I want to lose 5 pounds in a week - Been there done that!

I have been on the Atkins diet (full-go) since Monday. It's Thursday night and I sneaked a peek at the scale. To my amazement, I have lost 5 lbs!!! I know it's probably water weight because with any diet you usually lose water the first couple of days. However, this is a step forward and a big ego booster.

I was strict with my diet, eating only meat. I ate three meals a day. (That way I wouldn't feel deprived during the day.

I have been peeing a lot but that is good because I'm flushing the fat out. I was constipated for a little bit but I drank some sugar free orange flavored fiber powder and that seemed to help.

Overall, I have been feeling pretty good. I just need to get my behind to the gym and do some exercice.

Gastric Bypass is not an option for me. (Tom)

I have had a few friends that have had gastric bypass surgery to loose weight. This isn’t an option for me. Gastric bypass surgery is a bad phrase in my vocabulary. I couldn’t imagine being cut open just to have my stomach smaller.
My mother had the surgery about 7 years ago and it wasn’t too successful for her. She initially lost 70 lbs in the first few months and then she actually started gaining weight. One reason I think she gained weight was that she didn’t go to any follow up appointments. I have seen success and failure with this approach.

So why am I doing the Atkins diet? I think it’s simple. The science behind it is incredible. If you deplete your body of carbs or sugar, the next fuel source for your body is fat. It’s the opposite of a marathon runner. A marathon runner doesn’t have a lot of fat to burn. Therefore, they have to load their body with lots of carbs for energy. That is why they have “carb loading” parties before a big race. As a big guy, I don’t want the carbs. Carbs will be used as energy in my body as long as I have carbs floating around in my blood. Take away the carbs and you take away the fat. This is why I like the Atkins diet.

From LIZ - Day One

Hi everyone!! Well, before I give information on how my first day of this challenge went, I feel I should properly introduce myself, and explain a little about the challenges I may face along the way. Well, as Tommy already explained, we have been together for over 7years, and we have a wonderful son together. My life can be easily described in that it revolves around my family. First and foremost, I am here for them. And that being said, is the main reason for my weight loss, as well as my weight gain!! lol. I want to be able to join my son in all that he chooses to take on. I also spend the day as a preschool teacher, so I am pretty much surrounded by kids daily. But also being a preschool teacher, I deal with birthday parties, treats, snacks, etc. Its super tempting!! I have recently taken on the coach position for my son's t-ball team. All this, while being a part time college student! So, lets go over this again; here are my many hats - loving wife, super mom, energetic preschool teacher, champion t-ball coach, and forever learning college student!! As if that wasn't enough, I am now a contender in this weight loss challenge!!! So hopefully, you can relate to my roller coaster life and back me 100% as I beat the PANTS off my dear husband in this weight loss challenge!
ok, well enough for the introductions.. lol. Today, I started off really good. I started the day with half a cup of raisin bran cereal, half a cup of 2% milk and a half an orange. My lunch was a turkey and cheese rollup, a double serving of fresh vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini and celery), and a small serving of canned pineapples. i know its not exactly south beach approved, but I like to take my diet approach slowly. Kind of like stepping into a pool, I like to test the water first. But then, I picked my son up from summer camp, and had 1 hour to feed him before dropping him off to his grandpa and heading off to school, so where do we go? the nearest McDonalds!!! Bad move!! so, ok I ended up the night with 2 bratwursts and a garlic and cheese biscuit after finding out that I got a lousy grade on my poetry quiz.
so you see, the day started off good, but as my daily roller coaster swerves and dips, so does my eating habits. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day - and stay a better day! Wish me luck!!

From Tom -PODCAST -Day One of theWeight Loss Challenge

I did okay for the first day. I made a podcast if you would like to hear more about it. The first day went well for me.

Once again check out the podcast. Feel free to leave comments or suggestions.

Click here for the PODCAST.

Thank you...
Tom

Weight Loss Challenge Between Husband and Wife.

Meet Tom and Liz. They have been together for over 7 years. When they met, they were both fit, were at an ideal weight and didn't have any children. For the past 7 years they have grown together. Literally, they have gained a lot of weight. Liz and Tom had a baby. That added to the weight problem. After 7 years of unhealthy living they want to lose the weight.

Hi, I'm Tom, Liz's better half. We are both going to start a diet and exercise program and are going to document everything we do. Liz is going to choose a "South Beach" style diet with exercises and I (Tom) am going to gear my diet towards the "Atkins" approach combined with exercises. We are going to post videos, podcast, and weekly photos of ourselves.


Liz is going to use supplements for her weight loss as well such as fatburners like hydroxycut or xenadrine.

I'm going to use a stimulant free fat burner because too much caffeine or stimulants make me nervous.

I'm going to post my weight on this blog, I'm sure that Liz will post her percentage. (She really doesn't want to reveal her weight.

We hope that you will join us on our quest to healthy living. Subscribe to this blog and feel free to leave comments or suggestions.

So who will win this diet challenge? Him or her?