OH gals,
I need some support in the worst way. I am having the worst weekend.....I have cheated 2 times this week and I feel like CR*P, I am sick and on the worst TOM ever, I have not had cravings like this even on TOM since the 1st week of Atkins. These cravings hit me like a ton of bricks, and they got the best on me twice this week, then after that I feel even more like cr*p! I think also why I feel so bad is because in the past when I have had a cheat I just go to the gym and work real hard, I am sick this time so I can't go and I feel horrible!!! Every time I cheat I feel farther and farther away, so that is why I am just calling you guys out to reel me back in. I have just wanted to be in hiding . HELP.......I know you guys are there for me so thanks in advance, sorry to be sucha cry baby, but I just feel like a sailing ship if that makes sense???!! (and not sailing into good waters)

Theo'sGirl--Sorry to hear you're feeling like crap. And ok. so you've cheated. Start fresh and get back on track. You know you can do it!! TOM is the WORST time to be on Atkins I feel. For me anyway. I get the worst case of munchies and never know what I can eat/munch on that won't screw things up. I've been hungry for muffins and I know that if I eat them I won't stop. So take yourself in hand. Get some celery and tell yourself it's done and over with. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

Oh Theo I'm so sorry your feeling so horrible. Hang in there! Stop and take a moment and look back on what all you have accomplished. You've come a long way and this one little lousy weekend is not going to destroy that. Pick yourself up and dust yourself off. I know you can do it! I hope you are feeling better soon, just take care of yourself and get better, the rest will be sure to fall into place. Don't give up!

TG: What to say, what to say....

The cravings, at some point or another, unfortunately get the better of the majority of us. I'm with Trazzie -- pull your head out of the fridge, pick yourself up off the kitchen floor, dust yourself off, and realize that this is something that is going to happen but also something from which you will recover. Understand, dear TG, that binges are a vicious circle. We crave, we eat, we feel like crap because we "blew it," we eat some more.....call it human nature!

Please don't feel defeated. Listen to Trazzie and look at how far you've come. Each of us has our own binge stories (some which are so bad they will never even make it to the pig-out confessions thread!). I'm sure there's probably someone out there who's made it through their entire weight-loss journey without a single "mistake," but we are real women with real lives fighting a real battle. There are going to be casualties and this was your weekend to wear the bullseye! This was just a little blip. So my advice is to go out to the grocery store and buy yourself something that IS on the plan but that you don't usually let yourself indulge in. Say, some really kick-a** seafood, steak, or fresh fish. Go home, make yourself a totally indulgent but legal meal and sleep well knowing you're okay and you'll recover!

Ashley - Take a moment to realize something....
People who do best at maintaining or losing weight are NOT those that NEVER cheat...rather they have this ability to "get re-focused". This was never a part of my lifestyle...when I lost control on one item, I would simply go off program completely.

So - think of this weekend as your challenge. You lost control - BUT - prove to yourself tomorrow morning that you DO HAVE IT IN YOU TO GET RE-FOCUSED!!!!! If you need a week of induction again to get the sugar/carb cravings out of your system - THEN DO IT!

I LOVE MONDAYS - because it allows me to start fresh.
Just give yourself a cutoff and show yourself that you do have that one KEY trait of all successful maintainers - you can gain control again!!!!

I KNOW you can do it - you've been doing so wonderfully!!!!
Kim

TG

The only thing I wanted to add is just to check back, if you keep a food journal that is, and see if there's anything you ate last week that might have caused this, was this a rebound craving from something or was it all psychological? If it was all a brain thing and you've been clean all week then my advice is to write up an emergency plan, honestly it sounds weird but can be very helpful. Write down 5 or so activities that you can do when you get a craving, non of which should involve the kitchen That way if they start again, pick something from the list and do it, it takes the panic feeling out of it and as long as your activites are long enough, the craving will pass. Have a plan don't let the brain go on autopilot that's when we get ourselves in the most trouble.

Otherwise, everything's been said and said very well, it's Monday, it's a new day and we're all here for you and we've all been there too.

Tummy

Theo: don't let this get to you. We all have these kind of downslides. Kim is right, get re-focused. You will, you know it. Read the cheat thread....that helped me tremendously. Once I saw that everyone was having the same kind of "slips" so to speak as I was then I felt more empowered. I don't know if that makes any sense at all but it worked for me. Then when the "no cheat" thread came up I was determined to post there! And I did!

Please, please, please feel better soon. Bring that ship back into port!

Thank you ladies...you advice is more helpful than you know. I am feeling better brain wise today, and the only thing i can think of cutting out of my diet is LC bread, I think that when i have it it makes me want "real" bread even more. I was just so darned depressed about the whole thing.

Thanks for the support you all are sooooo great, love you all!!! I am back and raring to go!

LOVE,
TG

TG, get rid of all the crap in your house that you are being tempted by. My down fall, even though its alowed is pepperoni, I could eat a stick a night, and all my efforts for the day is gone wooosh because of that (calories). I was thinking I really need to get rid of it tonight !!!!

How about trying induction for one week ? just to get you back on track.

Psssss... its okay to goof, ya know we're all human. You will rise above this

Thanks Leenie.

Thank god all the bad stuff ia already gone and I demanded that if DH brings home donuts again that he keep them in his room or eat them within hours of them getting here......don't leave a dozen in the kitchen with a woman on TOM!!! Bad scenerio!! I put the LC bread in th freezer too so that I can just take out a piece every once in awhile but not more than 1 piece every couple days because then I turn into "bread junkie"

Now if I could ditch this cold I would be in great shape and I could get back to the gym. All the crazy stuff at home is settling down too, so that should help also.

If any of you ever need any support just PM me or let me know cause I will be right there to return the favor. Thanks ladies!

TG

Hubby is on atkins maintenance, and I told him if he wants cookies or donuts, to go and get them but he'd better eat it b/4 he hits the door, or else I will. He's been really good about it. This past saturday night (he does this every weekend) he ate 2 pounds of italian cookies from the bakery. @_%&#&%#@* !! loloolol.

I know how you feel Leenie...luckily DH has his own room where he does all his "stuff" so he can hide thigs in there and I will be none the wiser. But he promised not to bring stuff in the house now too. And I told him the kids could have healthy snackes anyway so they don't need any sweets.

Have any of you tried the L-Glutamine for cravings??

I have not, but I am not a ggod pill taker, I have to be really careful about the pills i take or I get sick tummy from them. Has it helped with your cravings?

Theo's Girl..

Cravings can be a killer. I get them out of the blue. Sometimes it a commercial that triggers them. The other day I would have rolled someone over for a slice of pizza but I don't even like pizza. I don't understand why we get cravings but I know they are real and can be very powerful.

A few years back when I first did Atkins I had a very wise low carber tell me to feed my cravings with protien. This has saved my from cheating many, many times.

HTH,

ChrissyB