No, I let it suck out.

Here is a link that might be useful: liposculpture cost

Don't think I'm interested in going the surgery route.

But I would like to hear from anyone with Atkins advice or experience.

I'm at the end of Day 1 of induction, and I've made it through but very tired with a headache. I'll probably turn in very early tonight--within moments.

Hmmm... I guess I'm the only one here currently giving Atkins a try. Reminds me of a song...

"All by myself, don't wanna be,
all by myself...anymore!"

But I am committed to giving this a shot. I'm on day 3 now, and even though I'm not supposed to have weighed in yet, I did check this morning. I was down 3 pounds. That's exciting, since a good weight loss for me has typically been about a pound a week. Even if it's only water or toxins getting flushed out, I'm glad to be down at all after only 2 days.

I also got some ketostix yesterday to see if I might be getting into some fat mobilization yet, but it's hard to say. I'm registering "trace" at any time of day. I guess that's better than negative.

Still hoping some other Atkins follower will come along and share experiences with me.

Maybe this will turn into my own private diet journal.
At least it keeps me going. It's nice to have a place to record things.

I'm now ending day 4 of Induction. It has gotten decidely easier. No more headaches or sluggishness. And I really don't get hungry between meals. I'm not compelled by an afternoon snackishness that I was always pestered by when trying to feed my blood sugar issues. I hope this means I'll be able to stick well with this, as long as I get results.

I registered "moderate" on the ketostix this morning, so something must be happening. I wonder how often I should check the scale, and what to expect as the days go by.

Two big challenges coming up: dinner at a friend's house and then "dessert" in a small group gathering 2 days later--both while I should still be in Induction. Obviously I'll just have to say no to dessert. Maybe the dinner will have a meat/vegetable option that I can work with.

Still no other Atkins folks?

I'm wrapping up my first week on Induction. Still doing OK, and it looks like I've solidly lost 3 pounds this week, though tomorrow morning would be the official weigh-in for the first week.

We ate lunch at a friend's house today. I was concerned about the menu, so I brought my own shrimp to add to the salad she was preparing. The salad was full of fruit, so I had to pick through a bit. There were also green beans with bacon, so I had a very small side of those too. I think I did OK, but came away hungry for the first time.

I've also had a headache all day today. I am prone to headaches, and it could be something hormonal, but I'm being cautious about this. I've heard others say they get headaches that coincide with ketosis. I registered "moderate" on the ketostix this morning. Most days I'm only get a "small" reading. Don't know if the two are related but I'll watch it for the next day or two to see if I can figure that out.

One thing is for sure: I desperately want to lose this weight, but I do miss fruit. I don't exactly have cravings for it, but I just LIKE fruit. A week with no fruit was a little difficult, even though I wasn't hungry. I look forward to the time when I can add enough carbohydrates back into the diet to split an apple with one of the kids in the morning.

This forum gets a lot of ads, doesn't it?

I'm on day 9 of Induction. Got my first "large" ketone reading yesterday. That was exciting. Was down a pound this morning, for a total or 4 pounds in 8 days. Still not ever getting hungry, though I am thirsty a lot. And I'm not too fond of the metallic taste in my mouth, but I understand that is just a side effect of burning fat stores. I guess I can put up with it as long as the weight keeps coming down.

I have had a desire for something sweet, though. I hope it's not the carbohydrate addiction trying to resurface. I have resisted, but it will be harder, I think, this weekend when I have to be around others, with dessert at hand, on two different occasions.

My husband and I started doing Atkins on January 3rd and are both down 11 pounds. We;re pleased with our results but are getting a little tired of the same meal options (meat, cheese, fish, salad, etc.) What has helped is once a week we treat ourselves to a meal with carbs. Either we go out to eat or have friends over and have a "normal" meal.

I do find I have very few cravings and am more satisfied between meals. With diabetes in my family history, I was concerned about my insulin levels and it feels to me at least, that my blood sugars are more stable now. Whether we'll be able to keep this up for the amount we want to lose (50 lbs +) I don't know but it's working for now.

Hi, and thanks for posting.
11 pounds lost is fantastic! But I hear you when you say you get a little tired of the meal options. I went shopping tonight to get something else other than eggs for breakfast. I found some turkey bacon with no carbs added (I don't care too much for pork bacon--it's just too greasy for me) and some natural sausage. I know, speaking of greasy, but I think I can drain it well enough on paper towels after cooking to get it "dry" like well-drained ground beef. I hope that will help.

I too have almost no cravings, and that is such a relief to me. On other low-calorie diets, I always felt like I needed one more little thing to make me feel "finished," but I never quite got there.

You're doing great so far, and I hope you stick with it and check back in here from time to time. Maybe once I'm off Induction we could share some recipes if we find some variety that is particularly appealing. I still have a long way to go too, but I'm not even sure yet what my goal is. I think I need to lose at least another 15-20 pounds, and then I can start to evaluate how much more I probably need to drop to reach a healthy goal I can feel good about.

I'm on day 10 of Induction.
4.5 pounds lost so far in the first 9 days. Averaging a half pound a day. I wonder if that can keep up for long...? So far, it's all good. No noticeable change yet in the way my clothes feel, though. I think it will take another 4-5 pounds before I can start detecting that.

I think I'll start posting my stats, even though I don't yet know what my end goal will be:

starting/current/goal
152/147.5/??something less than 125?

I'm being tempted today. Still doing OK, but having a hard time staying away from so many things that look appealing.
I've got that metallic taste in my mouth that comes with ketosis. I feel like I need something fruity to get it out. I've tried herbal tea, and that works while I am sipping it, but as soon as it is gone, the metallic taste comes back and I start wanting fruit all over again.
Guess I'll be doing a lot of herbal tea for the next few days.

This is Day 11. I've almost made it. I've got to hold on!

Tomorrow is dinner out at a friend's. We're having a traditional Thanksgiving dinner in acknowledgment of the bicenntenial of Abraham Lincoln's birth (today). I can eat the turkey and the salad and green beans. I think I'll be OK through that meal. She knows I'm doing this and is supportive, so that's good.

Hanging on...hanging on...

I made it through yesterday without cheating, so that's very good. Still on track to complete Induction at the end of the day Sunday. I do think I probably had a little too much cheese yesterday, as the diet limits you to 3-4 ounces per day (wow--that's a lot of cheese, a quarter pound!) and I had cheese on my salad at lunch and later nibbled on "cheese chips" to get me through the evening without cheating with an illegal food. I'm not sure, exactly, how much I ate. Maybe I didn't go over 4 ounces, but I'm betting that it was at least the full 3 ounces for the day.

Lunch today was good: one leftover chicken tender with alfredo sauce, 3/4 cup green beans (I'm having my salad at dinner tonight), and 10 black olives. And I'm really quite full.

Hi There Eklektos, I'm doing Atkins, more or less. I first did Atkins back in 2002 or 2003. I lost 17 pounds and kept it off for quite awhile. However the weight has finally made it's way back. My Motivation is that at Christmas I was at my son's home. My Daughter-in-law got a new scale. Scott weighed about 204 on it. When no one was looking I weighed!!!!!!!!!!I would have cried if I was alone. I weighed less than 10 pounds less than my 6'1" son. I am 72. I finally started the diet in February. I am doing great. Some days I have trouble eating enough carbs. At Costco this week I got some artichoke heart/jalapeno,cream cheese dip. It is delicious in celery, deviled eggs, fried eggs, scrambled eggs. Only the celery has any carbs .88/stalk. I also have other info I can give you;however I am to darn tired tonight so I'll get back to you tomorrow. Hugs

Hi, sagebrushy,
Thank you so much for stopping in and sharing your story and some tips. I can certainly use the company!
I am a little frustrated today. I'm on day 13 of Induction, and I haven't lost any more weight (according to the scale) in several days. I have lost 4.5 pounds, which isn't NOTHING, but it's just been stuck there now and I was really hoping to lose 6 or more during induction. That's considered "average" for metabolic resistance. It appears my metabolic resistance will most likely be on the high end, and that, of course, means a tougher road.

Do you count total carbs in your daily allotment, or carbs minus fiber? I'm a bit confused about that. Most people talk about "net carbs," but I can't find any mention of subtracting fiber in the New Diet Revolution book. (I have the version published in 1992.) I've been trying to keep my total carbs (including fiber) at 15 for the day. Yesterday, I went over that and actually had 18 grams. But that does include the fiber.

That dip sounds yummy. We have Sam's, not Costco, here, but next time I'm there I'll look to see if there's anything like it.

Thanks again for stopping by!

Tomorrow morning is my 2-week weigh in. I'm not feeling great about it. I know I shouldn't weigh every day, but I did weigh today, hoping for something good. I was back up about 2 pounds that I thought I had lost. I'm not sure how to explain that. I do know the scales lie, and I have remained in ketosis since day 3 with the exception of a couple of hours after exercising on Saturday. (If anyone ever reads this and can explain why exercise lessens the reading on the ketostix, please do. I'm mystified and was highly troubled by it yesterday, but it "corrected" by evening.)

I am now afraid that I might fall into the "high" category for metabolic resistance, which means that to lose another 30 or more pounds will be a very long, hard road for me.

Day 16 on Atkins. This morning it looks like I am down 5 pounds--that's a new low since starting this plan. And I'm a bit encouraged.

I have decided to stay on Induction and not increase carbs yet. I want to get through my monthly cycle changes that are upcoming before introducing another variable while I try to figure out what to expect in rates of weight loss.

I decided to try counting calories yesterday too. I had the impression that I was eating a lot of calories since I was incorporating foods I normally spurn: cheese, full-fat mayonnaise, some butter, eggs. I ate to the point of not being hungry, but never overly full, and counted 1330 calories yesterday, including the cream I put in my decaf coffee. I was really surprised to find my calories were that low. That's about the same as I was allowed when doing Weight Watchers, and while I did lose weight on WW, I was always just a little unsatisfied and thinking about the next time I could eat. Plus I lost weight very slowly--about 1/2 to 3/4 pound per week. I found if I ever "messed up" (ate more points than I was allowed in a day), I could easily gain back an entire week's weight loss.
I hope that's going to be the magic ticket for me that keeps me faithful to this WOE--there's always something I can eat if I truly get hungry, and it shouldn't stop me from losing.

152/147/119?

hi!! everyone welcome to this new chalenge!! thinking the we can do better with this resolution for this year , losing the extra person we are carring around, talking about myself, because iam 4 11 heigh and weigh 200 pounds iam extra obese for my height but have decided that not any more, i have try all the diets in the world. i did start atkins diet february 9 but februrary 14 broke the diet, so start again february 16, 2 days a go the scale was showing i have lost 8 pounds but since 2 days is showing i have gain back 3 pounds that's making me little bit disapointed but, not discouraged, does anyone have had this problem , does anyone know if getting close to have a period can make you gain weight or retain liquid? my ideal weigh is to be 130 at least so i still have alot to go about 65 pounds to loose that's alot and i just can wait until i am at the finish line, does anyone know about metabolic resistance , sorry i haven't read the book yet, well thanks and have a good day.

eklektos--

Hi! I hope you are still going strong and doing well. I am not severely overweight, but I have just been tired all the time for the past several years. My dad was a type 2 diabetic, and since I've taken some medical courses in college along with nutrition, I decided to look at my diet. (my Dr. suggested I might have depression, but I since I'm so darn happy when I have energy, I can't believe that is the answer!)

To the point: After taking the nutrition class, I was not a fan of low carb diets. But since my anatomy and physiology teacher had lost 60 lbs on Atkins in a year, and felt it was a healthy choice --he's buddies with a couple of heart surgeons who apparently are also on Atkins, I decided to investigate.

I came across a similar diet book (researching the books on Amazon before I bought) called Protien Power, by Michael R. Eades, M.D. and Mary Dan Eades, M.D. The title is rather unfortunate because it makes it sounds like a "fad" diet. This book is so much more than a diet. It is a primer on the way the body processes foods and carbohydrates. As I've said, I've taken A & P, pharmacology, pathology, chem, micro biology, human nutrition at the college level. While this doesn't make me an expert, I do have the ability to easily understand everything the authors discuss in their book, and I still have the text books to consult so I can double check their claims on how the body functions. I haven't found a single misstatement yet.

Basically the authors point out that while we are all being told to run around like chickens with our heads cut off, worrying about fat content of food, we should be worried about carbs, because carbs make our bodies produce insulin and it is our response to insulin that determines whether we can gain weight on a low fat, high carb diet. It is a real eye opener for me, and from everything I can tell from my course work, their argument is a sound one indeed. So sound that it has become clear to me that this is not a fad diet, but the way of the future. Too many people are developing type 2 diabeties and, as much as I would like to blame high fructose corn syrup as the culprit, it seems a bit too simplistic.

I heard about this book from reading the Amazon reviews for the Atkins book, which I have not read. People seem to think that the Protien Power diet, while very similar, is easier to follow. Since reading the book, I've started eating with my insulin levels (read carbs!) in mind. I've lost six pounds without even trying, I no longer feel sluggish during the day or need an afternoon nap. I strongly encourage you to read this book because of the well documented science they present to support a low carb diet strategy. This book will encourage you to stay on your diet for the health benefits, above and beyond the number on the scale. The authors have another, less technical book, called the 30-day Low_carb Diet Solution. It has more recipies and is simpler, but lacks the scope of Protien Power.

I leave you with one excellent point in the 30 day book --they look at the US gov't food pyramid and compare its percentages to those of what a food pyramid would look like based on the diet used to fatten hogs for slaughter. They are identical. Well, not true. The hogs get 1% more carbs than the Gov't suggests we feed ourselves!

Good luck, stick with it! Read the Amazon reviews and check out your library!

Lenvt

Here is a link that might be useful: Protein Power at Amazon

Hello reyami and Lenvt. Thanks for stopping in and sharing some about your own situations.

Reyami, I really recommend that you do read the book if you're going to do Atkins. Like Lenvt says, it is so helpful to understand why you're doing what you're doing. And Dr. Atkins does talk a lot about metabolic resistance and the varying levels of it. That might help you stick with it. You've done so well in just such a short amount of time!

Lenvt, you have my curiosity up--I wonder what differences there are between the Atkins approach and Protein Power. From what you've shared, they sound the same. Atkins does have levels--the initial Induction level with very restricted carbs, and then a gradual process of adding more carbohydrates to the diet (5 grams per week) to find that point at which you stop losing. I am continuing in Induction at present in order to try to move the scale faster, but it is slow going. Very slow going. At times, I become discouraged because I really want to see obvious progress. But you're right--I do feel so much better. Body aches are gone, mood is better, energy levels are more consistent. I know I don't need the starches and sugars that are so ever present in a "balanced" diet.

And yes, funny, isn't it that beef cows are fed a diet of almost purely grains and grass.

Hey there!

Glad to see you are hanging with it eklektos! I can't really say what the differences in the diets are because I never did get to investigating the Atkin's diet. I was so blown away with the Protein Power information, particularly the insulin/hyperinsulemia information about why people gain weight on a low fat, high carb diet. They don't actually call their diet a high protein diet. They call it an adequate protein diet.

My only knowledge of Atkins comes from reading a couple of the Amazon reviews for the book (I often find Amazon reviews enlightening!) and the professor I had ten years ago who had been on it a year. He lives near me by the way and he still looks the same, so I'm guessing he's kept his 60 pounds off!

What they seem to be saying in Amazon Reviews is that the PP plan is a bit less strict. The authors themselves seem just as concerned with resoving issues of high cholesterol, triglycerides, and insulin levels as they do weight loss. Their focus is feeding the body what it is supposed to be eating to work efficiently and then letting the body do it's thing. I don't know how this compares to the Atkins philosophy. I've got to say that trying to eat more protein than carbs, watching carbs the way I used to watch fats is going to be a way of life for me. My dad had type 2 diabetes. I have seen the end game of that and I do not want to go to that miserable place.

As to your slow going, I checked my PP book, so maybe you can make a direct comparison with what Atkins advises.

They do mention something about hitting a plateau in their Q and A section. They answer:

Make sure you are really on a plateau. The Higher protein diets burn fat. Your body may be recomposing and you may be gaining muscle weight as you lose fat, particularly if you are exercising. Muscle weight weighs more than fat, so they could be canceling each other out. Is your "size" changing but not the number on the scale? The PP diet wants you to measure yourself, and use an article of previously tight or too small clothing to measure you progress since the number on the scale may be deceiving/discouraging even though you are making progress.

Sometimes, they say, if you've been on a low protein, high carb diet for a long time, you may gain some muscle weight simply from eating the decent amounts of protein.

They suggest that if this isn't the case and you think you really are on a plateau, to double check and make sure you are sticking to the diet.

The second thing they suggest is to make sure you are getting plenty of water as your body needs it to process the ketone/excess fats from your body. The PP diet suggests at least 8 8oz glasses of water a day. According to the book, their patients start losing again when they step up their fluid consumption.

I hope this is helpful to get everything moving. They really do stress water/fluid consumption on PP (even caffenated tea is a net fluid gain!)

Keep it up your family (and you!) deserve to have you healthy!

Good luck! Take heart! Have faith!

Lenvt

Thanks so much for your encouragement and all that added info. I think PP and Atkins are VERY similar.

I'm excited to have seen a little drop on the scale this weekend. I think my body just has to take it slowly before it is convinced it can relinquish those stubborn fat stores. And you may be right about building muscle with the added protein I'm eating.

Prior to Atkins, I did Weight Watchers for most of a year. In order to eat a satisfying volume of food and stay within my points, I was eating a lot of starches. WW isn't nearly as concerned with sugars and starches as it is with fats, so fats and even proteins (because of the lack of fiber) count for more points calorie for calorie than do sugars and starches. So really, I was eating a low-calorie, high sugar diet. Not good for my metabolism. I'm sure it will take some time to heal that.

Today ends 4 weeks on Atkins. I'm down 7.5 pounds. To average almost 2 pounds per week for me is very good. On WW I lost .5 pound per week or even less. And I feel so much better: no more joint and body aches. And I'm running 2.5 miles per day again (5 days per week). I couldn't do that for the last 8 months because of aches and pains and trouble keeping my spine aligned. My chiropractor suggested I cut out grains and milk, as those can affect the performance of connective tissues in sensitive people. I thought if I was going to do that much, I should also cut out sugar (knowing how bad it was for my reactive hypoglycemia), so I needed a new plan altogether.

Great to hear from you again, Lenvt!

152/144.5/119?

DH and I have been doing it 6+ years. WE weren't grossly overweight, just suffering from a long period of middle age spread. We both lost 20-25 lbs, he much faster than I.
He was diagnosed diabetic before we started. His tests improved dramatically and have been great ever since we started eating low carb.
It is a way of life for us. Once you stabilize at your desired weight, you can cheat periodically. But don't overdo it, as I sometimes do.
We both agreed to try it for just one month, because it seemed scary. We felt full of energy and have been happy on it since. However, we learned not to tell anyone we were on Atkins--it is similar to saying you are an atheist. It really gets people's dander up. I just say I eat low carb now. Good luck. Keep us posted.
By the way, when I go out to lunch with the overweight gals, I eat way more than they do every time.

K

Hi, eklektos,

I'm not on Atkins, but I'm definitely feeling your pain about the plateau. The first 20 lb came off without too much trouble but now I'm stuck at 255. The calorie calculator says I should need 2700 or so calories a day to maintain that weigh if I am sedentary. Well, I'm exercising a lot more now and eating around 1700 calories, yet I haven't lost an ounce in over a week.

I like Lenvt's idea that its not a plateau. It's recomposing. Yeah, that's it, I'm recomposing.:)

I thought I'd bring this back to the front in case any other low carbers visit the board.
I'm still sticking with Atkins. It's been 10 weeks, and according to this morning's weigh-in, I've lost 9.5 pounds. I did eventually break that stall by adding 5g more carbs per day in the form of more veggies or occasional berries (moving to ongoing weight loss out of induction levels) and alternating the higher carb days with very low-carb, strict days.

It's also fun to see this thread again because Harold, above, who was on a stall, has also broken his stall and is 15 pounds lighter now! Wow!

Thanks. Yep, I recomposed into a lean, mean fighting machine.

Congrats on the 9.5 lb.

Me! I'm doing Atkins. I have been since last September. I've lost and kept of about 50 pounds. I've started adding in some higher, but not HIGH carb foods. I started eating Dreamfield's pasta about twice a month. I have a beer or a glass of wine every so often. I make the majority of my meals at home.

Typical menu for me:

Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs with spinach and cheese

Lunch: grilled chicken or fish and a green salad or raw veggies

Dinner: grilled steak or chicken, green salad and steamed veggie.

I also work out 3 times per week. I need to up the activity though. I would like to work out 4-5 times per week. I do cardio and weights or I do a group fitness class.

My husband is dieting with me, which makes it 100 times easier than going it alone.

Glad you're having success. This is the only diet that I've tried that doesn't make me feel hungry all the time.

Hi, cat! Good for you. You're doing great. I agree with you 100% about this being the only diet that doesn't make me feel hungry all the time. I can get through the day without snacking because my blood sugar stays even and I don't get those demands for more energy food to restore the highs. I'm 3 months in now and have lost about 11 pounds--hoping to drop below 140 any day now.

I also post on the Weekly Weigh-In thread. Please feel free to join us there if you'd like. I'd love to have another Atkinseer aboard! That group is a very friendly and supportive group who are doing all sorts of eating plans.

Hi,
I did Atkins for awhile, but whenever I tried to get off of Induction, my weight would begin to slowly rise. I stayed on Induction for a couple of months, and lost nearly 40 pounds. But I got sooooo tired of the limited food choices and gave up.. The weight came back on with a vengeance. Now I am just practicing portion control, eating healthy food and excercising and so far this year I have lost 30 pounds. Slowly, but steadily. And I have a huge choice of foods. That is important to me. I really feel that this time I really have a chance at keeping it off too.

Good luck with Atkins.
Helen

You have to know how to ease back into carbs. When on the Atkins you will notice amazing results, and if you love cheese and meat this is the way to go, however, when you begin to reintroduce carbs, you don't go for that big piece of cake first. Begin with fiber rich carbohydrates that are not saturated with refined sugars. It is possible to keep Atkins weight loss off, but you cannot resume old over-eating habits. Portion control is key after Atkins. You will notice how full you feel after the slightest injection of carbs. Go with that feeling and stop eating when the body signals it is full. I did Atkins in 2003, lost 30 pounds then began eating like a horse-- I gained it all back then some. Now I am doing another diet that incorporates Atkins in one of its phases. This diet seems to be working well, down 20 pounds thus far. Go to HCG Diet forum for the details.

Awes, you are correct.
I'm in the phase of Atkins that lets me add carbs back in in small increments--just 5grams per day for a week or two at t a time. I'm at about 30 grams per day now and not gaining--losing slowly. I don't know what my critical carbohydrate level for maintenance will be, since I'm not near goal yet, but I doubt it will be much over 60 or so grams a day. For some people, that's few enough to be limited and restrictive. But I'm not sure that will be a problem for me. I think I can be quite happy with that many carbs, especially with the hunger control mechanism that eating this way provides.

I hope you've found what works for you.

Hi eklektos. I am interested to hear how well you are doing? And to thank you for starting this thread. It's fun to follow everyone and hear about successes. I have to dig out my Atkins book (from years ago - I lost 35 pounds and felt like a million bucks) so I can start it again. Today I just cut out sweets and ate more protein than anything else. I don't remember much about the Atkins diet other than the induction period and how awesome it was to add almonds on the day he said it was time. I also recently learned that I have an allergy to eggs, so that may make it difficult for me but I have hit a low and need to start...NOW. I hope you are all still on the forum and I can join in your discussion.

Hi, I'm still here and still following Atkins.
I have lost 15 pounds in just about 6 months, but my husband and I ate out last week and I saw a pound or so come back after that. It's always dangerous to eat out, I find.
I'm at about 40g carbs daily (total--I'm doing Atkins '92, which does not subtract fiber), and I think that is close to my critical carbohydrate level for losing.
As long as I stick to plan, I stay in ketosis and my hunger is well suppressed, so that I don't overeat. I generally eat about 1300 calories per day.
I still have quite a few pounds that I need to lose, but I am looking at this as a total lifestyle change. I imagine it will take me a complete year or more to lose all the weight I have set for my goal.
I started at 152, was 137 at my lowest--probably 138 right now due to the date night--and my goal is, I think, 119. We'll see as I get closer to that. I am a 5'2.5" tall, 40 year old woman.
I'd love to have an Atkins buddy on this forum. So far, I haven't come across anyone else following this way of eating.
I imagine an allergy to eggs would make things difficult, but you can do other proteins and fats, right?
Best wishes to you. I hope to see you here often.

Hi eklektos!

I think we are sort of in the "same boat!" I am 42, weigh about 156 and I am 5'2" tall. I should weigh about 120. I have two boys, 14 and 10, and I have an awful self-image about my body. I need to make a change and now.

I think I will begin a walk routine and also get a bike in addition to following Atkins. I would love to be your buddy on this forum!