I've been on Atkins since 7/8 and so far have done great! Losing weight, no food cravings, lots of energy, feeling good, etc. Then suddently today at work with no warning, I want to eat everything in site. (It's not 'hormonal' since I'm post-menopausal). So far I've eaten almost 1500 calories (fortunately all "legal") and it's not even 2pm. I know we are not supposed to count calories w/Atkins, but I feel like I am on the verge of a major binge and I am scared that I am going to blow it! Can anyone give me words of encouragement and hope?

I think we all have moments like this, you just get hungry! Be sure that you are actually hungry and not just wanting something. I usually try to give myself 1/2 hour before I acutally eat something - plus I drink alot of water at these times - sometimes you are just thirsty and you think you are hungry.

Hang it there, you will get through it!

If you stick with protein and fat, or LC veggies, you won't do much harm. If you want sugars and starch, tell yourself you can have them IF IF IF you eat some protein and drink a big glass of water first. by the time I finish those, I have forgotten the craving.

By the way, I am usually hungriest on the day before I am going to lose. So I eat protein.

MayLisa I know how you feel. Last night I was having such anxiety about wanting to eat--let's say binge out of control--that I thought I was going to go crazy literally. I was done with all my meals and had had plenty to eat so there was not physical reason for my feelings. But I still felt like I was going to go out of control. Thankfully I didn't.

Unfortunately I think with locarbing the difficulty is not in eating the appropriate foods, it is in changing the inappropriate behavior. Believe it or not the thing that has kept me eating low carb is not the weight loss (which has been only 5 lbs in 13 days), but the absence of the foggyness that results from a binge. I don't know if any of you consider yourself a compulsive overeater, but those of you who do will know what I mean. There have been many times that the only way that I know what I have eaten during a binge is by looking around for the papers after it is done--it happens so quickly.

When I feel the urge to binge I concentrate on the fact that I haven't had to feel badly about my behavior in almost two weeks. That offers me the comfort that food would have provided in the past.

Worst case senario--go to sleep if it gets too bad or just get out of the house and keep moving if you can.

I don't know if anything of this helped, but know that you are not alone.

Lee

I get this too, usually on my days off when I don't have work to distract me. I do the same things Lee does, remind my self how good I've been so far and think about how bad I would feel afterwards. Chips are what I crave and sometimes before I know what I'm doing I am practically tearing through my cabinets looking for something. So, I tell myself if I'm really hungry I can have something safe (burger, pro. shake, pork rinds etc.) and 9 times out of 10 I end up eating nothing cause I realize I'm not really "hungry" just munchy. Plus I down a big glass of water and that sometimes does the trick. Also a hot bath works for me too.....(not really sure how that fits in though???)

MayLIsa,
I get that feeling to sometimes. I used to try to wait it out, but then I read in this forum, " if you're hungry, eat". It is such a simple concept, but all our lives we are told to count calories, we are told if your hungry, don't eat. Reading that statement really helped me, it was like a lightbulb went on. So now when I'm hungry, I eat. It's O.K. to have an extra piece of steak, or an extra egg,or an extra salad. If your hungry just eat. Keep up the good work.

2600 - 3000 calories a day of what I can eat
Haven't cheated once (knowingly)

31 lbs gone


as long as you are eating what you are suppose to you are fine and the appetite will mellow out

If the body is hungry feed it
Being hungry in my opinion is the #1 way to lose your willpower so don't go hungry

I have ate before I go to bed
I have ate WHOLE bags of pork skins

I have ate whole blocks of cream cheese and I still lose

I drink splendra drinks
I drink carb shakes

I do not eat low carb bars
I drink lots of water

This is not a low calorie diet this is a low carbohydrate lifestyle

everybody is different, find what works for you

I personally don't think calories matter at all
Good luck

Jeff

Hi, this is the first time I have posted on this site. I too find that when I am not busy doing something, that is when I get the munchies, I am not really hungry, but seem to keep looking for something, so I drink more water, which helps, a lot of our snacking is just boredom, or actual dehydration. I keep busy, and drink water, cause if I take just one small bite of anything "not legal" I'm off completely.

eat the french toast recipe in the breakfast section



Them things ROCK!

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
I bet you won't be hungry then


Jeff

Thank you to everyone for all your advice. It definitely helped. I wound up eating over 1900 "legal calories" that day, the most I've eaten since I've started atkins on 7/8, but I still lost 10 lbs this week! So I made it! And as others have said, it does feel so good not to binge.

MayLisa we sound a lot alike. I have been trying to find someone to email daily about each others trials, tribulations and successes. If this is something that would interest you email me directly.

Hope I hear from you.

Thanks Lee
uanoel~ivillage.com

it should read (at) ivillage--but for some reason it will not type correctly