New and Needing

[Shay]

Hi! I am starting the induction today. A little history: I am 28, 241.5lbs, and recently diagnosed with diabetes (to be diet controlled at this point). I did try Atkins about 2 years ago for a few weeks and felt great. Obviousley I didn't stick to it or I wouldn't be in this situation. So here I am trying again, but having a hard time getting going. This is the third attempt at day one I have had in the last week. I keep giving in part way through the first day. I am hoping with joining a support group I can do this. I have read the book, and plan to re-read it as it has been awhile since I read it. My hardest part is getting through the fatigue, nausea, and headache I get when I try to start. Any advice, menus, etc that anyone would like to post would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Shay
241.5/241.5/140

[apollo]

only advice i can really give is try to picture how much better youll feel when you reach your goal

youve taken the first step which is deciding to start , now all you need to do is read the induction allowable foods , theres a sticky topic with a wallet sized guide , go food shopping , try to give away all the high carb foods that got you fat in the first place

you can do it , this is a great board for support , people here are friendly and helpful

[Effie]

Do you think you're "giving in" because you're really craving those foods, or is more of a mental thing, like you don't want to be told what to eat?

I am definitely a rebel dieter.. in that if you tell me I can't eat something, it's the only thing I want. Fortunately, that hasn't happened on Atkins for me yet because I'm still rebounding from the years and years of being told I can't have cheese, or mayo, or red meat, so I still get that rush like I'm cheating but the bonus is that I end up doing Atkins picture-perfectly!

What I'm trying to say is... there must be something on the approved foods list that you can eat, without feeling deprived. When else are you allowed to have a half pound of bacon in the middle of the day as a snack? If you're getting headaches or feeling nauseous, maybe you just need to find the right food that will make that go away. Cheese, maybe? Or celery with cream cheese?

[Shay]

Honestly I think part of my giving in is wanting to feel "normal". My husband is a junk food addict and is not overweight. I have two small children (2 and 4) that of course eat "normal" food. I manage to convince myself that I can eat whatever I want, just in smaller portions. Then I give in and eat the cupboards bare! Then I am convinced again that I can't eat controlled and know that I need this program....until the cycle starts again! I also know how good I will feel and that the craving will go away if I just stick with it. It's that I block that part out and go with the I can eat controlled theory instead :anger

Shay

[Peytonn]

I hope you make it this time...

the first few days are the hardest for me too.. and it's so easy to quit...

I don't care for meat or eggs... and as much as I love cheese.. it's limited..

so.. I had to plan carefully.. I went to the grocery store and bought celery and creme chesse.. really good chesse varieties.. and began day one with a chicken.. the really nice ones they broil there...

so I had one day...

I bought stuff for myself I wouldn't normally buy.. it was more expensive... but I didn't care...

hubby didn't mind at all.. he ended up eating most of the chicken!

my goal was to make it one day at a time...

and I'm still doing that...

you're right... being here will help..

take care!

[not2late]

Honestly I think part of my giving in is wanting to feel "normal". My husband is a junk food addict and is not overweight. I have two small children (2 and 4) that of course eat "normal" food. I manage to convince myself that I can eat whatever I want, just in smaller portions. Then I give in and eat the cupboards bare! Then I am convinced again that I can't eat controlled and know that I need this program....until the cycle starts again! I also know how good I will feel and that the craving will go away if I just stick with it. It's that I block that part out and go with the I can eat controlled theory instead :anger

Shay

Stuffing your body with processed, artificial junk food isn't "normal" eating. "Normal" is eating natural foods and whole foods---foods that nature intended your body to use for fuel, not foods Kraft or Nabisco intended.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but if your children think that eating junk food is "normal" or are being taught, through example, that junk food is "normal eating", you might want to re-program them to eating real, wholesome food for the sake of their current and future health. Childhood obesity and poor nutrition are on the rise in this country.

[Moochiecat]

I did (and still do!) a LOT of talking to myself since I started Atkins. Each time I would face a challenge, I would give myself a pat on the back and some encouragement; I would acknowledge that I had jumped another hurdle. Whether it was a small thing like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or walking through the bakery department of the grocery store and not stopping to look and linger...each little thing I did that was not a normal thing for me to do, I made a point of telling myself that I did good.

It's all about staying in the moment, and living consciously.
If I was craving a treat really badly, I recognized that I was going through it, and I would choose something legal, but something that didn't feed my sweet tooth (like a boiled egg with mayo) so that I was re-training myself to learn that I wasn't a deprived dieter, but someone who fed their body with good things, and not bad things.

It can take a while to distinguish emotional eating from hunger eating as well, so understand that you are going through a lot during Induction.
Your best defence is to take each day as it comes, a meal at a time, a bite at a time if need be. Always have legal food around to eat, always!.. and celebrate when you turn to it instead of the bad stuff, and think about how that was one more battle in your war! :joy

[Effie]

Stuffing your body with processed, artificial junk food isn't "normal" eating. "Normal" is eating natural foods and whole foods---foods that nature intended your body to use for fuel, not foods Kraft or Nabisco intended.

Agree 100%!!!!

If you haven't already seen it, I highly recommend renting "Super Size Me". While it doesn't directly relate to Atkins, it is a really refreshing movie to watch because it reminds us of how far we (as a society) have come from eating healthy. Societal norms have, in fact, pushed us in the complete opposite direction.

[Shay]

I have never heard of "Super Size Me", but it sounds like a good one to watch.

You guys are right, what I think of as "normal" shouldn't be "normal". Processed, sugarful, easy foods aren't what are bodies need. They are just want we are conditioned to think of as regular food. That is sad. I suppose when I start feeling abnormal again I will just have to pop in and remind myself that this is normal eating....not the other way.

Shay

[DebbietheHugBug]

Shay, I just want to say that you will be successful depending on your level of committment.

It's scary to start a new WOL because of bad habits and other things that we have grown used to. I made a committment to myself that I know I look and feel better thin then I do fat.

You have to do this for you. You have to set your mind that nothing will tempt you and you only want what is "legal". I know from experience that failure to resist temptation, no matter how small it is, costs about 30 days of progress (for me anyway).

It's like being addicted to drugs. We are addicted to carbs. You have to want this WOL bad enough. And if you do, you will succeed. :icondance

[tabekat]

free at last

Hi Shay - Welcome! I started Atkins on February 1st, as a Type II diabetic, with a horrible bg score of 10.3. In just 2 months, I was re-tested and now my bg is 6.5 NORMAL! There is no question Atkins was the miracle solution for me.

When it comes to diabetes you can no longer stay in denial that bad things aren't happening to your body because of junky eating habits.

It is time to get serious about healing yourself - you need to find a pivitol moment where you commit to loving yourself on a higher level than you ever have before. And mean it!

When you are addicted to carbs and sugar, you have fatigue, nausea, and a headache every day because you are forcing your body to frantically shuffle globs of fat to every spare corner it can find. Not to mention the terrible things that happen to your self-esteem.

Starting Atkins means you may be dealing with symptoms for a short time, but then they will be over and done with and you can feel great for the rest of your life.

I personally, never had any bad symptoms in induction. I felt great! And my body was so grateful to be free! Finally, the craziness was over.

Forget about the husband and the kids. Do this for yourself. It won't be hard once you get into ketosis. You lose interest in the junk food and start craving healthy food. I'm not kidding either.

My husband eats potato chips in front of me almost every day. While I find his insensitivity annoying, I am never remotely interested in the chips.

It isn't will power. It isn't hard to do at all. It is now my preference to eat healthier foods. And I never feel deprived.

Let your excuses come to an end. You are fighting to keep something that is harming you. Release it, and be free and find peace of mind at last. :hug

[SlimmingObjectivist]

believe in yourself........stick to it...all the best to you!

[Shay]

Tabecat,

Thanks for that post, it was very encouraging. And just what I needed to read. Since I was diagnosed with diabetes in March I have not done anything differentlhy. I haven't even gone in to meet with the diabetic counselors about diet changes. I have just pretended nothing was different. Denial is exactly what I have been in and your post was wonderfuly written and effective. Thank you.

Shay

[Nicholet]

Welcome Shay

Welcome to this site, this is also my 3rd attempt and I'm strictly following it this time. We're in this together and "set your mind" you've got all the knowledge and tools to make this work. I wish you success!

[cruiser gal]

Shay, I keep the DANDR book at arms length, and refer to it often. I also keep a carb counter in my purse, for those times when I am out, and want to make sure that I don't over carb it! For support and encouragement I come here both for receiving and giving support to others. Determination is what will help you succeed, and it sounds like you really want this! Good luck in your journey, and we're all here for you! :yes