Induction

Ok, I was "playing" with the diet in June 1999. I started "officially" on July 2, 1999. I was dropping the weight very quickly - I do have records but sometimes I look at them and don't believe them:) the numbers aren't that important and everybody's loss will be different - and ... I think I did lose a bit too fast for safety's sake.

But let us say the results were amazing:) I had more energy than I knew what to do with.

I fear I became ... a bit fanatical on the subject:) I was to the point that I was buying the book (DANDR) in quantities of 5 from Amazon and handing them out to friends, family, students... everybody but passersby on the street:) and I KNOW for a fact I annoyed my nearest and dearest terribly:) until I finally got it through my head that just because it worked so well FOR ME that it might not for other people:)

But I felt like I had at last found the "instruction book for my body"! I had CONTROL!

One thing Dr. Atkins stresses and I do too - get to a doctor before you do much with this diet. Get your kidneys checked out, and your blood work done. You will thank yourself later!! I went to my doctor and told him "I want to try this diet" ok, I wasn't quite honest - I had been on it for a few weeks but I DID have the intention of telling him:) He was reluctant at first "It's High FAT!" "I WANT to!":) "ok, try it for a month, but then we check you again!"

After the first month, I couldn't wait to go back:) it was obvious I had lost ... a good bit of weight:) and my blood work was much improved. See blood work link. We talked for almost an hour:)

I reached my first goal of losing 50 pounds by the end of November, 1999, with a week or two to spare:) I had dropped dress sizes from 20 and 22 to 14's. The first time I tried on a size 12 and it FIT, I said "now the universe has to end, it cannot contain such a contradiction!!:)" I lost about 8 inches around my waist, which is still larger than I like. Yes, I'm DOING abs crunches until the cows come home:) just part of my genes I guess.

I started enjoying shopping and buying clothes, something I had NEVER done before in my life!!

I had exercised before, tho I hated it. But now I found that I just HAD to exercise - to use up part of my energy - started doing yoga exercises from a book. That helped some and I was using my treadmill every other day for a mile. And I started walking up the steps at the place I worked (all 99 of them:)

In January 2000 I started a karate class - I've now got two belts, which says I'm dangerous enough to hurt myself but nobody else:) but I really like it:) I WANT to learn to swim, as soon as I can.

and no, even 6 months ago, if you'd told me I would have done all that, I'd have said you were crazy.

all this so far can be documented - the doctor has records and my friends will never forget my phases:) I think I have gotten other benefits which are purely anecdotal, but ... well, they seem to be true for me.

I used to have sinus headaches once in a while - pretty bad ones sometimes. Haven't had one since I started the diet. I feel... more "sane" than I ever did in my life. I feel like my mind was in a fog before. It may be just a placebo effect or it may be my imagination or... but I FEEL like I can think more clearly than I've ever before. YMMV. I used to go through a bottle of Tums or similar stuff every month - heartburn all the time. Never touched one after I started the diet (ok, just lately it's come back a bit, but I think stress was the reason for that... changing jobs is not easy when you've worked at the same job for 22 years.) My skin is much softer than it was.

Sleep! I used to sleep as much as I could, 8-9 hours a night and still feel groggy when I got up. I could literally fall asleep within a minute, just sitting quietly after a meal. Now I sleep usually no more than 7 hours a night and sometimes 4 hours is all I want. I don't know how many times I've been up cleaning house or grading papers at 3:30am...

Was it all peaches and cream?:) (no, no peaches:) no, it was not. You CAN sabotage yourself very nicely with this diet, you can hurt yourself. And I did some rather stupid things.

Letting my doctor stop my BP medicine cold turkey - do NOT stop a diuretic like that! I gained 8 pounds in 3 days! water retention is not a fun thing! finally had the sense to call the doctor and say "help!" he got me more pills and weaned me off of them one every other day for a month. I've been off the Diazide since Labor Day, 1999.

At one point while weaning off the BP medicine, I hesitated about taking any more potassium supplements since the BP medicine was supposed to make you retain potassium. I went through a lot of pain - muscle cramps - and just a "washed out" feeling, until I got off the Dyazide and got back on the potassium supplements.

At one point I was sleeping about 4 hours a night. I tried different things - herbal teas, melatonin... I tried eating more protein, less protein, more carbohydrates, fewer carbs, turkey... My sleep pattern has not really quite settled down yet.

Since I was a teenager, I have had very thin hair on top of my head. I think it is an effect of the PCOS. In about November 1999 it started coming out pretty badly. I think it may have been I wasn't getting enough protein, but I really have no idea. I tried various things: shampoos, scalp massages, "hair" vitamins... I think the most important difference may have been increasing the Glucophage dosage from 500 mg twice a day to 850 mg. I can say that it is growing back now, about as thick as it was before or maybe a bit heavier in places. I am hopeful that it will continue:)