I have just finished the book and am completely committed to starting the Atkins diet immediately. My concern is that I have been on HRT for the past two years - mostly to alleviate the HOT FLASHES (horrendous!). I learned from the book that the diet won't work in conjunction with HRT, so I have decided to quit the hormone therapy. I also smoke cigarettes, so I guess I am confessing to aggravating my condition ! The cigarettes are also being tossed out, however. I am trying hypnosis very shortly and even if it doesn't work I am going cold turkey (I have already tried the gum, the patch etc. and feel that replacing nicotine with nicotine makes no sense at all, especially as these methods have a huge relapse rate once you stop using them).

My question is this: Does anyone know how long it will take the Premarin (HRT) to be flushed completely out of my system ? I have cut out carbs completely even though my official start date for the Induction stage is not for a few days. I want to make sure that I am not going to get poor results if I haven't rid myself completely of the HRT. Same question about the nicotine - how much is it's presence going to stall progress? And lastly - before I lose your attention completely ! - does anyone have any advice to relieve these hot flashes ? My poor body is feeling so grim !

Thanks for reading this ! !

Hi Puphappy, welcome to the forum!

I still take my HRT and will continue to do so. Yes, my weight loss is slow, but I am also on other medications that slow things down. But I am losing. I figure if I wasn't eating low carb, I would be continuing to gain weight, so slow weight loss is not really a problem for me.

Just wanted you to know that taking HRT doesn't mean you won't lose any weight at all.

When you say you have cut out carbs completely, I hope you just mean sugar and starches. This is not a no carb diet, but low carb. It really does help to get 20 grams worth of vegies daily.

And good on you for tossing the cigs. I don't know how much smoking affects weight loss, I just know that as an Intensive Care nurse, I see way too many patients with smoking related illnesses!

Cheers.

Rosebud

Hey Puphappy,
Welcome! I started this woe in May and continue to take .625 of Ogen daily. I don't loose fast but I am losing. Why make life 'tuffer'? Who needs hot flashes and the hrt is supposed to be good for your bones.
Good Luck!

Thanks Rosebud and Aks for the encouraging news ! I am still off of the HRT (for three days now) and haven't had any hot flashes - however, should they return - it's good to know I can simply go back to them. I have a concern, which I don't fully understand... I had a headache all day today, after four days of the diet. It pretty much took my appetite away in itself, but my partner suggested it may be due to a change of body chemistry and suggested I try eating carbs to see if it went away. Well, after a few slices of pizza it was still there and in desperation I ate a Joe Louis (a chocolate, cream filled cake) and the headache disappeared shortly afterward ! It seems the headache was due to a lack of sugar ! Could I be hypoglycemic ? Ordinarily I don't eat much sugar, but on the diet it has been zero grams and the small amount of carbs I have been allowing have been from veg. alone. Any ideas ? After the headache disappeared I returned to the diet, and now I am waiting to see if it recurs. I don't know if heachaches are a common affect or if they eventually disappear, has anyone else experienced this? Thanks again.

My dear Puphappy,

I'm afraid your partner was wrong and he was right. Many of us had/have headaches as we withdraw from the carbs.
So simply having more carbs will remove the headache, but as soon as you withdraw the carbs again, Mr Headache will probably come back. Sorry to give you such icky news!

The good news is that if you simply ride out feeling unwell for a few days, that's it for the headaches and general feeling of "unwellness." It's a great shame that Dr A doesn't explain this bit in his book. I guess if people read that there is a possibility they are going to feel awful for a day or two, no-one will want to try this WOE (way of eating).

So, no, you are probably not hypoglycaemic, but if you were, eating sugar is the worst possible thing to do. Eating more protein is a much better treatment than sugar.

So all you have to do is start again, accepting that you will feel a bit off for the first few days. After that, you will feel much better.

Matey, how about starting a journal here? I'll be only too happy to pop in to say hullo from time to time.

Rosebud

Thanks again, Rosebud ! I'm getting lot's of great information from this forum. Yes, you are right, the carbs did get rid of the headache and as you suggest, I am starting from scratch right away. Now that I know the headaches are normal, I think I can ride them out. To start a journal, do I simply press "reply" and the first icon for Message (the bit of paper)? Also, I noticed that your journal has lots of very technical information and that you have broken down each day into various amounts of each food and its values. Where do I find this info.? My partner is also on the diet (and is having better success than I am, the bugger). I have told him not to treat headaches this way, and he is sorry that he fixed my head, and stalled my diet - he is very supportive otherwise. You're a very good mentor, glad I have met you !

Best wishes, Pup

Hi Pup,

To start a journal, you go to the My Journal/Bootcamp section. They are arranged in alphabetical order according to your user name, so you will be in the M to Q section. Press "New Thread" when you get there, but after that just press "post reply" to add to your journal.
I decided to make it easy for you, just go here.
When you get there, make sure you read Doreen's announcement at the top. Lots of helpful info.

To get the stats of calories, carbs etc that you saw in my journal, go to www.fitday.com
You have to join but it's free. It's a bit fiddly to use, but this thread, on Fitday how to's will help.

And yes, men do seem to have it easier than us. On this WOE (way of eating), too.

Cheers, Pup.

Rosebud