Ahh, I see! Well, I understand about the estrogen thing, but I would rather be a "heavy gal" than "knocked up!" Yes, I am married, but children are not in my future... Last time I was on Atkins (about 3 years ago) I never got into ketosis. Probably because I was drinking things with Aspartame and eating Tic Tac's non stop! This time, I quit the Tic Tac's, but I am still drinking the flavored water with Aspartame. I can't help it, I NEED the SWEETS!!!! So, I guess I won't hit ketosis this time either. Only time will tell. Yes, I do have those ketosis strips. I will probably start to use them next week, as that will be going into my 3rd Atkins Week. Yay For Me!!!

Have you thought about the Depo shots? They are progesterone based, so while in some people they can cause carb cravings, they won't interfer with weight loss the same way estrogen can. There are also low estrogen pills women use while breastfeeding you can ask your doctor about.

You also don't have too much to lose, so your weight loss will be slower. Make sure to work through all levels of the program, including OWL and premaintanance to increase your chances of keeping the weight off.

As for the breath, some never get it I havn't. I also rarely get the urine smell. Part of that is I drink so much water my urine is more diluted. For me I get sever cotton mouth. I use the sticks to check myself in the mornings, but the steady slow loss has been the biggest indicator to me for ketosis.



The only way to break the cravings is to have a clean induction, no sweets. If you don't break the cravings you will have them continue and that can lead to far more temptations. The best thing you can do for yourself is get rid of the sweetened water and go completely clean. It will be hardd, but after a little bit you will lose the sweet cravings. It does get easier. One of the main purposes of induction is to break cravings and tha tis why many go through it again after a cheat when they have wakened old cravings.