Should I contiue with the Atkin's diet ??

[Chloep]

Hello,

This is my 12th day of the Induction. I went out today and had a very depressing time.

Since I started the diet, I havent gone out much. Its easier to practise LC at home when you know what you are eating.
I ate out today, had a caeser salad with chicken.
It's approved right ?
But I went into a frenzy coz I dont know what kind of salad sauce they used, whether its approved and how much carbo there was altogether !!

It's very distressing for me. I can't eat out alone.
And I cant imagine how I can eat out with friends !!

I feel like I'm on the edge of a nervous breakdown ... counting everything I eat and so afraid of DOING THE WRONG THING.
Worse of all, I've been eating more coz I'm hungry ... and all these fatty food is actually higher in calories than those food I used to take !

I lost bt 3lbs so far, but gained back 1 llb today.

My mental health is suffering.

Today I read Dr ATkin's new book on his LC diet (something he dint write in his previous book).
He wrote that even though we are on a low carbo diet, we shd also not overeat coz the excess protein we eat can also get converted to glucose !!!!!!
I have to count carbo and calories at the same time ???!!

I feel like I'm losing this war ..

[gwilson38]

Im sorry U are having a bad time of it...slow down and take a deep breath. I wouldnt panic about a few hidden carbs U may get when U eat out. U dont have a lot to lose so your weight loss will be a lot slower. I havent read the latest Dr. Atkins book but from my personal experience I have never worried about the amount of protein I eat....not saying that some wont be effected by protein overload but I wouldnt make that one of your biggest concerns. Also are U doing low-carbing as a change for life or a diet to lose weight? If U change your thinking and decide U will eat this way in the long run..fretting over all the small stuff will become insignificant. I hope things go better for U. good luck.

[animaldoc]

Another thing you might do is read the CAD/CALP books. You eat two LC meals and then you are allowed one "reward meal" where carbs are allowed. I use that meal to go out to dinner with my skinny husband or my friends.

Hang in there and you'll find a LC WOE for you!

-animaldoc :wave:

[Rosebud]

Hi Chloe, I'm so sorry to read you are having a miserable time.
Your Chicken Caesar was a great choice. I'm sure you didn't eat the croutons, but even if you did, the amount of carbs they contain are not going to stack 10 lbs of fat back on!
If you're going to worry about dressings or sauces, just ask for them to be served on the side. If it tastes sweet, you can bet there'll be some sugar in there so you can choose to either leave it, or just have a speck. If it doesn't taste sweet, it's probably okay. Either way, by having it served on the side, you can limit the amount you eat, if you wish.
Don't forget, this is not so much a diet as a way of eating for life and eating out is an enjoyable part of life. So, enjoy!
My take is that I only eat out occasionally, so if I bend the odd rule, it's not going to matter in the long run because I keep on the LC path the rest of the time. (or try to :D)
As for calories, you need at least 10 to 12 times your body weight for the bod to function efficiently.
Do you know about www.fitday.com ?
You feed your day's eating in and it (eventually) tells you how many carbs, calories etc you've had.
I hope you're feeling a little bit happier by now, Chloe.
All the best. :there:

:rose:Rosebud:rose:

[razzle]

there are several threads about why we feel so lousy/tired/depressed for the first couple weeks on LC.

I agree with what others have said. This is not a diet, and don't treat it as one. When you go off the diet, you'll end up 145 pounds...next time 150 pounds...and so on. Instead, why not just make subtle, permanent, healthy changes to the way you eat--like no sugar or white flour? That alone should take any excess weight off you within six months.

Though I'm not sure from your stats if you have any excess weight. If you're 5'7" (if my metric conversions haven't abandoned me), 140 pounds is plenty light enough. Weightlifting and moderate aerobics would tone you, adding Lean Body Mass so that your body fat percentage would decrease.

You could get your body fat tested at a facility with immersion testing. 22% is a nice healthy number for a woman of early childbearing age. If you're a performance athlete whose income depends on leaping high, 15% is better. But for typical women, such a low body fat percentage is neither necessary nor healthy. (lots of athletes don't menstruate and have serious osteoporosis in their 20's)

Think "health" not "thin." Think about what your body can do, not how it looks. Treat yourself with all the kindness you deserve.

[Chloep]

Hi,

Thanks for your kind words.

I gained another 1lb this morning. SO I've only lost 1lb the past 13 days.

My hubby is doing very well. He lost 8lbs since he started with me, so I'm very happy its working for him !

I think I'm going to up my carbo to 40g. May find it more tolerable.
Yesterday, I broke down. Think its coz I am deeply depressed. I also find that I cry more easily these days.

Last time, when I'm depressed, I allow myself a small peice of chocolate to cheer myself up.
I don't binge on chocs coz its always been a "1pc a day" rule for me.
Maybe, I shd go back to that so I don't feel so deprived and depressed.

I guess I'm not the lucky type who can lose 10llbs during induction alone :(
But I'd definitely continue the LC way :)
I used to take abt 200g of carbo last time (very little fat), maybe this time I'd try to manage a 50g carbo lifestyle.... and not have such high expectation.

Think this induction drove me near to a nervous breakdown but I believe my yeast infection cleared up ??!!
Cutting flour and sugar from my diet the past 2 weeks have cleared up alot of symptoms for me. I dont feel so bloated ..
SO it did do some good :)

I'd also go read abt the CAD book, it shd be easier to follow since it does allow a carbo meal once a day.

Love you guys for being there !!

[Pearl]

Hello Friend, Please do not give up. I have allowed myself the same of 50 g of carbs per day even though I am never close to this. I know the diet is quite hard and trying at times but you can do it. I reward myself with popcorn with butter and no salt. I have gotten sick of eggs, so now I will take 4 ounces of cheese and melt in the microwave until it gets hard and eat it (it tastes like a ritz cracker). You do need to take the chocolate out of your mouth. I am a chocolateholic and know the feeling. I am always depressed about my weight but then I look at my son and would like the energy to play more with him, I then look at my husband and think of the better sex life I could have with him, the more romantic walks I could take with him. I also look at my closet at all the money I have spent on clothing that no longer fits. :D

Please stick to it....If you would like to talk more pm me or just keeping posting...and I will chat later with you.

We could do this together like a team! :roll: :roll:

Pearl :wave:

[Karen]

I agree with razzle. Just start slowly eliminating all the junk from your "diet". Get rid of all refined carbohydrates. The health benefits are enormous.

If you have eaten carbs to make yourself feel better and you stop eating carbs, you will feel awful. It took me a couple of months to understand the anger, sadness and depression I was feeling when I stopped eating carbs. I had to learn not to ease my feelings with food because it was futile. I would eat, and still feel the same. It didn't change anything.

If this could be you, changing the way you eat one half of the answer. The other half is changing yourself.

Karen

[Chloep]

Hello dear friends,

Today, I calmed myself down.

Have always been abit obssessive compulsive abt things.
SO this ATkin's diet actually got me abit off the balance .. counting carbs, calories , etc. And so many food and traps to avoid.
It really got to me, that I am always "nearly breaking some rule somewhere" ...

Many yrs ago, I lost 30lbs on a low calorie diet. It took me 1 year. But it felt easier coz I only have to cut my calories intake down to abt 1000 per day. I only had to count calories, it was alot less mind boggling ...

I have worked out a new LC plan for myself to see if it will work out :

Will continue to take LC meals.
But will allow myself a fruit, and a small treat (like a small pc of chocolate) a day. Plus a cappucino (10g of carbo there !) when i'm out.
All in, i'd try to make it about 50g of carbo a day.
Take more fish instead of meat so that the fat content (hence calories) is lower.
If I'm eating out, I'd make sure its the only carbo meal i take, the other two will be LC meals.

I'd cut all sweet drinks and bread :) Coz I know they are laden with carbo !!

That sounds like a saner diet plan for me.

Of course, I dont expect weight to melt off as fast, but this will help keep me sane ...

Love you guys, tell me if there's anything abt my diet plan I shd change ...

[bsayne]

Well, you if you have to increase the carbs then maybe looking at CAD/CALP is worth a shot...As spreading them through out the day doesn't sound like a real doable situation. I know I find once I have the sugar...in any form it leads to me craving more...but then I know I am a true addict...

One is too many and a thousand is not enough!

The fruit is a good idea....there are LC fruits..berries are generally lower..black berries, rasberries etc.

I'm with Karen though on the depression...as sugar laden carbs had me going in circles, especially when I was using them for things other than fuel. The low fat thing will never be for me again, however I know it is sooooo hard for lots of people to assume that you can do this and cut the fat...you just can't though...unless you enjoy that forever hunger feeling!

If it is a WOL the time limit becomes much less crucial. Feeling better becomes the priority and looking better is a great bonus.

Hoping you'll find the best plan for you.

Bsayne

[Karen]

There is a book called Potatoes Not Prozac that would clear up a lot of your anxieties. No carb or calorie counting and the plan is very sound. You may want to get it from your library and see if it's the right plan for you.

Karen

[Chloep]

Hi,

I went out again today. Had half a cup of cappucino and 2 small biscotti as "lunch".

Its a small treat for me, so I dont feel so deprived. I counted abt 15g carbo there ?? so its not a binge.

today i managed a 35g carbo ... and calories wise, its about 1300.
I read the CAD book today, they advocate LOW FAT, LOW CARBO ... but allow coffee, and tea. They also said NO NO to ketosis !!??
CAD and ATkin's can differ quite abit ... confusing ..


I believe I can lose weight as long as i cut my carbo to 25% (or abt 50g) of what I used to take.
I'd do it the slow and steady way so I dont lose my mind :)

Thanks once again, and keep in touch !

[ccmarketer]

Hi Chloe,

I'm a new LCer too. And I saw you mentioned that you had a yeast infection. Do you get them a lot? It may be that you have Candida albicans. It's mentioned in the Atkin's book as something that could keep you from losing the weight you want.

Basically the description I get is that yeast is running amuck in the body - stomach, bowels, girl parts etc. They suggest acidophilus (over the counter) and some prescription stuff to clear it up. Maybe that's what's keeping you from losing weight as quickly. :D

Just a thought.

Carrie
P.S. We have almost the same stats - :daze:

[animaldoc]

I don't think that CAD advocates low-fat since things like bacon and cheeses are allowed......

The science behind the CAD/CALP is different that Atkin's (which admittedly I don't know as much about). Basically (this is a little simplistic) insulin promotes STORAGE of fat. Insulin is released when carbohydrates are eaten. Some of us-carb addicts, release more insulin than needed when we eat carbs. You release insulin when you start eating based on the amount of carbs you ate AT THE PREVIOUS MEAL. If you are still eating 60-90 mins later, you release another insulin surge based on what YOU ARE CURRENTLY EATING. By eating LC two out of three meals, and keeping the third meal less than 60 minutes, you drive your insulin levels down to more normal levels allowing to use the food as fuel instead of storing it. This is why there is no counting carbs at the reward meal-it simply doesn't matter as long as it is a balanced meal (protein and veggies too). This is also the CAD reasoning behind only eating high carb foods (they define LC as 4g carb or less) ONCE PER DAY.

Sorry this was long! Hope this helps clear some things up for you.....hang in there! You'll find a WOE that works for you-my advice would be to stick with one of the published plans though, rather than making your own. The published ones are based in science and have done extensive research....

-animaldoc :wave:

[Karen]

I went out again today. Had half a cup of cappucino and 2 small biscotti as "lunch". Its a small treat for me, so I dont feel so deprived. I counted abt 15g carbo there ?? so its not a binge.

No low-carb plan would advocate that as a lunch. Low carb is not just about counting carbs, it's also about getting yourself out of the cycle of carb addiction and keeping your insulin from spiking which causes fat storage along with a lot of other nasties. The chapter in CAD called Carbohydrate Addicts Profile will show you this. It's not a binge in that you ate and ate and ate, but it is enough to set up cravings and wanting more sugar.

Two biscotti and a cappucino would definitely cause a rise in insulin. On CAD, that would be eaten within the one hour reward meal, not by itself.

CAD has a low fat option - under the direction of your personal physician - but it's not low fat or no carbs. Have a look at the food list. They recommend low-fat dairy when possible, then give options on real whipping cream, and cheese like Brie or Camembert.

You can't fool around with this and expect to get good results. Choosing the appropriate plan, sticking with it and then tweaking it once you are completely familiar and comfortable with how it works, is what works.

Karen