Hi All, (sorry this is a bit long - emotional day)

I am asking your opinion on the wrong area of this site ...but I truly value and respect your input through the past week of using this area of the forum.

My entire life from the time I was a kid I've always craved and ate nothing but cereal, bread, pasta, pancakes, bagels, pasta, candy, doritos, etc.

I was the kid who would complain when my mother made steak or pot roast because it was fatty, and it had to be cooked well, or I would not eat it. The only kind of meat I'd eat and enjoy was ground beef. I had no problem not eating dinner, and then sneaking into the kitchen at night and eating half a loaf of wonderbread.

Adkins has made me completely STOP craving anything in the above list.

I've only been doing this for a week and I feel obsessive / out of control. I've lost about 7 pounds sofar, and gone down a pant size. Am I the only one who feels they may have a problem? Is this normal? The fact that I don't want or crave junk makes me wonder if I'm developing a eating problem or something of the like. Also, I don't love the food I'm eating...but I'm eating it because it satisfies me afterwards and I'm feeling better. Also, I'm not really hungry all the times I eat. I know these are symtoms of the diet - but it's very foreign to me & I really am worried. I'm thinking - is this what happens to anorexics or bulemics??

Could you please let me know how you all felt emotionally in the beginning? I appreciate your reading this.

THanks in advance for your thoughts!

No, you are not developing an eating proble. I have always, always been a sweet eater. I mean, you could put some chocolate and peanut butter in front of me, and I will eat it till its gone. Going on this diet has helped me control that. I have been off and on for a while (atkins) and I do cheat. That's why I was off and on. But, when I am on it, it really helps me feel better about myself and make "good" food choices. I still crave sweets, but I make low carb protein bars and goodies. If you go to the recipes section and sweet treats some kind lady posted tons of recipes for protein bars off ebay. They taste great!! Its a new diet, give it time to get used to. Losing that much weight is normal on this diet. I lost 8 pounds in a week. It doesn't mean you have a problem, usually in the beginning, from cutting down on veggies, its water weight. But, you DO lose fat as well. Atkins said this on Larry King a while back. Don't worry, You're Fine!!

LoLa Girl...

Lack of cravings doesn't indicate an eating problem.
With Bulemia, you binge on foods that you have denied yourself for a time and then purge (force yourself to vomit or use laxatives to get the food out of your system quickly or both) because you feel guilty for having eaten it.
With anorexia, you purposely starve yourself and often exercise excessively. Both conditions come with a preoccupation/obsession for being very, very thin as well as a distorted body image; you see yourself as fat when others around you feel that you are too thin.
You don't sound like you have either of those problems.
Quick weight loss in the beginning doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong, either. As long as you are eating enough and not purposely starving yourself, don't fret.

Lack of appetite is quite normal, especially in the early stages of low carb when ketosis is high and carbs are low.
The lack of cravings is a blessing that many of us welcome; to be free of the control that these foods had over many of us is a welcome gift!
If you don't particularly enjoy the foods that you are eating, how about experimenting a bit with seasonings and ways of preparing it to make it more appealing? Sometimes something as simple as baking or broiling a cut of meat instead of frying it in a pan will make a big difference in the taste and there is an infinite variety of herbs and spices that you could try for seasonings. Get creative!

This food satisfies you and makes you feel better because you are nourishing your body. When your body gets what it needs, it doesn't have to yell at you!

The foods you listed as your former staples -- wonder bread, doritos, pasta, candy, etc. -- actually end up depleting your body of nourishment over time. Your body has to use up more vitamins and minerals in processing them than they provide. That's one of the reasons for the craving -- your body isn't getting "fed" (in it's view) so it keeps screaming for more food. Meat and vegetables are giving your body the nourishment it's been asking for, so it can be quiet and go about its business.

So like everyone else has said, enjoy feeling satisfied, and feeling better. You're off to a great start.

--Ruth

The first week or so of doing Atkins, I was pleased with seeing results and could not believe it was working for me. By the second week and third week, I was losing so fast it was scaring me. So I guess emotionally, when I started literally "melting", it scared me. I'm not really sure why, although I do recall posting about it on another forum. From the responses, it seems a lot of people went through a stage of being nervous about their weightloss. The reasons ran the gamut from being nervous about the attention they would get from the opposite sex after losing weight to being afraid that they would be a different person if they weren't overweight.

I think being heavy can really have a huge impact on someone's life and so can losing the weight.

Just hang tight...the feelings will pass and you will be over the moon

L

That's a great way of describing what happens when you do eat poorly. I don't think we realize that our bodies don't just bounce right back from a lifetime of eating. And we think that just because we're eating food of any kind - we are getting nutrients. But it's almost like a negative balnce in a checking account. Everytime we eat junk - we make a withdrawal from the Nutrient account - pretty soon we get OVERDRAWN and disease kicks in.

I have suffered from an eating disorder where I would binge on all manner of carb - trying to keep everyhting fatfree off course- and then I would purge by using diuretics, laxatives or just exercising like crazy for an hour or more.

I never even stopped to think what I was doing to my body I was so locked in to wanting to be thin at any cost. I never gained weight because I exercised alot and I would starve myself on the days when I wasn't bingeing - but I did mess up my electrolyte balances with the diuretics. I haven't binged in like 4 years - but I still suffer from food intolerance and other issues because of it!!

You are not developing an eating disorder you are taking control of your old eating disorder. I feel like I'm a human soap box when I talk to all my friends about ATKINS - but it has truly changed my life and given me control over food for the first time in my life

Lo-La, it sounds to me like you're right on track. I'm no expert, but the effects you're describing are telling me you're doing everything right.

Here's some information on anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. They are very serious eating disorders, and from your post you don't appear to be displaying any of the symptoms, but do read this. It should ease your mind.
http://www.anorexiabulimia.net/

I've never had an eating disorder, but I've been a devil for the sweets since I was a child and bread was my second favorite food. How did I feel when I quit eating starch and sugar? Relieved and amazed, because for the first time in years, I wasn't hungry all the time and didn't crave sweets at all. I understand about not loving the foods you're eating, because I couldn't abide fatty meat and rarely ate vegetables. Now - if I don't get two salads a day or skip my vegetable with dinner, I'm really craving that. Now - the nice crispy fat on my steak or pork chop is yummy.

I did become really obsessed with food for about a month at the beginning, because this was such a big change for me and I was paranoid about making a mistake. Now I'm comfortable with what foods I can eat and portions sizes, and I don't spend a great deal of thought on it. The hardest thing to do, on this WOE as in anything, is the TRUST YOURSELF. It takes practice, but it will come.

2berners...

This is Day 10 on Induction, and I was so pleased with your message because I too have felt obsessive about what I am eating and what I am going to eat next!!!

I do feel so much better, too....but this is such a change that it kind of has taken over as a priority in my life...grocery shopping, etc. all revolves around this diet.

But, I know it will then become habit, right?

When I started LC, the light bulb went on. I never new how addicted I was to carbs until I stopped eating them. The first 6 months were hard but I psyched myself into believing that it was more important to live without carbage. It was a such relief to feel "normal". To eat, feel satisfied and not think about when I was going to get my next "fix". I felt so clear and clean that it was a miracle.

Compulsive overeating is an eating disorder. It will never go away but taking the right steps to correct it through developing the correct eating habits does help with the recovery from it.

Karen

Thank you all so much for your input! I feel so much better now. I really don't know what I would've done without you all starting this WOL! Good luck to all of you and thanks again - I'm taking all your suggestions and thoughts seriously.