Here goes nothing ....

Hello! This is the very first, inaugural post of what I hope will be many. Hmmm, where to begin ... I guess I should tell you a little about myself. My name is Elizabeth ... I'm 29 (30 in November, yikes!) and have been on one kind of low-carb diet or another for about 6 years. When I first started the Atkins diet in 1998, there was far less information available. I was (and still am) about 5 foot 5, and the first time I started dieting I weighed about 145.

That doesn't sound like a whole lot to weigh. I'm not obese, and have never had a major weight problem, but I'm very conscious of my looks and like to feel thin, fit and healthy. By no means do I want to be too heavy, but I also don't want to be too thin. I want to be my best and to feel as healthy and energetic as a 30-year-old possibly can.

Up until the first time I dieted, I had weighed exactly the same since I was in high school: 123. So it was discouraging to gain more than 20 pounds over the course of one year. I knew I needed to do something or I would really become overweight. So, I bought the Atkins books plus a carb counter and started eating lots of salads, "meat roll ups" and eggs. Within about 30 days I had dropped 15 pounds and felt WONDERFUL! I had tons of energy, too, and I never felt those hunger pangs that I used to.

But, suffice to say, the diet didn't stick. I started having "just a few potatoes" or a cheat day that turned into a cheat week and pretty soon I put on the weight again. I was 26 and back up to 145. Then 149, which was my tops about a year ago when I saw a picture of me and realized that I really was a little more than "healthily voluptuous." A few days after this realization I ran into a friend who I hadn't seen in a long time, and she must have lost about 30 pounds and looked SO good. Things had changed, she had used to be heavier than me, and now I was the heavy one. She told me she was doing the low-carb diet, and so I tried it again starting that very day ... This time with the support of the Atkins web site and many bulletin boards and forums.

I did great! I lost the weight again, and got down to 130 and felt great this whole past summer. I was doing more yoga, walking and eating very nutritous, low-carb meals. This time around, I was more creative with my menu. I even had my boyfriend liking my low-carb meals, and he's about as thin as they come. It's only been the past 3 weeks that I decided to loosen the rules on my low-carb plan and guess what?? I've gained back 10 pounds. I went to the doctor today and when I hopped on the scale I heard that dreaded number "142.5." I saw the nurse look back and forth at her notes as she started the scale at 130, and kept inching it up. I could imagine her thinking "Too bad, she gained the weight back." For me, with some back and hip problems, the more I weigh the more pain I have and the less exercising I do. A vicious cycle.

So! Here I am, low-carbing it again. I'm starting this blog as a form of encouragment and perserverence for myself and others in my shoes (I know you're out there!) Maybe we can all lean on eachother and help keep ourselves on the right track by sharing low-carb advice, tips, or anything else you'd like to share. I have some wonderful low-carb recipes I'm going to share, and I hope I get some new ones from readers, too.

I will say, that because I've been on a low-carb diet for so long, I know what works and what doesn't (for me anyway.) In future posts, I will be sharing my tips and tricks. And I'll also be sharing with you how things are going this time around.

So with no further ado, I will submit this first post ... yahoo! Please feel free to comment, I'd love to hear from you. Wish me luck ....

Elizabeth