Introducing myself like the sticky thing said to do...

[Brandy Jenkins Sunnenberg]

Hi, My name is Brandy. I just started the induction three days ago. It's been up and down all three days but I've stuck to it. I can feel a difference in myself both good and bad from 6 hours into the no-sugar, no-pop, no-nothing I regularly eat thing. Good in emotional ways (it's like my mind cleared up some strangly enough). Bad in physical ways like headache, fatigue, and cravings out the waazoo. One odd side effect of this whole thing (good, but odd) is that my taste buds are revved up into overdrive.

I'm looking forward to getting some things in my life set on the right path instead of the downward spiral that has been the norm for 30 years.

[blueberrylady]

Welcome to the ADBB, Brandy!

The first 3 days are the hardest so you're doing well and just need to keep at it. The best is yet to come!

[claremontmom]

Hi, Brandy, and welcome!

Many of us come into this way of eating, expecting it to just be a way to lose weight, only to find that it changes us in many other ways as well. Of course, we often start "diets" expecting our lives to change for the positive just because we've lost weight...and then get disappointed when we don't find the love of our lives, or get a better job, or manage to get our financial house in order. All of those things can happen, but it is because we are feeling better about ourselves, more self-confident and energetic and healthy--and that is what gives us the ability to improve those things in our lives that need to be changed.

I hope this way of eating will enable you to be in a place where you can make those positive changes for yourself!

As for the physical symptoms you've been seeing--don't be afraid to take something for your headache if it is still bothersome. Also, while your energy level should be improving soon if you are eating well and enough, remember that it is still important to make sure you are getting enough sleep. In my experience, not only am I more apt to make poor choices if I'm sleep deprived, but getting enough hours of shut-eye actually seems to help with getting better results on the scale.

[Kntrylady]

Hi Brandy and Welcome ...

You've made it this far, you can do it Those bad symptoms should just be a memory soon, just stick with it. Drink lots of fluids, take a headache pill, stay strong and you should soon be feeling a new sense of energy.

One other great thing about this WOL (way of living) is all the delicious foods you get to eat, and now that your tastebuds aren't as sugar-dulled, you should be able to enjoy them too

Stay strong, eat a by-the-book induction and you'll soon be reaping the benefits.

Best wishes on a wonderful low carb journey

[skyy]

hello brandy and welcome! may your journey and stay here be a fruitful one

[Brandy Jenkins Sunnenberg]

Hi Blueberrylady, Claremontmom, Kntrylady, and Skyy!

Thanks for replying, it made me feel very welcome.

The headache went away last night. I'm really happy about that. I still woke up really energy worn out but I'm not sure how much of that can be contributed to this or to my cycle which is here in force and has been for awhile and the fact that I did not sleep well last night at all. (Thanks for mentioning how sleep can affect these things. That was helpful )

One thing I am experiencing that the book didn't mention as a side affect (or maybe it did and I missed it), I am getting seriously munch crazy wanting to overeat in the evenings and at night. I'm not craving sugar or bread stuff which is what I've always craved but for example I could have ate a pound of hamburgers last night even though I know I was full. I'll take the evening cravings over the full day cravings any other diet I've been on caused but I'm wondering if I am doing something wrong. The result was me eating too much hamburger but I'm counting it still a win in my book cause I didn't go snag the hubby's sugar food and stuff it down which is what always happened on weight watchers lol. I am still in lipolysis (spelling?) cause I had the breath thing and the stick still showed more than a trace. (I've read on some of the postings here that those sticks really are a bad judge but I'm kinda addicted to seeing it turn colors and give me hope that I'm on the right track lol

Thank you so much for replying.

[claremontmom]

Hi again, Brandy--good for you for staying strong in the face of your hubby's "sugar food"...I don't think an extra bit of hamburg is going to be a problem for you. Depending on how crazy having sugary stuff around makes you, you could ask hubby to put it away somewhere, or eat it while you aren't home, or take it to work with him to enjoy it there. Sometimes a temporary break from having that junk around is an immense help, and you won't believe how much easier it really does get over time to resist that stuff! There truly will come a day when you'll be able to enjoy a stroll down the candy aisle of your local grocery store and smell the sweetness and celebrate the fact that it just isn't as irresistable as it once seems--and you may actually feel nauseated from the overly sweet smells!

When you are having your evening munchies, remember that we can have more than one kind of hunger. There is the hunger we feel when our stomachs growl to tell us that we need to feed it, and you may be feeling actual hunger as it is still relatively early in your journey and you really do need to make sure you are eating enough. (Sometimes we really do need to practice getting in touch with our bodies to be able to identify those times when we are hungry, or satisfied, or stuffed.)

There are also different forms of "head hunger"--when we are craving food as a way of dealing with an emotion, or when we are wanting to munch out of habit, or when we want to eat something because everyone else is eating and we want to feel included.... There are as many ways of dealing with hunger as there are reasons for it. Some people just go with the feeling and find something okay for them to eat. Some find similar foods to those they're craving (low-carb alternatives), but that can be a problem as it may just reinforce old habits. Same thing goes for eating when we feel overwhelmed by emotions--doesn't matter if it's cookies or celery sticks, if we are eating to bury our emotions, we aren't making ourselves address our feelings and the underlying situations that cause them. If you are wanting to eat in the evening because it is a habit to munch on stuff mindlessly while watching television, maybe you need to develop different habits--like giving yourself a manicure so you can't eat, or taking up needlework or scrapbooking, or even using a treadmill while you watch a favorite show, or just devoting every commercial break to doing sit ups and push ups and jogging in place.

I'm sure you will come up with some excellent ways of dealing with this that work for you.

[Brandy Jenkins Sunnenberg]

that can be a problem as it may just reinforce old habits. Same thing goes for eating when we feel overwhelmed by emotions--doesn't matter if it's cookies or celery sticks, if we are eating to bury our emotions, we aren't making ourselves address our feelings and the underlying situations that cause them.

Wow! Exactly!!! I stuff my emotions with food, it's how I handle stress and other things as well. I hadn't thought about how chosing to eat something, even something good, may be reinforcing that. I'm thinking about it now though. I gotta think about what to do in order to get my mind off of eating when I have that "head hunger".

My husband is really good about not having too much sweet stuff around me when I'm on a diet. My dad however, that's a problem. He's, how do I say this without making him seem uncaring, he's unfocused on anything but himself sometimes when it comes to that kind of stuff. It actually hasn't been much of an issue yet though cause I have not craved anything I'm not allowed to have yet.

Thank you so much for the reply. It gave me some great things to think about it.

[claremontmom]

Don't worry about making us think bad things about your dad--I think that many people, especially if they haven't had any kind of weight problem themselves, feel that everyone ought to be able to control what they put into their mouths. It's not that they are uncaring in the least...it's just that maybe it has never been a problem for them so it would never occur to them that their actions in that area could impact anyone else. My son and his girlfriend recently moved out and into their own apartment, and while I do miss them, I don't miss having their delicious-sounding ice creams in my freezer. While they were in there, I looked at resisting it as an exercise in building character and self-control!

[Kntrylady]

Wow! Exactly!!! I stuff my emotions with food, it's how I handle stress and other things as well. I hadn't thought about how chosing to eat something, even something good, may be reinforcing that. I'm thinking about it now though. I gotta think about what to do in order to get my mind off of eating when I have that "head hunger".

My husband is really good about not having too much sweet stuff around me when I'm on a diet. My dad however, that's a problem. He's, how do I say this without making him seem uncaring, he's unfocused on anything but himself sometimes when it comes to that kind of stuff. It actually hasn't been much of an issue yet though cause I have not craved anything I'm not allowed to have yet.

Thank you so much for the reply. It gave me some great things to think about it.

Hey Brandy, a couple of other things that come to mind with the "munchies"

~start tracking your food in an online program like Fatsecret or Fitday. Each and every morsel, spice, cooking oil, etc. Many people find as ketosis kicks in that they are undereating, and you're body simply runs out of fuel and screams EAT SOMETHING!!!

~or... there may be something that you are eating that is triggering a craving. I often use my personal example... I can eat cream cheese sweetened with splenda, no problem. If I whip them into "clouds" and freeze them, my cravings go off the chart and I start prowling for something to eat.

Unfortunately there's no easy solution other than to review your menu and experiment.