i posted this in my journal and i wasnt sure i should also send it as a confession? so here i go again....................
i was doing so good i cant believe that i cant find my way back! i started atkins on 2/11/02 my first week i did real well, i lost 10 pounds. my second week i was sick and i wound up eating toast. that was my breaking point. from then on i have been slowly eating more carbs. i promised my self last week i would get right back on track but every day there is another excuse.

the strangest thing... i quit smoking 3 years ago after smoking for 20 years and i dont remember having as much trouble as i am now with carbs........

please if anyone has any advice im listening...jj

Have you looked under Addiction Forum? There is more of us Carbaholics there

jj, it's the weirdest thing, isn't it? My month-long lapse last year was amazing in several respects. Every morning, I promised not to do it...I didn't even like the way the carbs tasted...I started hating the way they made me feel...but once I had one bite, I was lost for the day. It was that lapse that truly convinced me that carbs for me are like booze for an alcholic--and I've learned a lot since then by reading about addictions, so in a way, I'm grateful for that horrible month!

Not starting the day with carbs is crucial, and eat plenty of fat and protein--especially as soon as you can stomach it in the morning. Arm yourself with loads of cheese if you like cheese--and don't worry right now about the four-ounce limit. Just eat the yummiest high-fat foods you can imagine to cope with the cravings until they're gone. Other than that, think "one day at a time." "one meal at a time." or if you have to "one minute at a time!" Success with the WOE is built of thousands of those successful minutes, and we all go through phases where every one of them seems like torture.

Also, think about taking l-glutamine between meals (just for now) to stave off cravings. And do plenty of pleasurable things that may even seem decadent but aren't about food. buy yourself flowers, take two long baths with candles every day, watch every one of your favorite movies, dive into your favorite kind of trashy escapist book. Sex is good, too. Be totally self-indulgent! It'll help your brain chemistry and so fight off the cravings.

HTH-- report back, ask more questions, forgive yourself, and move forward.