Hello, new here and a question!

[Ayustar]

Hello, my name is Lisa, I am new here and I wanted to say I love the Atkins lifestyle. It changed my life and my outlook on things. I have lost 60 pounds and I hope to lose a little more, since I am short and I have a tiny bit of chubbies left (as I like to call them) it gets me down at times, but you know, you have to remain optimistic, because if you can lose 60 pounds then you can go that extra mile and get your goal, right? The hard part is over!!

Ok, anyways, my question is as follows:

Do any of you feel hungry all the time. Like an hour after you eat a huge meal? Nothing seems to be able to calm my hunger. It isn't for carbs or sweets either. It feels like I haven't eaten in days, I get fidgety if I don't eat and it's almost all I do. I don't gain weight from it or anything, but I am still maintaining the weight that I want to lose, like 5 or so pounds. On my small frame it does show and I would like it gone, call me vain, lol. The thing is, if I eat only a little, I get incredibly weak and it's too hard to do this, my body thinks it is starving and it's very difficult for me to deal with. I was just wondering if anyone goes through the same thing I do? I usually eat peanut butter or a tuna salad to calm my hunger. It is usually before bed. It sucks to eat before you sleep but I can't sleep if I feel like that. I must sound like a whiner, but this is my issue. Just crazy hunger all the time. Maybe it is a good metabolism and it is making up for the carbs that I don't eat? This is what me and a friend had thought it might be. I want some other opinions or if anyone else has that problem?

Thanks so much. I hope to chat with some of you guys as well.


~ Lisa

[Goat Lady]

Hello and congrats on your fantastic loss!!! Maybe if you post a few of your meals it might help. And are you eating 3 meals or 6? Maybe someone can help you out with a little bit more info.
BTW~your loss gives us all motivation!

[liz175]

Lisa,

I think that for a lot of us who want to lose large amounts of weight, our bodies reach a point where they start hanging on to each remaining pound. I have found that I have to go on maintenance periodically to let my body get used to a new weight before I can lose more. You didn't say how long you have been low carbing, but if you lost most of the weight fairly quickly (within a year or so), your body may just be tired and need a break for a while before it is willing to lose more.

In my experience, fighting with my body by eating much less than it wants -- and allowing myself to be hungry much of the time -- inevitably backfires on me because I can't keep it up indefinitely and sooner or later I end up giving in and eating way too much. I do need to watch calories/quantities to lose any weight at this point, and I do okay with delaying my hunger for an hour or eating a somewhat smaller quantity of food than I might want, but I never let myself get really hungry because that always backfires.

I know a calorie is a calorie, but I think that eating right before bed can be a problem for me because I tend to eat more when I am tired. If you are feeling hungry most of the day and then eating before bed, perhaps it would make more sense to increase calories and fat earlier in the day and try to resist the urge to eat after dinner.

If I were you, I think I would give in to my body and decide to maintain for a while (something I have done on several occasions). This doesn't mean you will never lose an additional pound, just that you are not going to lose it right now. And it does sound like you are not going to lose it right now, so you may have no choice. Hopefully that will work for you and you will be able to start losing weight again. I do think, however, that we all have a natural range of weight and some of us will never be truly very thin. I doubt that any of us are biologically meant to be obese or morbidly, but your BMI is now within a normal range and that may be where nature intends your weight loss to stop.

Two more things. If you are not currently doing any, exercise may make you firm up so you lose the remaining fat without having to lose any more pounds. Also, many people have discovered that their body shape continues to change for up to a year or so after they stop losing weight. Even if you stay at your current weight, if you exercise you may find that the remaining fat redistributes itself and in a year you will like the way you look.

Good luck to you.

[ruthlamb]

Dear Lisa,

Congrats on your wonderful weight loss! As for being so hungry, are you getting the VITAMINS you need? I added the Atkins Vitamins and they really do make a difference. I feel more balanced, and know that I am getting the calcium and other nerve calming vitamins and minerals that reduced food intake may affect. Your hunger sounds metabolic, and may be directly related to a chemical inbalance. Be CERTAIN you are getting enough calcium (a hard one for women anyway) and also enough iron and Vitamin E. There's even a product out called CRAVE LESS that may help balance your system.

Also, there's a wonderful herbal remedy called "Calm's Forte" which can take the edge off anxiety, inappropriate hunger, and other tensions, and ensure a good night's sleep. Totally benign and NON-habitforming. I suggest that you try them too.

Good luck!

[MissScruff]

http://madmonkeygaming.com/uploads/hello-tag01b.gif

[Ayustar]

Thank you so much for your replies.
I have been low (no carbing) for like 2 years. It took only like 3 ish months to lose 60 pounds. I went from 170 down to 108. It was kinda scary. I do some excercise, I do some crunches and walking. Since it is winter I don't get a chance to really walk so much because I am really chilled by the cold (that has to do with the weight loss I am sure)
I was stupid and I will admit that I tried starvation, it made me very sick of course. No one should do that, but of course it becomes a habit and kinda a mindframe. I have stopped doing that, so it's not much of an issue and I hope I don't have a relaps. That is why I was asking this sort of question because I don't want to go back to that because I am worried about my weight. I am maintaining it. I never really went off of induction since I am really affected by carbs, lol. I usually only go up to about 30 grams on a bad day. 10 is about my limit or a bit more. I try to balance my meals.

For examples of what I eat would be as follows:

These aren't what I eat all day, just some of what I eat in a week period:

Tuna Salad (Tuna, mayo, lettuce, cucumber) sometimes seeds, and cheese if I am really feeling hungry to add bulk.
Hamburgers with out bun but with condiments (no ketchup, not a big fan anyways)
Tofu (fried with tamari)
Seafood (steamed) squid, octopus, etc (not much either, I know it has some carbs *3 carbs per cup*)
Steamed vegetables - broccoli, cauliflower, green beans with non hydrogenated margarine.
Pollok (fish)
Steamed baby carrots (about a cup - 7 grams of carbs)
Salad from a mix
Some peanut butter
Eggplant - fried, hehe
Cheese - Jack and marble
I use pepper corn ranch which has 1 carb per tablespoon
Bacon
Eggs
Sugar free jello - this is a staple dessert.
Diet pop - ONLY lol.
Water, coffee (black, or with cream only), tea

So those are some of the things I have been know to eat. I love vegetables so I try to encorporate the lowest carb and the best for you in my diet. I eat peppers whenever I have them available. I don't eat fruit because if I get a taste for any kind of sugar, no matter how small, I go nuts. So I just don't.
Once in a while I have an Atkins protein bar, they are yummy and very filling.

As for vitamins, I take a multivitamin without minerals because if I take them they make me throw up so I wanted ones that were safe for me. I found some, they work well. Um, let's see. I don't know if I get enough calcium so I should buy some tablets, because I know it's very important. I know I wasn't getting enough potassium, so I started eating eggplant instead of getting my potassium from bananas.

So I am going into a lot of detail but I just need help and ideas and I appreciate this like nothing else.

Thanks guys!! You guys inspire me too. I want to lose just a little more and shape it up!! I know I can!!!

I keep myself well hydrated as a rule.