Well I guess I am hoping for some encouragement here. I have been doing this for a week and what a week! This diet has been very hard for me. It is hard to find anything I can eat. I am having to cook two meals. One for family and one for me, which is a hassle. I had been doing SLimfast for over a year and it worked because I could grab a bar and go. Now the Atkins bars that I have tried are terrible! I have to force myself to eat them. The only snacks I can find is beef jerky. I have not eaten that in years and really don't like it. I have never been a big vegetable eater, so that is also a real struggle. The eggs and meat are o.k., but my body wants BREAD, RICE, PASTA!!! I had expected that I would have more energy as described in the book, but instead I am physically exhausted and shaking. Am I having withdrawal? Is this normal? I want to try and get through this, but so far my experience has not been a pleasure. Everyone on this forum seems so upbeat about this diet plan, but I am not feeling it. Any suggestions? Thank you.

P.S. Keep in mind that our grocery store in rural North Louisiana does not contain MOST of the ingredients recommended in the recipes that I have seen that are low in carbs.

Welcome!

Yes, your symptoms are normal so don't stress about that.

As far as what is needed for Atkins, those foods should be plentiful. Meat, eggs, cheese, non starchy veggies....cream, butter...I'm sure your grocer carries such things.

Have you read the book? If not, please do so or at least check out the Atkins website to get a list of acceptable foods.

Good luck!

sounds like typical carb withdrawal to me! Hang tight it will get better . Read the boards, read the book stock up on those induction foods - hardboiled eggs with ranch dressing make a great snack and work for portable food with minimal cooling. I keep beef jerky sticks in my car and at work. You might even want to start collecting 'snack recipes from the recipe room here - Beachgirl's Cheesecake is so good and permitted!!! Great for a quick breakfast. Your tastes will soon change and you will find that the carbs don't call you nearly as much.
Glad you are here for support.
Jan

Hi Ann,

Yes.....this is normal.....carb withdrawl is not pleasant. It can make you feel terrible! It really is no different than any other addiction in life....but once you get through your two weeks.....I promise you, it does get easier. My best suggestion? Keep the refridgerator stocked with plenty of whole foods.....avoid the bars/shakes etc. for the two weeks and then give them a go. I keep a tray of deviled eggs in the fridge so I can just grab one when I am feeling hungry.

I know how difficult this can be. We have all walked down that road.....but you can do this....you truly can. Give yourself the two weeks of induction......follow it cleanly and to the T.....then take a look at how you are feeling. Keep posting in here to let us know how you are doing......we care & are here to help.

Hoping you have a terrific weekend!

Jo

You sound like me when I started

What veggies do you like? Can you stomach salad? And easy dinner for me with my family is to mix whatever meat we are having with some romaine and toss with a low carb dressing. Not really cooking twice each night.

As for low carb products, I live in the biggest city in Canada and we don't have lots of stuff in the stores here. I could special order but I can't afford it and it isn't necessary.

The biggest tip I can give you is PLANNING.

If you really want to do this for yourself, try to some time for yourself one night and cruise this forum for food ideas -- there are forums for main meals, snacks, breakfast, etc. Then take a 1/2 day and cook for yourself. Cook a bunch of chicken breasts, some steaks, boil a doz eggs (they keep for a week in the fridge). Cook up a bunch of veggies you do like, enough for a week.

This way you are ready for the week and not racking your brain and caving in out of frustration.

I'd be happy to give you more ideas for dinner and snacks if you think it would help you. Just drop a line in my journal.

Gina

Hi ann I know how your feeling it is hard sometimes Im into my third week and I have had plenty ups and downs but hang onin there it will all be worth it in the end!! (if you want read my journal I dont say what Ive eaten but mainly how I have been feeling!!)

Hello! Before I started this diet, I was one of those high carb. dieters/ low fat. I would hardly eat anything all day, save for some red vines/ low fat crackers, diet sodas etc... and the funny thing was... i was not losing weight! When I started this diet I thought it would be so great and so easy cus I'd get "forbidden" foods like butter and cream, eggs and cheese! Yeah... well for the first day or two it was great, then I started getting fatigued and craving carbs really bad... you just have to tell yourslf No when it comes to the carbs... your body is litteraly trying to make you eat them for fuel, but if you do give in, you won't burn the fat! Good luck!
Jessica

I am on day 11 and it does get better. The first week was the worst for me, I felt terrible all the time but now what a difference!!

Hang in there!
It is for the best!!

Yes, things will get better, trust me. After my first day I was a nightmare. I was cranky as hell too. It lasted about a week though. I know the cooking thing is hard as I have a family as well. I have gotten use to it. My kids just eat what I put on their plate, they are boys and eat anything! My first week I had some sort of meat with a salad every night. Or fish.

I was a total bitch too. I had trrible mood swings. They were awful Ann Teek. Just hang in there girl, you will see the light at the end of the tunnel soon enough, like we all have!

Jenny

Yes, carb withdrawals are no fun, it will pass!

As far as cooking 2 dinners goes, I don't really find this so much in my household. My family usually has a meat and a veggie (usually a carb like potato or rice -- but we're slowly phasing that out). Most meats can be prepared in a way that is low-carb friendly and still friendly to your family. I really don't notice much of a difference between the way our meats used to be prepared and the way they are now. If they are having a BBQ sauce or something, set a cut aside for yourself marinated in olive oil & spices- you can even add a little Dijon mustard in for variety (great on chicken!). Same goes for a veggie. I'm sure your family would like broccoli or cauliflower smothered with melted cheese. You'll have to skip out on the carbs-- rice, pasta, potato of course. If you are making pasta make a batch of meatballs to go with-- they have them with the pasta and you have them alone dipped in blue cheese dressing. It takes a little creativity but it can be done and I bet they won't even notice. Don't make a big deal out of you serving "diet" food just give it to them and they'll never realize. My family is beginning to prefer our LC dinners over our regular fare. I do post all recipes I or hubby makes in my journal. You are welcome to stop by for ideas.

DH and I had one revelation -- LC cooking to us resembles old world, traditional cooking -- like our grandparents made. Basic ingredients, cream sauces, cheese sauces and a "fat": base like real butter. It's actually refreshing even to my non-LC family members. I bet you can find a lot of the ingridents in your small town. It does not necessarily have to be complex to be good. Ordering a few choice items online may be an option too.

Snacks-Pepperoni & cheese, cream cheese & celery, pork rinds if you can handle them-- I can't but they make a GREAT breading for fried chicken -- if you make it for your family I bet they would never guess they are eating PORK RIND breading! Ummm, let's see . . . hard boiled eggs, tuna/chicken salad alone or on celery sticks, raw green veggies dipped in full fat ranch dressing, cut up leftover steak nuked with butter (YUM!), turkey jerky, bacon, lunchmeat and cheese rolls . . . I could go on! Oh wait, one more-- a sweet-- heavy cream whipped with cream cheese, unsweetened chocolate and a packet of splenda-- CHOCOLATE MOUSSE!

It's hard in the beginning when you feel like crap and don't have the experience to whip up what you need quickly. Don't worry, it will come in time! Keep hanging around the boards-- I've learned most of my tips and tricks here. I would have given up by now if it weren't for all the wonderful things I've learned here!

Anne-

One more thing. Why don't you start yourself a journal and record what you are eating (also put in what you family is eating if they had something different)? That way some of us can check in on you and make suggestions to your menu and even point out ways you can combine your family's and your dinners. It's easy to say "try this or that" but sometimes advise pertaining to specific examples is much more helpful. It will also give us an idea of what types of ingredients you have available to you. My hubby and I are pretty good at altering recipes (we omit and replace stuff all the time). If you post a few recipes you are interested in and note what ingredient you can't get a hold of I bet we can help you come up with a "revision" that will work for you.

I am gaining weight! I lost a lot of weight 3 years ago and listened to my nutritionist and got off of it. I have been back to LC since 7/6/03 and the first week I lost 6lbs. and have not cheated. I have read DANR and his first one cover to cover over and over, and I drink about 15 glasses of water a day. My supps are a Multi-vitamin, Evening Primrose & Flaxseed Oils, and this week I started taking CLA liquid form 3x a day.

This week 3 for me and I am still on induction. I want to stay here for a while. I will start Pilates tomorrow. I was doing the hardcore workout Power 90, but my tendonitis flared up. I'm seeing a physician to clear that up so I can go back to it. Anyway, I am not going to drink alcohol for the next 2 weeks or regular coffee to see if they may be stalling me.

If anyone has any advice for me, I would really appreciate it. Tell me what I'm doing wrong. I wish I never listened to that darn woman in the first place. She said it was dangerous even though my tests proved otherwise.

Ann Teek.....

Cute nickname!!

You are definately suffering Carb withdrawal. I actually spent a couple of days in the first week, on the couch, too miserable to do much of anything. I was horribly frustrated in the beginning and even gain back pretty much all that I initially lost, until my body adjusted to the change.

Thank goodness for this forum and the folks who helped me out in my journal in the beginning (check out the start of my journal), cuz look where I am today!!

Hang in there. Persistance and perseverence do pay off!!

Marlaine

That first week or two can be almost unbearable, but hang in there!!

For example, I HATE Oreo cookies, but by about day four, I was almost to the point of mugging my second-born while he was sitting next to me, eating them!

It really is a hassle trying to avoid "naughty" foods when your family still wants them. My son has a disability, so I have to assist him with some foods that are tricky to eat. Imagine the shaky-handed determination it took to feed him spaghetti AND garlic bread. My daughter was, however, kind enough to hide her Girl Scout cookies where they wouldn't call my name at night....<sigh>

Hang in there!!

Hello Ann Teek.
STICK WITH YOUR (Atkins) DIET!
I started this diet a week ago and the second day of my Induction period was bad, REAL bad!
Now I feel a marked improvement in my moods and don't crave food constantly. I always felt rather "piggish",...being obsessed with food so frequently. Check out the recipes in Dr. Atkins' "New Diet Revolution", look at the recipes available on this great web site and if it's available, buy "Living low-carb" by Fran McCullough (publ. Little, Brown). This book has many very appetizing recipes as do Karen's (Barnaby) books.
"You loose some, you win some".
Regards.
"Big Dutch"