dont think i can do this

[Ke15i]

ok, i've almost had it. whats so frikkin bad about some fruit???? whats so bad about whole wheat??? omg!! i cant even make a cake for my fiance's birthday!! its driving me insane and i dont remember being this sad...well wait..yes i do. i was this sad when i was 13 pounds heavier and not fitting into anything. so why am i so upset right now? i'm soooo happy that i've lost the weight i have....but its driving me nuts! i HATE making excuses, and i dont have any. i'm just plain sad. theres no reason really for me to not continue atkins. i feel wonderful...i'm looking better, fitting into more clothes, and i have much more confidence already. i JUST wanna eat HEALTHY foods. i'm sorry, but it drives me crazy having to wait 3 freakin months to have some grapes! i NEED someone to make sense of this for me. this happened all of a sudden at the grocery store about half an hour ago. and then when steve told me the only reason he started this is for me, it made me feel even worse!

[Lyssie]

Re: dont think i can do this

It shouldn't make you feel worse that he's doing something for you.. obviously it's because he saw how important it was to you and wanted to support you along the way...

There's nothing bad about fruit or whole wheat... in moderation. The point of having to wait is that you learn how your body responds to different things, and what it can and can't handle so you have a better knowledge of yourself in the end... so then you don't end up being overweight from following the same unhealthy patterns down the road....

As for the healthy foods statement, you *do* eat healthy foods, I mean, you're eating your veggies every day, right? I eat more veggies this way than I *ever* ate before, and chicken and fish and turkey are healthy. It's not 3 months either, if you're going through the rungs, and you spend a week on each rung after induction, it's like, 9 weeks, which is 2 months... 2 months of not eating grapes is, in my opinion, definitely worth it.

[dotsamantha]

Re: dont think i can do this

Why not explore other foods and other recipes? Instead of thinking about what you can't have, check out what you can. Are you moving up the rungs?

[ValidRouge]

Re: dont think i can do this

There is nothing wrong with fruit or whole wheat when you've got yourself and your blood sugar STABLE. From your post here, I can certainly tell you aren't there yet. If I were to tell you right now that it's okay for you to go have a half cup of fruit, or 1/4 cup of oats. You'd be SORELY disappointed...and you'd probably go have a **** of a lot more than that and totally derail all the success you've already made.

One of the reasons you are so emotional right now about all of this is because you are still having withdrawal symptoms. It may be because of something you ate or drank (i.e. aspartame, splenda, a food you have an allergy too, or one that causes an insulin response, CAFFEINE) that is causing you to have unstable blood sugar. One of the symptoms of low blood sugar is this freaking out, crying, irritable moodiness.

Once you stick through this, (and adjust some of those problem areas I just listed above) then you start adding foods back in. If you add a food back in and it causes this reaction in you, THAT is one of the ways you know not to have that food again!! You will get to a point where all of this doesn't matter....but you've got to completely DETOX before that happens.

You've got to ask yourself what's more important? Birthday cake or health and weight loss?

[sweetgirl2]

Re: dont think i can do this

Kelly, your fiance must really really support you, don't feel bad about that portion of your success so far! You're going to marry a wonderful man!

The grocery store triggered you off and yes, sometimes that is hard. I still have to buy bread, fruits, pastas & rice for my family, but I never miss them when I know how good it feels to not have those sugar cravings, the mood swings from craving the viscious circle of sugary carbs and the always being hungry in the past. It's not like that on Atkins. I have more energy, my family tells me I'm in a good mood almost all the time (that's a bonus for them lol) and I am just not thinking about food 24/7 like I used to in the past. I always used to be!

All the wonderful ways you can have your meals and not ever be hungry. All the things you can have makes it worth it. What other eating plan can you have full fat foods, never have to take the skin off of roast chicken if you don't want to, enjoy veggies and meats and all manner of other foods and still lose weight?

We are all here for the same reason. We're all learning how to eat healthily and the before and after pictures and stories of everyone here who has reached their goals attests to the way this WOE works.

You will be able to eat fruits again, and you will be able to understand how much and of which type of fruit too, for your body. So please hang in there, you have done wonderfully!

[sweetgirl2]

Re: dont think i can do this

Yes Joy! The sugar makes you freak out - well said!
It's evil

[Ke15i]

Re: dont think i can do this

i appreciate all the support, really...but maybe I'M not affected by the sugars. i've never been a big sugar eater, and before atkins i was doing all i could to eat only healthy, whole foods. my lowest weight was 162...i was very happy there. what i WASNT happy about was my state of mind during that time in my life. i went through a really hard time with depression and anxiety. it runs in my family and a couple uncles have even commited suicide. my grandma, aunt on my moms side, mother, and father all suffer from extreme axiety and mental problems like it. i've been lucky. i didnt have an episode from the age of 11 til last year. my doctor put me on paxil and in a matter of 9 months, i shot up to 210 pounds. that didnt make my depression any better. it took about 4 months to come off the medication completely...but the scars where there. stretch marks all over my body, terribly shot down confidence, and no clothes. i've always tried my hardest to eat VERY well. my old typical breakfast would be a small cup of yogurt and a bowl of mixed fruit. for lunch my fav was a turkey sandwich on whole wheat with sprouts..and for dinner CHICKEN! i always loved salads too. veggies are amazing! it got to a point where the thought of a gummy bear would make my teeth hurt. so i stopped eating that junk. i did feel better about myself, but the weight wasnt coming off. i read it can take up to a year for the meds to completely leave your system. yes atkins helped jumpstart my weight loss. but i really never was a fan of meat (except chicken) and eggs always seemed so boring. yes i know there are ways to mix things up and i love some of the recipes i've found! i will continue to enjoy a lower carb lifestyle...my crying isnt from sugar spikes or cravings, i assure you. i've always been super sensitive and i can crack. i will continue it because i believe dr. atkins views and i DO feel wonderful. i just dont think i can follow it AS strictly. does that make sense?? i do eat smart and that will never stop.

[not2late]

Re: dont think i can do this

You move as slowly as you want up the rungs. If you wish, you can progress as quickly as 1 rung a week. You can even skip rungs.

That's the beauty of OWL---you individualize your Atkins to suit your lifestyle.

[sweetgirl2]

Re: dont think i can do this

By sugars - I mean carbs, which ultimately turn to glucose. I didn't mean to imply that you weren't eating healthy! Your previous diet would have had 65 grams plus of carbs (or sugar) - your body has had to adjust for a little while

Megs always gives great advice

[Maerow]

Re: dont think i can do this

Hmm.

Have you considered South Beach? Their plan allows for limited amounts of whole grain breads, etc. If atkins is too strict, you might want to try their plan for a few months and see if it agrees with you.

One thing though, from what I read, south beach doesn't give you the appetite suppression as good as atkins does, so you might have more cravings.

Just a thought.

[Purple Sage]

Re: dont think i can do this

This plan (Atkins) will only work when you are ready to do it. If you are busy finding ways that it won't work for you it won't work.

I had family members trying to get me to do this, and I would for a couple weeks, then I would sound just like you and go off of it. It wasn't until I was truly READY that it worked for me and I was happy with it.

It wasn't until I was so fed up wtih being FAT that I would do anything to get out of that prison of fat...then I was glad to do what it took.

I thank GOD every day that I somehow dug deep down inside myself and decided to do this for myself and my family....our lives are so much better now.

When you are ready it won't seem like such a struggle.....but the thing to keep in mind...eating healthy, like you were, wasn't working for you to lose weight. I don't think that going on South Beach would help you lose. Also, maybe you are not eating enough....with atkins you should not feel hungry. What you were eating before was not enough food...that sometimes screws up our metabolisms and makes us moody, just a thought.

[Becca]

Re: dont think i can do this

Wow. I don't really have any words of wisdom as I've only been doing this for a couple days, but when I read your post I had to respond. I am from CT too and my only two uncles also committed suicide. Sorry to bring it up, but it was so weird-I felt like I was reading my own words for a second! I'm glad to hear that you don't suffer with any kind of mental illness. I have depression and anxiety that I take meds for-maybe that's why I gained 20lbs?
As far as fruit and whole grains, of course they are healthy, but our bodies are so complicated and quick to respond to anything we put in it or don't. Everyone has to find their own balance for sure. When I get a strong craving for something, I know that something is causing it chemically and when I give in to it, it ALWAYS ends with me eating much more of something than I wanted to. Which then leads to guilt, which leads to depression, which leads to giving up.
And don't beat yourself up about not being able to make a cake. I'm freaking out about the upcoming chocolate holiday next week, so I decided to make a low-carb cheesecake. I'm sure you can check out a few recipes and make something awesome for his birthday!