So recently I'm in a conference with my son's teacher and the principal, a counsellor and a special ed teacher. No, this isn't one of those jokes that ends up with someone in the bar asking someone about their prosthetic.

Son has been having serious issues with concentration in school and impulsive behavior. So I discuss with them how I planned to work wheat and other glutens and sugars from his way of eating to help remedy the situation.

*crickets chirp*

I explain to them about things such as uber-skin sensitivity, impulsive behavior and his native American ancestry being indicative of him doing best when he's on a hunter-gatherer diet.

*crickets*



Move backwards a few weeks.

Kids' karate teacher prides himself on being the final everything when it comes to diet and exercise. It must be nice to be him.

At any rate, I usually can be caught reading when I'm there, and you'll usually find me reading a low-carb book. He sees me reading the book, and he assumes I'm just this wayward fat chick who needs an answer. So he starts preaching to me about some Volumetrics Diet. He pushes the book into my hands. I spent the next 45 minutes of class skimming the book and then told him it was pretty interesting, but that I'd been doing pretty well on Atkins.

*crickets chirp*

He proceeds to tell me how it didn't work. I told him that might be, but the 115 pounds I'd lost tell me otherwise.

*more crickets*



Rewind back even farther. Next door neighbor is lovable but slightly psychotic. everytime she sees me she talks about weight. She is slightly obsessive and has stated that her husband makes her work because she is so obsessive she would probably eat herslef to death if she was home all day.

Of course this is the kind of personal information we all share with complete strangers.

Knowing she lacks the apparent idiot filter people tend to have which stops them from saying things like, "No, I do think you look like a marshmallow in that linen pantsuit", she always compulsively seems to bring up weight loss, like I'm this fat lamo chick.

She tells me she's recently lost 10 pounds and that she can help me if I'd like. I had the unfortunate duty to tell her I'd lost 110 pounds to date at that time.

*crickets chirp* *her facial tic*



It's tough being at a point where you're on the road to losing. Everyone thinks they know better than you do what works for you and for your body. You're not the 325 large woman, and you're not the 125 pound super-marvel who can testify to weight loss success entirely.

I'm living in a world filled with people who don't seem to understand. The school wants my son drugged. The karate teacher wants me eating a high-carb diet based on stomach volume. My neighbor wants me to eat tortillas and walk to lose weight.

All of them treat me like I'm some fat albeit adorable freak who can't function in society without their help.

I think I done ran away and joined the circus without the luxury of the tutu or the dancing poodles.

Atkins is so daggoned simple, it ends up confounding the "wise".

Betty

__________________


5'3, 98.5 POUNDS, AGE 50
FULL-FLEDGED RUNNER SINCE NOVEMBER 2003

MIDDLE-AGE spread is the ugliest thing a man -- or woman -- can possess.

First half marathon completed January 7, 2006, 2 hours 40 minutes

First full marathon completed February 26, 2006, 5 hours

Next Goal: WDW Minnie Marathon 15K "Women Run The World", May 7, 2006

Ditto that Betty,
I have one of those "well intentioned" aunts who is very intelligent. She is a retired teacher/speech therapist who has worked with kids all the way thru the elderly with Parkinsons. She is one of those yo yo dieters ... when I did WW's she went on WW's only to give up after a couple of months because it was too much to count points. She has done her own healthy eating ideas, gone to WL clinics, did a WL thing thru church you name it. I have no idea what she tried before I started to lose weight but I can guarantee nothing has worked for her and nothing ever will until she sticks to something and finds her will power.

Ever since I went on Atkins last year she has had nothing good to say about it. Everytime she see's me she tells me that I look great but I need to stop losing weight...that Atkins will begin doing damage if I don't watch out. My cardiologist told me if I lost weight with it..then stick with it. That no damage would happen as far as he knew. I have gotten to the point with her that I just nod my head to her knowing nature of what is right for me...and then say I agree to disagree on the subject. I have to find my own way and so did she...I think I have found my way. )

I have finally gotten my footing with Atkins again...and losing weight at a good pace. I am sorry..but nobody can convince me that Atkins wasn't a good choice for me to have for my WOL. )

I have learned to just nod...grin and walk away from it Cleo. Good luck finding your way with them.

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:: My Stats ::
246/176/155 Atkins/Induction/ Age-33/ Libra/ Height-6ft
Proud Mommy of Matt-11, Jesse-9, Gabriel-6 and Emma-4
Siggie © Thru Thick n Thin

Boy, Cleo, all I can say is that your post really riled me up! There's nothing more annoying (right now, anyway!) than ignorant people who think they know everything! Aaaaargh!!

I assume you're sticking to your guns re. your son. When I was 19 (so 15 years ago), I nannied for a summer for my mom's best friend, helping look after her 10-year-old son. He had HUGELY obvious ADD/ADHD symptoms, was always in trouble at school b/c of them, etc. She (my mom's best friend) was into the whole macrobiotic thing (still may be, I don't know, and it doesn't matter). But one thing she immediately recognized was that SUGAR was affecting her son EXTREMELY adversely. By the time I got there, this little guy, only 10 years old, was already his own advocate -- he always wanted his veggies, he always ONLY drank diet soda, etc. He wanted dark lettuce, not iceburg, becuase "there's more GREEN in the romaine."

Anyway, I really applaud you for approaching your son's health with awareness to what's going in his body and how it's affecting him. I'm not going to be a mother, but if I were, that's the kind of mother I'd want to be.

I'm still riled. I better go clean something...

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Cleo, it doesn't go away when you reach goal - they just find something else. Did you know that I pronounce my own name wrong?

About once a month or so, if someone feels they have a better handle on my life than I do, I respond with, "You're so lucky! I wish I had time to live someone else's life, too. Mine keeps my fully occupied all by itself!"

Laura

P.S. How's the son taking the new dietary restrictions?

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Atkins Maintenance (mostly )
High weight: 186
New Goal: 127.5 give or take 2.5

Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution

what I hate also is when people see me, they see a heavy person, and assume I am stupid. No chance to prove otherwise.
No one looks deep at what I can or cannot do, as they see my weight first.

sandi
Cleo how is your son doing on the diet now?
sandi

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A couple of years ago I was visiting a web site for people with a medical syndrome for which there really isn't a cure... and you would be surprised at how many people got relief (for an inner ear disease) by simply eliminating gluten from their diets. It's really amazing how bad this can be for some people, others it has no significant effect.

Anyway, I applaud you for taking the steps to at least see if it will help with your son. In my opinion anything is better than some of the drugs they want to throw at kids these days. I have an 11 year old nephew who's been on every ADD/ADHD/RAD medicine that's out there, and I don't think any of them really did much good. His best medicine has been better parenting I think. The teachers don't want them to come to school unless they've had their meds (I have a sister-in-law that teaches 1st grade), and I can understand that if they are truly uncontrollable, but there has to be some middle ground...

But, back to Atkins and it's perception by people. I don't think that's going to change anytime soon, though I must admit that my family has been supportive of any way that I can take some pounds off. So, they've been happy since I started Atkins, but not nearly as happy as I've been.

I've really only had one person say anything negative about atkins, and he was a young electrical engineer, just out of school who has a metabolism that could sink a battleship. I've seen that kid eat, and I think WOW, if I ate like that they would paint GOODYEAR on my chest and charge big bucks to rent me for the Superbowl!! But, if he keeps eating that way, someday he'll be thinking of Atkins, South Beach, or some other way to get rid of the junk he's throwing in now.

Anyway, I just wanted to say, stick it out for your son and find what works for him. Best of luck to you both. As far as the neighbor goes, you should carry a spare ham & philly roll in your purse and pull it out and start chowing down the next time she starts lecturing.

__________________
Start Date: 12/30/2005
Restart Date: 3/25/2008 at 240 lbs
250/226/190
Atkins

Just an interesting side note:

My sister was a biologist in college. Then, a few years later, got a Master of Public Health degree.

She told me that when people evolved, there were two "tracks" going on -- if I have this right, one was Asian-ish, and one was Middle Eastern-ish, in terms of geography.

I forget which one this was, but one of them evolved from a lamb/apricot based diet (no grains), and the other evolved from a grain-inclusive diet.

At the time, we were discussing MY intolerance of wheat and some other grains. I definitely am in the lamb/apricot camp.

Not trying to hijack this thread, so forgive me!

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I cannot believe that the first thing the "pros" recomend is medication. When I was growing up, I never heard of this. We called those kids "hyper" and I know it was because of the sugar. It's sad that people want us to drug our children. Good for you for standing up to them!

On a side note, I love your posts. All of them. You have a way with words that makes me either angry (liek this post), laugh or think. Thanks!

__________________
F, 42, 5'5"
Stoped smoking and fell off the wagon.
Trying desperately to get back on.

Goal weight: 165 lbs.

You want hijack.... my boyfriend and I sent DNA samples to National Geographic for a genographic project they're doing. Supposed to find out our deep ancestry from it (another month or so for results). I don't understand it all, but it should be interesting to see which of the major bloodlines we descended from.

Laura

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Atkins Maintenance (mostly )
High weight: 186
New Goal: 127.5 give or take 2.5

Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution

Oh, and I was also going to say it's amazing that Drs will diagnose boys who don't sit absolutely still for 6+ hours a day as hyperactive. Uh, hello? Little boys? Haven't sat that still for like all of history?

Laura

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Atkins Maintenance (mostly )
High weight: 186
New Goal: 127.5 give or take 2.5

Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution

I think we would all be all grossly overmedicated if the medical fraternity, largely sponsored by the drug companies, had their way. If you go to the doctor, the first thing they do is offer you a prescription for some drug or other. I have lost count of the number of times I've beem offered antibiotics for the flu. I always ask 'Do I have a secondary infection, then?', and there has only been one affirmative answer (ear infection, yes, it was painful), so I refused the antibiotics on the other occassions, thank you.

I have always believed the first step should be to look at diet and lifestyle, and now I have seen and felt the benefits of a good healthy lifestyle first hand, I'm advocating it even more.

Today a lady was at the counter here, and the talk turned to weight loss, and she said she could never do Atkins, she didn't like black coffee and toast for breakfast! When I informed her I had no idea what diet she was talking about, but it was NOT Atkins, she got huffy and left.

Another customer I have, a dear older lady with diabetes, has been convinced by her doctor that she must have RAISIN TOAST for breakfast to help control her blood sugars! I'd love to know where HE got his medical training - at the Tip Top bread factory, perhaps.

All we can do is try to do it right by our own lights and refuse to be browbeaten into kowtowing to society's weird ideas. Cleo is right to not want to medicate her child. Research published here has shown that children who have taken Ritalin in childhood are more likely to become addicted to marijuana and heroin. It speculated that somehow their body/brain chemistry was altered and made them more susceptible. How about they got the idea drugs were OK because Mum/Dad and the school said so?

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Odille
Terranora, northern NSW, Australia
Fem 53, 170 cms - doing Atkins
SW 131 / CW 103 / GW 64 (kgs)
SW 288.5 / CW 227 / GW 140(lbs)
BP-Nov05 176/96; Dec 05 154/84; Jan 06 122/80; Mar 06 110/76

Odille!!!!!

Betty

__________________


5'3, 98.5 POUNDS, AGE 50
FULL-FLEDGED RUNNER SINCE NOVEMBER 2003

MIDDLE-AGE spread is the ugliest thing a man -- or woman -- can possess.

First half marathon completed January 7, 2006, 2 hours 40 minutes

First full marathon completed February 26, 2006, 5 hours

Next Goal: WDW Minnie Marathon 15K "Women Run The World", May 7, 2006

Cleo: I AM SO SO SO WITH YOU ON THIS ONE! I have given up my crusade of trying to save sweet Dr. Atkins' reputation! I have a good friend who still insists that Dr. Atkins died of a heart attack from all the high fat foods he ate. Ummm, he slipped on a patch of ice .... (groan).

I try to remind myself not to go the other direction as well. When I see someone who is heavy, I want to grab that Big Mac out of their hand and start preaching the salvation of low carb eating.

I hope the eating modifications work for your son. I too have moved to a new area recently, and I am shocked at how much candy my children are offered: at school, at church, out shopping, good grief! I am teaching them to say NO gracefully ... but they feel neglected. My kiddos would choose a cheese stick over a candy sucker any day. And don't even get me started about the school lunch program. It is a wonder that the human body even can survive on what they serve there.

It is a battle ... But I am determined to prevail!

__________________
ATKINS...F/33
HW 230 (01/10/2005) SW 192 (01/08/2006) CW 185 (02/12/2006) GW135
Wow, I lost 38 pounds in 2005 ... going for 58 pounds lost in 2006 ... MINI GOAL of 175 by EASTER!

Ponder anew what the Almighty can do...
To Jesus be the Glory!

I know the pros and cons of medicating kids, but as with choosing a diet we as parents are making the best decision with our kids as possibly we can. My oldest has been on meds since he was in Kindergarten, maybe it wasn't the best decision but the alternative was debilitating. Does meds make him alright now...heck no but he mainly gets them for school and it has made him a better student. Without them he can't function. Do meds fit every child? ABSOLUTELY NOT...but as a parent I felt helpless watching him struggle and drown because he couldn't keep up.

I avoided all meds thru out my post partum depression, except a 2 wk trial of Zoloft that was wonderful until I proved to be allergic. I plundered thru life trying to function...trying to lose my weight only to have a set back every 3 wks when my AF would decide to show and I would take 2 wks just to get back the control in my life. Even after being on Atkins for 5 mos I was struggling and had horrible mood swings...I finally got myself to a Psychiatrist and we relooked at the diagnosis I had as a teen of Manic Depression/ Bipolar. I started a med and it changed my life, sucked for my sex life though but we have finally found a balance of 2 meds to counter my mood swings and libido along with a partial hyst. and I am a happy clam. The difference for me is life in the light or constantly feeling like I was going to fall off the deep end. Try parenting your kids when you don't even think you can cope with day to day life at times.

I am a proponent for meds for people who have tried everything else...including losing weight and Atkins.

Also...as far as my son being more susceptible to being on drugs as an adult? I don't dispute whatever findings that one might have read...but I wonder what kind of home life those kids had? We are hands on with our kids in the home and in school to make sure they have all the tools necessary to make them successful. My son who is 11 almost 12...is in the midst of all that peer pressure but he has a strong handle on what is right and what is wrong and he definately knows that drugs not prescribed by his Dr. are wrong. I have no fears for him...will he ever be suduced to maybe give it a try. God..I pray not but then again I was...and did and it was just a phase and I plan to be open with my kids so hopefully they will learn from me and come to a healthy choice about their lives.

Cleo...I applaud you for trying to change your son's diet. I am looking into it also. I have 3 ADHD kids...my oldest is the worst...my 9 yr old just as ADD and the difference for him was being able to read. Within 6 wks of putting him on Concerta he began reading and retaining info and able to sit still. Both of my older kids are on the A/B honor rolls. My 3rd son is ADHD just like my oldest but we can't use any kind of med. because he is very underweight. I am working on dietary to get him to gain, but he is a picky eater despite the abundance of healthy choices. I have been told to give him fat laden treats and shakes to bulk him up...but that sugar is going to hype him up. I am seeing our Dr. today for my son Jesse's Med check and I plan to get a referral to a nutritionist to help me come up with an alternative plan for them all.

I am sorry if I seem like I went off here regarding meds...but I believe that the choice to not do meds or to be on meds isn't a fit all situation. Nor for many...was it made lightly or induced because of teachers or Dr.'s We waited 3 yrs with our son Jesse to make sure that his inability to learn wouldn't become easier as he grew and developed (he was developmentally delayed due to birth trauma)....after EEG's and MRI's to examine brain function we know we made the right decision to move fwd with a med for him.

I hope you can understand better where some parents like myself come from.

Hugs, Mel

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:: My Stats ::
246/176/155 Atkins/Induction/ Age-33/ Libra/ Height-6ft
Proud Mommy of Matt-11, Jesse-9, Gabriel-6 and Emma-4
Siggie © Thru Thick n Thin

Wow you guys are all soooooooooo nice! I've turned to people before who are harping at me and cutting down Atkins and said things like " Judge me all you want, just keep your opinion to yourself. " or " what makes you think your opinion matters to me?" (granted, I could just smile and ignore, but sometimes my inner b*tch needs to come out! )
Cleo - noone knows your child like you do! You go girl!

The thing is that there is always going to be someone, somewhere who thinks they know whats best for us. Someone who doesn't agree with our choice of diet, how we raise our kids, the color or our shirts - what we need to remember is that we don't need to make that person happy, we need to make ourselves happy. We can't live our lives worrying about what all Joe Smoe thinks about us - Its what we think about ourselves that counts.
We like Atkins. We like wearing pink shirts with green spots and big orange flowers. We are happy. We matter!

__________________
Attitude changes everything!
Have a beautiful day! ~ lady hawke
402/366/147

Miss Mel/Happy Clam

I am really glad you posted so honestly about your family! I should have added to my post, the thing that gets me is the rampant and casual prescribing of drugs (for ADD/ADHD, for depression, anti-biotics for viruses, etc.).

There are people for whom those drugs work wonders, and I'm grateful for that. I'm not one, but one of my closest friends is severerly bi-polar. She went through 5 YEARS of trying to find the correct dosages/balances of drugs and today is doing really well, living on her own, involved in sports and has earned a BA.

But for the little boy I nannied, just like for too many fidgety kids, or for like too many people (especially college students) who are stressed or unhappy, those drugs are the first thing that the medical establishment goes for.

So I just wanted you to know that I regret leaving that out of my post, it was incomplete. Because I completely agree with you that the drugs are God sends for some people.

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Thank you for the wonderful posts!

I am medicating my son in addition to changing his diet for the time being. He's taking strattera. The most difficult thing about his situation is that he really likes wheat (which in itself is possibly symbolic of a food intolerance). I notice when he doesn't have the wheat and refined starches he seems less prone to things like 'crawlylegs' and impulse control problems. Thankfully, when he was in 2nd grade, we took him to a psychiatrist whose solution was to try the hunter/gatherer diet. Trying dietary controls on small children in a nation of people who feed their kids JollyMeals is foreign to many.

So, for the time being, the medication is important for his ability to function and not panic (his dad takes strattera too), but during summer I can more carefully evaluate his behavior off of the medication with the effects of the foods.

I do know this: trying a rotating diet really has made a difference. Two weeks is necessary to evaluate the full effect. It is better than being tested for allergies at a doctor's office and more thorough. And I do agree that much we medicate could be treated with proper diet, exercise and behavior modification, if not just outright maturity helping with the ability to cope in the world.

I really appreciate reading how each and every one of you has deal with situations similar to mine. That you've taken the time to share your thoughts, experiences, struggles and successes means a lot.

Bikergoddess, you're right. I think people will always find something to complain about if it doesn't fit into what they feel is right. When I hit goal, I'll have low-cal dieters complaining I did Atkins, and I'll have Atkins dieters complaining that I consciously counted calories.

Of course, at goal, I so won't care.

Now's different, at least for the time being. Being on the weight loss trail sometimes feels like being in limbo. You have come a long way, but there's still a long way to go. And prejudice is alive and well in the world, as are those pre-conceived notions.

I'd like to think the loudest cries come from the people who care most about you. Still, sometimes I think they seem to come most from the people who think most about themselves, and their having to shift that what they are doing might not be the only way to do it is pretty rough for them.

I will continue to smile, wish them well, and do what I know works for me. I'm not looking to make converts, but I am always happy to share information and offer support to others. And I do that. It's just nice to have that returned on occasion in the real world with people I deal with on a day-to-day basis who think my spleen is about to fall from my bellybutton in a very socially awkward moment.

I love this!!!

Mel, I don't think anyone here would say that medication is never the answer. It just shouldn't be the *only* answer.

What royally pisses me off are those screaming that drugs are evil while popping an aspirin with their coffee after the cocktail of St. John's Wort, Evening Primrose Oil, and Garlic.

Laura

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Atkins Maintenance (mostly )
High weight: 186
New Goal: 127.5 give or take 2.5

Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution