Please Help! :-(

[timetoride5150]

Hi everyone,
So i've been having a lot of problems lately. Ever since I got to my goal weight of 110, lookwise, i feel wonderful! I love the way things fit me, i'm confident and really happy. However, my parents disagree. They've been telling me i'm way to skinny. They're always trying to make me eat carbs and yell at me when i say that I can't. They say "since your done loosing weight, you can have cheeseburgers and icecream again!". When I try and explain i'll gain the weight right back if i do so, they get even angrier with me. My mom keeps threatening to send me to a nutritionist and a therapist. I eat roughly 45-50 carbs a day of whole grain, fiber filled foods. I'm never hungry or anything. I haven't lost a pound in the last month and yet she tells me i'm still "unhealthily losing weight". Which i'm obviously not. My sister is on the same diet and eats far less then me, however she's very very short so it doesn't look as drastic on her so my mom never says ANYTHING to her. It makes me so frusterated.
Sometimes, I just want to go back to eating the way I used to, gain all the weight back, hate the way i look and feel... just so my mom won't say these things to me anymore. I can't take it. I'm just can't stop crying. I'll stop rambling on now, but if anyone had any suggestions or advice, that'd be awesome.
Thank you so much!

[Katie_1985]

Re: Please Help! :-(

Hey hon!

I know it's hard but you're in charge of you. We all have our enablers. Sometimes they're grandparents who are used to the very old fashioned ways of understanding food etc or they could be coworkers who know nothing about you. It really must be frustrating to have your parents get upset. I know my family has been that way with me in the past. If it works for you, though, who's to say it's wrong!? You know how your body responds to certain foods and there's nothing better than understanding yourself.

Your parents may always nag about it. I know my family still can nag me about certain things but it's how I handle the conflict within myself that's improved. I don't know if that makes sense! However, they may always nag you about it but you know you're doing the right thing for you! That's all that matters.

You may even want to explain how, weight gain aside, ice cream and cheeseburgers are just not enticing to you anymore and you have no interest. It's not like you want them and are depriving yourself...you probably just don't want them!

Hope it helps a little!

[Elizellen]

Re: Please Help! :-(

Maybe a way to convince them that you are eating well would be to suggest they find out what is actually IN cheeseburgers and icecream and tell you what goodness you are missing by not eating them?

Also you could say that you dont actually WANT to eat them but prefer the foods you are eating now.

It is hard for parents to see their children turning into adults with their own way of acting/eating which might be different to their own old familiar ways, so no doubt if they werent nagging about your food choices they would find something else to worry about

[shari_dawn]

Re: Please Help! :-(

how tall are you? You certainly don't look emaciated. but bottom line although I know its hard to hear is that your parents are in control of you. I don't agree with Kate. You are still a minor. But what harm could it do to see a nutritionist. You don't seem too skinny to me. Depending on your weight you could be right on target. They may be the ones to tell your parents to stop worrying.

Are you eating all your veggies and deep green leafy vegetables? There is nothing wrong with lean meats and lots of veggies.

Body image is such a hard thing in high school. Do you play sports? That can contribute to your weight loss too. Just remember to not take it too far. I think you probably should be on the Maintenance portion. There you can loosen up your eating. Don't worry about gaining it all back. You are only 17. Don't worry so much

[sadie147]

Re: Please Help! :-(

Have you posted a menu on the board? if not could you? I'm curious to see what you are eating in a day, maybe your parents have concerns because you are not eating a balanced diet.

If you are in maintenance, you should have gone thru all the OWL food groups, and able to incorporate many into your daily menu.

How did you come up with the 40-50g's of carbs a day? was that through OWL or did you just stop at that point? If you have not done OWL properly, it is possible you could be eating a higher level of carbs and not know it.

I think your parents 'nag' you only because they love you and are concerned. I think you should make every effort to eat a balanced, well planned maintenance diet, and I'm sure they will come around.

[Evermind]

Re: Please Help! :-(

I think you should agree to see a nutritionist. Bring with you a printout of what you've eaten every day for 2 weeks.

Then the nutritionist can tell your parents to leave you alone!

[timetoride5150]

Re: Please Help! :-(

Thanks so much everyone for responding.

It means a lot.

Sadie- My daily menu goes something like this:

Breakfest:
A greek yogurt (8 carbs)
Three strawberries (3 carbs)
flaxmeal muffin (6 carbs)
A glass of water

Lunch:
A lowcarb pita (10 carbs)
with chicken (0 carbs)
a cup of lettuce (2 carbs)
mayonaise (1 carb)
Glass of water

Afterschool Snack:
A small apple (10-12 carbs)
with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter (3 carbs)
Mug of decalf green tea

Dinner:
Chicken or Beef (0 carbs)
a cup of broccoli or string beans (6-8 carbs)
Glass of water


So total is somewhere around 45-55 carbs a day.
I eat a well balanced diet, I think.
Anyone see anything I should change or that i'm doing wrong that could lead my parents to believing i'm not eating enough?
And yes, I know they're doing it because they care however it comes to a point where I just can't take the judgemental, hurtful things they say about this all.

Thanks again everyone!

[shininstr984]

Re: Please Help! :-(

I think your menu looks great, and you seem like you are eating just the way you are supposed to for maintaining. How tall are you? I dropped from about 145-105 when I was in High school by basically starving myself and exercising 7 days a week...I still thought I needed to lose weight....My family did the exact same things yours are--but they had reason to be concerned, I looked like a skeleton and was unhealthy.

I think you are right on track. Don't let them discourage you, you obviously know what's best and healthy for yourself.

Congrats on your success & best of luck in the future~!

[SandyL2002]

Re: Please Help! :-(

I think you are doing great.. As a mother..I would say go to the Nutrionist to satisfy your parents... Show her what you are eating and that you feel better eating low carb...

My daughter is 5'6 and weighs 110lbs so you can imagine the comments she gets..the doctor says she is in a healthy range...

I found this site on line that shows you are in a healthy range too
http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/food_...ht_height.html

I know your parents are getting on your nerves...but they see there daughter looking thin and are worried about you..eating disorders happen so easily...

[sadie147]

Re: Please Help! :-(

I think your menu looks awesome as well (very similar to what i eat daily actaully)! I was worried perhaps you weren't eating a balanced diet which would have made your parents worry. It looks great.

I'm with the others that suggest you go to the nutritionist at your parents suggestion. It would be a good idea to log your foods for a week and bring that with you so you can show him/her how you are eating now.


Good luck! Hope that it works out for you..

[not2late]

Re: Please Help! :-(

Thanks so much everyone for responding.

It means a lot.

Sadie- My daily menu goes something like this:

Breakfest:
A greek yogurt (8 carbs)
Three strawberries (3 carbs)
flaxmeal muffin (6 carbs)
A glass of water

Lunch:
A lowcarb pita (10 carbs)
with chicken (0 carbs)
a cup of lettuce (2 carbs)
mayonaise (1 carb)
Glass of water

Afterschool Snack:
A small apple (10-12 carbs)
with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter (3 carbs)
Mug of decalf green tea

Dinner:
Chicken or Beef (0 carbs)
a cup of broccoli or string beans (6-8 carbs)
Glass of water


So total is somewhere around 45-55 carbs a day.
I eat a well balanced diet, I think.
Anyone see anything I should change or that i'm doing wrong that could lead my parents to believing i'm not eating enough?
And yes, I know they're doing it because they care however it comes to a point where I just can't take the judgemental, hurtful things they say about this all.

Thanks again everyone!

With Atkins, you eat a minimum of 3 cups of the Induction veggies daily. When you moved through OWL Phase, you added 5 net carbs of Induction veggie to that. And when you went through your Pre-Maintenance Phase, you added 10 net carbs of the Induction veggies. From the menu you posted, you are only eating the Induction veggie amounts and the 2 cups of lettuce is a waste of your time. Lettuce has very little nutrition. As one former member used to say it's "crunch water".

Throughout Atkins, the majority of your carbs should be coming from veggies. From the menu you posted, you are only getting about 8-10 carbs from them.

By the way, why are you counting total carbs? You only count net carbs during Atkins weight loss phases and the weight maintenance phase.

[timetoride5150]

Re: Please Help! :-(

I don't eat two cups of lettuce.
I have one cup of lettuce and one cup of string beans or broccoli.
Also, I eat romaine lettuce which has nutrition in it, unlike iceberg.
I also have more vegetables some days and less others. It all fluctuates.

As far as counting net carbs verses total carbs, i honestly don't do either!
I just eat roughly the same thing every day and know it's the right amount. I was only totaling it up for you guys to look at. But throughout the day, i don't really think about how many "net carbs" i'm consuming or anything.
So that's why I didn't write it down.

Also, thanks so much everyone for the wonderful comments! It's really making it easier to get through this. I think just doing what people have been suggesting, going to the nutritionist, basically to prove to my parents i'm eating fine, is the best choice!

[not2late]

Re: Please Help! :-(

I don't eat two cups of lettuce.
I have one cup of lettuce and one cup of string beans or broccoli.
Also, I eat romaine lettuce which has nutrition in it, unlike iceberg.
I also have more vegetables some days and less others. It all fluctuates.

Two cups of veggies is definitely not enough. While Romaine has more nutrients than iceberg, it has much less than some of the other vegetables on the "salad" list. And eating one cup of the stuff is tantamount to drinking a glass of water for nutrients.

As far as counting net carbs verses total carbs, i honestly don't do either!
I just eat roughly the same thing every day and know it's the right amount.

How do you know it's the "right" amount if you don't bother writing them down or keep track of them?

I was only totaling it up for you guys to look at. But throughout the day, i don't really think about how many "net carbs" i'm consuming or anything.
So that's why I didn't write it down.

Perhaps that's why your parents are concerned? You aren't thinking about what you are eating: if you are eating too much or too little. You might want to open a free account on fitday.com and see how much you are really eating. Especially if the menu you posted here is a guess-estimate of what you are really consuming.

Also, thanks so much everyone for the wonderful comments! It's really making it easier to get through this. I think just doing what people have been suggesting, going to the nutritionist, basically to prove to my parents i'm eating fine, is the best choice!

I agree that would be the best way to go.

[timetoride5150]

Re: Please Help! :-(

Well, like I said, some days I have two cups, others I have four.
Somedays, I don't even have lettuce, it's all just peppers, onions, broccoli and other various vegetables.

I know it's the right amount because when i first started eating this way, I did total up all the carbs and net carbs and made sure it was an appropriate amount. Then I ate that way for a few days and checked to see if i was ever hungry. When that proved negative, i came to the conclusion, it's the right amount. Yes, I do agree. I could afford to eat more vegetables, but hey, i'm a teenager. Most of my friends don't consume ANY vegetables ever. The fact that i force two cups into my daily amount each day is a big deal. I will however, try and add to that in the future.

That menu isn't a guess estimate, i do actually use fitday already, just not regularly. I get numbers from there like how much carbs or calories or fat the items i eat have in them. When i said i don't count things all the time, it's because i don't have to. I'm very skilled in knowing what foods are low carb, roughly how much carbs they have in them, and how much fiber. Between my sister and I, we probably know every carb count under the sun! haha.
Also, I stopped being obsessive about what i ate to the exact carb a few months ago because it was getting to a point where i would only eat things if i knew the exact carb count of it, i'de be spending my days thinking of the amount of carbs i had, etc. Its just not a healthy life style for a girl of 17 to be participating in. So i made a step in the right direction, mentally added up roughly how many carbs are in my three or so day menus i switch around with, and know i'm getting the right amount without constantly thinking about it all the time.
That is one improvement my mom compliments me on, how much i've relaxed on it all. And coming from her, that means a lot!