It's just so.. what's a good word? I have no idea. It just sort of feels wrong, especially after coming off a low-cal diet. (see my profile for a brief synopsis of how THAT went..)

I feel weird actually getting full and eating all these fatty foods when I could barely touch them for nearly a year. I'm sort of worried it'll have adverse effects on me since my body is so used to doing things 'the other way.'

Did any of you feel like this when you first started atkins or any other low-carb, high-fat diet? That any day your waist line was about to just EXPLODE?

I'll obviously get over my nervousness if/when I start to see results. But what if that doesn't happen?

I felt the same way you did when I first started. I thought I was crazy using heavy cream in my coffee instead of fat free half and half! Then eating eggs everyday and not thinking twice about how many slices of bacon I ate. It definitely was a tough adjustment, mentally.

Once the pounds start coming off, even just one, it made it a lot easier to do.

Just keep plugging away. I've been LC'ing since Oct. of 2002 (can't believe it's almost seven months) and I've lost 21 pounds so far. It has been a slow process for me but hey, at least the pounds are coming off instead of going on!

Good luck to you and welcome to the forum!

Kim

I definately felt a little weird about it all 15 months ago. I had, after all, followed low-fat, low-cal programs for years and years...and look where it got me.

In 15 months of following the Atkins WOE, I've lost nearly 130 pounds. And I aint done yet! I eat bacon and butter and cheese and meats and lots of veggies. I have never felt better or been more active.

You're right to question and it's good that you've come here. Take a good look around and look back into the threads from years ago. There's so much success and information to be shared here...

Good luck!

Donald

Yeah,

Thsi diet is a 180 from what we have been fed for 20 years. I have lost and gained hundreds of pounds on the traditional weight watcher diets. It's just a losing battle on those diets. You starve yourself to lose fat and muscle and end up going off the deep end once it's over. Youe metabolism slows becasue your body thinks it's starving and it tells you to eat eat eat...and becasue your metabolism has slowed you put it on even faster and easier than the first time. Just stick with it. I have been doing the diet for 5 weeks and I have lost almost 20 lbs...

I think the idea that atkins is fast is a misconception...it's slow but sure. you can be sure that if you follow it you will lose weight or inches! I was skeptical too but the proof is in the pudding (or the loss of it). If you read the book it all makes sense too. I think when people say they've lost 100 lbs on teh diet people think the diet is quick becasue as everyone knows, no one can stick with a diet for that long...at least a traditional one. Anyway, try it for a month...if it doesn't work then be skeptical. It's hard at first becasuse there is more preparation with this diet for meals...but you will get in the groove. You also may want to do the induction phase for more than 2 weeks. Good luck!

My husband (who is following the WOE also) gets very worry when I try to make sure I keep my fat intake around 65% for the day. I tell him over and over again, this is where it is suppost to be, alot of the fats come from "normal" food that you are eating. It's not like I am eating sticks of butter to get it there.

Then when they were talking about Dr. Atkins died the mentioned on tv that he had a fat intake of 66% everyday. Now he is not as worry about it.

Rob, I've been a "low-fat" dieter for donkeys years. Must admit, it never got me anywhere. Four years ago I had quad bypass surgery & doctors insistant that I loose weight. Well, I stuffed around with l.f. and got nowhere. Read about Atkins and ran it past my cardio doc. When he saw the results after 4 weeks & checked out my eating log he was amazed with the results. Blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. etc. way, way down. I still con't bring myself to eat heaps of butter, cheese & all that, but I'm learning. After 4 weeks, I've dropped 1 dress size and feeling great (touch wood!!).
Pam

We are actually told to eat all the foods we had to stay far away from for so long. I started just 6 1/2 weeks ago, 17.5 lbs down and wont know total inches until May 4th (Im waiting a month). I feel better than I have in 20 years, more alert, more energy. I have heard so many negatives from so many people when I say Im eating the Atkins way. Could care less what people think, it works for me. Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, low fat diets, done alot of them, they all suck, was hungry all the time. Im never really hungry now, cravings are few and far between and I really feel in control. Thats not to say the first three days werent hell but when number four rolled around it was awesome. Try hard for two weeks, give yourself that much time and your fear may just dissappear. Good Luck!

This way of life feels almost sinful! I love it . I started induction 7 days ago, feel great and have lost 10 lbs. I amy surprised at how easy it is to order in resturants. No more guilt eating mayo, butter and cheese 3 things I have always like a lot. I am never hungery, my skin looks better, and I have more energy.

it was hard to not eat low fat at first and forced myself to eat extra fat and it did help with cravings. but after losing 35 lbs in 3 months i am true believer and would no go back to low fat diets ever.

i previously did many diets including CAD, Richard Simmons etc.

on richard simmons for instance it took me over 6 months to lose 20 lbs. and i was constantly starving. i missed meat especially.

i can live with this. and the compliments are starting to come on a regular basis. and after being a fat cow for so long its great.

i mean men never even bothered to look twice at me cause i was fat and frumpy but now i am getting looks. and although i am not interested cause i am married it is sure doesnt hurt my self esteem. my son even told me he was glad i wasnt fat anymore. no better compliment in the world than that.

You guys are just too great! What inspirations!

Rob, I'm on my fourth day of induction and I know just how you feel. It's really hard to let go of all those things we've been told and told for years. To be honest, I'm a little afraid to let my doctor know what I'm doing for fear of his reaction! I won't have to see him again for several months so maybe by then he won't care what I've done, just that I've done it!

I have a friend who has lost over 100 pounds over the course of about two years. She's always been closed mouthed about her 'diet' and, when we have eating functions at church, she just says "I've already eaten". Well, I just asked her on Monday if she knew anything about Atkins and she laughed and admitted that's how she's lost the weight! She's not been real forthcoming with that fact because of the way so many people have looked at her funny and lectured her. She said she's not been 100% true to it and she's content to lose the weight very slowly. But it gave me real hope! A living, breathing example!

So, for all us newbies, let's hang in there and see what happens!

Darlene

I just love the fact that I've had steak for lunch two days in a row!