Is Atkins right for me?

[taulmaril]

Hi, I'm not sure if Atkins is right for me or not. I tried shopping for the book yesterday because I was all gung ho to start it today but I live in a very rural area and they didn't have it so after reading some stuff here I'm not sure what to do now. Let me give you a little back ground info. My goal is to at least get back to my size 12's before Oct. 15 when my husband gets to come home on leave for 2 weeks (he's currently deployed to Afghanistan)

I have only been on one other diet in my life. It was a diet of my own stupid design. I weighed 300+lbs and a size 26/28 when I started it. I got down to 195 and a size 12 when I decided to maintain and I did for a year but then I had a baby and gained 90 pounds back! My baby is 3 years old and I still have not been able to get all the pounds back off. I lost some then gained some etc and I'm currently hovering between 260-265 and it seems to be on the rise. My diet was plain tuna fish and sugar free kool aid. Thats it and I restricted that as much as I could resulting in a daily calorie count of 500 max usually ran about 200-300 calories a day. I was also taking Ephedra (which gave me no problems but I developed a resistance to it so that doesn't work anymore) Honestly I would probably do that diet again if I had the pills that work and if I wasn't soooooo tired all the time. Right now I'm basically living on caffiene and carbs to just keep going all day.

I have some food issues, I'm sure they are psychological and I've been dealing with them for as long as I can remember and I can't seem to shake them (its something I've been actively working on for years). And these are the issues that I think will interfer with the Atkins diet I don't like veggies. When I say don't like I mean totally repulsed. The only veggie or veggie like things I can eat are: raw carrots, corn on the cob, and potatos and from my reading last night those are all no-no's right? I hope to be able to save up some extra money and go to a hypnotist to see if they could help but I can't afford that right now and who knows if that would work anyway. My other food issue is that I can only eat ground/processed meat i.e. hamburger, sausage, bacon....in other words no slabs of meat like steaks, roasts etc. On the plus side because I do have limited choices now I'm totally used to eating the same thing for months and months at a time and I don't get bored or anything.

So my main question I guess is...Can I do the Atkins diet with no veggies? I take supplements already to help with my nutritional imbalance. I've always been healthy and I'm in good shape other than the whole being fat thing

So please be honest with me. Do you think I can do Atkins and get results with just meat? If not what do you guys advise? I'm sinking farther and farther into depression over my weight and I know that is the reason for my recent gain. I need help! Thanks for listening

[MaxsmamaDebbie]

Hello Taul,

Welcome to Atkins! First, please tell your husband thank you for serving our great country...he is a hero!

Now, I am new here so someone may correct me, but from my reading of the book, 1/2 your carbs each day should come from vegetables. You said you only like the starchy/sugary ones so that would be hard for you. But, in reality there are SO MANY awesome veggies out there that are acceptable.

Unless you have an allergy to a vegetable, I say try it because our tastes change as we age. For example, I used to HATE roast, coleslaw, and carrots, but now I love them as an adult (can't have carrots now though). So, maybe over time your tastebuds have changed too.

I hope you give Atkins an honest 14-day trial run on induction. I am only on day 4 and I am down 4.5 pounds, feeling much better, and have tons of energy (the first three days were not fun though). You deserve this for yourself and because you have a little one whose food issues you are controlling right now...if you teach that little one that tuna and kool-aid is the way to go by example, then you may have a problem later on. Better to be an example of eating meat, cheese, vegetables, and later on proper carbs.

Just my 2 cents!

Deb

[GaynorA]

Hey there hon. Welcome to you. Thanks for sharing your story. Well ... I'm thinking that if you try to get a variety of meat minced up (e.g., chicken, turkey,beef etc) perhaps that's a way around it. Are you able to stomach cheese and eggs? With your veggie issues, please make sure you take a REALLY good vitamin supplement /s. Atkins has some wonderful ideas on that - but I believe there is also a vitamin forum on this board. Could you maybe order the Atkins book off Amazon or an internet bookstore like that? Bless you for sharing your difficult story. I'm sure that took some courage girl. When you say that veggies repulse you ... did you have a horrible experience with them or something (like mom FORCING you to eat all your veggies?). Your hypnosis idea is a good one. Or ... you could look into something like therapy to get to the root of it all. Anyway my luv, all the best to you. You are SO welcome here. Great crowd of people - all with some really good ideas. Lots of love and a big hug to you ... all the way from the UK.

[*Emma*]

All veggies taste great when you fry them in butter!!

[taulmaril]

Thanks for you guys quick responses. My mother and I have tried to figure out what my "issue" is and we have no clue. The only story she has told me that has anything to do with veggies is that when I was 4 she tried to make me eat green beans and I had to stay at the table until I did. Apparently I stayed there until bedtime and when mom got me up the next day they were there for breakfast too and I still refused. Mom gave up at noon.

I went to a doctor last year that told me that if there was a food I didn't like to try it everyday for 2 weeks and I would learn to like it. I tried faithfully but I could never take more than one bite and I usually spit that out. I'm a total weirdo. This the one thing I hate the most about myself. For instance if I got one wish it wouldn't be to instantly lose weight or have a million dollars, it would be to like normal food.

I forgot to put in my other post that I do like chicken and turkey but only white meat and it has to be either grilled or roasted and dry

As for my son...yeah I don't want him to learn to eat like me but that's really not an issue at this point. He has his own issues right now and is going to be tested for autism in July. He has a very limited diet as well at this point but its none of the stuff I eat. He doesn't eat meat of anykind. He won't touch any of my favorite foods and will run away and cry if you ask him if he "wants a bite" His diet consists of about 10 things and he will not budge on them. So yeah I'm stressed.

If you guys think I can be successful on Atkins I will order the book off the internet. I tried ordering an e-book of the Atkins diet on ebay last night but the e-book was 11 pages so I'm guessing that was a waste of money. Can I go ahead and start without the book? I was really motivated to start today. I'm sitting here drinking water instead of my normal soda Do I need to count calories? Or can I just start eating meat? Oh and I do like cheese if it is melted cheese. I have a bag of shredded cheese in the house for my son (he like quesidillas). Will that work? Thanks again, you guys don't know how much I appreciate any help/encouragement I can get.

[*Emma*]

check the ingredients but shredded cheese usually has potato starch in it

[GaynorA]

Hey there hon

"I'm a total weirdo."

Nooooooooooo ..... banish that from your self talk my love. You just have an issue with eating. And, frankly, there are so many people who have issues with eating. Most of us are here because we have issues with eating. Different issues than you probably ... but still issues. So no-one is going to judge you here.

I would recommend that you read the book first - but if you don't mind the possibility that you might mess up your induction, then there's no harm done. See how much you can learn from trawling round the board. But make sure you get the book yeah - 'cos it discusses things like the sorts of cheese you can eat and so on. And don't forget those supplements!! Very important. Man shall not live on meat alone! A lot of people think that Atkins advocated just eating protein and fat - when it couldn't be further from the truth.

Let us know how you get on. Lotsa luv to you and your son.

[taulmaril]

Originally Posted by GaynorA

A lot of people think that Atkins advocated just eating protein and fat - when it couldn't be further from the truth.

Yeah that's what I thought until I started reading this forum last night. I was so upset over the veggie thing last night I just started bawling. If I just eat meat will it work? I'm so confused.

[GaynorA]

Ah hon ... don't get yourself upset. I have no doubt that it will work - because you are eating protein. My only concern for you is that you get enough of the other nutrients you need. Chin up lady!!!! Luv to ya.

[sallyseachange]

Hello and welcome aboard Taulmaril! Glad you came here to ask about Atkins and hopefully give it a try.

If you decide to start before your book arrives (yes, ordering on the internet is a great idea. Make sure you order Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution - 2002 edition) then check out the FAQs and the induction forum stickies. That way you shouldn't go too far wrong.

I'd be lying if I were to say I think you can do Atkins without veggies. I hear you when you say you seriously dislike them, to the point of a downright aversion.

Have you tried mincing up small quantities and mixing them in with ground meats? You might find them more palatable that way. The other thing to remember is that once you get to the second phase of Atkins (Ongoing Weight Loss)... which is after the minimum of two weeks in Induction... then you can gradually introduce other foods. Carrots and starchy veggies are a few rungs up, but you'll get there before you know it.

Do take your supplements... especially important if you're not eating many veggies. Also don't undereat. If you do, you'll go into starvation mode (I've seen this happen to ever so many here on the ADBB) and stop losing. You need to get the right balance between feeding only your hunger, but not going hungry!

How about olives? Do they do anything for you? You're allowed around ten a day in induction if I remember rightly... and some avocado too... both veggies that some veggie haters can deal with.

You may find that if you stick to low carbing, your tastes change and veggies become your friend. I hope so, as once you get the taste for them, they're such a pleasure... and you can eat them tossed in garlic, butter and a little chili pepper too... deeeelish! (hope I'm not making you feel sick here!)

Best of luck and do let us know what you decide to do. We're rooting for you!