hi everyone!
i've been lurking here, and everywhere lo-carb i can find for the past week, so i thought i would make some contact.
hello!
so, i had my first introduction to lo-carb in february when i decided to do the Zone. it's a long and tedious story as to how i got to that point and i will spare you... for now... maybe there's a section for war stories on here?

anyway, the zone was an immediate improvement after years of struggling with vegetarian/vegan, low fat, low-protein diets, which seemed to be an endless cycle of binging and starving.
i lost much of the weight that i wanted to and felt more in control, but the 40-30-30 thing still seemed to be too much carbs. i found that the fruit and bread that was allowed on the diet just made me hungrier. i started wishing i could just skip most of the carbs and have more protein and more fat.

then i went on vacation and fell off the wagon. a little cheat here and a bite of ice cream there in the first week, became a full-on food obsessed binge the second week. i was really sad because, not only did i blow all my hard zoning work, i also let my food addiction mess up my vacation.

when i got back, i got back on track with the zone for two weeks and lost some of the re-gained weight. but i didn't like the way i felt--energy-less, weak, hungry... then the new york times sunday piece came out about the atkins diet and i decided to switch. i bought the book that day and have been in induction since then (almost 1 week)

i am scared that it's too good to be true! i've never been able to eat 2000 calories a day without gaining--now i'm eating that and i've lost 3 lbs! i LOVE the foods i am eating. i would happily forgo sugar and flour and grains and potatos for the rest of my life to have boutious fats, meats, fish, and vegetables.

but it's SOOOO hard to have faith! i have put a lot of hope into this diet and i'm really scared to be disappointed.
i am scared to start adding more carbs after induction.
i am scared that this won't work and i will again have to settle for being hungry if i don't want to be fat (but the truth is, when i was eating high-carb, i was NEVER satisfied, no matter how much i ate)

so, i'm just venting. i hope that i can make some contacts here because i am so excited and i don't have anyone in my life that understands.

also, can anyone tell me if it is unreasonable to hope to be really lean? or is this diet more for just being in a healthy range? i would be happy to stay where i am if i can eat this way but it would be NICE to be as lean as i've always wanted to be.

if you're still reading, thank you so much for your patience!!!
and thank you all for your stories--you are all so inspiring!
lauren

Hi Lauren,

You have done very well, good on you!

But I worry a little about your statement about wanting to be lean.
At 5 foot 6 and 126 pounds, you are already quite slim. Do you feel as though you are more flab than muscle?
If you do, I would strongly suggest you check out our exercise forums. Doing some strength training will help you to convert fat into lean muscle.

Adding carbs is nothing to worry about. As long as they are healthy vegie carbs, you'll be just fine!

All the best to you, my dear.

Rosebud

Hi Lauren! Welcome! I hear you on the food addiction issues - low carbing is a good way to control those cravings. It's nice to not be obsessed with food. Enjoy!