AUGUST 30, 2009 - WEEK 24 RESULTS

This week I gained 1.4 pounds.
Beginning weight – 138.8 pounds
Ending weight – 140.2 pounds

Here is an average of my daily food intake for this past week:

1645 Calories
117.6g Fat (64.3%)
106.7g Protein
40.1g Carbs
21.6g Fiber
18.5g net carbs, of which 12.1g came from veggies

AUGUST 23, 2009 - I OFFICIALLY GIVE UP ON GETTING DOWN TO 139.8 POUNDS!

Because I would have to gain to weigh 139.8! I lost 1.6 pounds yesterday, and now I weigh 138.8 pounds! Getting below 140 is a huge milestone for me!

I have now been doing Atkins for 23 weeks. Here are my results:

Beginning weight - 150 / BMI 26.57 / Body Fat 37.9%
Current weight - 138.8 / BMI 24.59 / Body Fat 32.6%
Goal weight - 125
Goal date, based on average since starting - March 5, 2010
(Since starting, I have lost an average of 1/2 pound per week.)
Goal date, based on average in the last 4 weeks - February 15, 2010
(In the last 4 weeks, I have lost an average of 0.55 pounds per week.)

Here is an average of my daily food intake for this past week:

1718 Calories

126.9g Fat (66.5%)

105.7g Protein

38.1g Carbs

20.5g Fiber

17.6g net carbs, of which 12.3g came from veggies

I weigh on a body composition scale, so I can tell how much fat, muscle and water I have gained or lost.

Scale weight lost this week - 3.8 pounds
Fat lost this week - 3.3 pounds
Muscle gained this week - 0 pounds
Water lost this week - 0.5 pounds
Total scale weight lost since starting - 11.2 pounds

Since starting, I have lost 7.5% of my total body weight. I need to lose another 9.2%. I have lost 44.8% of the 25 pounds I need to lose.

According to my doctor, I needed to lose 32.5 pounds of fat, and gain 8.4 pounds of muscle. So far, I have lost 13.3 pounds of fat, and gained 6.4 pounds of muscle!

I've also been keeping track of my measurements on fitday. I measure every Sunday.

Neck 13.75 - 13.00 = 3/4 inch down
Bicep 11.75 - 11.5 = 1/4 inch down
Forearm 9.00 - 9.00 = same
Bust 38.25 - 37.00 = 1-1/4 inch down
Midriff 32.25 - 29.75 = 2-3/4 inches down
Waist 31.50 - 29.00 = 2-1/2 inches down
Navel 38.25 - 32.75 = 5-1/2 inches down (the heart health zone, so this is great!)
Hips 42.00 - 38.25 = 3-3/4 inches down
Thigh 24.50 - 22.00 = 2-1/2 inches down
Calf 14.50 - 14.00 = 1/2 inch down

Total lost this week - 1/2 inch
Total lost since starting - 22-3/4 inches

In the past few weeks, I have started increasing my calories again, and this time I have continued to lose! I'm not sure whether to attribute it to weightlifting or a healing metabolism, or both, but whichever it is, I'll take it!

I am taking my supplements, including Acetyl L-carnitine, and drinking 72 oz. of water each day.

I am lifting weights 3 times per week.

I am doing the Pacebook recommendations for modified cardio on the treadmill, and I do the weight lifting machines at the gym.

I also do a 1-hour Hatha Yoga class twice per week.

I am using natural bioidentical progesterone and testosterone replacement therapy.

AUGUST 22, 2009 - WEIGHT LIFTING IS PAYING OFF!

The photo on the left was taken in August 2008 and the one on the right was taken in August 2009.

When I started Atkins on March 15, 2009, I weighed 150 pounds and had 42.9% body fat. My doctor told me to lose 32.5 pounds of fat and to gain 8.4 pounds of muscle to be at my ideal weight of 123.7 pounds and to have 23% body fat.

He put me on testosterone and told me to start lifting weights. Every time I lifted in the past, I always hurt myself, so I was not anxious to start. I did start, though.

It has now been 5 months since starting Atkins, and my doctor visit yesterday showed that I have lost 13.3 of the 32.5 pounds of fat he told me to lose.

Not only have I lost fat, but I have gained 6.4 of the 8.4 pounds of muscle he told me to gain!

AUGUST 16, 2009 - WEEK 22 RESULTS

This week I lost 0.8 pounds

Beginning weight - 143.4 pounds

Ending weight - 142.6 pounds

Here is an average of my daily food intake for this past week:

1637 Calories

122.2g Fat (67.2%)

101.2g Protein

33.1g Carbs

16.5g Fiber

16.6g net carbs, of which 11.9g came from veggies

BE SURE TO TAKE A "BEFORE" PHOTO!

I once saw some before and after photos in a diet book. The men and women were posing in swimsuits, and the results were amazing! I decided to take a before photo of me at my highest weight, even though it was hard to do. I wanted to be able to really see the difference after I lost weight. And I wanted to have proof that I had lost weight in case someone said, “Oh, you were never overweight!” I was too shy to take a photo wearing a swimsuit, so I put on form-fitting workout clothes. Each time I lose five pounds, I put those same clothes on and my husband takes my picture, with me standing in the same spot and in the same position. The last one was taken at 3 o’clock in the morning, because my husband was leaving town. I got up, got on the scale, got dressed, took the picture, and then went back to bed!

I really suggest to everyone that you get before pictures as soon as you start Atkins. I know it might be embarrassing, but you will be glad later, when you have lost that extra weight. And besides, just because you take the picture does not mean you ever have to show it to anybody…

Take your measurements, too. The scale does not tell the whole story!