Hello
My name is Jane and I'm new. I need to lose 50 pounds and I have been trying for several years. I have done low carb on and off for about 5 of these years, always caving in after about two weeks of low carbing. I get so tired of nothing but meat and salad and cheese. I am not much of a cook, and so the idea of having to follow a recipe for just something basic I used to purchase, is daunting.
How do I stop missing all the other foods??? Help!!!! I cant seem to get past day ONE anymore!!!!!



Jane

Hi Jane,

I'm sure others will chime in on this to give their opinions, and maybe a litle science, too.

I don't think there's a way you can tell yourself, or make yourself, stop missing the foods that you like; if you succeed in doing the diet for a longer period of time, your cravings will change in and of themselves - or at least, that was my experience. I began to feel less hungry, and when I looked at some of the foods that people around me were eating, they seemed less appetizing.

I think a really important factor is variety. Knowing I wanted to lose weight more than I wanted the taste of pizza in my mouth for the 20 minutes it took me to eat a piece or two helped me to stick to eating specific foods, but other people would probably find my repetitive diet boring. But after those first, strict two weeks are over, you'd be able to add in more options and try out some of the recipes that you can find on this site that offer you more variety than just meat, cheese and salad.

Based on the amount of time you've tried to put into doing LC, have you ever considered looking at other diets or programs - Weight Watchers, for example - that might offer you more variety and may be less frustrating?

In the meantime, if you're determined to do Atkins successfully, maybe you should try slowly changing your diet before jumping into induction. If you suddenly change from having a wide selection of appetizing foods one day to just meat, cheese and salad the next, that's probably going to be difficult to handle mentally. Maybe easing into it - for example, spend a week having a LC breakfast and leave the other meals the same, gradually introducing more LC options until you feel ready to take the step to start induction (y'know, less "cold turkey") - would help you.

I wish you the best of luck in trying to lose weight. Remember that it's important to find a weight loss plan that you can enjoy - if you try to push yourself to do something that you don't, you'll have a much tougher road. And losing that weight shouldn't be something you suffer to achieve, in my opinion!

Whoops: I almost forgot to say, welcome to the forums! I think you'll find a ton of great people here who want to help support you in this.

Hello, Jane, and welcome to a good place. TedW is right. You can't make yourself stop missing foods you've always liked. However, in my three years of low-carb, I've discovered that my tastes and desires have dramatically and deeply changed. Believe me, I never had that experience on low-fat/low-cal.

The dietary addition that helps me the most is fat. I love my salads, because I can use a huge variety of regular bottled salad dressings--never mind the fat content! Just check the carbs. I can make a different salad every day of the week. And of course, I eat a lot of other veggies, too.

I'm not sure what you mean about having to use a recipe for something basic. There are a gazillion delicious ways to cook eggs, and it doesn't have to be complicated. It does take a change of habit to shop around the edges of the grocery store for fresh foods, and not packaged stuff. But that's part of the success secret. Any permanent change requires--well, permanent change. Do you want it or not?

It's true that you can't continue to follow a dietary program you don't like. That's why people enjoy weight management success on all kinds of programs. But for variety and sustainability, low-carb is IT for me.

Yes, at first, you just have to say NO to stuff you think you can't live without. Nobody can help you with that. With a little faith and trust that the low-carb process DOES WORK, and a little patience, you might actually discover that it gets easier as you feel better and see the results slowly accumulate. SLOWLY is good. You can do this.

I actually started by reducing my daily carb intake in stages, but didn't go all the way down to Atkins induction until recently. For some cold turkey (minus the side of mashed potatoes, haha) is best. For me I enjoyed giving my body a chance to adjust slowly. I first cut out soda and sugars, and since I'd already gone to whole grains, that helped with the white flour. I kept going for more meats and veggies and once I'd hovered at around 50-75 carbs per day, I felt it was time to head toward Atkins induction. I most likely zipped through a variety of low and lower carb WOEs before getting here. For me it helped ease the effects but it's not for everyone. Good luck!

The trick for me is to stuff myself with lo-carb food before hunger hits me, while on induction....Believe you me its just a matter of days.... DO this for two weeks and you'll notice the change in your hunger(reduced), energy levels (high)and determination (stronger).

Whenever i get back on induction i stop thinking about how much i lost that day or week and concentrate on eating...the more i eat, esp Fat and basic lo-carb home cooked meals the faster i see the change in my hunger and craving patterns.

The other thing is to keep handy lots n lots of food ready to be eaten. Like boil eggs and use them for salads or a quick snack. Have cheese crisps with a dollop of sour cream (great for induction and salty-carby cravings), Bake a salmon fillet with spices of your choice (takes only 15-20 mins )and keeps you full a long time.....and so on. Like folks mentioned , Let there be a lot of variety. Thats the only way you survive.

And as i'm typing this things are getting clearer for me as well. I think I should get back to induction as well. It will help me get rid of the craving i had from the pumpkin bread i ate two days ago.

Good luck!

Get some really good low carb receipes. Dr. Bernstein's website for diabetics (even if you aren't one) is an excellent place to find food items from some real low carb pros there.

Find very low carb breads (Sara Lee), flax waffles, make flax muffins, and you will not miss the bread so much. Just don't forget to use portion control. You can still eat too much on low carb and not take off weight.

Hi there, thanks for all the advice! I really need it. I will be here Daily just to keep myself motivated. I'm not diabetic, but it does run in my family, and I did read the book by Dr. Bernstein. I agree this is probably the most healthy diet for me, but its still hard. I have 2 kids and a husband who rejects all things low carb and so its difficult. I have tried to incorporate some things but my hubby really resents it. He tries to go along, but every meal seems to have to high carb for him to get full.
I dont allow much sugar in the house, this is the one thing he goes along with for a period of time, then it creeps back in. No soda, no candy (but Halloween was just a couple of days ago) The thing is, that if I lived alone, this would be easier. I would only purchase those things I could have and that would be all that surrounded me. Unfortunately I dont have that luxury. Yes I know my kids can eat less carbs, but my husband I cannot control and the kids want what he has. Its a major major struggle in my household.
So you see, its difficult.
Yes I have tried every other diet on the planet. Low calorie diets leave me STARVING. I cant even start another one of those. My neighbor wants me to go to weight watchers with her, but I cant stand the idea of starving. Another friend gave me an entire box of Nutrisystem food (after she went and got lap band surgery and no longer had to diet)

All I have to say about the nutrisystem food is anyone who can stick to that plan and eat that icky food, deserves to lose the weight. I spit out most of what I tasted. Just gross.

Going low carb usually nets me about a 6 pound weight loss before I give up. Generally I give up while making dinner for my family. I cannot force my hubby to eat meat and veggies every day. Eggs he will only eat with toast or in a sandwich. He barely can stomach salad, it really is hard. I dont know how cooks stay skinny, I'm always tempted by what is being cooked for dinner!!!!!!! I have to cook it, what do I do????
If anyone has succeeded at this, while living with the Antichrist of Carbs (someone like my hubby) please tell me how you did it!!!!!
I've been known to dump entire 2 liters of soda down the drain, and then say "I think the kids drank it" to my hubby when he comes looking for it. I've also been known to take handfuls of crackers and throw them in the trash just trying to get rid of a box of cheese its faster.
But its a battle that I am seriously not winning. The faster I throw it away, the faster my hubby gets to the store to buy more.
He is average sized and doesnt understand why I need to be low carb to get thinner. I counted his calories in one day, it was something like 10 thousand. Carbs? About 400. I dont know. I would weigh 400 pounds if I ate that much.

My husband is the cook for both of us. But he's not at all interested in low-carb for himself. I've learned to ignore bags of chips, boxes of crackers, candy in the house all the time, regular soda pop, bread of all kinds, stuffing, croutons...well, you get the idea. It's the same at the office. Today I have to pass by a pan of chocolate cake and a big bowl of popcorn every time I go to the restroom or to the dispenser to fill up my water bottle. NOBODY IS FORCING ME ME TO EAT IT.

If I were you, I'd include some simple starchy item for your carbo lovers. Baked potatoes. Rice. Noodles. One of those "instant" starchy casserole thingies. You don't have to taste it to cook it. But the minute you say, "I can't"--it's a foregone conclusion.

Once in a while, I cook up a cauliflower casserole for me. Tastes better than mashed potatoes, and gives your mouth the same idea. Essentially, you cook a head of cauli until soft (don't let it get watery). Mash it up with some cream cheese and seasonings. Pats of butter on the top. Mix in some real bacon bits, or any other flavorings you like. Sprinkle grated cheese on the top and bake until melty. Your kids might love it.

Now stop whining and blaming your family. You can do this, but only if you want to.

oops I thought this was a positive forum. I sure didnt come here to be called a whiner!! I figured I had to give some background to get the right kind of advice. I only respond to positive feedback so I guess this isnt the forum for me. I am really sorry if this upsets you guys.
Thanks for your time.

Jane, I'm sure it wasn't meant in a negative way. Its just sometimes you need to get tough with yourself. Sometimes just getting over the hump getting yourself into a positive mindset is all you need. We all whine at one time or another. I would say Im a professional whiner. I think its just a stage you have to go through before you accept it fully. Im diabetic, so I think I have an advantage. Its called NO CHOICE if I want my eyes, my kidneys to work and my toes not to fall off. But if diabetes runs in your family, it might be advantageous to you to get on board asap and prevent the disease from ever starting, or at least delaying the progression a few decades. Good Luck.

By the way, Im surrounded by the stuff as well. I think all of us with families are. Eventually, you lose your taste for it and the cravings will stop. Really they do. When I get a really bad craving, I eat a square of dark semisweet chocolate. It doesn't raise blood sugar and it makes me happy.

Jane, if you're still here...

Sorry I sounded rude. We aren't friends yet, and I'm not entitled to needle you by reflecting what I hear you saying.

Please take the positive suggestions you've received here, and run with them if you like. Don't let me (or any other crank) discourage you from participating in one of the key motivators for continuing weight loss, which is conversation with lots of people who have been there and done that.

Best wishes.

jane, please don't leave. you're going to quickly find that this is one of the most positive forums out there... certainly it's the best one i've ever found. you're new, you're entitled to ask questions like this. even though i'm guilty of being negative at times, it's generally only in the face of people asking questions and then ignoring the advice we give, only to complain later that things aren't working.

one of the best ways i've found to stick to lowcarb and still satisfy certain cravings is to determine what exactly it is about the high-carb food that i want. if it's pizza, i'm usually just craving the toppings... pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, and cheese (the pepperoni and sausage are legal after atkins induction). if it's something like cheesecake, then some cream cheese, vanilla, and splenda do the trick perfectly. root beer float? ice-cold diet root beer and a tablespoon of good heavy cream.

i've never been a big bread fan, and even though i've always loved pasta i'm finding that it's easily taken out of my diet simply because i have a wealth of other foods to choose from... any meat, any seafood, any poultry. i've simply replaced my old favorites with new ones. and as far as learning to cook goes, seriously, the biggest favor you can do yourself in this lifestyle is to get yourself a low-carb cookbook and learn the basics. personally, the concept of not being able to cook is as foreign to me as not being able to read. even if all you're doing is learning how to steam some veggies, roast a chicken, or grill a steak, you're still ahead of the game.

satisfying your hunger is the key to killing ANY cravings. the way i used to put it to people who asked me "don't you miss <insert high-carb food here>?" is to tell them "after eating a 20oz steak, mushrooms, and a salad, there's no way on earth i could even think about eating anything else!"

To all the Positive Posters on this thread, I apologize. You took the time to help someone, and I managed to chase her off. Sorry to have given one of the best forums I've ever enjoyed a bit of a black eye.

I hope you know from countless other posts of mine that it is always my intention to be positive and helpful. Must have been having a bad day--maybe an effect of induction?? No excuses. I'll choose my words more carefully in the future.

Hi Jane!
I came to low carbs off of low fat, so it was easier for me to adjust I guess. But one of the things I did was focus more on what I COULD have, like a big fat juicy cheeseburger patty!
AFTER YOU HAVE LOW CARBED FOR AWHILE...THOSE FOODS TASTE AWFUL! Or maybe it's just me but a taste of a potato tasted like the ground!

personally, i don't think any group apology is necessary. you apologized to her when your tough love approach was seen as criticizing, and that's fair enough. but anyone who comes on the board asking for help, gets it, and then bails because she perceives one line in 6 posts to be "negative" should probably find some other kind of support group. we're not just here to shower each other with encouragement, we're also here to kick each other's asses into line when we need it.

we can't always be positive with everything. doing so doesn't teach us the lessons we need to learn. we need to be shown our mistakes and how to correct them. losing weight is hard work and we can't sit around projecting a happy fluffy bunny mentality. if she really wants to make a commitment to herself, then she'll be back. it doesn't sound to me like she's ready to do that.