...in fact I feel full, but feel compelled to eat.....I am trying desperately to stay out of the kitchen as everytime I am in there I feel the urge to eat something.

Several possible explanations:
-PMS week, TOM looming?
-power outage stress
-boredom from being at home?

So far today I have eaten (brace yourselves!)
2 eggs, 2 slices bacon, decaf w/cream
whole milk plain yogurt w/sf chocolate sauce
2 hb eggs w/mayo & celery
sliced cucumbers
3 pepperoni sticks
1 diet jello cup
1/2 oz pecans
1 tbsp peanut butter
3 grapes
1 spoonful leftover mac & cheese
chocolate mousse (1/2 cup whipping cream w/2 packets splenda, some vanilla and sf chocolate sauce)

Basic math indicates I am already up to about 23 carbs and no dinner yet? Dare I eat. I actually feel full now..and am guzzling more water.

What is going on? I am generally doing so well, yet I feel "possessed"....very weird

Help!

Froufie

It's my TOM and I've had a barely controllable urge to eat, myself. Of course what I am craving is sweets...so far I've done okay restraining myself, but barely. I wish I didn't know about the 1/2 gallon of ice cream in the refrigerator...but I will NOT eat it.

23 carbs isn't bad, but I'd suggest not eating dinner until you actually feel hungry. Let whatever food is left in your stomach digest, and keep your hands busy. I like to crochet, and can't eat when I'm doing it for fear of my yarn or thread getting dirty. Do you have a hobby or craft you enjoy? If so, get to it!

Better yet, go take a walk or drag out an exercise tape, but not till the food you ate has had a chance to digest.

I don't suppose padlocking the refrigerator and cupboard doors and flushing the key down the toilet is an option...

Christena

When I have the munchies, eating fried pork rinds helps.

Fata Morgana

Sometimes I can't stop eating either. I just really try to eat low carb so that if I am stuffing my face I am not blowing my LC eating as well. The uncontrollabel urge to eat and eat and eat usually goes away by the next day if not later on the same day. I think everyone's ideas so far are good. If you MUST still eat, be sure to try and eat low or 0 carb foods for the rest of the day and throw in some extra exercise to boot, even if it is just a walk or something...

How long have you been doing atkins? I think that you are probably like me and you are a true carb/sugar addict. I am a compulsive overeater and a massive food addict. I know that much about myself. I am highly sensitive. If I eat certain foods that seem to be safe and I notice the cravings start back up I have to go back and look and usually sugar is listed as one of the first 4 ingredients. I can tell from your list of foods that I would have several problems if I ate them. For example, chocolate is a trigger food for me, diet or not, doesn't matter. If I eat it, I binge on it. You mentioned cream (gotta be really careful with that too)...Also the pepperoni sticks and bacon...check the brand and see if there is sugar in it. I got all screwed up with some turkey bacon b/c it had sugar in it and had to change brands. Same with some blue cheese salad dressing. It had sugar in it so I had to switch. I have to be sooooo strict. I cannot eat any trigger foods.I have to keep it to the totally safe foods and make absolutely positive I"m not eating things where sugar is one of the top 4 ingredients. You have to break the craving cycle. You CAN break it but you have to be willing to listen to your body and swear off the foods that cause your cravings. Trust me, that alone was like attending a funeral for me. I got so much out of a brownie that I would have married it and lived happily ever after if I could have. I had to go through a grieving process when I realized that I could never have those trigger foods again...unless I want to go back through a craving cycle and I don't. This is just my 2 cents and what works for me though...I find that some of us are more addicted to some things than others...lucky me I am very addicted so I have to stay away but once the cravings cease and you feel better you just don't care about those things and even if I do have a moment where I want it I treat it like poison. I associate it with all the pain and misery that I can. I never want to go back to that craving again.

I was doing that earlier this week. I was eating so much (all low carb of course) I felt like I was going to burst!! TOM came this morning!!! The only thing that help me control this eating was a walk or a cold shower.

Good Luck!!

I think you should eat a lot of things that are almost 0g carbs (strictly protein) like meat. That way you could eat a lot and still be under the 20g carbs allowed.

I love the papa burgers from A&W. I get them with cheese and bacon (no ketchup, no bun). It's quick, easy and almost no carbs!

Just eat a lot of what you are allowed and try to avoid real carbs (ie mac & cheese). I make sure I eat 20g carbs a day, but don't eat anything that isn't allowed. Normally I will eat 2 papa burgers for lunch or dinner and that's quite satisfying.

Instead of snacking on the things high in carbs, stick to eating protein. That way you can eat a lot more and not exceed your 20g carb limit.

Eventually, your appetite will get smaller, but for now, stay away from sweet things and processed things and stick to real protein. I eat sugar-free jell-o which has no carbs (but has aspartame). Add a little cream to that and it satisfies my sweet cravings!

Good luck!

I am doing Thin for Good by Dr Pescatore. He used to be part of Atkins, but started his own clinic. He twists Atkins to fit different people. His plan is more strict than Atkins... he puts limits on protein, mayo, butter and cheese but none on olive oil. He also strongly recommends supplements. I'm not nuts about anything but a multivitamin, but he suggested chromium for sugar regulation and glutamine for cravings . I did chromium without feeling anything. I bought the glutamine 500mg and took on an empty stomach when the cravings hit and it really helped. I don't know if its in my head or what, but I'm not eating at night or stuffing myself because I'm bored.

cpetska
I take GTF Chromium also. I take 200mcgs 3x a day and it really does help with leveling blood sugar. I also take Glutamine. But, I have to say that I've been taking those supplements for years so I can't say for sure how I felt with them in relationship to my Atkins WOL.

Looking at the menu, you aren't in induction, right? You might try cutting out the sweet htings, that can cause cravings. Also I would be careful on the cream. For me I would be full and have a little whipped cream with some splenda for a treat. After eating it I would suddenly want more or something else to eat. I had to cut out cream and most other dairy.

What would work for me when I would get really hungry and couldn't get full I would have some mixed broccoli and cauliflower heated with some shreaded cheese on top. I'm not sure if it was the fiber or what, but it would quiet my hunger.

Jello if it contains aperteme could also be a trigger. I would cut out the cream, sf chocolate, cream, grapes (higher glycemic), and the nuts and nut butters. What you are eating is actually a premaintanance or maintanance menu, not OWL. There are probably alot more then 23 carbs there as well. The cream has carbs in it, as does the peanut butter and pecons.

Breakfast
2 eggs and 2 strips bacon (count at least 2 carbs depending on if the bacon is carb free, most is not)
Decaf with cream (1 carb for the coffee, 1 for the cream)
Whole milk yogurt (At least 12 carbs depending on the brand)
2 hb eggs/ mayo (3 carbs)
3 pepperoni sticks (maybe 1 carb, high sodium)
1/2 oz pecans (.5 carb)
1 Tbsp peanut butter (3g)
3 grapes (3g)
1/2 cup cream (3.5g)

I get at least 29 net carbs, and that's without the mac and cheese. Even if it's not TOM related, cut out the known triggers and sweets. You might want to try a few days of induction, or just try eating more low carb higher protien/fat foods through the day to fill you up.

I know some of those foods are bad and triggers, but I was so out of control, I was still trying not to blow it entirely!

According to fitday, my totals were around 23 carbs
...not sure where you got the cream carbs!!!!! On fitday 1/2 cup heavy unsweetened whipping cream is only 1.6 and I know my yogurt is 4 carbs per half cup. Also peanut butter is 3 grams but .9 fibre which can be subtracted, right?

Hope I have not been counting wrong? I thought 2 hard boiled eggs (large) were 1.2 and I add about .5 for mayo?? (even tho is says 0 on the jar). My bacon is not carb free, but it is sugar free and counts as .7 carbs for 3 slices.

I know one must be careful counting.

By the way, I was not really hungry for dinner, as someone predicted, and allowed food to digest. Did end up eating one hot dog which filled me up with only .3 carbs!

Hope the worse is over!

Wish me luck! I do think this is a hormonal thing but I also take into consideration that some of these may be trigger foods for me and I have to be more vigilant in discovering what they are!

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions!

Froufie

I was rounding up As long as you knew about the cream and eggs carbs. You might also start raising your allowed carbs and moving through OWL since you are having OWL foods. You may find 30g carbs allows more freedom so you don't feel deprived w/o slowing your loss. It probably is just TOM, but once that water weiight gain goes, you may be better then before even

Hi Froufie, congrats on the weight you have already lost and good luck on controlling the binge eatting feelings. I sometimes have a similar problem, especially if it is the wrong time of the month or severe stress. Two main things help me get through. I eat a lot of pure plain foods - sit down and eat an entire bag of frest baby spinach with some ranch dressing and a grilled chicken breast with some parmesean cheese grated on it. Second is to go take a long walk. Unless I mug someone walking with groceries, I can't be eatting then! Fitday does a great job, but I like to add up my carbs myself. I find that sometimes they go lower than Atkins carb counter and don't always round up. For me, even in OWL, I have to stay around 20 carbs which is why I stick to leafy greens for my veggies and go easy on the prepared meats - bacon & pepperoni. Steak, chicken, shrimp etc. do better for me - they fill me up for longer and I don't have to worry about nitrates and hidden carbs. Good luck. You CAN do it!
Marie

HI Marie,

Thanks for the good suggestions.....never thought about mugging someone with groceries...there's an idea! (sorry Officer, it was the carb cravings...it's not my fault...honest!)

Doing way better today.....on my 4th (20 oz) water bottle...had bacon & eggs for breakfast...salmon and salad for lunch...and that urgent urge to eat anything that doesn't move seems to be under control for the moment.

Planning dinner now......hmmm...maybe roast chicken and veggies? YUM!

Froufie

it's funny bec I've been eating way more than normal this past week too. I remember reading here that when your body is really hungry like that, it's testing you to see if you'll feed or starve it. And if you feed it, it becomes a whooosh. I don't really know if that's correct, but if you are truly hungry, eat, watching out for triggers and other stuff as mentioned by others.
You're doing great.