should i give up on atkins???

[beebparis]

hi everyone.

i'm having serious issues here. i have been going off and on atkins for the past month. a few days on, a few days off, and now i'm just really frustrated and wondering if there's any "secret" i'm not getting and i should just keep trying, or if i should just give up.

I don't WANT to give up and quite honestly i've been working harder at this than i ever have on any other diets (i usually only last a week of "pretending" i'm on a diet).

any ideas?

[TammyJo348]

Re: should i give up on atkins???

What is making you want to give up? Not losing weight, not getting into Ketosis, feeling the "induction flu"?

What are you eating? Are you drinking enough water? Making sure that your processed foods don't have "corn syrup" or hidden sugars? (that stalled me this week!)

Let us know what's up and we'll be glad to help!

DON'T give up! You CAN do this!!!

[dreamof145]

Re: should i give up on atkins???

I agree with TammyJo. If you are serious about losing the weight, you need to find out what is frustrating you. Don't compare your progress with others on the board, we all have different life-styles, jobs, obligations and goals. You are unique. The important thing is that ATKINS works for most people. Make a list of the things that interfer with your weight loss. Until you find solutions to overcome them, they will always be excuses for you to quit. If you can't think of solutions, ask in the forums and you'll receive a lot of responses.

One thing I found in improving my life is that I had to commit to changes. I had to do my homework and work Atkins into my lifestyle. It doesn't magically become a habit, you have to work it. But if you keep doing it, it does become a positive habit. You'll feel better about yourself (see the inches and pounds dropping) and you'll be less frustrated.

You can do this. Make the committment to yourself. You are worth it. Don't give up, get determined!!!!

[jcapulet]

Re: should i give up on atkins???

Are you thinking of it as a "diet" or as a change in your life habits? If you see it as being on a "diet" it could make things difficult. If you see it as a permanent change in your way of life, then it will help with your motivation. A permanent change in eating habits means that you don't eat certain things anymore.

My hubby offers me carbs all the time, but I tell him the same thing each time: "you know I can't eat that," and he says "I know" (LOL).

[DragonflyMoon]

Re: should i give up on atkins???

Hi Steph ~

I'm so sorry you are having such a hard time with this. Have you identified the triggers that are hindering your progress? What is making you fall off... the starting and the stopping?

For me personally, and this may apply to you or not, i don't know... but what happened for me this time, is that i took a good long look at myself & my patterns, and i realized that i am a CARBOHYDRATE ADDICT. The fact that i started looking at this as an "addiction" really was like a slap in the face... and a slap in the face that was extremely necessary. In the past on Atkins, i looked at it like a "diet", just like jcapulet said. And "diet" to me meant that i could "cheat" and i could "go off of the diet" and such. I would reward myself with food, and i would plan out cheats.

Once i changed my thinking & realized that i have an addiction, that completely changed everything inside of me. I know now that i cannot have food rewards, and i cannot plan cheats, because that one cheat (for me personally) will lead to another, and to another and to another... and then a few months later i will wake up from my out of control carbohydrate/sugar binging, and realize how freaking horrible i feel, and how miserable i am... and then i'd try again.

No more.

I do not wish to walk that path again... i see the problem and i will avoid it. It's just like drugs are to a drug addict or alcohol to an alcoholic... just mine comes in the form of fluffy pasteries & chocolate.

I keep saying "for me personally" because this is my experience - and may or may not be yours. Not everyone here is a carbo addict. However, i would tend to think that many STAC members are, just because we have been around on this plan so many times... many of us more than just "the second time." But not all STACers are addicts either... some can handle "cheating" just once and pick themselves up and all is well.

So the question i have for you, is do you think that one cheat leads to more for you?

I know that you aren't happy... and i know you keep coming back here so you do want this... you just seem to be having a difficult time keeping up your momentum. What can we do to help you along the way? What do you need to succeed? What is the longest you have stuck on Atkins cheat free?

This is not just a diet... it is a lifestyle change. In your heart you are ready for this... you really are. You just need to open that door for yourself. Do some thinking... do some journalling... search in yourself and the answers will reveal themselves to you. You have all of the answers INSIDE of you, my friend! We are all here for you... talk to us! Let's figure out what is going on with you...

[Outback Jess]

Re: should i give up on atkins???

Hey Stephanie,
I am an addict too. I like Jenna, have figured out that I cannot control myself around these carb foods...once I get them going they physically effect me with tiredness and a cycle of cravings...I can't "just have one"...like a true alcoholic cannot just stop at one drink. For many of us, we have "arrived" at this conclusion...it's our truth, we are addicted to carbs and when we allow the unhealthy ones into our lives, our lives spiral out of control, first with eating and then the tired, lethargic feelings and sugar symptoms take over...pg 131 of the DANDR book shows many of the symptoms of the high carb/sugar symptoms that come with that way of eating. They start to disappear as we make a clean break from these foods.
The carb foods make me crazy, out of control, irritable, achy, sickly, leaving me with very little energy or confidence to meet my days.
For me, when I eat Atkins food arrangments, I am clear headed, in control, stronger, have energy to live at the level of life I want. The weight is secondary to the strong living I achieve eating this arrangment of food. These foods are whole foods, fresh foods. Good in, good comes out.
Your struggles might be bringing you to the question of what role does food demand in your life? My husband is skinny, healthy and active. He is in no way addicted to any certain food. I am over weight, have been totally inactive, crave and think about foods all the time...I am an addict. Many of us here have come to the conclusion that the food has power over us...and we are taking that power back in our lives and it has brought us to new places, that are beyond weight ideals.

[RachelnLa]

Re: should i give up on atkins???

Young, college, away from home, and 22 pounds to go... I can see a lot of places where I would give up too. How bad do you want it? What's causing you to get off plan? I'm sure it's not easy under the circumstances your living, but it can be done

Each person is different. I started out getting the foods down and the water. Then I added in exercise once my brain and body figured out THIS was the way it was gonna be. Now I'm adding in Fitday for calories and ratios. I'm not good at change so new things have to be incorporated in slowly. I started journaling and I'm really taking it slow and easy this time around to notice triggers, situations, emotions, etc. that may send me spiraling out of control. So far so good.

I know your life is full with school and such, but incorporating Atkins as your permanent way of eating may give you more success than thinking of it as a diet.

Best of luck! You've been given some good advice here

[Korelis]

Re: should i give up on atkins???

Everyone is really right here. We are here to help you. We can make suggestions on our experinces and what Dr. A has taught us. We will need to know WHY you are failing or why you believe you fail. When do you fail? Are you journaling?

[ShannonK]

Re: should i give up on atkins???

Don't forget to read the book. It is imperative, an absolute must. If you have already read it, read it again. I recently went back and read it again. It has changed my life.

I agree that you have to look at this as a lifestyle change. If you see it as a diet, you will fail. That is a promise. It is all in your state of mind.

Post here often. Use this as a journal, if nothing else and tell us what is going on. This site has helped me tremendously in figuring out what my triggers are.

You can do this. We are here for you.

[Sarah1341]

Re: should i give up on atkins???

I feel your pain Steph! I feel like I flounder around more often than not - but here is the question. Where do you go from here? Do you continue to try and work this program and either hold your weight steady or get this down to an art form and start losing - or do you give up, do nothing and look at yourself in 6 months heavier and wishing you would have seen it through. Sadly, I fell into the second category. I gave up and later wished I would have just pushed through and continued to try.

Hang in there

[I_WILL_Lose_Weight]

Re: should i give up on atkins???

No Steph! Never give up!

I'm so in the same boat as you right now... I too am in college, I have 20 pounds to lose, and I also keep falling off the wagon and landing my *** in a little puddle of mud. Although thankfully I can usually get back up and stay at the same weight, I do sometimes go back up to 162, or 164.

The problem was that when I hit my goal I made for myself at 160 was that I felt, "it's over. I'm at the weight I wanted... I can cheat all I want as long as I go back now."

That sadly isn't the case. In fact, I want to even lose more so I can feel attractive in more modern clothes instead of the t-shirts that are 5 times too big for me. I want to fit into the size 6 jeans that my room mate in my dorm room has ((which I have tried on x.x they practically fuse into my leg :P))

Why do I keep falling off? I always rationalize with myself that just one cheat doesn't hurt in the grand scheme of things. I'm not really committed. I haven't actually set this goal until now.

And it seems so easy to cheat too... there's that ice cream, th efree cookies, the free doughnuts... the belgian waffles students get to make for themselves. Yes. I've tried them all. Multiple times.

And then when I'm trying to stick to my diet I often over eat because I'm afraid I'm going to be hungry later or craving sweets.

I'm addicted to food. It's that plan and simple.

However I've been able to control this unsatiable desire to gorge and gorge to my heart's content. I know what it feels like to be fat, and I know what it feels like to be at the right weight. I'm no longer ashamed to take pictures of myself or get in front of other people.

I FEEL beautiful now...

That's such a wonderful feeling to actually feel attractive.

I never, ever want to lose control of my weight again. I've paid for it in stretch marks and my high school years. I never enjoyed my high school years because I was always the fat kid.

Not anymore.

I won't let myself lose control.

That's what I keep telling myself, and I use that feeling that I'm going to be even more attractive and lose that last 20 pounds to fuel myself on. Yeah, there's always going to be enough time to diet and you can always have this "one last little splurge"

But I'm tired of being fat.

And I want to be "attractive" now.

I want to be the right size and have guys look at me and say, "She looks good."

I don't want to EVER feel embarrassed again because I've got "junk in the trunk."


And those are my reasons for staying on this diet and not giving up