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I just found y'all tonight. I am so miserable. I have started Atkins 3x in the last 3 days. I can't keep from craving (and then eating) carbs for even a day! How do you all you compulsive carb eaters get through the first 3/4/ whatever days? I am so sick and tired of being sick and tired and obessed with food. Any tips to make it through the first days?

Oh boy, I think we've all been there. The best thing I can think to tell you is to get rid of everything illegal in your house. If that's impossible (kids, husband, roommate, etc.) ask that person to HIDE things from you! Honestly. The worst is overwith after the first few days and, believe it or not, you get over those cravings, or at least have a much easier time controlling them. Don't give up! You can do this!

Good luck, we're all here for ya.

Angela-thank you for responding-really. It is everything I can do not to eat right now! I have read and read about carb addiction/sugar addiction over the past week and I am absolutely one/both. What is the number one tip you can give me for tomorrow (holiday, family, kids, and all that crap!)? thank you

Oh man, Fourth of July BBQ, I forgot! Oh, Betsy, Betsy, Betsy.

Well, my number one tip for induction beginnings is to eat unlimited amounts of legal foods. Burgers with mayo and bunless hotdogs would be good bets if you have BBQ type plans. Also, make a huge salad and load it up with fatty dressing. Another good choice is egg salad or deviled eggs.

Remeber, fat is your friend and will make you full enough that you will be less tempted by the sugar demon. So yeah... drink lots of water and eat lots of fat.

You can do this. Really, it's much easier after your system gets over the initial shock of it all. We're all rootin' for you.

I started Atkins in March when I had a particularly frustrating day and got disgusted shopping for pants. I overheard some people next to me raving about Atkins and I checked it out online. When I found I could do it for no program fees, and it practically promised visible results in two weeks, I figured I'd give it a try.
I was the biggest carb junkie ever. Mt. Dew and M&Ms for breakfast, Donuts, whatever. Snack all day and eat a small bit of meat with a high carb dinner. This diet took away most of the foods I regularly ate. In a weird way, that made it easier. The hardest part was dealing with people around me calling me a fool, and sharing their ignorant concerns about my health.
I did manage to make it through the first two days-but on the third day my hunger was gone and I had a burst of energy that wouldn't let me sit still. I lost 8 pounds the first week and 9 the second. That becomes your motivation. No cookie tastes as good as significant weight loss feels. I have since done my reading for the Atkins way of life and have adopted it for the long haul. Keep trying. It is worth it and those shakey-desperate feelings for sweets will stop in a couple of days. One hint-the more you exercise in the beginning, the faster you burn off your sugar stores and the faster your insulin levels should stabilize to control cravings. Get out and walk!

Why not go out today and have a fantastic day, eat whatever you want to and then have the resolve to start tomorrow. Get in plenty of the foods you're allowed on induction, plan your meals for the first few days and have some snacks on hand (cheese, olives, 100% burgers with mayo etc). Keep on telling yourself that you are going to give yourself that two week induction period and you will stick to it - what's 2 weeks out of a whole lifetime to make yourself feel GREAT!

I completely understand this! In my personal opinion, people who want to lose weight with no effort get extremely jealous to see other people losing weight & can find nothing better to do than criticise the person who has whole-heartedly found a plan that works for them. I know that my best friend has huge issues with my carb dieting only because she wants to lose but has no will power and I have lost 12 pounds within 5 weeks of this diet. I've told her that I would coach her to help her through & just when I think she will start, she shows up with a milk shake from Arby's or cookies or a sandwich complete with bread.

I have learned to live with the idea that if I really want to lose weight & still actually be able to eat, I have to stick to this diet, even when others think it is ridiculous! It's a choice I have made for myself, nobody else.

As for kicking the cravings, I too was an EXTREME carbohydrate addict. Nobody I know even believed how much junk I ate until they saw it with their own eyes. The first week of the diet, I was pretty sure I was going to die! No caffiene.....how was I supposed to stay awake? No chocolate......how was I to make it through the menstrual cycle? No donuts.....need I say more! You just can't have breakfast w/o donuts, or so I thought. In the end, how badly do you want to lose weight - that's the only question you need to ask yourself. ATKINS WORKS! If you really, really, really want to lose, you can do it with this diet - I SWEAR! And you can do it rather quickly! I've lost 12 pounds in five weeks eating more than 20 carbs a day (induction is too strict for me) from the acceptable foods list and walking at least 2.5 miles five times a week. I am still tired though and don't know what to do about that but I know I am healthier now than before and the results end up being your motivation. If you sincerely want to lose weight, you will find a way to force yourself to rid your diet of those nasty carbs & commit to this diet. Again, it's all in how bad you want to lose weight. There's no "secret" or "pill" that will help you, it's all in your mind!

Good Luck,

Angie

It takes 3 days! I've been there and I know what you're going through. Eat meat, eggs and some cheese. Even if it doesn't taste good to you at least it will keep you full and hopefully you can make it through.You're not only changing your eating habits your changing your way of life, which is wonderful and you will have so much more confidence. You'll look and feel 100 times better. Just visulize yourself in some jeans and a new fall turtleneck sweater....come on girl I'm rootin for you!!

I took me a week to start Atkins. Decrease your carb intake over several days in order to get started.

Betsy, we can all relate to that frustration...and there is a way out. You have some really good tips so far and some good testimonies. All you need now is to believe that it is going to work for you and that you are worth this effort.

Can you imagine on a low fat diet being able to eat butter, sour cream, cheddar cheese, bacon bits...NO WAY!! But on Atkins, this is fine...just put it on your broccoli, not the potato.

It's all about substitution...it is not difficult. Make sure you have a good handle on the basics...keep yourself stocked with snacks in the fridge, and get rid of anything else.

You will not even find one cracker in my house... of course I don't have to worry about others eating a different way, but you CAN have your own space.

Please give yourself a really good chance, start over and get past the worst part of the cravings. After that, making LC dishes and desserts while watching the scale go down is very rewarding.

And you're getting healthier at the same time. Good luck,

Betsy,

Since the first few days are usually the hardest part for any of us, you just have to be stoked up with determination and stick to it, no matter how it makes you feel. After you have consumed the stored glycogen in your liver (usually 3-4 days) you will start feeling much better. Just keep thinking about the fact that the way you are feeling will improve in a few days, and that you'll probably have a measurable weight loss at the end of the first week.

Make sure you're eating exactly as stated in DANDR for induction. Straying from that may make the first few days not as effective in using up that glycogen.

(BTW, I've read somewhere that the mass/weight of the stored glycogen and its associated water can be 3-5 lbs itself! That's just what's in the liver, not including the other water stored elsewhere in the body.)

If you still get intense carb cravings, try 500 mg of L-glutamine about 1/2 hours before meals (for 1500 - 2000 mg a day dosage). That works wonders for me and I think others would attest to the effectiveness of L-glutamine for controlling cravings.

Good luck, and don't give up! It only gets better!

Joan

Since starting Atkins, my weight loss has been pretty steady up until the last month. The staff at work were inspired enough that several joined me and I ended up a bit of a guru. This way of life is so much easier when others join you-try to find a buddy who really wants to give it a try. The boards are great-but someone physically there makes a difference. A friend at work calls me Jiminey - after the cricket from Pinnochio- because she counts on me to keep her on track. This is a lot different from other plans, and therefore will take more determination in the beginning. I have been fat for 15 years. I'd decided that was long enough and now focus my energy on getting rid of it. How bad do you want it?

The beginning is SO HARD, isn't it?

I kept thinking ahead -- thinking about a whole life without the carby foods I love -- and got discouraged. I sternly told myself to stop thinking that way. I am thinking like an addict instead -- I won't eat any bad foods for the next hour or the next day. Getting through the moment is a triumph, and each moment is adding into weeks and months of success.

Posting here helps too!

This is exactly how I overcame the first couple of days... You REALLY HAVE TO WANT IT!

PS: Where in NE are you from?

My first three days were harder than I expected. I had headaches and I wanted something sweet so bad.

The best advice I can give you is to get all of the carbs out. I told my husband to get his carbs at the convenience store and eat them in the car ... just for the first week of course! I needed NO temptations. Now I am on Day 4 and Cheat Free and feeling so good. I've got so much energy I am going to go bicycling in 98 degree weather, lol!

Take care! You CAN do this.