Help! I'm really struggling...

[bikinidreams]

I'm just in need of inspiration, I think. I've been on Atkins for 4 1/2 weeks, and have been real frustrated by the results I've seen. I am so so happy eating this way, because I know the endless cycle of consuming sugar and having a strong insulin response. I feel healthier overall, but my weight is confusing me. I've tried avoiding sodium and nitrates and dairy, and still see odd fluctuations in my weight. For example, I weighed in at 172 despite the fact that I started at 175 on a day when I was very heavily bloated and could feel it all over my body. At around 2 1/2 weeks in I weighed in at 165. I'm thinking the fluctuations are just natural or related to my TOM, but they are causing me to be emotional and overeat these past two days! I've been pushing my carb limit and eating when I'm not really hungry, because I'm frustrated and beyond stressed!

Work is crazy, I'm getting married in a few weeks, I'm moving to a new apartment, we're paying for a fun Honeymoon, and we have to buy all sorts of new furniture over the next few months, just to name a few of my stressors.

Sorry for this rambling post, but I am just looking for some inspiration! I'm so glad I haven't thrown in the towel, and headed to McDonalds, lol! But man, I need to recenter or something!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[EverLosing]

Sounds like what you REALLY NEED is a scale free challenge!! Girl, it's just a little box whose home is on your floor. That's all!! You need to take that scale somewhere else, your mom's house, a friend's house, somewhere you can't get to it. I had my son hide mine in his horribly messy room. I knew I wouldn't risk killing myself to hunt for it. Does the idea of not stepping on the scale make you want to climb the walls? What? Yes? That's exactly why you need to do it. It will FREE YOU!! It will allow you to put all of your energy into doing things right, feeling great, you'll pay close attention to the changes going on with you body and your overall mood won't be governed by a box that lives it's whole life on the floor and see no excitement except your feet way too often! See how much power you're handing over to it? Your bikini dreams are way more powerful than that box!! Hang in there!

[Sunny_0ne]

bikinidreams, Everlosing is RIGHT!!!

Sign up for the Scale free challenge. Weigh yourself once a week at the most!

Those daily ups and downs will stress you and make you crazy, and, as you've discovered, that stress makes you want to EAT.... probably more than all the other stresses you are dealing with now.

So hide the scales, and only concentrate on eating on program.... one day at a time.

And instead of thinking about the stress of moving into the new apartment, the honeymoon and the new furniture.... think of it as all the fun you have to look forward to!

Perspective is everything!

[msanjelpie]

Go by how you FEEL, not by what the number says... If you jump off the diet you are going to feel horrible... not only guilt but the way that carbs make you feel...

Hide the scale and keep feeling great!

[Slapshot]

The Scale Free challenge here broke my addiction to the scale (and the daily high/lows that went with weighing 1-2 times per day). Now, it's every Saturday morning which suits me great because it forces me to finish the week out strong, not cheat on Friday, and frees me up to have my weekly big steak on Saturday night, which is made all the more enjoyable after having seen a loss, however small, that morning.

Good luck!