7 DAYS THIS IS HARD

[Skydiver]

Hi to all this is my 7th day on the atkins diet 20 carbs a day and i'm doing ok lost 4/5 pound i'm working out. 3 times a week but i never thought it would be this hard i want candy or somthing sweet all the time. But have not given in yet. i'm 40yrs and i was 174 pounds when i started and would like to get to 145lbs. So if you would like to give me some advise or some tips or just a big keep it up would help.

have a nice day
Don

[tamarian]

Hi Don,

Congrats on the loss so far! It's time for some creative cooking :) Is it hard because your food is the same all the time? I'd recommend Karen's article "Jazzing up your induction" in our tips section.

Or is it just sweet tooth cravings? There are some nice low-carb dessert recipes posted in our recipe section and other low-carb recipes sites, give them a try.

Wa'il

[debbiedobson]

don, congratulations! a 4 or 5 pound loss in 7 days is fantastic. be very proud. the sweet craving will disappear, it should be any day now. hang in there, it will pass. i know wa'il suggested lowcarb desserts, but i find i can't have them because they set off my sweet tooth. i'm a chocoholic. i was trying out some lc fudge recipes on the weekend and they sent me spinning into a chocolate binge. i'm back on track now. keep up the good lc work!

[tamarian]

Originally posted by debbiedobson
i know wa'il suggested lowcarb desserts, but i find i can't have them because they set off my sweet tooth.

Good point Debbie! I lost my sweet tooth some years ago, so I forgot how sweets/desserts my start a craving/binge for some people.

Wa'il

[Skydiver]

Thank you i did make some suger free putting and it was good
but i only ate 1/4 cup about 4 carbs it was very sweet almost to sweet. But it will help in the bad times. I never ate much just the wrong things and at the wrong time and this WOL is hard because i must eat even when i'm not hungrey. Thats what hard i love to cook and will come up with some good meals. i'm doing my best to not think about what i can't have but what i can have.

thanks
don

[tamarian]

Originally posted by Skydiver
this WOL is hard because i must eat even when i'm not hungrey.

Don, I can just imagine this line being used for low-carb TV commercials! :)

Kidding aside, how about breaking your meals into smaller portions? This works better for some people. Instead of 3 usual meals, how about 6 meals at 1/2 portions.

Wa'il

[Karen]

Don,

Don't despair! You have gone cold turkey on carbs and this is what is causing your sugar cravings. I know it is making you crazy, so here are a few suggestions...

Get a bottle of flax seed or Essential Balance oil from a health food store. Have a tablespoon when you crave. Drink a big glass of water or herbal tea. Distract yourself--keep active, either physically or mentally. Make yourself interesting meals.

Don't eat when your not hungry. Your body is sorting itself out and soon you will not believe the actual hunger you will feel. During my first phase of this WOE, I ate many small meals whenever I was hungry.

When you start feeling really good with this WOE, you'll look back at this time and laugh.

You will triumph, Don! :)

Karen
Recovering Sugar Addict!

[Skydiver]

I Know it will get better it gets better every day.
Thank You for all the tips i'll try them. What would be
an average weight loos per week on the atkins diet.
if you have 20carbs for two weeks then 40 for two more and 60 to 100 for life till you get to your ideal weight it seem
slow for me but i dont know i'm using the ketone strips
and i turn them mod to larg every time. one more thing ilove
chinese food i have eaten some on the diet no rice mostly
meat and chicken some vegetables is this ok i love pepper steak could live on that.

thanks don

[Karen]

Hi Dan,

It seems that weight loss depends on how much weight you are carrying. The more weight you have, the quicker your loss initially. Weight loss will usually slow down the nearer you are to your goal. Men also seem to lose faster than women.


You have to find your own carb tolerance level (I know, easier said than done). :) Some people can have 100 grams a day and still experience loss, some can only have 30 grams a day. A safe bet would be to keep within the 20-40 gram a day range and see how that works for you.

If you’re not making your own, remember that restaurant and take-out Chinese food is generally cooked with a lot of starch and sugar. Many people complain of stalling, but they have inadvertently been eating lots of “hidden carbs”. Coffee, sugar substitutes, dairy products and manufactured foods that state zero carbs per serving are all culprits. Check out this site for more info: http://wilstar.com/lowcarb/hiddencarbs.htm

You may be one of the lucky ones and have a high tolerance for carbs!

Karen