[Joga]

Hi, All!

I am a 26 year old admin assistant married to my wonderful H for 5 years. We have two "kids"--a beagle mutt and a terrier mutt.

I have been normal weight my entire life until a horrible debilitating bout of anxiety had me turning to food for comfort about 3 years ago. My anxiety is now under control (thank God for Zoloft!) but the weight still is managing to creep up.

I am 5'7" (on a good day lol) and I've always hovered around 140-145. I am now up to 225.

My main problem is sweets. I can never get enough and they send me into binges daily. I know the first step in losing the weight is going cold turkey on the sweets. I'm strongly considering Atkins.

Anyway, thanks in advance for all the advice and support. Looking forward to posting my "goal" photos someday.

[BuffJim]

Hi Joga,

Welcome - There is some good news. I have cut back my servings of sweets from 3 or 4 times a day, sometimes with much larger than 200 calorie servings (bowl of ice cream, handfuls of cookies, donuts or large pieces of cake or pie), down to 1 or less a day. Now my typical serving is a Dove dark chocolate bar, 190 calories or so. As you taper down, I think you lose some of the taste for sweets. Do you drink diet soda? My own opinion is that diet sodas do more harm than good in losing weight. I rarely drink the stuff anymore. Best wishes and welcome to the forum.

[LeoTheLioness]

Hi Joga! Welcome to the 3FC forum. You'll find wonderful support & resources here. I DEFINITELY understand the "sugar addiction." I LOVE bread & pastries! Once you start decreasing your intake, you won't crave them anymore.

I joined Metabolic Research Center to assist me with this lifestyle change. Their plans are VERY low carb. While attending "Food Class" there was a question about Atkins. While I can't remember the response verbatim, I do remember the counselor saying something to the effect that people on the Atkins diet lose weight because it is no carbs, however, when carbs are reintroduced into the diet, the individual's body has a difficult time processing them and most likely, the carbs are automatically stored as fat. Atkins is not sustainable over a period of time. I urge you to do your own research, draw your own conclusion & do what you think is right for you! Good luck!

[patchworkpenguin]

Joga, welcome, glad to have you join us. I suggest you look for a Challenge or Support group to join; small check-in groups make it easier to connect, get involved, and be accountable. We have groups centering around specific diet plans, themes, or age groups, so find one that inspires you and just post to join! Be sure to check out the 20-somethings

[MsDianne]

Hi Joga! I feel you with the sugar addiction. My therapist once told me that sugar is basically edible crack.. The more you eat, the more you crave. It really is a vicious cycle. In my pre-lifestyle change days, I would just snack and snack and snack and snack. It was terrifying, really, when I think about the road I was on!
It's not an easy habit to kick, but I have faith! You can curb the cravings and shed the weight.
I look forward to seeing you around!

[srmb60]

Welcome!

Yup, what MsDianne said. There's stacks of scientific explanations for this but ... simply put ... sugar can make you want more sugar. As you cut sugar way way down, you'll begin to notice fabulous flavours that you have forgotten.