Anyone out there that lost alot on atkins and is now gaining?
 

Hi I have been on this woe eating for 2 years,i reached my goal,and i went on vacation a month ago cheated,and have not stopped since.........I have tried to go back on induction everyday and then whammo.......I cheat......I have gained back almost 14 lbs help.......

I know how you feel
 

Hey. I've been on this WOL for four years this June. But I got married and cheated at a few showers before the wedding and at the wedding and one the honeymoon!!! Yikes, now I can't wear any of my pants.... 12 lbs higher. I would go back to induction and last 3 or 4 days and then the weekend would come and I would cheat! I just can't get on track.

This past weekend I think I hit rock bottom. I felt so awful from the sugar. I have again gone back on induction but I feel like I have the correct mindset now. Only I have the power to change and its nobody's fault but mine. Its been five days now and no cheats. I know I can do it. I'm not going to throw away 4 years of hard work!!!!

Please let me know how you progress.

Thankyou for responing,its mind over matter of course.........But doing it and sticking to it without excuses is my problem...........I have never cheated til now and i must quit while i am ahead (wrong word huh) >>>>

Been there ...done that... my experience...
 

Hi Ilene, :wave:

I am "new" once again to the forum but its not my first time around on the low carbing block. About 3 years ago, I discovered Atkins and lost almost exactly as much as you have on it. I felt grrreat! For a very long time you couldn't have forced me to eat carbs. I didn't even feel tempted. I was completely sure I'd found the eating plan for the rest of my life.
Well, I felt so great about it, that I decided to allow myself a treat just once for a Holiday meal. After that, it didn't just all go at once, it was little by little till I finally stopped and gave up again completly. :cry:
I certainly know where you are and how it feels. I assure you, if you don't put an end to it now, at all costs, you will lose all the hard work. And fast. Oh and gain at least an extra 10 pounds than you originally started with. You have to be willing to suffer through the induction period at all costs, go back to being a newbie, pretend you've never read that book and start over. The starting and stopping will do exactly what it done to me. Each time I stopped again, I gained an extra 10 more than original. Its a very nasty cycle.
That is my experience for what its worth. I finally gave up for about a year now and waited till I was completly defeated by my carb addiction.
Best of luck to you!

Oh btw, its not mind over matter, at least for me. I honestly believe its as Dr. Atkins says, not a will power problem, its the reaction we have to addictive foods. If you'll hold on through the withdraws, you and I both know it gets MUCH easier :)

I've been there....it has taken me a long time to get back on track too....but I am happy to say that I am back on track. For me it was hard to get my head around it again....I knew what I needed to do and what I wanted to do, but guess I was so disappointed in gaining so much weight back that I figured why bother....well I figured out why I bothered....

I felt so much better about myself when I was smaller.....I can remember sitting at my desk at work and thinking how nice it was to be able to sit there without the waistband on my pants cutting into my skin....I remember what it felt like to walk into a non-plus size store and buy clothes of the rack.....I remember what it was like to be able to put on a pair of clingy leggings and walk down the street and not have everyone stare because I was so big....oh the list is never ending.

I want to be there again.....and I will be there again. It has been a tough road to travel....but I have finally found my way again.

Wishing you all the best & hoping you find your way again....it really is worth it.

Jo

In <i>DANDR</i> there is a discussion of bingeing, and he recommends specific supplements to take, in certain quantities, to stop the urge to binge. I know he recommends chromium and glutamine. That might be worth checking out.

Off the Wagon
 

I have done the Atkins on and off for many years. And, yes, it is true that ultimately you will gain more weight than you lost(from a low of 140 lbs to a high of 231 lbs). I have learned a lot about myself by reading these boards. For me, carb addiction is similar to alcohol or drug addiction with the added stress that while you can stop drinking/drugging, you must still eat. I am a recovering alcoholic/drug for over 10 years but my carb addiction was running rampant. That is until I was recently diagnosed a Type II Diabetic. Now my eating problems have manifested itself as a life-threatening disease. My blood sugar was so high that my vision became blurry and is just returning to normal. I am currently on a low dose of diabetic medicine but I credit the Atkins diet with bringing my blood sugars down to normal in 2 weeks (from 330 to 110-120). So, anyone that is struggling with their committment to this diet I say this: Please take this carb addiction seriously. Your very health is at stake. Do not wait until you develop diabetes or any other of a host of other diseases that will compromise your life. I for one have the added incentive to stay on this way of life forever. And I really want to thank each and every one of you for helping me through this ordeal. You can never know how your thoughts and information have helped me. God bless you all.

Thankyou all for your replys,they have been so helpful.........I need a swift kick in the butt........You reminded me of why i did this woe to begin with..I hated wearing only strecth pants.......long shirts to cover my belly etc.........I feel like crap right now i ate til i was so full its awful.........I will try to start right now to get back on track

Can I also suggest reading the Carbohydrate Addicts book? I find it covers the subject of addiction more completely than Atkins, and gave me a better understanding of how the whole craving process works, also a book "Thin For Good" while it's eating plan is too confusing, it goes quite extensively into the psychological triggers that cause overeating.

Good luck, and hang in there!

Ilene
 

Why dont you try the "just for today" method. Just do one day at a time. Everyday you wake up just tell yourself that just for today, you will eat healthy. Dont think about tomorrow or the next day. Anyone can do something for only a day. Try it and see if it helps!

Hi, i may be out of place in this thread (this is the first time i ever tried dieting and i am not at my goal yet), but these are things i keep in mind to stay motivated:

1) Big changes are comprised of little changes. Instead of looking at that sweet carb food as just a meal which won't do much harm, "oh i can always go back on induction", etc. Look at the food you are going to eat as obesity. Look at it as death and a miserable life in bondage to weight. Eating that stuff is logically the same thing as submitting to a life of being obese. Which do you value more, knowing you can eat as much as you want of anything you want but you feel like sh*t, or a lifestyle which is non-obese where you feel good about yourself?
In the same vein, every time you feel tempted to over eat or not exercise, instead of looking at those activities separate from the big picture, look at it as the big picture. Pretend that half hour exercising or not overeating alone will make/keep you thin. The key is not getting caught up in the short term pleasure of carb addiction, because ultimately you will sacrifice serious long term well being.

2) Whenever you are craving something, think of a low carb alternative so you dont suffer.
Want pizza? Use diced tomatos as sauce, and sliced baked eggplant as bread, top with a hearty helping of mozzarella, crunchy veggies and meat. A much lower glycemic AND healthy alternative!
Want chips? Low carb chips are available, or eat some nuts with low carb dip.
Sweets? Cheesecake! Low carb candy! Berries with sweetened (splenda) cream!
The only high carb food which is almost impossible to replicate (and sadly, which i truly crave) is rice and chinese. Chinese loses a lot of its effect without the carb high and bland rice to balance out the intensity of the salty food. But, you can still make yummy stir frys, you just have to eat it without the rice.

Personally i think a lot of people reach their goal and sort of loose vigilance which is why most people regain. Or, they falsely believe once they loose the weight they can eat like other people. I feel myself getting that way sometimes. I just remind myself of the whole "big changes are only little changes" mantra, which helps. You cannot look at how far you have to go OR how far you come, else you will cease to make intelligent, rational decisions. The former will discourage you, the latter will let you slip up. Just look at your weight loss in the moment, and remember the decisions you make now are equivalent to your weight in the future.

I think that what everyone said is appropiate. I think you have the right attitude and I will keep this in mind. Thanks for postingthis thread, as I've been uneasy with what will I do after I reach goal.

Ok This is just a suggestion But I am also a carbohydrate addict and i did Atkins great and lost well until one day I don't know what happened but I started cheating...everyday I would try but each day I would cheat...so i read CArbohydrates addicts book and tried that plan and make it to goal.

I love Atkins and I also love CAD, its what works for you and the point you are at in your life and your lifestyle I think

good Luck

The most important thing about any weight loss plan is finding one you can live with for life.
Reducing how much you eat and exercising regularly is the best way to get and keep weight off.
If you think atkins is the plan you can stick with for life, and it gets you exercising regularly and eating less than you did before then this should be the one. If you cant imagine going through life on atkins, then you should explore other possibilities. There is nothing wrong with eating healthy on a different program that allows you to incorporate food you will always want to eat. Just find something and stick with it. A plan isnt successful because it takes weight off. It is successful if it keeps weight off.

Excellent posts.....really enjoyed reading this thread! Just another reminder that this IS a way of life for the rest of our lives.