This is my introduction thread! Hello!

I was an obese teenager & have suffered a lifetime of metabolic syndrome from medications I take to treat my Bipolar disorder. I have "yo-yo'd," "been anorexic" "been bulimic" "been a compulsive eater" & still struggle daily with a healthy relationship between food and my body.

I have been following the Atkins Induction plan since July & after a recent (low carb induction friendly) BINGE have decided that, for the first time since I can remember, I will no longer focus on weight loss.

For so many years I have hyperfocused on restriction, calories, safe vs unsafe. I have NO frame of reference for what a "normal" persons' day of food looks like. I have never felt as if I could trust my own hunger cues. I would either deny them or endulge them endlessly.

I am opening this thread in hopes you will share your experience, advice and thoughts with me as I embark on this new chapter of "pre-maintenance & maintenance."

Thank you for reading!

Hi and welcome to premaintenance!!

Unfortunately, I've seen too many people get to this stage having stayed on Induction the whole time. You are not the only one who has ended up binging( low carb but stull binging) when staying on Induction...IMNSHO, way too long.

My advice for you is to start to add in carbs according to the Atkins OWL carb ladder....slowly. One item a week and monitor your self as you do it.

Being that I follow SB, my carb levels were always way more than 20 a day even in SB phase I. I was happy to add in fruit each day. I also enjoy starchy veggies like sweet potato or butternut squash.

My maintenance includes all the foods I ate to lose my weight and I have not felt the need to binge at all because I have lots of good carbs built into my plan.

I'm sure other Atkins followers will be along to share their experiences with you. We are each different and do need to devise a food plan for long term maintenance, that give us a large variety of foods to chose from daily.

You've done very well getting your weight off. Congrats!!
Now you need to devise a plan for your life.

I relate to your feeling that you don't have a clue what normal is in terms of food. I was in Overeaters Anonymous for 10 years. While I got a great deal of benefit from it, I never had a comfortable relationship with my food until I went on a LC WOE. The cravings I thought were emotional in origin mostly vanished, and I can now trust my hunger cues most of the time.

I weighed and measured a lot during my weight loss, and I still weigh and measure my protein, since an 8-oz portion of steak still looks small to my eye. ;-)

Anorexia and bulimia seem to be disorders that require a good deal more commitment and support to deal with than my garden variety compulsive overeating, but I hope that the LC WOE makes tackling your issues easier.