LunaSea, the really intense breath mints and gums are good for that taste in your mouth. Dentyne Arctic Chill is my current fave. I’m with you on being able to resist temptation much better on carb controlled than on WW.
LunaSea: Make sure you’re also drinking plenty of water. It helps with the keto-breath. That taste in your mouth is one of the results of you being in ketosis. Just remember: it’s a good thing you have bad breath! 
As of today, I’m one pound away from my pre-holiday weight, which surprises me, actually. It’s amazing how much water weight one can gain when you fall off the Atkins wagon.
Yesterday, I started working part-time at the gym I work out at, so no more excuses in missing workouts now. Good thing they encourage employees to come and exercise with members. If I can keep that up, I’ll be wearing a size 10 in no time.
255/219.5/170
Hi,
I was involved with Weight Loss Club threads II and maybe III a little, thought I’d check back in.
I’ve been on Atkins since December 27, 2002. I love it, its the best thing I’ve ever done and my kidneys are fine- thanks very much ;)!! I’ve lost 47 lbs so far, started at a size 18/20 and now hovering between the 8/10 range.
Milestones of last year:
On my birthday- proudly wore the super tight Johnny Cash flipping off the world t-shirt that my sister drove two hours to get for me and even allowed my picture to be taken in it!
Ordered size SMALL… SMALL!!! scrub pants for work… the tops are still mediums- but only because I’ve got knockers…
Sang Karoke and allowed my picture to be taken (again!).
Went to office xmas party and wore a super low cut, slinky, silky dress. Was called a “hoochie-mama” (in the best way 
). Cameras were present but I didn’t care.
Holidays- on Christmas allowed myself first official cheat, let my mom take my picture serveral times (and didn’t even cover my face). Gained and lost 4 lbs a week later… not too bad for two days of Christmas cheer and Thai food (my favorite and hardest thing to give up).
Learned how to drink and like water.
Learned how to live without Capt. Morgans (except on very special pirate appropriate occsions.)
I also realized that I haven’t felt “that way”, in a word- depressed/self conscious/paranoid about others/socially anxious for months. I didn’t realize stabilizing my blood sugar might help my mental health as well (not suggesting low carb as a cure-all, just commenting on the fact that both physically and mentally- I feel MUCH better all around).
Goals for this year:
Lose the rest of the weight and fit into a 6/7- about 15 lbs to go.
Increase my carb intake level to a maintainance type diet- learn to cook new dishes- trying to get at least one or two new recipes a week.
Buy a swimsuit and wear it to the summer office party.
Thats a start anyways…
Good luck on everyone’s weight loss efforts this year!
Hello.
I hardly ever hang out here because I would get sucked in and lose my cerebral cortex to my computer monitor. But I was looking for a pic of a doper, and saw one of Ginger and W-D at Christmas, and I was thinking, “Man! Ginger looks great!” (I met 'em in Summer 2002).
So I while I was here, for the links for the pics, I saw this thread, and now I am posting.
And I just have to say, Ginger is the perfect person to lead a group like this. One of the most encouraging, non-judgmental, empathetic persons that I have encountered in recent memory.
Well I started on WW (paying) just now a year ago. Then I got sick of the ditzy group leader and fumbled around till a friend joined WW in April and started losing, so I began losing again due to competition. I lost a decent amount over the summer, then have gone up and down all fall semester. But…and this is the important thing…I netted a 20 lb. loss in one year (well, not including 5 pounds that I picked up in San Diego last week…don’t ask). This after having netted a 20-odd lb. gain for four years in a row. So my goal is to keep focussing on lifestyle change, not marathons to lose a lot of weight and ‘transform’ myself. Because I turned 35 this year and this is really about how I will handle middle-age. So If I can lose another 20lbs and keep it off, all year, then I will be two years into reversing the pattern. Give me two more years for the next 40 lbs, and I will have reversed it for life. (But what the hey, if I lose it sooner, I am not complaining!!! :D)
A couple of things: I am mostly vegan for reasons of poverty and because I don’t really like meat that much anyway. I am one of those bods that really seems to function better on a mainly complex carb/veggie diet (for Christmas and Thanksgiving, I made a ton of veggies to accompany something like 2 oz. of meat). I crave colors and textures more than anything else, so meat just doesn’t cut it.
So my penny-pinching near-meatless dieting looks very different from all you Atkins folks, but BOY am I regular! 
This is probably why ww works so well for me.
There was another thing, but I forgot.
239/224.5/144 in 3 years.
Yes, I notice that my math is off. Whatever.
katerina, welcome. We’ll help you however you need. But…I met you? Where, when, with whom?
I took the kitties.
Remember?
OH! Hi! Hi hi hi! Thanks again for that. They are now living a life of luxury in Georgia, with our Venoma, another Canadian married to an American, and Doper supah-chicky.
Weight Watchers for me has been a great thing. I eat whatever I want (cheesesteak and baklava yesterday!) and I’m still losing. It’s steady and consistent, and I feel terrific.
You’ve got access to school gym facilities too, right? (Speaking of which, did you end up in that school in W. Maryland again or did you head elsewhere?) You can speed up your loss and tone yourself with a bit of exercise.
Well I got my 10% key chain Thursday night. That was great. I’m very proud of that dinky little key chain. But I wasn’t under 200. Before I left for the meeting, according to my (WW) scale I was 197.something. At the meeting I was 200.freakin’2lbs. I contemplated gnawing off my arm and weighing again. Grr!
Next week. Next week I will be in onderland if it kills me. Blarg!
It was kinda funny though. Jen (my leader) threatened to just boot me out cause I was complaining about not being under 200 when I lost over 3lbs during the holidays.
Ginger,
Good to hear about the cats.
Still in W. Maryland but looking to leave in six months.
Sure, I could use the gym, but faculty really don’t want to hang out with the kids in the gym after the hours in the classroom. I’d never have a private life.
I am also extremely asthmatic and it makes working out more than a drag. I would like to start working out, but it’s a lower priority than establishing other habits, these days.
katerina, where in western Maryland are you? I’m in Cumberland, have a Y membership and can bring guests, if you’re interested.
I am so close to you that we have probably met! I work at F-Burg State U.
Thank you SO MUCH for the offer! I may take you up on it…but my main agenda right now is to start walking and to order a Body Electric tape. These tapes are from the 1980s, early 90s, but I swear by them. (It used to be on tv. All my tapes have died years ago due to overuse). The person was a professional dancer who made you feel like you were doing something beautiful while you were exercising. Also it was geared to ppl pushing 40 or over.
I live out in Salisbury, PA, and what I want to do is to get in the habit of walking the town (which I am in love with) before I leave it.
anyway:
239/220.5/144
katerina, you’re right; we’ve probably encountered each other somewhere along the line. Well, good luck on the tapes, but if you’d like to take me up on the offer, or even meet for a low-carb lunch and discussion, I’m up for it!
Uh-oh. You gotta look out for that one, kat!
And, WELCOME TO (posting at) THE DOPE!
Finally crossed the 130 pounds lost barrier (I had given myself permission to put on 5 pounds over Christmas because, well, it’s Christmas!). I managed to get through the season only putting on three, despite having had two separate Christmas dinners on different days…
Started Atkins on February 10/03 at 322 pounds, now 192 pounds. Now I have to get to a gym and start to get some kind of definition to my body, as I have this weird, giant-baby look; this will start in a few weeks when I can afford to join (once Christmas bills are paid off). It’s great to not have to buy size 48 or 50 pants; I actually bought a pair of 35 inch pants (on sale) on New Year’s Eve!
I have never done this before, but have put before/after photos up of myself: they’re under “Rodd Hill’s” profile in OpalCat’s wonderful Teeming Millions pages:
http://teemingmillions.com/profiles/
It’s great to not be huge anymore, though I think I aged a bit!!
Props to the other “losers” in this thread; take it one day at a time, and remember it’s for life, not just for the short-term. Oh–and the only exercise I did for my weight loss was brisk walking, so don’t think it doesn’t do you good!
So, Rodd…how you doin’?? You look great!
Congratulations!
So, Rodd…how you doin’?? You look great!
Congratulations!
Rodd, I think Delores really wants to know how you’re doin’