35/5'6/sw169 Day 2 and scared to death!

[DawnaJo]

Hi everyone. Just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Dawna and I'm 35 yrs old with 2 teen boys. This is my 2nd try on Atkins. I only lasted a week last time because I felt so awful the whole time. I was so dizzy I could barely stand and the brain fog was too much to handle with my job at the time.

I have been bulimic for 20 years and am hoping that not only can i drop 45 lbs, but to also curb my crazy cravings and stave off the binges. I have been all over the scale since I was young. I have been as high as 190 (sz 20 in 2006) and as low as 100 (sz 2 in 199.

My goal is around 125 lbs and a size 6. I am SO uncomfortable in my own skin right now. I am NOT meant to be this heavy.

I have a VERY distorted body image that has worked against me on both sides.. When I was very thin, I still felt and saw fat everywhere. But at my highest, I still remembered myself as thin and was in complete denial as to how big I had gotten. What finally made me decide was about a week ago when I was using all the different bmi and body fat calculators online. I already knew my bmi was around 27, but when I took my measurements and found that I am 39.19% body fat (?!?!?!?), I completely freaked out.

Now its time for me to face the music. I need to get healthy. I know people differ in opinion on how 'healthy' or not, that the Atkins diet is, but ANYTHING is better than my starve- -binge -binge/purge cycling that i've been doing for several years now.

I feel my biggest challenge will be that I am a HUGE sugar addict. On the days I eat, I easily eat 1/2 a box of Froot Loops (dry- out of the box)- usually somewhere btwn 13-18 servings.. Thats 364-504 carbs right there! And then theres the toast I eat for breakfast, no butter (I have always been low fat eating) and doused in apple butter! I love to eat croutons right out of the box and can easily eat 1/2 the box in one sitting.

I am 6 lbs down so far. The past week I've just been severely cutting back on carbs, but not following induction. My actual 'atkins' start weight was 165 yesterday morning.

I'm scared to do this. Scared to change my ways. The eating disorder is just a part of me now. It's like knowing what you look like when you see yourself in a mirror. It's just me. I want to change that, but I'm also so afraid to let go. Does that make any sense at all??

I'm sorry for the long post.. I guess I'm just nervous and looking for some encouragement..

Ty all for your stories and updates on here. I am hoping that they will help me get through the hard days ahead.

[liv]

Re: 35/5'6/sw169 Day 2 and scared to death!

You are healthy - based on what you weigh you are just fine.
I have not had an ED but my advice would certainly be to get some professional help and work through some issues. You should not let a stupid on line calculator do that to you. They are horrible incorrect. Your goal while maybe reasonable 20 years ago may not be so anymore. You're a woman and we are meant to have some body fat. It is what makes us healthy. Take some deep breaths. You need some perspective there

Low carb is certainly a healthy way to eat. Make sure you get plenty of vegetables and water and some exercise.
I wish you lots of luck.

[imagood1]

Re: 35/5'6/sw169 Day 2 and scared to death!

Welcome to the Atkins Board DawnaJo.

To get started, make sure you read the book - it will give you the knowledge you need to get to your goal. If you can’t find a copy locally of the 2002 Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution (DANDR) check online at www.half.com or www.amazon.com – I got a “used” copy recently for less than $5.00 including shipping not long ago. The more information you have the better off you'll be.

Eat a variety of foods listed on the acceptable food list http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-low-carb-dieting-faqs/6781-what-foods-can-eaten-induction.html. Make sure you eat a variety of foods and vegetables and count all “net carbs”. Plan your meals for a few days so you have everything in your home and you won’t be tempted to eat something not allowed. Check Linda's recipe site it will help keep you from eating the same thing over and over -- http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/menus.html. It's best to kill your sweet tooth from the beginning -- induction is the time you need to make changes and if sugar is your problem that's what you need to address.

Exercise, take a non-iron multivitamin and drink a minimum 64 ounces of pure water (nothing added), daily. Start a journal, it's a great place to get everything out in the open, be accountable to yourself - you'll also meet some great people there! http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...journal-chats/.

If you need anything we’re here to help you!! Good luck to you!