If you lost 5 the first week then you are on the right track.  Don't cheat, not even a bite of something that you shouldn't have for at least the next 2 weeks.  The weight will come off fast.

first of all fatboy  we got to chat  in mirc !!
& congrats  on looseing  the pounds
 & yes  it was the caffine he got bad headakes from
 & I should  loose  pounds  to

ok keep up the good work
 also i gave up drinking  for about 7 years now
& that was hard to do

Steve  8) 8)

Thanks PBP.  Congrats on giving up the drinking and good luck on the diet.  Food, drinking and tobacco are all legal addictions and tough to give up.  I'm not sure which one bothered me the most, but I'd say probably tobacco.  I chewed for 5 years, then quit for a few, then chewed for 18 years and started getting problems with my throat.  I quit cold turkey but it was very difficult.  My daughter was just a baby at the time and I made a decision that it would be best for her if I made it alive until at least her high school graduation.  Well, now she's 11 and my throat problems are gone.  I've been off the tobacco now for 10 years now.

[pot-belly-perch]

wow to kool   all I got to say for  sure

[billditrite]

kudos to all you hard workers!!!and dont worry team ice shanty thongs are one size fits all