Disheartened - please help me if you can

[Lyssie]

Hi Deb.

I just wanted to say Hi, and basically wish you luck. I can't really provide more information than everyone else. Joy (ValidRouge) and Sally have been *incredible* sources of inspiration, advice, and information for me so I would do pretty much anything they say.

I would ditch the soda (COMPLETELY). Cutting down is *good*, but since you're already experiencing the withdrawl symptoms anyway, just ditch it. It's not helping you now and won't in the long term. Get some water, some lemon or something, and use that instead. Drinking a *ton* of water will help flush your system, make you feel better, and help you lose weight faster.

Ditch the scales. Maybe you'll lose 30lbs, maybe you won't. Maybe you could lose 30lbs and 2 inches, or 15lbs and 20 inches. Inches are more important than pounds. Take your measurements and go by those. As much as we all say, "my goal weight is... " it's really more important to focus on size, and what's healthy, and what makes you happy. I would rather weigh 160 and be a size 8 than 145 and be a size 14.

[soliwit]

Hi Debi !!!!
First of all I want to ensure you that YOU CAN DO THIS !!! Not in the least place because you found this board, we are all here to help eachother, after all we are all here for the same reasons !
Most of the important information is already given to you, so I am not going to repeat those things, but I wanted to give you the info for the sour cream part: you say, sometimes you eat 300 grams in one sitting, that is more than 10 ounces.
You are on induction only allowed 1 oz (28 grams) a day, sour cream is counted under the special foods.
I used to be somewhat of a 'sour-cream-addict' too, so I totally know where you come from, but I also know for me it was a food that caused me to stall or lose veeeery slowly, so I am sorry to say you have to get rid of the sour cream (I know I can't even have it in the house cause it'll sit in the fridge calling me, hehehe)
Once you are at the dairy-rung you can start to put it back into your diet, even then you are only allowed up to half a cup in one day, that would be about 115 grams (4 oz)

Happy losing !!!!

[tabekat]

Think about feeding your body from the viewpoint of nurturing it - it is your child and needs your loving care. Could we expect a child to thrive on diet soda, which has no nutritional value whatsoever, and gum?

Feed your body. Feed it plenty of meals with fresh meat, fish, eggs, 4 ounces of cheese and 3 cups of veggies every single day. Right now your body only knows that you aren't feeding it so it is clamping down on the extra fat stores as tightly as it can. We can't expect our bodies to cooperate with us if we behave like an insane prison guard who starves us of nutritious meals.

Exercise has its place, and it is an essential part of the Atkins plan, but two and 1/2 hours seems excessive to me. Balance is the key. Many good studies have shown that 1 hour of exercise 3 or 4 times per week is more than adequate to keep most people in good physical shape. The body needs rest as well as movement to thrive.

Please read all the stickys at the top of this forum. By far the most important gifts Atkins imparted to me is to love my body, nuture my body and to eat, eat, eat!

[Debismyname]

Hi everyone
I can't believe how sweet and genuinely helpful everyone has been to me in their posts. I am so grateful and touched. Thank you for cheering me on even when I myself am not even cheering for me.

dreamof145 you mention the positive effects of exercise. You are 100% right but the thing is that because of my eating disorder in the past and the fact that I abused exercise for many years in extreme quantities....for me, exercise is torture and full of negative emotions. The only reason why i exercise is to alleviate guilt when i eat larger portions or to get fear at bay (fear of gaining more and more weight).

I know this sounds very bleak but it is exactly how I experience it and I have promised myself to be honest with everyone on this board. The whole time I exercise my inner critic is judging me and my body is fighting against it. One part of me says the more i exercise the better while another part of me wants to never exercise again....ever. Its a tug of war.

Anyway....i feel like cutting exercise back (and maybe then i will like it) but i am so scared to do so because it will mean i lose no weight at all. It will mean i have I to rely 100% on my ability to keep to atkins eating/ portions etc perfectly. It will mean i have no 'room for any deviation from the eating plan'. This really scares me.

As for measurements...I will definetely start taking them as dreamof145 suggested.....seeing shrinking and size drops would be a great motivator. I also need to try and get my hands on that book you say....the 2002 edition of the Atkins Diet Revolution.

Sally, thank you for emphasizing the 'direction' rather than speed. Deep down inside I know you are right but of course that is not what the 'anxious me' wanted to hear. I am so focused on 'will i get there in time' and 'what if i don't' that at times having no guarantee that i will get to my goal before the wedding makes me not even want to try. I know that sounds crazy and is another excuse but again....i am trying to be honest.

Confusedandneedhelp...thank you for reminding me not to drift into my own version of 'Atkins'. My husband-to-be says the same. I try to twist ATkins to accommodate for the little treats I am used to (over indulging in sodas or gum) instead of getting 'real' and kicking the habits.....i fool myself into thinking 'what is a small piece of gum/ can of diet coke going to do' and ' i have given up so much so don't i deserve an outlet/ treat'. This is the self-sabotaging self-talk i say to myself....its neverending....

lbrowne thank you for your advice too....you too are correct....and rather than just hearing this stuff and doing my own thing....i need to take the proper actions.

Just between you guys and me i think i am a procrastinator and that part of me likes drama/ panic/ anxiety so that maybe i am just waiting until the last month so i can 'beat myself up' and stress myself out with trying to get to my goal and then because at that point there would be too much weight to lose in the time left....I can be in a position to say 'i told you so deb.....you can't make it/ do it/ you failed'. Maybe that is what i am doing subconsciously....

God i hope not....it sounds so aweful....arrggghhhhh!

I better end now because i have heaps of work to do here....

As for my statistics....here they are (i had to convert them into pounds because i am in australia and we use kilograms here)....anyway here they are....

Current weight: 165 pounds
Goal weight: 132 pounds

Thanks again to everyone for taking the time to help me unravel the mess in my mind that has kept me stuck.

God bless you all.....and i promise that i will not give up.....

xo
Deb

[Belori]

I know exactly how you feel, Deb. A few days into the diet I had huge sugar cravings. I had given up so much that I thought I really deserved a little treat. I ran out to the store and bought a couple of bags of sugar free candy with labels that boasted "0 Sugar Carbs". Luckily before I ate them I did some research and realized that they did in fact contain carbs that the body can use as energy (or store as fat) and that sometimes these "sugar free" products can knock you right out of ketosis. It was a huge disappointment.

From my own experience I realized water is the best way to fight cravings. Guzzling water has helped me so much. I had thirty pounds to lose (I'm getting married in the fall and I don't want to be a fat bride) and I've already lost 8 lbs. I'm sure a lot of that was water weight that my body was struggling to hold onto because I wasn't drinking enough water in the first place! I never drank water (I used the Diet Coke crutch) so I was always bloated and miserable. I was really surprised at what a huge difference water makes.

Deb, I can really relate to how you feel. I know how hard it is to pull away from the things you've been so dependent on. Everyone stumbles every once in a while but if you're willing to stand up, brush yourself off, and try again you have the power to do anything. I'm more than positive that you'll reach your goal and be a beautiful bride. Good luck to you!

[bradybunchmom]

Deb,
There is not much I can add but just wanted to say hang in there...you so can do this, and you already know that....
Two weeks of clean induction - will make all the difference....but doing it as Dr. Atkins prescribed....that includes eating your veggies and don't forget the water...water..water....I feel like I"m floating away most days.....
I am on day 12 on induction YAY.....I have not lost anything in almost a week but I have not gained anything either.....but I WILL NOT give up.....I will be successful because there is no alternative for me.....I don't have tons of weight to lose but I do have tons to gain by getting back to the me I want to be and learning to look good and feel good for the rest of my days
We are here for you....
By all means get the book if you don't have it....there are some amazing inspirational messages in there.....