I've been low-carbing for about 4 weeks now--staying at or just below 20 grams per day. I haven't experienced the lack of hunger that ketosis is supposed to bring though, and starting this last Sunday, I have been caught in a vicious cycle of constant eating--a "legal" food binge.

That is, however, until today, when my binge crossed the line to ILlegal. I just ate 4 HUGE, commercial-sized brownies (probably equivalent to the size of one whole chocolate cake)!!! I'm out of control!!! I don't know why I sabotage myself--I need professional help. I'm become obsessed with food--whether it's sugary or sugar-free doesn't matter--I just plain eat too much. I'm starting to worry that I might be mentally ill and need to be committed to a remedial pre-fat camp. Please help me!!!

Don't give up.

You had the brownies, fine, now stop. From this moment forward you are back on program. You glitched, not failed. It just proves you are human.

I should know, I seem to make a career of tripping up, but I restart.We just have to be Little Engines who can.

Start a journal, you will not believe the help you can get from vistors to it.

Don't forget to eat, lots and lots, enough to fill you up.

No, you're not insane. Carb addiction is a HUGE addiction to kick. It's your brain telling you to do it because it's wondering where the the constant flush of seratonin and beta-endorphin that carb eating creates is.

One thing you can do is take l-glutamine powder, 1 tsp. mixed with water about 1/2 hour before each meal to reduce the cravings. Another thing is to do something pleasureable and absorbing whenever the cravings hit or if you're eating out of boredom. If you find it worse during certain times of day, try to mix up your routine to give your brain something else to deal with.

It would probably do you good to up your carbs in the form of vegetables and eat smaller, balanced meals more frequently. Induction is over.

Lastly, cold turkey is the only way to get over it. Not pretty, but it's true.

Karen

Thanks for the encouragement! I'm back on the wagon as of yesterday morning.

The discouraging thing, though, is that from that ONE day of bingeing my weight has shot right back up to 140 or so and I'm still hugely bloated 2 days leter!

I'm hoping that I'll be back in ketosis by tonight (48 hours, right?) and then I'll exercise like mad to get back to where i was. I currently want to cry just looking down at my stomach--and it was only a week ago that it was positively FLAT!

It's not fat, it's water and it will drop right off now that you're back on lo carb.

There is a book out called Sugar Blues, the author had a theory that sugar caused water retention. Based on my experience, it's true. And you did pop in the brownies.

Congratualations on getting back up!

Hi out there!
Got a question.....If you eat 25-30 gr carbs (during induction), will you not lose weight or will it just be slower? I was just asking, since I've been doing this lately. I haven't eaten anything off of program.....just too many of the good carbs and a little too much cheese (2-3 oz per day). I have drank a lot of water every day. It seems like I want it more with Atkins program.

This is day 10 and I have lost 6 lb s. I lost 8 lbs in 7 days, when I was doing a very very strict Protein Power plan. It was so hard that I gave up, so here I am on Atkins.

I think I know the answer, but I would like to hear your feedback anyway.

Thanks!