You've got a lot on your plate. I wish you the very best in meeting your goals!

I agree with the PP about keeping sodium up. If you keep Na between 3000-5000mg it should help reduce keto flu symptoms. A magnesium and potassium supplement may help too.

Welcome to the group.

Keeping sodium high will help keep K and Mg in check. Those tend to be low when Na as been low for a while

Welcome to the group. Great place to be and everyone is very supportive. And what I have noticed someone will always have the answer or point you in the right direction. I have done LCHF before but wasn't very successful in sticking with it. This time I went looking for some support and boy did I find it. This group really helps me stay on track. Getting started is the hardest part for me personally and I put it off for over a year on getting back on track. Post here frequently to keep your support group close. Feel free to add me as a friend. My diary is open to friends. I think you have taken a big step in the right direction in just posting this and being honest. I wish you well in your journey!

Congratulations on making such an important decision about your health. I love the way I feel and look when I am following this woe, but I always slip up because of alcohol. My socializing has always been based around it so that has been the hardest lifestyle change.

You are doing the right things, making plans, prepping meals, committing to more activity AND telling others so they can support and hopefully remind you, when needed, to stay on track.

The transition can be difficult and you're tackling two major things at once. Just remind your self that this difficult phase is temporary. You just have to get through today, eating low carb and not having a drink, today. Then you Plan to do the same thing tomorrow, but today stays your focus.

I just came back to the LCHF woe last week and while I got through NYE just fine (had kid carpooling duties), the next day one of my very best friends who I LOVE to drink wine with stopped by...I almost caved and opened a bottle, but instead we had tea and some great conversation and the accomplishment and pride I felt for not imbibing was very motivating. Once you get in the swing of things, your cravings will decrease, but you still need to keep reminding yourself why you committed to not eat and drink so much crap.

Best of luck, the harder you work the more you'll appreciate it!

monmyrunmommy wrote: »

Well day 1 is going well. Thanks again to everyone for their kind words!! I am really glad to finally take the plunge and start making positive changes. I also signed up for Daily Burn so I can start working in some excercise in the mornings. I have also decided to get up and move more at work - I sit at a desk typically 7+ hours of my work day and then have a 1.5 hour commute each way. I know that I need to move around more so I am getting up and taking a short walk each hour and trying to incorporate a flight or two of stairs in a couple times.

I don't think it will be hard not drinking - I just needed to make the decision and really mean it. My husband is on board with that so there won't be any alcohol in the house to be tempted by.

Great idea about moving more. I also commute 45 minutes each way to work and what I do is walk during my lunch hour. We have a mall that is less than a mile from work and I go over daily to get in my steps. Maybe a fitbit or pedometer of some sort will motivate you to move

I would never, ever discourage anyone from going low-carb; it's made a world of difference to me over the past year and my only regret is that I didn't go this route years ago. That said, I've also freed myself from alcohol and I tackled that issue first. During my first six weeks of going cold turkey on the stuff, I concentrated on feeding myself in a healthy fashion without following any specific diet protocol. After I felt more confident about alcohol, then I started monitoring my carb and protein intake.

Taking things in manageable steps makes big changes possible. No matter how motivated we are, we can wear out our will power if we try to do too much all at once. There's even a name for it: "ego depletion."

However you achieve your goals, you'll thank yourself many times over.

monmyrunmommy wrote: »

I'm three days in and j just want to thank you guys for the advice. So far I've only had had minimal carb flu symptoms, a mild headache and fatigue, (much different than last rim I did this) but despite drinking a ton of water my body feels really swollen like I'm retaining a ton of water and my legs and joints are achy from it. I'm hoping it'll pass soon.

I'm really proud of myself though for making it and sticking with it. I haven't felt like cheating or drinking.

Great job sticking with it! Keep up the great work.

monmyrunmommy wrote: »

I'm three days in and j just want to thank you guys for the advice. So far I've only had had minimal carb flu symptoms, a mild headache and fatigue, (much different than last rim I did this) but despite drinking a ton of water my body feels really swollen like I'm retaining a ton of water and my legs and joints are achy from it. I'm hoping it'll pass soon.

I'm really proud of myself though for making it and sticking with it. I haven't felt like cheating or drinking.

So glad to hear from you! I have seen you closing out your food diary every day on my feed. I agree with the salt part. I think the hardest thing for me to wrap my mind around this WOE is all the salt and fat which is definitely taboo out there in the other world. The fat part I have down pat, I still struggle with the salt. I always carry bullion cubes with me to have in a pinch because I still forget to add salt some times. I got some of the pink Himalayan salt in the grinder and keep it in my line of sight. I try to add salt in when I am cooking. I find on days that I drink more water than normal, usually work days, I can get a little woozy headed so I just have some broth and that does the trick. Thankfully I believe my body has finally found its balance. Hope you find yours soon. Please do keep us updated.

Some are able to stop extra sodium once adapted. For me, I have had to continue the supplements (but I do have absorption issues from weight loss surgery). Once adapted ( 2-4weeks) you can see how you feel. If you don't need it, wonderful, if you begin to feel crappy, continue supplementing. This woe is all about finding what works for you! All of the advice is amazing, but each one of us need to use it to find our balance, where we feel best!

So proud of your early success, btw!! You ROCK!

Welcome @RosannaS88 ! Have you read any books or websites on low-carb? There is a lot of great info here. Be sure to check out the stickies at the top of the form.