In Atkins own words... in 2006

[APanthesilia]

Re: In Atkins own words... in 2006

wow i'm so glad i came across this thread. i am addicted to atkins bars and low carb items that have artificial sweetner in them. after being addicted to cakes and breads etc for so many years, i thought that at least this was better so i kept having and having them. I have about 8 bars a day, about 5 bottles of diet coke etc and in fact my diet consists mainly of those things. I lost weight for a bit but now its slowing down....and to make matters worse, i'me having to exercise more than 2 to 3 hours to keep weight coming off (i thought that the exercise would cancel out the calories in those bars etc but it doesn't really work- i just ended up frustrated.

As for liquid poo and gas- I DEFINETELY KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN !!!! Its horrible !

I need to get off these bars etc- i'm so addicted to them though- thats the hard part. its like i only get happy when i'm holding one of those. Chicken, meat, cheese etc doesn't do it for me :-(

just some thoughts....

best of luck to all of you....

7074, I hate to say it but you need to cut way back on your bars and diet cokes! I know how tempting they are! I had 5 atkins bars in one day a few weeks ago and I totally used to be a diet coke addict, too! The thing is, when I had all those bars I felt TERRIBLE! So gassy and bloated! And the diet coke gives me headaches and also makes me feel bloated. So when I have bars and diet coke I feel much worse than when I don't (even though I think I want the taste of them!).

Snacking doesn't have to be just chicken, meat and cheese. Try raw veggies or even cream cheese with a little splenda (a little sweetner is ok, just not the amount that is in the diet coke and bars!). And really try to replace diet coke with water. I know it sounds bad but I did it almost two months ago and haven't looked back. I feel so much better without the diet coke in my system.

As for the liquid poo, it IS horrible! I've totally been there! It does feel awful, doesn't it? And it can be avoided by just avoiding those foods. In my mind the taste of those bars is just not worth all the time I have to spend in the bathroom! Next time you reach for one of those bars just remember your last bathroom trip!

Also, between the liquid poo and the caffeine from the diet coke being a diuretic you are losing a lot of water! Which means that you need to drink even more water which I bet you are not doing because you are drinking so much diet coke.

My advice is to completely cut out the diet coke and use the bars every now and then, definitely not 8 a day. Once you have cut them out for a while I promise you will feel less addicted to having them! Then you will feel much more happiness from doing the plan and you body thanking you than I'm sure you ever do when you grab one of those bars. Good luck!

[7074]

Re: In Atkins own words... in 2006

Hi Amy

Thank you for your reply....it was kind of you to pick up on my post and want to help
Yes, I have a serious problem with bars and diet coke....it just seems to be getting worse and worse and my weight has stalled even though I have tried compensating by doing ridiculous amounts of cardio (3 hours!) a day.

For some reason I focus on the exercise even though it tires me out and then 'I feel like I deserve a treat' but as I pointed out....i don't stop at one treat....I have 8 or more. It is a crazy cycle of 'treating' myself and getting some 'enjoyment' from the sweetness and then as you said, feeling so sick afterwards. The bloating, gas, shakiness, headaches, liquid poo and fuzzy-headedness are horrible but I keep going back for more- i guess thats why its called an addiction.

You are right Amy, I need to give it up because I won't go anywhere with it and just keep getting frustrated at my lack of weightloss and the sick feeling i have. Thank you for giving me hope that it can get better even though it can be hard at first to cut these things out. Knowing that its possible to stop the bars and diet coke gives me inspiration and I admire you tremedously for biting the bullet and getting it down.

I hope to follow in your footsteps.....thank you so much for sharing and caring. I will endevour to cut back/ eliminate all these fake sugars over the next couple of days.....

God bless you and good luck to you too

[Adena]

Re: In Atkins own words... in 2006

7074, thanks for your honesty. Unfortunately, the addiction you have no is no better than the old sugar one. It might even be worse b/c of all the chemicals. And did you know that some people's bodies react the same way to artificial sweeteners as they do real sugars (insulin spikes and lows, etc.)

Another hint... if you have that much time available to put in at the gym, I'd strongly recommend some strength training rather than all cardio. Building muscles is the way to lose the most fat long term. I'm not knocking cardio, just suggesting you add in some weight training. Even twice a week is enough to see a difference -- 3 times a week is ideal.

Best of luck to you.

[7074]

Re: In Atkins own words... in 2006

Hi Adena


Thank you for your reply too. No, I didn't know that fake sugar can have the same effect that real sugar can in terms of making insulin spike up and down. Thank you for telling me- I really had no idea.

My husband is always on about how the chemicals are bad for me- he told me recently that his two uncles used to drink diet coke heavily (about 2-3 litres a day) for years and they both ended up getting parkinsons and alzeimers. He told me that all these chemicals can really play around with the head.

As for the gym, I have to admit that i hate every single minute of exercise i do. Not because i'm lazy etc but because i've abused it for so many years- I've always done between 3 - 7 hours even if it meant getting one or two hours of sleep. You are right about mixing cardio up with weight training- I've been told that before so yes, maybe thats what i should do. I think I need to try to bring it down to 2 hours total a day maximum (with maybe less on the weekend) otherwise i will break down. My body already shows signs of breaking down/ abnormalities so i have to finally address this. Just between you guys and me though, I'm so scared and reluctant to let go. Its so weird how even though i realise what hurts me and my body, i keep doing the same old thing.

Its now or never though....i do know that deep inside of me. I have to try and let go of the 'rush' and 'panic' i have to lose the weight and just slow things down in honour of wanting to make my routine sustainable and keep the weight off for good.

as you can see i know all about what i need to do, i just need to actually do it.....thats my biggest problem.

thanks for listening to my mumblings and thoughts and for caring enough to type to me.

[brandywine1241]

Re: In Atkins own words... in 2006

One thing you could try is to promise yourself that every time you drink a diet coke you will not have another one until you have a glass of water. Likewise, every time you have a bar, you will not have another one until you have some real food. You might try substituting cream cheese sweetened with Splenda. If you like it, you could add an equal amount of pumpkin and some pumpkin pie spice or some cocoa powder. Nuke the cream cheese for about 20 sec to soften it and then mix everything up together. It's sweet and totally legal! Are you taking vitamins? If not all the diarrhea could be causing an electrolyte imbalance that can be very serious healthwise. Hang in there - you can do this one coke and one bar at a time.

[Ketone]

Re: In Atkins own words... in 2006

I still think be careful of the shakes and bars. Too many is a bad thing! And for me I can't usually stop with 1!

oh ya... I can not stop at one! more more!!!! gimme peanut butter too! ya... I lose fast and it is tuff... but the best way has been limiting all my sugar frees... dh did some shopping last week and thought it was nice to buy SF products for me... I used them up now on a cleaner burn... anyhow...

[quotidianlight]

Re: In Atkins own words... in 2006

I tried this because after not having any sugar or substitute diet sodas were way too sweet and I wanted a treat. It may help you wean yourself off if you are really unable to go cold turkey. I get some perrier water or other sparkling mineral water and cut my soda in half. It makes it less sweet but still yummy. Since it wasn't overly sweet I didn't crave more right after like before.

[montanaman]

Re: In Atkins own words... in 2006

Here is a link from a 2003 interview that Larry King did with Dr. Atkins. Near the end he mentions Atkins Nutritionals. http://wilstar.com/lowcarb/atkins_interview.htm

[Debi2007]

Re: In Atkins own words... in 2006

Here is a link from a 2003 interview that Larry King did with Dr. Atkins. Near the end he mentions Atkins Nutritionals. http://wilstar.com/lowcarb/atkins_interview.htm

Thanks for posting that. I really enjoyed reading it.

[7074]

Re: In Atkins own words... in 2006

thanks to all of you guys for your suggestions, encouragement and for sharing your stories- thanks montanaman, ketone, debi2007, brandywine and quotidianlight
I have to say that it is damn hard giving this stuff up ! You'd think after feeling sick from all of this (to the point where i throw-up every second day or two and feel headspins/ head fuziness and the shakes) would be enough to make me stop but it hasn't yet. I don't know why i hold on so stubbornly....

I will keep fighting though....i will try the suggestions and keep fighting....i have to otherwise i know it will catch up with me one day when i get older- i've been lucky so far with my health but i can't push my luck too much.

thanks again guys....you are all an endless source of support and inspiration....

God bless you all
love and hugs always
Deb