Hi, I have been reading this forum and the CAD/CALP books and I think this Carb Addict has found her salvation! Your stories have inspired me.
First, my story:
I have had a long struggle with depression (SAD in winter and depression/anxiety the rest of the year), and carb addiction. When I went away for college, I became more depressed in the northern winters and ended up bingeing on carbs- I put on 35 pounds in TWO MONTHS! For as long as I can remember before that, I had been 95-100 pounds (i am Asian and extremely petite, my whole family is) eating normally and healthily and without having to exercise much. My family ate pretty much all home-cooked food; so we were strangers to high carb processed junk. When I went away to college and that kind of food was abundant, I couldn't get enough of it. I became a full fledged Carb Addict. Of course, as my weight skyrocketed, I became more depressed and ate more carbs. I fell asleep in class and felt horrible and sluggish all the time, and was always thinking about sugar. T
That summer, I decided to try Atkins. I felt fabulous and was back to my normal weight within months. However, I was so scared of becoming re-addicted to carbs that I stayed on induction forever. THen I would binge on holidays and go back on induction. Finally I decided to jump into maintenance at 30-40 carbs but I couldn't fight cravings. I still felt deprived of carbs. Well, at higher carbs my weight dropped more, so I decided to gain a couple pounds. I did it the wrong way- a week of eating high carb junk. It felt great while I was eating, but after felt horrid. I went back to induction to get my cravings in check.

NOw that I have gained to a healthier weight, I want to maintain at it, but I don't think I should be on Atkins anymore. I don't want to have to count carbs, deal with CCLMs or what not, and still feel deprived at the end of the day. Even though I am on Wellbutrin and Lexapro, I still suffer from depression and I think Atkins aggravated it. But if I eat them during the day, I feel horrible and all I can think about it sugar. I eat it to medicate myself when I am depressed, it's not a hunger thing at all. I feel that the CAD approach will free me from my addiction, and will let me be able to enjoy eating with my family.

Sorry that was so long, but I had to get that out there! So my question is, for those who have switched, how did you feel when you switched? I also would like to know if any of you SAD/depression sufferers feel better on CAD than regular LC or LF. I love Atkins, but I need more carbs for serotonin, but can't deal with the "balanced" food pyramid WOE. I also need to control my emotional carb bingeing and sugar obsession. Do you think CAD would be a good plan for me to maintain on ? I"m scared of the insulin spike thing. Do you "crash" after your RM? I have more questions but I will save them for later b/c this is already too long LOL. Thanks SOOOO much for taking the time to read this.

CAD would be great for you!!! We are many SAD sufferers here or affected by Winter Weight Syndrome. CAD is the ONLY way I can survive in the winter without bingeing and gaining 50 pounds. CAD also keeps you from binge cycling and ABSOLUTELY keeps cravings in control and a thing of the past.

I went from Atkins to CAD, and after an initial gain, did well. It will help you get your cravings under control without being totally deprived of teh foods you love. I did notice, however, that if I ate real sugar at my reward meal, I was plagued by cravings. If I stuck to whole grains and sugarfree desserts, I did fine.

Since you mentioned eating to medicate your depression, may I also recommend teh Dr Phil book The Ultimate Weight Solution? There is some good information there on emotional eating like that.

THanks for your replies! It looks like you both have had very good results from CAD. I guess I need some reassurance because after 6 mos of Atkins, CAD goes against everything I have adhered to. But I really do think it is a better plan for me- the test showed that I am severely addicted to carbs!. I will also look into Dr. Phil's Weight Solution, because I know that most of my food addiction is really psychological.

Now a question about how I will feel the "morning after". After my cheats on Atkins, I would wake up the next morning bloated, weighing 3+ pounds more, with a headache and intense carb cravings. However, my cheats were not balanced in the least and also lasted wayyy longer than 1 hour. So will I not feel like crap the morning after my first day on CAD? Will I gain weight from bloat? I am in ketosis right now (but not losing, because I kept the calories high enough to maintain as I am on maintenance). Also, about the "balancing": Do I lower my fats in CM? I am so used to pouring on the fat from Atkins. And do the salads in RM have dressing on them or not?

THanks for your help, I am excited to start! But for my RM I was planning to have a slice of turtle cheesecake for RM... but I am scared cause it is so sugary. Potatofree, you said sugar at RM causes you to crave the next day? So should I stick to LC cheesecake?

Hi, believe!

I am not the veteran the others (Zule and Potatofree) are (there will be other veteran posters, too!), and I did not come to CAD/CALP from Atkins, but I am old enough to have learned a few things about my own body...and that may be one truism: Each person's body reacts differently to a wide range of factors, which is why tweaking on any WOE is vital to the long-term success of any regimen. Please, please don't despair if, upon starting CAD, you have any "unfortunate" reactions the next day (or even over the next week or so)--use every occurrence as an opportunity to examine how your body is reacting to what you're putting into it (as well as how often, what time of day, and so forth). Keeping a journal here really is a wonderful tool--not only for your own calculations and review (analysis), but for others who might want to help out with a comment or two, observations from their own experiences.

Never give up on this long-haul process, because you have it within your power to learn so much about what is best for your particular body. CAD is a wonderful tool; the chemistry is fascinating and even awe-inspiring. And sure, you may fall off the wagon--or even not really fall off, just maybe overdo here and there (or lots at first! )--but that certainly doesn't mean CAD isn't for you. It's more a matter of learning what aspects of CAD work beautifully and what parts may lead to cravings that make it harder for you to eat within parameters that best meet your body's needs.

Experiment with different foods (even food pairings), with different components of foods, for example. Do alcohol sugars at RMs (often in sugar-free chocolates or low-carb ice creams, for instance) make you crave more, or bloat you, or make you sluggish (or manic)...or do they have no effect whasoever? Does sugar have that effect, even at RM, when you figure you can have whatever you want for that 1/3 portion? Does even cooked veggies (see Zule's post) at CM have a funny effect on your cravings? Or not?

Pay attention to what happens when you eat "legitimate" but non-homemade items--store-bought goodies, or shakes, or processed meats, and so on. Even if the nutritional counts make them "okay" for CM (or RM), check the ingredients list. Always be on the lookout for hidden carbs. a "low-carb" food may not be that great for you--see how you feel. Maybe try for "clean" foods at first--it might not make a difference to you, but maybe it will. By "clean," I mean foods that don't have a lot of extraneous ingredients. It's just a thought.

Never give up. Consider your body to be an ongoing experiment, one that changes as you age too! Things that were fine five years ago may not be so fine now. Relax about a three- to -five-pound weight gain--or a three- to five-pound weight loss! Don't freak too quickly. You'll do fine, you'll be fine, as long as you give CAD a really good chance (say, at least three months?) and keep reading and rereading the book to make sure you don't lose sight of anything. And keep reading other books to educate yourself about the chemistry and the principles behind LC.

Good luck, and you'll do fine if you have confidence in your body, your will, and your ability to be patient and tolerant.

Best, Sona

Thanks, Sona. I think my body digests SA like regular sugar, so even if I tried a SF approach to the reward meal, it would be the same as having a real sugar treat anyway lol. But what I like about this plan is that you can tailor it however you want, whereas Atkins is pretty strict... which inevitably leads to a cheat.. then a binge. I think what also appeals to me about CAD is that it promotes portion control/balance to some extent. On Atkins, I felt like having a free for all, all day, even when I wasn't hungry, as long as it was "legal". I really only get hungry at mealtime, but I kept hearing that 6 minimeals and snacking was good for you, and so I did that, and never felt satisfied. I like the idea of 3 square meals.

Can someone please tell me how this looks for a menu? I am on maintenance, not looking to lose any.

CM: 1 can sardines in olive oil, 2 scrambled eggs, spinach

CM: salmon filet, romaine lettuce and cucumbers, olive oil and vinegar dressing, mushrooms

RM: chicken in some sort of creamy sauce, broccoli and cauliflower, 1/2 cup white rice and sliver of Lawler's turtle cheesecake, cucumbers and tomatoes for salad. (can I put some ranch on this or not?)

THanks for all the replies!

Edited to add: Since I'm on maintenance, can I have a snack? (I believe it's plan A that lets you have a snack?) I was thinking a slice of mozz cheese and some prosciutto.

I'd say it looks good, and I think a snack would be good if you aren't looking to lose, just maintain.

At RM you can use any kind of salad dressing you want!

Potatofree- Hi! Thanks for your reply. I was wondering if you could share your experience with switching. Did you gain at first? How did you feel the next morning? Cravings/headaches/ravenous? I too am a little scared of doing real sugar and white rice at my RM but the book says it's totally okay. You said you don't do real sugar for your RM though. Do you have white foods like flour/starch or do you keep a pretty LC RM (brown rice, whole grains, AS). I was thinking I might try this at first and then ease into the no-no foods. Do you or any other CADers have any input on this?

Hi Believe-

I usually have some kind of grain/starch in my RM, but I do try to avoid high glycemic load (white, processed) stuff. There are so many great grains, root vegies and fruits, and new pastas out there that it is pretty easy to indulge in a healthy way. I also only eat organic whole grain breads at home, but if my RM is at a restaurant I'll try and construct a balanced RM and not worry about the type of carbs.
I am also on maintainance, but I still find that sugary carbs in my RM lead to a bit of craving the next day, so I watch those.
Good luck with this great WOL.
E

Actually, when you think about it, at the heart of both diets is a method to control the insulin response; they just go about it different ways.

I have not found that sugar at my RM triggers any cravings for me, BTW. Everyone's different.

Hi! Thanks for your input- yes, I agree that some people do okay with sugar at RM, but unfortunately, I don't htink I am one of them. Day one I messed up royally. First, I had 2 snacks instead of one . Then for RM went a little crazy. After eating the cheesecake, I lost all control and ended up having a, no joke, 5000+ calorie RM, most of it carbs. I know this is not the way the book says to do it, so it's my fault, not the diet's, that I am up 4 or 5 pounds today with a huge stomachache . How much of this do you think is fat and how much is water? Do I just keep trying CAD or should I go back to Atkins to get the weight off, then go to CAD to maintain? Ugh, I am so disappointed in myself, because reading the book and seeing your successes, I know that this WOE works but , I just keep messing up!!!

Potatofree, you said you don't do sugar. Could you post an example of your menu please? I tried sugar and ended up having a major calorie and carb binge (I guess I am super sensitive to sugar) so I am cutting it out, as well as white flour and rice. Does anyone do the "Complex Carb" option? I was thinking of having a RM like this, is this within the guidelines?:

Salad w/ marie's dressingo
Dreamfields LC pasta
Carboptions Meat Sauce
Mushrooms
atkins endulge ice cream bar

no sugar except AS... would this be an acceptable RM? (I am on maintenance so my pasta portion would be a little larger than the protein)