Well it has been awhile since I quit low carbing but I am getting desperate and need to get back on track because I am right next door to being bed ridden. I could use any encouragement that you can spare as I am finding it really hard to fight my addictions to carbs. Oh well today starts a new day, we shall see what it brings.

Anne

Ann, there is no magic but one thing that helped me was a sincere hard decision, right at the outset, that I simply did not eat those things any more. That was my old life and I wanted a new healthier life for myself. Moving, feeling good, not having aches and pains were more of a priority than satisfying a momentary deisre for something that I am going to regret ten seconds after I finish it. Kicking the habit is tough, but if you make your mind up at the beginning, and then remind yourself "That is not who I am or what I do anymore", with conviction, it becomes a fake it til you make it think and eventually you will make it.

You're very brave to have made the decision. The hardest part is getting started.

I'm not sure if you're going to have a shot at Atkins induction? It might be too low-carb for you to start with. What helped me get back on track was cutting out breakfast - it took away the cravings and made the rest of the day really easy. I think you need to experiment to see what works and doesn't work for you.

The thing to remember is that you will lose about 1-2lbs per week. When starting Atkins, it looks faster initially because you lose the water weight very fast when starting Atkins, but then the body spends some weeks replacing the water, so you'll have some weeks of remaining at the same weight before you start to lose again. After my first 2-3 weeks, I had over 6 weeks without losing anything, but after that the weightloss was consistently about 1-2lbs a week. So don't get despondent when the scales seem to slow or stop. Keep on going, and the rewards will come. I'm close to a normal weight for my height now, and I've only lost about 1/2lb in three weeks, but I am just so grateful for any weightloss at all now. It's so much better than nothing!

Good luck!

I can feel your struggle. I have been doing this low carb resistance going on what may seem only 3 months, I am 62, I am doing it for control, inflammation reduction from a life of hard but enjoyable labor.

I had no idea after eating what I thought was absolutely healthy for as long as I can remember which is over 5 decades that should be added to the only 3 months(5 decades of wires firing together wire together in the brain) inversely making this choice much harder than one can evaluate without experience,knowledge, vision on top of the human condition-vulnerability,monotony, mental malleability, the list goes on to reveal opportunities.

Along with medical evaluations to prove how healthy I am it only came to light during this past 2-3 years culminating with this plague I didn't feel subjectively as healthy as the numbers on my years of health and wellness physicals represented, excellent glucose <100,cause I aerobicize, Ldl low , hdl high, BMI <25, yay me, so what if I have to eat every hour and a half and pack food around everywhere lest there be no healthy carbs which is not really true to the extent I was relying on them and the high number of "sugar free" carb grams I would ingest as it is an annoying never ending loop of dissatisfaction,distraction,deceiving disaster,ad infinitum, ad nauseum. Forever and ever and nauseating,right!


Fortunately I am an avid reader of science books for layman and some technical books as well. One of many keys is to find authors or scientist who can communicate a difficult solution into ah ha moments we all can understand.

On the other hand there are other requirements I had built over the years to substantiate this deletion of poisonous food. Movement or an exercise scaled to your own individual ability at whatever stage that may be in your journey.

To me therein lies the success to this low carb lifestyle. It seems to trigger more energy to resist and reward albeit unintuitively. I have struggled monumentally at first with letting go of coping carbohydrates replaced by salty nuts, pickles, pickled okra, artisan pork skins who would of " thunk" it,lol ? etc, being creative, looking at all the recipes everywhere and inventing a few and relying on a square of 92% dark Ghiradelli chocolate as my 1st aid or as an ingredient in my frozen avocado smoothie. I have made some disgusting meals too, but thank goodness for Keto bread at Aldi's and it is reasonably priced not another business gimmick to take advantage from the same ones who have made this problem in the first place.

I have recently experienced 24 hour fasting motivated by Brad Pilon's book Eat Fast Eat, this ties in with another readers reply to your post.
I found that skipping breakfast with a lot of coffee, having plenty to do and getting it done despite no food, just salty ice water and lemon juice, green teas,black teas, all helped, and even any form of exercise really brought it together, I have completed 3 x 24 hour fasts, btw, eat dinner the night before, skip breakfast,read, once you get past noon, take an afternoon nap. Don't tell anyone you are fasting to not make a big deal about it. My wife doesn't like hearing about my diet which is good for me to understand if this is successful then demonstrate without the fanfare. I do like fanfare like crossing the finish line after a marathon, been many years but adulation goes along way so does endurance, philosophy, and support.

As I ramble on here I hope the counter intuitive advice on finding a way to use resistance whether it's bands, weights, water, biking, stationary biking, is the other side of this low carb coin. There is a physiological element that pushes the fat burning into overdrive and propels you past the doldrums to live to fight another day.

My personal coaches for adopting a safe way to exercise for disabled,injured,or for rehabilitation is Bob and Brad Physcal Therapists on youtube who are reputable, entertaining,caring, considerate and have expert doable advice you can do at home with makeshift equipment,whatever is at hand to Amazon purchases they recommend not exclusively to make money. I subscribe to them for free, you have to be persistent in searching for them and their videos by using various terms, words, descriptions to find a way to move safely, to overcome, find your own line of reasoning within the science. It never ends and then it begins, good luck.

Hi, Anne and welcome! I would like to encourage you and wish you success on your journey. I struggled for many years with carb addiction until I recognized, thanks to Gary Taubes, that low carbing was essential for my health and quality of life. The benefits experienced since are priceless, improved mobility, energy, mood, and mental clarity, as well as greatly reduced pain. If I could go back in time to the years of struggle, I would tell myself:
Do it now, don't wait. In 6 months, everything could be so much better.
Know your Why. Make a list to read everyday of your
reasons to reclaim your health. Focus on the great things you want in your life, not the bad carbs you are giving up.

Best wishes, Teresa