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AUGUST 2003 This will be a short and quick update on my last month or so of losing weight and the ups and downs of it all. :-) I started doing Atkins a little over 2 months ago and after losing the first 10 lbs in 10 days, I have definitely slowed down. It seemed like I had a really long stretch after that of staying the same weight and the plateau seemed like it would never end. I kept eating the right things……or so I thought. After reading labels a little better, I found out that there is sugar in many bagged lettuce and hidden sugars in other things I never would have suspected. I also realized that the amounts of what I was eating was not very accurate so I started to measure out what a cup of lettuce or veggies was so I would have a better idea. Not much else has to be measured, though I may eat more cheese than what they suggest. I also went through a phase of eating no or low carb bars (yum!) but have decided that even those add calories and to only have them occasionally and not every day. I chew sugarless gum a lot now which seems to keep my mouth busy and my breath very fresh! :-) I easily gave up caffeine, except the very occasional diet coke and have for the most part, completely given up sugar, except where it shows up naturally in vegetables and a few other things. I have felt really great physically and have little cravings. I have stayed pretty much completely on Atkins except for a few times of indulging. The great thing is that my idea of indulging now is with an apple or carrots or a little nibble of something not on Atkins. BUT I have not overindulged in candy or other carbohydrate laden foods! It is really exciting to see that my habit of choosing healthier foods is becoming my 1st choice. Shopping is easy and cooking has become like 2nd nature. I am drinking plenty of water and taking my vitamins. I have learned many great tricks and the one thing I am now going to work on is being a little more creative and add more pizzazz (NOT pizza!) to our menus. The part that I have not been good at is exercise and that is something I definitely need to work on! I am really stingy with my time and unfortunately I am not one of these persons that love to exercise. I have done an occasional walk or bike ride but besides that, not much else. I know that would help speed up my metabolism. My husband has lost about 20 lbs doing Atkins and is looking great. My daughter did it for awhile and then decided to take a break as she has been gone a lot this last month with other people supplying her food, making it more difficult for her. We are talking about what will work best for her. I have lost a total of about 17 lbs so far and I can tell that I have lost lots of inches and gone down from a size 18 to a size 14 pants! We got a new scale, more accurate than the last one so I can also tell what my body fat is. I am gaining muscle and losing some of the fat. I am enjoying more energy and the quickness that I can pick out my clothes to wear in the morning. I am not losing as quick as I want but I am still losing and am looking forward to the next few months and more weight coming off. I still have many friends and family also following Atkins which makes it fun to compare. There have been really great results from many of them. So, I am down 17 lbs and still as motivated as ever. That in itself is a major victory!! Talk to you next month!!

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