Desperate for a Mentor

[digitalcowboy]

I have tried again and again to get started on Atkins only to fail after 1 or 2 days. I feel like I go stark raving mad for carbs. I feel like I would rip someones arm off to get at a sandwich (bread) they were holding. I am on day 3 right now and I feel (again) like I am ready to give up. I am not even entirely sure I am doing this exactly right (too much cheese, decaf coffee).

I am generally not very good at asking for help. It always feels like I am admitting weakness or failure. But I do feel like I need the guidance of someone who has done this before, and been successful. I need to get out of this DIET RAGE mode and just start working the plan.

Has anyone had a similar experience that would be willing to help guide me?

Thank you.

[ShiningStarr]

Re: Desperate for a Mentor

Well I don't think I would be a good mentor ( I am fairly new here too) but I would like to just tell you to keep strong. You are stronger than a piece of bread! You are almost through the toughest part! You can do this. Believe in yourself! Cause we believe in you. The board is great to get any sort of support you need. I suggest looking around the board and read the other post from other people. You will find we all go through this and many people have some great words of encouragement you can get strength from when you need it. Also I suggest you post alot! We can't help you if you don't let us know what is going on. We want to hear the good and the bad so we can give you congrats and thea good kick in the butt when you need it. ( trust me we all need it sometimes) Keep Going You can do this!!!

[SunnySmile501]

Re: Desperate for a Mentor

You can do it!!! I never ate junk food or sweets or drank sodas of any kind. I was addicted to bread and oddly enough, baby carrots! Before Atkins, when I weighed almost 300 pounds, I would only buy one pound bag per week, because I opened them like a bag of chips and didn't stop until the bag was empty. I really didn't have a problem during the first 14 days of induction, but a little later, I was at the store to stock up on Atkins friendly foods, and they had the very tiny baby carrots, my favorite, in big piles on sale for 99¢. I turned my head to keep from looking at them, but out of nowhere--I started crying. I left feeling like a fool. I didn't cave, but felt really sorry for myself.

I stuck it out, because I really got a shock when I stepped on the scale and found I weighed almost 300 pounds. That was my blammo moment and I knew I was a carb addict. I very soon lost all desire for carbs and baby carrots. I didn't eat bread for over a year and don't crave it or sandwiches any longer. Sandwiches were a staple before Atkins. I have lost 120 pounds since then and love the new way I eat.

Just take it one day at the time and if that doesn't work, take it one hour at the time. Soon it will be easy. Decide what price you are willing to pay for a thin, healthy body and boundless energy, pay the price and don't look back.

Sunny!

[SunnySmile501]

Re: Desperate for a Mentor

I just noticed that you joined in March, but this was only your second post. The board can't help you if you don't participate. You will get a lot of motivation and support if you join in and don't try to do it by yourself. We can't do it for you, but we sure can help. Read other posts and jump in.
Ask a lot of questions. Join a challenge or two. I still use the challenges to get me motivated and committed. Essentially, all of us old timers and many of the new people are mentors in our own way. We just don't devote ourselves to just one person.

I see from your first post that your wife was on Atkins and trying to help you. Is she still on the program??? How is she doing???

Sunny!

[elsy]

Re: Desperate for a Mentor

Hey Digitalcowboy. Cool username!

Hey, everyone who has responded to your post is right. It takes one split second to make the decision. And ones you've made it stick with it. This is Atkins Heaven so you came to the right place. But you gotta ask and you gotta be part of it and not just a spectator.

Read our stories and check out our pictures so you can get inspired once and for all. Good luck to ya!

[angelsfort]

Re: Desperate for a Mentor

How are you doing cowboy?? Talk to us...

question for you, do you have the DANDR book? If you've got it then you should join in the "read the book challenge" it will be a big help.

I know for a fact that if you can get yourself to stick with the plan for 2 weeks then it will be easier to resist those carbs. I'm ADDICTED to milk. I drink a gallon of milk every couple of days... but the last time I went through induction, I lost all cravings for milk after that first two weeks. Yeah, it was freakin' hard during that first week... I almost broke down several times, but somehow I managed to resist. I'm pretty sure that the people in here were the biggest help to me.. you really do need to keep talking to people in here, read other peoples posts and listen to what they are struggling with... you'll find that you aren't alone and you WILL make it through it. But you'll have a much more difficult time of it if you aren't willing to participate in the conversations... if nobody knows what you are going through, we can't talk to you about how we went through it also.

keep active in here and you'll do okay.

good luck and I look forward to hearing about your journey!

[meena-beena]

Re: Desperate for a Mentor

You need to come visit us in the Second Time Around Club Forum. We've been there and KNOW how you feel. lol. I hope to see you there!

[TIME2SHINE4-08]

Re: Desperate for a Mentor

I'm a many time re-starter also. I found visiting here alot and posting really helps. The challenges are great! Join us!

[digitalcowboy]

Re: Desperate for a Mentor

Sunny,

In response to your message, yes I joined back in March. My wife and I started once before but stopped because it was making her feel awful. We are both back on again and this time it is working.

I am losing weight. My clothes are fitting better and I can move more easily, but I am still craving at times. For example...

Today I decided I was going to have a cup of herbal tea now that I have some Splenda in the house (I need a little sweetness in my tea). Because it was a fruit herbal tea, my wife told me not to drink it cause it would contain fruit sugars. I couldn't believe how mental I went over not being able to have a cup of tea. I ended up having a cup of peppermint tea instead, but I still couldn't believe how much of a rage I was in over a cup of tea. It was ridiculous.

It's moments like that that make me want to give up. I also miss my coffee TERRIBLY. Is there anyway to have coffee on induction? I know these may seem like basic questions answered in the DANDR book but I have not read it yet. I am following my wife who has read most of it.

Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement. I will make sure I am on here a couple of times a day for help and support.

Paul

[SunnySmile501]

Re: Desperate for a Mentor

Sunny,

In response to your message, yes I joined back in March. My wife and I started once before but stopped because it was making her feel awful. We are both back on again and this time it is working.

I am losing weight. My clothes are fitting better and I can move more easily, but I am still craving at times. For example...

Today I decided I was going to have a cup of herbal tea now that I have some Splenda in the house (I need a little sweetness in my tea). Because it was a fruit herbal tea, my wife told me not to drink it cause it would contain fruit sugars. I couldn't believe how mental I went over not being able to have a cup of tea. I ended up having a cup of peppermint tea instead, but I still couldn't believe how much of a rage I was in over a cup of tea. It was ridiculous.

It's moments like that that make me want to give up. I also miss my coffee TERRIBLY. Is there anyway to have coffee on induction? I know these may seem like basic questions answered in the DANDR book but I have not read it yet. I am following my wife who has read most of it.

Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement. I will make sure I am on here a couple of times a day for help and support.

Paul

I am glad that you came back! That's progress!

To answer your question about coffee. Atkins 2002 says to give it up. Dr. A gives good reasons. I started Atkins using an older version, which did not say to give up coffee, thus, I didn't (2 cups in the morning; black). I lost 118 pounds before I tried quitting. I stayed off coffee for six weeks and I didn't lose more weight, didn't sleep better, didn't feel a bit better, so I started up again. I've lost more weight since then. This was my experience. You sound terribly sensitive, so it might affect you to not give it up. He does say that, if after being off for the 14 days, you can try adding it back in to see if it spikes your sugar or causes cravings. I would try that.

I do assure you that if you do it by the book, you will get over the cravings and you will feel better than you have in years. Your rages are nothing more than the carb monsters rearing their ugly head. It's the same as a drug addict wanting a fix. Just ride it out. Find another outlet for your frustrations: take a walk, lift weights, come to the forum and post, play with those toddlers--whatever it takes. Whatever you do, don't take it out on those that you love--it's okay to come here and vent. It will be over soon. PROMISE!

That 'feeling awful' part is just Induction Flu. As bad as you or your wife feels, it's a good sign--it means you're in ketosis and are switching to fat burning instead of glucose burning.

Sunny!

[Chicklady]

Re: Desperate for a Mentor

On my first journey (and i wish I had just stuck with it for a lifetime) I used the same book I still have, a 1977 copy. It didn't say anything about coffee, and I drank my usual gallon of coffee with a pint of cream every day, never counting the carbs in either, because, DUH, I didn't think they had any carbs. But I also wasn't subtracting fiber, which wasn't in that edition either, so maybe it balanced out.
Anyway, I lost 103 pounds, and kept it off for almost 3 years.....drinking coffee all the while. I'm pretty sure my blood is 50% columbian arbica blend
My second round with this way of life, I now knew to count the carbs from my coffee and cream. Bummer! I had to reduce the amount of coffee I consumed and I missed it! I must admit (shhh, don't tell) there was more than one day where i didn't eat all my veggies and drank more coffee instead.
I hope this third (and final!!) time, I have gained enough experience and horse sense.

[digitalcowboy]

Re: Desperate for a Mentor

Thank you so much for everyone who has replied. Your stories and experiences are helping me to get through this tough part. I am on day 5 (had to start re-counting cause of a cheat at Halloween) and I think I am through the worst of it. still missing carbs, but not craving them like I was.

I have a lot of questions, but I think I will read the book first. Thanks again and I will be here often.

Paul

[Elizellen]

Re: Desperate for a Mentor

Welcome to our ADBB family, Paul
You have been given some great advice and it looks as if you are up and runnign now

BTW if your 'cheat' was just one or two off-plan eatings, and you got straight back on the Atkins WOE then you do not have to start recounting your 14 days from the beginning again (if we had to do that some lof us would never leave induction )

So even if you do decide to continue on induction for a while make sure you weigh yourself after the 14th day of initially starting induction to get a truer picture of how much initial weight you lose in the first 14 days so you can check the chart for your metabolic resistance of weightloss. If you use the numbers from your 'restarted 14 days' it will not be as accurate .