I tried the Atkins diet once before and only lasted a week. I did see some weight loss but I just couldn't stand any more salads or eggs. I also found that living low carb was more expensive for me. I didn't have much support from my husband and it was really hard not having pastas and breads.
I'll be turning 25 next Sunday and I just really want to lose some weight.
I was wondering if I just start out by not eating breads, pastas, starches, etc if that would work for a while. Then when I get used to that I can maybe start counting carbs and following a plan. I'm a huge Coke drinker and I love to have my coffee in the morning while I work (I work at home and usually am up at 4 am to work while all the kids are sleeping. I also only drink coffee with Coffeemate's Choc Creamer) so I have to get used to not drinking that too. I also have a habit of fixing whatever is the fastest to fix. By the time dinner is here I'm usually throwing some hot dogs on the grill, making mac and cheese, and fixing a veggie in the microwave....so I need to get used to actually cooking things
Will this work? Or will it totally mess me up? There are a lot of things I need to get used to before I feel that I can start a LC plan:
1. Actually cooking.
2. No caffiene.
3. Shopping and budgeting.
4. Drinking more water.
5. Having no pastas or breads (which is really huge around here. We have sandwiches at least once a day and pasta at least 3 times weekly).

I would appreciate any and all opinions on this! Thanks!!!! Tina

PS- I'm going to the intro forum now to give my bio

I suppose you could "back into" low-carbing, but in my experience, going "cold turkey" breaks the cravings much more effectively. After the first few tough days of withdrawal, I was much better as far as thinking I "needed" bread, etc.

As for expense, I find I actually spend LESS on groceries. I shop on sale for meat,(and cook ahead for quick meals during the week)and have gotten creative with eggs (and I really used to HATE eggs). Since I don't buy as many convenience foods, frozen dinners, etc. as I did before, I've made up for the fact that pasta and potatoes are cheap "fillers".
The bigest challenge is cooking those starchy foods for family members not eating lc. I generally make JUST enough for them, and encourage THEM to help with food prep by making those dishes for me. (especially if my "resistance" is low that day...)