As someone who hates meat and dislikes seafood, the Atkins is too restrictive for me. I was on the CAD for a long time but have been off it for a long time too.

My only problem with the CAD is that my reward meals nearly always turn into binges. Huge binges too. I start eating and I don't stop until the hour is up.

Is there anyone else with this problem? What can I do?

p.s. without the cad, I would have binged non-stop throughout the day anyway so I'm not looking for other 'diet plans' or whatever else.

Thank you.

Without knowing what you're eating for CM's it's hard to say. Can you post a menu so we can see? My guess is there's something you're eating/drinking that may be setting you off.

Thanks for the reply.
I used to eat:
Breakfast: Boiled egg, cucumber
Lunch: Salad (with olive oil)

Looks like you're not eating enough at CMs to satisfy and so by the time you get to RM you're starved. Your need protein and a little fat to hold you. You should be eating approx 4 ounces of protein at CMs. Also a cuke is mostlyy water and won't hold you either. Further for some, eggs at breakfast make you hungrier also.

Really--eggs for breakfast make people hungrier? I would like to hear more about that--what do people eat on CAD if not eggs? Meat?

You bet!!!! Bacon, of course, if you have the time but I usually have leftover chicken or pork or burger patties..whatever is left over that hasnt been cooked with anything extra on it. Holds you for a long time, too!

I personally eat some of the strangest breakfasts! I don't like most breakfast foods, so I have a lunch-type meal for breakfast and lunch. I fully agree with Zuleikka -- I'd eat everything in sight at my RM if I ate as little as you've been eating for the CMs. By the time you hit your RM, you might even be experiencing transient hypoglycemia. Stoke up on more protein at CMs, along with your salads.

I see by your profile you haven't read the book yet. Please do. It's SO hard to do a plan correctly without the kind of information you can really only get from reading the book that corresponds with the plan you choose.

Definitely read the book! I'm re-reading it (this is my second attempt at CAD, the first got sidetracked during my move) and I am finding so much useful information I missed the first time...everything makes a lot more sense this time around.

Also, eat more at CM. You should feel satisfied afterward...3-4 oz of protein, up to 2oz cheese, and 1-2 cups veggies.

The craving and hunger reduction didn't kick in for me until the 3rd day or so...so for those first days it *is* an effort to stay balanced with the RM...my advice is to start with a salad topped with dressing you really like (you can have any kind at RM) to take the edge off your hunger, and then go on to the rest of the meal.

One more thing -- it's hard to stay balanced on the carbs in the beginning, especially if like me you've been depriving yourself of some of those foods for a while on Atkins or another plan. You want to eat everything you've been missing *right now*. That does pass, and eventually that urgency goes away (I've heard it called "kid in the candy store" syndrome, haha)

Once you've been on CAD a few days in a row, eating the proper amounts at CM and with a more balanced RM you really should see a reduction in hunger and cravings and even how fast you start to get full. Hope this helps!