Thought It Was Bad Last Week?

Well, if you post you are disappointed with a 3.2 lb loss one week, be prepared for the worst the next week. This week when I weighed in I actually gained 3.3 lbs! Very frustrating, but such is the nature of the weight loss beast. Some up, some down, etc. I am continuing to do my slow burn workouts, I've relaxed the severe carb restriction for this week and will kick it in again after Easter. What else is there to do? This is a lifetime commitment and if it takes a lifetime to achieve, then so be it. It's the right thing to do.

On the other hand, the slow burn workouts are going well. I'm lifting stronger weights week by week and feeling good about it. Fred assures me the weight will come off so I will continue to fight the fight.

The good news? I'm 2 full weeks with no diet soda. Yay me!

Weigh ins--Literal and Figurative

Okay, I'll admit I had high expectations for my first weigh in post cruise/slow burn revitalization. Imagine my disappointment when I got on the scale and saw a 3.2 lb loss for week one. What? I gave up soda, most cheese, all nuts and what few carbs I had been eating for this? Yup. At one point in the week I was down 5 lbs and thought quite possibly that great things might be in store. Oh well. Such is life and after 3 years on this way of life I've come to expect the unexpected. By the way, my 3 year anniversary of starting Atkins happened while I was on the low carb cruise this year. How cool is that? Too bad I didn't remember until I got home!

So much for the literal. Now onto the figurative weigh in.

I decided to stop in at our diabetes screening booth today. My blood sugar was 97 two hours after breakfast. The diabetes educator told me how good it was. I of course credited my LC lifestyle for saving my life (it's true!) and was told I couldn't do LC long term because it will "ruin" my body. I told her there are many studies out there and schools of thought to which she replied, "I know, that's MY job." Well thanks for nothing! I said something to the effect of To Each His Own, yada, yada but for me it has improved my health drastically. If by "ruining" my body I get no diabetes, no heart disease, no GERD, and am able to maintain my weight then sign me up! It remains to be seen, but I for one will be trusting my instincts--and my body--on this one.

Slow Burn Week One

Okay, I just got back from the 3 annual Low Carb Cruise to the Bahamas and I'll admit, I'm fired up now!

I'm ready to drop these last pounds for good!

One thing I'm trying is Fred Hahn's Slow Burn. It's a strength training program that I'm hoping will boost my metabolism and make me stronger and leaner in the process. I got to visit with Fred on the cruise and he really made me think about my workout routine, which consisted of jogging 2-3 miles 2-3 days per week, an hour of aerobics (usually Zumba) and occasional weightlifting. He told me I was stressing my body too much with the jogging and that unless I just loved it, it wasn't necessary and could actually be harmful in the long run. So...I committed to 12 weeks of Slow Burn and want to use this blog to document my results.

Week 1--began the workout by first downloading the free ebook from Fred's Website: www.seriousstrength.com. I read the book, and headed to the gym.

The method behind the madness is to lift heavy weights very slowly until your muscles are completely worn out and you can't lift any more. The weights have to be heavy enough that you can't do any single set more than 6 repetitions and 90 seconds. The whole workout only takes about 20 minutes!

I started by comparing the machines in the pictures Fred posted with what the Y had. I found the closest options I could and dove in. I had lifted weights in the past so I started with those weights and found adding about 20 lbs to them was sufficient to get me in the range I wanted to be in. Believe it or not, there were some machines I could not do more than 3 repetitions on and that is ok. By the end of the workout both days I felt like a limp dishrag. I was also totally surprised that my heart rate went up as well!

I'm keeping my carbs low and have cut out diet soda altogether this week.

I'm encouraged so far. My official weigh in will be Monday, but as of this morning I'm down 5 lbs. Not a bad start!

A little about me...

Hi! I'm Kim, I'm 45 and I'm a Food Addict. Well, more specifically a Carbohydrate Addict. I spent all my adult life battling Morbid obesity.

Since the age of 18, I've weighed as much as 336 lbs and as little as 130 lbs. I've been up and down more times than Oprah and Kirstie Alley combined. I've lost no less than 500 lbs in the past 27 years and gained that much as well.

So...why do you care? You may not, but I feel strong enough about my story to put it out there. For me and that one person who may be floating along out there lost about what to do. Here's what worked for me. It's not an end all cure all but for me it saved my life. Bold statement? Maybe. Hang in there and I think you'll agree...

Here's my story, as submitted to the Atkins website in 2008:

Atkins Success Story

Kim Eidson

Kim Eidson - Age 43- Missouri

I lost 133 over 16 monthsdays

My Story

I became a grandmother for the first time in January 2007 at the age of 42. I looked at my beautiful new granddaughter and felt terrible about myself. I weighed 326 lbs and was miserable. I had almost given up on losing weight and being able to keep it off. You see, I have lost over 100 lbs twice before in my life – once using Phentermine (a prescription diet pill) and once using a popular weight loss group that uses a low calorie low fat plan. Both times I was unable to control my urge to binge on carbohydrates and gained back the weight. I had actually read the 1992 version of Atkins when it was released and totally "got it.” I just thought there was no way I could not eat the carbohydrates I was addicted to. In January 2007 I started the Nutrasystem diet and actually gained 11 lbs. I hated the food! I had been researching gastric bypass and the lapband surgeries and saw that most individuals who had surgery were instructed to eat a low carb diet. I decided if I'd have to do it after the surgery that I should give it a try on my own. I'm so thrilled I did!


MY GOALS:

I decided I had to do something about my weight. I started my Atkins Journey in March of 2007.


HOW ATKINS HELPED ME GET THERE:


I went out and bought every Atkins book I could find and read them from cover to cover. I started Induction and the weight started coming off! By the end of April I had lost 30 lbs. Now, after 16 months, I’ve lost 133 lbs and over 60" in my waist, hips and bust.

Today, I continue to follow Ongoing Weight Loss. I have included the first three rungs of the carbohydrate ladder into my way of eating successfully. This last 45 lbs or so is coming off slowly, but I now know that it will happen in time, as I will never eat any other way! I have utilized the Atkins shakes and bars occasionally as a great quick meal on the run. I have not modified the plan, but follow it just as Dr. Atkins instructed.

I feel that even though I have not finished my journey, I have succeeded. I feel like I am in control of myself once more. I am no longer the miserably fat grandmother I feared I would always be. I can get down in the floor and play with a toddler without any difficulty. At 193 lbs I am still overweight, but no longer morbidly obese. I plan to be around a very long time to enjoy many more grandchildren in the future.

Thanks Atkins. I’m living proof.

I'm so happy to say that even though I've still got that last 45 lbs or so to lose, I have maintained an approximate 150 lb weight loss for nearly 2 years now!

So...there's my background blog. I'll be around for awhile and look forward to sharing my successes and failures here.