I have tried Atkins before with success the first 2 weeks (lost about 25lbs I think I retain a ton of water weight), cheated and never went back. Since then I have tried probably 4-5 times not getting past day 1 or 2. It got alot harder. No the question on my wierdness.

I hear all the time eat eat yum steak, butter, cheese etc etc. isn't it great?

To me the answer is easy... NO! I love tacos (the shell and tons of hot sauce makes it good), chips and salsa, pasta of all kinds, potatos with cheese or ranch dressing, bread and soda (I would rather die then drink diet soda) comparing diet soda to regular its like comparing milk to kool-aid to me. I don't care much about deserts. I am the person that soaks my food in condments. Extra ketshup, A1 sauce, BBQ sauce, fruit juices in the morning.

The ketshup and the bun make the hamburger (I would rather have a bun with ketshup the just the burger lol). Chicken is only good extra crispy... I almost never use butter for anything except to make pasta creamy.

Fish I don't have a problem with, but I normally only eat it 1 time a year or so. Why? Because unless it is a fish taco its not me. I know I have to change since I do weigh 278 OUCH! But the talk of the high fat being good, it seems like I am way different then most people or something.

PLEASE HELP!!

Since the few times I have started Atkins I have become actually ill even thinking about eggs. Plug my nose, toss them down the throat, guzzle a bunch of water.

Anyway I really need help. I am not sure what to do.
Thanks in advance to anyone responding.

I think the majority of us loved all of the foods you described. However after you give this WOL some time.. More than two weeks your taste begins to change. I believe that possibly you did not give it a long enough run and allow your body to get used to it. Obviously from your loss of 25lbs in 2 wks you lose rather quickly and would most likely benefit greatly from this way of eating. Think about how you feel after eating lots of high carb foods. Probably bloated and stuffed. I know that with low carb you feel so much more satisfied. Only you can chose if this is right for you. No you are not weird. Loving all that stuff is what got me overweight and is what I give in to when I have fallen off the wagon myself. But I know how BADLY I want this! So I have to stick it out as a WOL and not a diet or quick fix. The choice is all up to you. I can say that if I can do it anyone can. I've given in too many times to count and still going back and beginning again! Take care and Best of Luck!

Have you thought about trying a lowcarb plan other than Atkins? If you click on the link at the right, "Which low-carb plan is right for me?" various plans are described. You might want to take the test in the Carbohydrate Addicts Life Plan to see if you are a carb addict. If so, it's possible that CAD/CALP might work better for you than Atkins.

No, you're not wierd. You're just addicted to sugar and carbs like millions of other people on the planet.
Unless everything you eat is low fat, you're probably already eating a high fat diet, you're just eating a lot of carbs along with it which is a very bad combination, both for your weight and for your overall health.
Ultimately, you'll have to decide for yourself how you're going to take the weight off, but no matter which method you choose, you're going to have to make a permanent change in your eating habits if you want to have any chance of keeping it off. It's also going to involve restricting some type or types of foods as well as portions (forget about those tacos and extra crispy fried chicken on low fat as well as most chips!). Whether you choose to go low carb or low fat/calorie is up to you. Most people find it more difficult to stick with low fat/low cal diets because of the hunger involved, but if you're not the type that is bothered by being hungry maybe low fat would be a better way to go?
Regular pop is something that you'd likely have to give up either way (nothing but empty calories).
Bottom line is that there is no magic formula to lose weight and get/stay healthy. All methods involve denying yourself certain things and decreasing calories as well as excercising more. It's hard work no matter how you choose to do it. The nice thing about low carb for me is that I don't have to cut my calories ridiculously low to lose weight and I'm never hungry. I also happen to believe that it's far healthier for me than low fat and much more sustainable for the long haul.
You may want to check the link at the right side of the page titled "which low carb plan is right for me?" There are lots of different plans which restrict carbs to varying degrees. You may find one that you can live with.

I was like that too - all about the side bread, and the buns that the meat came in. Recently i found sugar free ketchup - which isn't quite as good as the 'real stuff' but not too bad, and starting eating low carb tortillas, and bread. I think that you just have to find alternatives to make the lifestyle work for you. There will always be things that you will miss about it, but I think once you start to see results again, and you find recipes that you really enjoy, you won't miss it as much. You just need to spice it up a bit

You're not weird. I always loved bread, potatoes, & cereal. I've never been a big meat or fat eater, so I thought I could never stick to this way of eating. But I've been doing it for over 4 months, & am down over 40lbs. It was tough at 1st, but it got easier, especially as I started seeing results. Which is more important to you- giving into cravings or your health & ultimate happiness. You can do this if you just make a real commitment. Fried chicken can be adapted- bread it with crushed pork rinds instead of flour. Tacos are out, but once you've past Induction there are low carb tortillas you can have; you could even try frying them for a more taco like shell. Condiments are readily available in a low carb variety of brands. Walden Farms offers all flavors of low carb salad dressings less than 1g of carbs per 2tbsp serving. They also make a great low-carb ketchup- less than 1g of carbs per 1tbsp. Tapatio hot sauce is already less than 1g per tsp, so you don't even need to find a low carb version. Wrap a burger in lettuce instead of a bun. There are low carb breads & buns now too, not until after Induction. There are so many options, all you have to do is try to be creative & do some research into all the new low carb products. Good luck.
God Bless,
Amy-Lynne

I would have to say your message really hits home for me... I was originally planning on the doing the Atkins Diet...but the thought of giving those things up was scary!! I am doing the CarbohydratesAddict Diet...and let me tell you things are wonderful...I don't crave all those things anymore and really feel full after a protein stocked meal... the reward meal gives me a chance to incorporate some of the foods I really want...

the weight loss may be a little slower in the end but I think I can personally maintain CAD longer.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

hey, there are so many lowcarb versions of highcarb foods...there's lowcarb breads at trader joes, lowcarb recipes for cakes, potato salads, etc. also, like the other people said, your cravings really do go away.

also, cauliflour is a very versatile vegetable. ive found a recipe for this "macaroni and cheese" using cauliflour and it taste really good. also, atkins in one of his books has a recipe for cauliflour potato salad which is good as well. in n out which is a fastfood restaurant has a "protein style" burger u can get instead of a regular burger.

also, i think as more people begin to realise the benefits of lowcarbing, there will be a lot more lowcarb products to choose from. if you think about lowfat, there was a time when there were no alternative for people who wanted to cut down on fat and now everything is basically fatfree. hopefully, the same thing will happen with carbs. wee

Sounds like what I ate 2 weeks ago, but add in desserts, ice cream, chocolate, all kinds of fish and seafood. Cokes !!! Love them, grew up on the good kind made with cane sugar, not corn syrup.

What changed it for me ???

I had to make the decision whether I wanted to live a long healthy life or a short, unhealthy one.

25 pounds in 2 weeks ??? If you lose that easily...you could do a program with alot more flexibility. It sounds like you are eating ALOT of carbs. Try punching your meals into fitday. If your carb count is 800g or more...you might consider the option of just cutting down your carb consumption, if you can't handle a diet.

tacos: There are probably some low-carb Tacos somewhere. Anyone know where he can buy some ???

chips and salsa: There are Soy Chips. They don't taste quite the same. But, once you dunk them in sauce...I doubt you can actually taste the chip at all. Look for a Sugar-Free (Low-Carb) Alternative to Salsa.

pasta of all kinds: Only thing I could mention would be Atkins Low-Carb Pasta. Never tried it myself, but...if you pour tomato sauce on it as most people do, then you probably won't notice the taste.

potatos with cheese or ranch dressing: There are plenty of Sugar-Free, Low-Carb dressings. Find some and use it. Potatoes are a problem. I've seen some people say that Califlour and Daikon Radishes will work. But, I've never tried it myself. If there is a taste difference, it can again be deadened with sugar-free sauces.

bread and soda: You might consider a low-carb bread. Soy tastes horrible. So, you might consider Nature's Own Reduced Carb Bread which is 5g Net Carbs per slice. Not great, but a hell of alot better than the normal 14g a slice. For soda, consider Diet Rite...Yeah, I know it is a diet soda...but, it is the exception to the taste issue. Most diet sodas use Aspartame which can never pass as sugar to a Carb Addict. But, the Sucralose (Splenda) in Diet Rite makes it taste almost exactly like the real thing. You won't even know its diet from the taste.



The sauces will probably be your best friend in this case. Personally, I hate sauces because I want to actually be able to taste the food I put them on. But, since you are going to dramatically change the taste of the food...masking it with tons of sauce might actually help you eat it. Just make sure to look for sugar-free/low-carb sauces. Not sure what to say about Fruit Juices. You might try making Kool-Aid or Flavor-Aid (from Unsweetened Mix) in your favorite flavors.



There are low carb buns out there. Look around and try them out. I normall wouldn't say this, biut viewing your situation, worst case scenario, if you absolutely can't stand low-carb buns...a couple buns probably won't be too bad. Based on your previous weight loss, you probably have a very high metabolism. But, if you don't lose...you probably should cut the buns down or completely out.

On a final note...use Stevia, Saccharin (Sweet-N-Low), or Sucralose (Splenda) in place of Sugar. Use slightly less Saccharin or Sucralose than you would Sugar or you will oversweeten.

I might also suggest weening your self off some of the foods. I did that with Pepsi, Potatoes, and Pasta. I ate less and less carbs over two weeks before I finally reached induction. Initially, I cut from 900g to 400g a day. Then, I went down to 200g a day. Then to 150g a day. Then to 100g a day, and so on until I reached 20g a day.

And you're very wise to recognize that if you really don't want to give up starch and refined sugar, if that makes you feel unduly deprived, you're not going to succeed at Atkins. So you need to find a different way to succeed, maybe Carb Addicts would work better for you. Kudos for being honest with yourself and asking for advice. The important thing is, don't give up!

I agree. There is no point in starting something that you are not ready for. Atkins was too drastic for me at first, too. I did the Zone for a while then decided I needed something different.

No sense in starting Induction, cheating, feeling like junk, and beating yourself up. There are other low carb plans, as everyone has mentioned, that might ease you into this WOL.

PS I LOVE fish tacos! I would suggest opting for corn tortillas to cut carbs - lay off the sides of beans and rice, order a big salad instead. That was one of my last meals before induction.