Like the title suggests, I've been noticing that these old symptoms seem to be comming back.

First thing I noticed is that my periods started to be irregular again. Probably just due to hormones from losing weight I said, it will straighten out once I stop losing.

But then something else; I've been very very depressed lately, very extreme swings of mood, just like I was before LC. Ok, it is probably due to stress I told myself. It will pass.

Then I notice my skin has started to break out again. Ok, it is probably due to hormonal fluctuations just like the TOM problem, again I reassured myself. Nothing to worry about, it will pass.

I notice the past 2 days my scale weight has been 2 pounds higher. I assure myself that it is just water, that my clothes aren't fitting tighter so nothing to worry about.

Today is the final straw and I am now officially worried. The small break out I previously mentioned was followed by another closely this morning. This kind of skin problem hasn't happened since starting atkins.

To top it all, today I've also started craving sweets and experiencing hunger. I haven't craved a sweet in I can't remember how long!

What on earth is wrong with me? I haven't been eating more in the way of carbs than I have been. Do you think the stress could be doing this? If anyone else went through this (without it being self-induced via cheating) I'd really appreciate the input, TIA.

I should mention that my lifestyle has been rather hectic lately; I've been living on less than 7 hours sleep for the past couple weeks, often as low as 6. My body naturally craves about 9 hours of sleep to feel truly rested, but because of the LCing I have been able to go without sleep for a long time without feeling exhausted. Also I have been under a lot of stress.

I know that stress can affect insulin and contribute to those IR symptoms above, but can stress alone really bring them back to the surface, even when the individual has been controlling them via diet?


I am afraid something more serious is going on here...

Well, you state that you are IR? Stress can trigger diabetic or hypoglycemic tendencies. My mom became diabetic shortly following the death of my dad. Getting more non-interrupted sleep might be the ticket that you need. JMHO I would suspect the stress.

Hmmm, it definitely sounds like an insulin thing. Stress -- yes. Also if it's true we produce more insulin in the winter that probably does not help either.

I went through a period like this as well. I was feeling very pre-Atkins. All my "symptoms" returned and I also started craving carbs big time. I hadn't changed my menus so I was stumped. I eventually figured out that rather than eating my typical 3 meals a day, I had started grazing and snacking more and making up for it by eating less at my regular meal times. I had a hunch it was an insulin thing caused from munching all day after reading CAD. I cut out all snacking, went back to 3 meals only and that did the trick.

It sounds like you are going through something similar but WHY? I know it's easier said than done but I would make getting more sleep your first priority and see if that helps a bit. Gosh, I really wish I had a better answer for you!

It may be "hidden" things too - for me, I discovered that I cannot touch bacon, or salsa . My cravings all come back - not sure why, but once I cut them out totally, it has really helped...check your foods - maybe there is something in your salad dressing, or processed meats..

I'll toss this out there, but are you eating lots of fat? I remember my brother telling me that the body can create glucose out of protein and eating more fat, according to Saint Atkins, prevented that. Would upping your fat intake help perhaps?

I do poorly mentally and physically when I'm cheated of even a little bit of sleep. I can't believe the difference of a well-rested Nancy and one that's been shorted even 30 minutes of sleep for a few days. My brain just functions on a totally different level.

Speaking from personal experience, I think it's the sleep/stress that's your problem. I've noticed a correlation between lack of sleep and weight swings, and it certainly explains the mood swings and period troubles as well. I lead a pretty hectic life as a general rule, and one thing I've noticed is that if I'm going to be strict on my eating and keep up with my workouts, I've GOT to get enough sleep. If I don't, I very quickly wind up showing overtraining symptoms -- which, BTW, are caused by cortisol, AKA the "stress hormone". You might find some helpful information in this thread about cortisol.

I'd recommend you take a short break from exercise, if you're not already, and that you eat at maintenance levels until you can come out from under. Eating for weight loss represents a big stress on your body, and so does exercise, and so does lack of sleep. I can go on for a good long while with two out of those three, but after a couple weeks of all three of them, I go kaput. This happened to me late last summer, and I didn't realize what was going on for a while, and I tried to bull-head my way through it instead of listening to what my body was telling me. It took a couple weeks for me to give in and wise up, by which time the damage was done -- I got really sick three times in as many months, nearly landed myself in the hospital the last time with a secondary sinus infection that wouldn't go away. I've just been through the same thing quite recently, but this time I was smart enough to take a week off sooner rather than later, and I am feeling much better.

More sleep is the key for me, but if you can't do that, eat a little more food. You've mentioned in another thread that you've been having big protein cravings, and sometimes it's not a bad idea to listen to those. Sure, you may stop losing weight for a little while, but trust me, that's better than where you go if you keep trying to push yourself too hard!

It might also just be related to it being the tag end of winter. It's very common at this time of year. Stay on plan, drink plenty of water, and wait for spring.

Wooo -

I just looked at your Fitday. Could your current carb intake be triggering some water retention as well as some generalized stress?

The reason I ask is because your post sounds like my past week. I've been stalled out (again) but actually had a genuine woosh today.

I've been pretty concerned about a whole week at 194.5 to 195.5, especially considering I've been losing 2.25 lbs per week like clockwork since I started using Fitday PC on Feb 2. I've still got my regular 1200 to 1300 per day calorie deficit, so this stall just made no sense from a calorie standpoint. Fitday PC also has a mood log, and I usually run energetic, cheerful, calm, not hungry, etc - but since last Friday I've had some stress days, hungry ones, and worn out feeling ones. Not typical at all for me.

They've got a nutrient over time chart, and I pulled up both Carb and carb minus fiber graphs. They weren't up much (75 grams vs 55 for carb minus fiber), but when I printed up my weight chart for the same time you could see there was a relationship. Tuesday I had 35 net carbs and dropped .5 lbs. Yesterday I had 55 and dropped 2 lbs (I never drop like that.) I'm sure it is water, but I think it was retained water connected to somewhat higher carbs. I'm going to keep my net carbs under 60 for the next week, and expect I'll get back to steady weight loss. Hunger is back under control as well, and energy is up.

You might want to pull your Fitday carb data and graph it over time to see if you've had an increase that isn't readily apparent when you look at it on a day to day basis. If you don't have Fitday PC, you might want to look at the screen shots to see if it could give you another edge in your weight loss. With as much as you've lost (hooray!) and as close as you are to your goal (double hooray!) you've solved all of your big weight loss issues. Identifying and solving the tiny ones can be REALLY challenging!

Good luck!

Lynda

I've been on Atkins for a year now. Hit goal in August. (140) Went below goal for a while. This morning, I am 9 above that, but for the past 5 months have been 4-8 above. WINTER IS HARD!!! I have S.A.D. and while staying in the 140's all winter is record breaking for ME.....it's been SO much of a struggle all winter. Cravings, wanting HOT food, (salad=ick), huge appetite, feeling sluggish and wanting only to hibernate and eat instead of salad and gym,...and the list goes on.

Anyway, I'm saying that it may be winter.