I have been on this site a few times and from what I have read, you all understand what I am feeling. I just want to cry. Why is it so hard to lose weight? Why can't I be like so many others that they can eat what is good for you and not have a hard time doing it. I LOVE To EAT!!! Why is it so hard? I have been on this diet for 4 days and I just miss my potatoes, bread and pasta so much. This is unreal, but it makes me sad, makes me want to cry. I am depressed and just do not understand why I have this addicition to food. Why can't I just stay away from the foods and not feel like a drug addict going through withdrawls. HELP!!!!

Hold strong this way of eating really does work. If you can just get through these first week you will start to feel better. And when you see a lose on the scale it will be all worth it. We are all together in this. Addiction is a hard thing to over come. Take care. Remember we are here for you.

Welcome to the Beach, Jane!

Hang in there! It really is tough at first, but it does get a little easier. I'm addicted to heavy duty carbs, but after sticking to this diet for 10 weeks, I can say I don't miss them anymore. I don't eat them b/c I know I will overeat...one little taste is never enough. I hope to get to a point where I can have a single serving once in a while and be satisfied.

Odd, isn't it, that when I first started this diet I didn't feel satisfied w/o bread, pasta, potatoes or rice, but when I was eating them, I wasn't satisfied unless I ate a whole lot of them.

Drink lots of water. Make sure you eat enough of the good stuff: lots of veggies and lean protein. Keep low fat cheese sticks, sugar free jello, sugar free popsicles, hummus, almonds, natural peanut butter, and any other safe snacks handy. Exercise regularly, even 10 minutes is better than none. Experiment with spices and safe sauces to add flavor. The recipes in this forum are VERY helpful, check them out if you have the time.

And most of all, be strong. I can not put into words how much this way of life has helped me. I feel HAPPY for the first time in over two years. I am so proud of myself, so confident with my body, and so much stronger than I ever thought I was. I know that you can feel that way about yourself, too. The cravings will pass if you stick with the plan, and no amount of carbs can substitute for feeling good about yourself. Please let us know how you're doing. We're all pulling for you! Good luck!

Carb cravings are a hard thing to fight but it gets better, honest. I used to be a binge eater though I never recognized it. I thought binge eaters would just grab anything and everything and eat it and that definitely wasn't me. I just couldn't control my portions at all and it was hard for me to keep leftovers of anything. Then I realized that I wasn't eating a lot and a lot of the wrong things. What changed it for me is I had the realization that I am worth working on myself and I am worth eating healthy and exercising and I am worth losing weight.

Hang in there, you can do it.

hang in there!! we all have rough patches do your best and try to control your cravings with beans, or other proteins they really help fill you up. in a few more days you should feel much better. check in here often the support is amazing!! you CAN do this!!

{{{{{{{Jane}}}}}}} You're going through carb withdrawls and it's not fun. They can make you pretty

Hang in there for a few more days and you'll start to feel better, I promise!!

Rose

Oh, sweetie... We all know just how you feel. Hang in there, Jane.

The first 4-5 days are REALLY tough! Hang in there! After two weeks you will have lost weight and your measurements will be smaller. You will also stop craving these foods. After you have been drinking water and exercising for awhile you will miss it when you don't get it. You will also feel a bit yuk if you eat a big stodgy meal with no veges because your body will be used to all this healthy food. This makes the long term goal of losing much easier.

Thanks for your support. I cannot believe how hard it is....I can do this!!

Yes you can do this! You need a few days of success and see even a little weight loss and that is so energizing! It's the pits those first days. You can do it.

I'm climbing back on the wagon after a 2 week binge. I started at the end of January and did NOT cheat one time. No candy, no cake, no bad stuff at all. I may have overdosed a few times on foods that were legal, but was pure as the driven snow.....THEN major stress this last two weeks. Huge deal for me, son coming home after being in Japan for two years. Older son coming home across the country with wife and 3 young sons, Oldest child driving from halfway across the country to be with us during this big event. All of my children home at once for the first time in years!!!! I TOTALLY blew it!

SO, tomorrow on the wagon to the beach I go!!!! Will be going through the cravings, and the crankies and the depression. But I know I will feel better! Hang in there, you aren't alone!!! {{{{{{{HUG}}}}}}}}

Hey Jane, I'm in the same boat. I have a fear of being hungry, I guess. One way I manage my day is to start with a big breafast. I'll scramble 3 eggs with a little boiled ham in it. Then I'm not really hungry for lunch, but I eat anyway, then by dinner again I'm not that hungry, but I make a good dinner, stay with my menu, then the biggie....I DO NOT eat anything again until breakfast the next day. I just got on the scale and I'm down 6 pounds and it won't be a week until tomorrow. The one thing I keep in my mind is not to buy anything in a package. Oh yeah, one more thing. I make brewed tea with Splenda and drink that all day long, it helps me a lot. Since I need to lose over 120 pounds and I'm 64 years old with some bad knees, I'm trying to make this a life chage, not a diet.

Hi Jane, I remember days 3-5 as the worst days on the plan. Persevere and you'll get through to the good stuff.

Have you ever been on a plane, taking off into clouds and seeing all the gloom and grey around you? Then suddenly you are through the cloud cover and up in the sunny sky, wondering what grey even looks like. It'll be like that very soon.

Hang on. Keep posting.

Oh, Laurie, you put this perfectly!!! :

That is exactly how I felt/feel. Those carbs never filled me up...I just wanted more and more and more! (I suppose that is why I feel so akin with alcoholics and those with an addiction to drugs...sugar is my drug of choice.)

Jane, I'm so sorry that this is so hard for you, but please, please know that you are not alone!!! So many Americans are dealing with exactly what you are dealing with, but not all of them are taking the important step that you are to break this addiction!!!

I'm glad, in your second post, that you sounded much more cheerful. The first 3-5 days are the hardest, and if you don't cheat, you won't ever have to go through them again. LaurieX is right...you totally won't be craving these things if you don't eat them. You might crave them in your mind...see someone eating them and think, "That looks good", but you won't be craving them with your body...on your knees just wanting one more. You know how that is, and so do I. It's a place we don't want to ever go back to.

If you find that cutting the carbs out is not enough...that you still binge with the food we are allowed to eat, you might consider joining Overeaters Anonymous. You can find out more about the program at www.oa.org I have found it extremely helpful.

sweetie, and lots of that you are lifted out of the mires of despair into the hope of eating clean!

Heidi, what a perfect description!

BTW, congratulations on your success...you are more that 25 pounds down! Wow!!!

You may need larger portions at the start. Remember to eat until you feel satisfied but no more. I had larger portions of meat with my main meals and would often have an extra snack in the first few days of phase one then cut back once I got used to it. I was hungry all the time if I didn't do this but it passed after a few days. You can't expect to cut out the potatoes and still feel satisfied because you are actually eating less calories. Your body knows this. The part I found a bit annoying is that I craved starch and sweet food not vegies! Oh well ... to be expected I guess.