So here's the deal. The past week or so I've noticed a new problem at night. More so last night and it scared the crap out of me. As I mentioned before in another post, I've gained 20 pounds recently. I've gone from feeling okay to feeling awful. The new problem is that when I start to doze off, I'm having trouble breathing, I startle awake, take a big gulp of breath and then start to doze off again. It went on for about 15min before I finally went to sleep.

I'm scared.

In the past few days I've gone from starting a low cal diet, to researching weight loss surgery, deciding against that, to a new plan I cooked up about 10 minutes ago while talking to my husband.

The new plan is this:
Lose 50 pounds on Atkins
switch to
Southbeach for the next 50 pounds
and finally a
LowCal approach for the last 37 pounds.

My idea is that by starting with Atkins, I will a) have an initial fast weight loss that will at least get me breathing at night again b)bring me a steadier increase in exercise ability.

Southbeach will help me transition between atkins and lowcal.
Lowcal will give me the oppurtunity to eat in every setting (family dinners, birthdays, etc.) that southbeach and atkins won't. Besides the fact that I can't imagine not feeling safe to eat certain foods ever again.

Think it will work? I know it's a lot of babbling but I haven't thought it through totally yet.

you may be experiencing what is called "Sleep Apnea", this sometimes occurs if you are very overweight or have a breathing disorder. Please call your primary doc. and explained what has happened. He may refer you to a pulmonologist for a test called a "sleep study". or it might be a stress-related thing.....(I have panic episodes where I have trouble breathing when I lay down)

at any rate, you'll want to let your phyisician know what is going on and maybe get a referral to both a nutritionist and pulm. doc. good luck!

Yup like marbleflys said sounds just like Sleep Apnea my girlfriend had that and she was put on a machine to help her sleep and possible medicine.
You should see your doctor asap. Because they need to know and help you with this. Youll be alright but they will say losing weight will help.
So just get yourself to your doctor.

I agree, you definitely want to see a doc about that. I actually had the same thing happen to me, but mine was caused by the acid reflux. Yep, I know it sounds funny, but as my doc had explained to me, when I sleep, the acid can rise up and sort of "go in to the wrong pipe". As soon as I started taking generic prevacid, it went away.
But the most important thing here is that you don't really know if it's a sleep apnea or acid reflux until you go to a doctor. So, do that as soon as possible.
As far as your plan, it sounds fine if you can stick to it and I'm not the one to advise, I just know that Atkins and any other kind of low-carbing didn't really work for me. I had a really hard time sticking with it. But there are people who swear by it, so it might be just what you need. Starving is definitely not a good idea. Maybe once you figure out what caused your breathing problems you can think about it calmly and with no pressure and just start experimenting to see what works for you. I had a thread just today about check it out and see if it might help you.

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=65485

Judging by the fact that you've consideredthe WL surgery, you sound a bit panicky and desperate. No offence to you or anyone out there who had a WL surgery, but it really should be your absolutely last resort.


The important thing is not to panic, solve the first things first (breathing) and then tackle the weight.

I don't do well on Atkins either. The excess protein stresses kidney function and I NEED fiber.....difficulty in elimination always shows up on the scale and frustrates me to pieces. I'm not following a formal plan, just daily cardio, some weights, less carbs, sugar & fat, more fresh veggies & fruit.

small steps, less stress...

Hi and thanks for the replies.
I just saw my doc this past week as well as a nutritionist. I have acid issues that the doctor said will be relieved by weight loss. As for the breathing I think my large umm....chest area and the added 20pounds are just putting too much in the way of lung expansion when I'm laying down. A medication I am on caused the weight gain.
As far as the WLS. I agree. And it does show how panicky I have felt the last few days. I never thought I would even contemplate it, let alone research it.
I tried Atkins before and didn't do too well (have a meat aversion) but I figure it's time to just bite the bullet and get moving. I'm doing the atkins for just a short period so I can get rid of the recent weight gain and a little extra, if I can't stick with it for what should be a relatively short period than I'm at a loss.
I don't want to stay on Atkins or South Beach long term, I just want to use them as tools to get me to a point where the need for weight loss doesn't seem so immediate. Neither of them are eating plans that I feel I could stick to for the rest of my life. I make a killer lasagna
For now there are just too many good healthy foods that I love for me to possibly lose weight low cal.
Again, thanks for the replies.

If you can, I'd suggest checking in with your nutritionist before starting the whole atkins - sbd - low cal process. From what I've heard, atkins will indeed cause you to drop a significant amount of weight in a relatively short period of time. But, I think as soon as you move away from the low carb eating, it comes right back. Someone with a little more experience with these eating plans can correct me here...

I just wanted to mention it, because it would sure stink to lose a bunch of weight, and then switch to SBD and find yourself right back where you started.

Whatever you choose, good luck!

paula

Okay...I don't recommend doing the Atkins/South Beach/Calorie Counting transition thing.

It seems to me that you are wanting to go on a diet to lose weight in the quickest way possible, rather than change your lifestyle. Changing your lifestyle-including your daily activity level and your THINKING about food-is key to KEEPING the weight off. What use is it to lose 10, 30, or 100 pounds-if you are not committing to a new way of life, so that the pounds stay away?

Second, I do not recommend anyone go on Atkins if they have a meat aversion. No way. You are setting yourself up for failure there. I hate pickles and mayo, and that would be like me going on a pickle and mayo sandwich diet.
If you are going to succeed, you have to decide to change your lifestyle for the long haul, not go on a "diet"-and you have to choose a plan that suits YOU. Atkins for someone with a meat aversion isn't such a great choice. Neither is choosing a vegetarian lifestyle for someone who does not like any kind of beans or soy. (Some of the main sources of protein for vegetarians)
You shouldn't choose to start with Atkins, a plan that you will have a lot of trouble sticking with-just to lose a lot of initial weight "quick".
It is better to lose 10 or 20 pounds slow and keep it off forever-than it is to lose 20 in a month, and gain it back by next year.

Just my opinion,
Aphil

Hi aphil,
Thank you for taking the time to comment on my plan. I realize after reading my first post again, that it comes across wrong. I was in a hurry when I wrote it.
I first want to say that I understand the keys to long term successful weight loss. I don't plan to lose 137 pounds quickly. Atkins is only for the initial weight loss. Weight that is currently putting my health in jeoprady. I can tell you honestly that I'm probably around 5 pounds from diabetes. I have had the warning symptoms for years. Losing that first 50pounds of weight at 1-2 pounds a week isn't an option. In the past month I've begun to have aches in places that never hurt, none of my clothes fit, breathing difficulty that I never had before. A month ago I could wrestle with my kids on the lawn, almost beat my husband in foot races, all that is gone. I'm not willing to wait 10-12 months it would probably take to be able to move again. I'm not willing to damage my health further. And yes I do understand that low carb diets carry their own set of risks. I also can't stop the medicine that caused the recent gain. I also realize that my meat aversion will make it difficult, but not so difficult that I can't do it. If the only thing standing between me and serious health problems is a peice of meat, I'll eat the meat. The other benefit for me is that Atkins will help me beat my carb, sugar issues. Which brings me to the transition.
South Beach isn't as carb restrictive as Atkins. I can begin having healthy good carb foods while still loosing. Also south beach isn't fast weight loss, it maybe slightly more than an average low cal diet. The thing is, I need to learn the differences in the food I'm eating. Low cal hasn't taught me anything except what foods are low cal. I have no problem with cals. I have no appetite. That probably doesn't make sense considering low cal is part of my plan. The difference will be that I will be able to choose those calories better and more healthy.
I want my end result to be exactly what you mentioned. Permanent weight loss and eating healthy. I tried Atkins before and know that if I'm not careful I will gain back what I lost and more. I need to learn the lessons that all three of these plans will teach me. It may not work, I may end up failing miserably. All I can do is try.
I started today and I feel great. None of the usual dizziness, and nausea that has plagued me for so long.
I hope that explains better what I'm trying to do. I'm not looking for a quick fix except for the initial lost. I want to live a life where I'm not afraid of every thing I put in my mouth. I can only pray I'll succeed. And I'm very active even with the recent issues.
Thanks

My 2 cents: Why don't you just do SBD right off? I've heard of great success stories of folks on Phase I.... IMHO it's just more balanced and healthier lifestyle and will be better for you in the long run. If you gained the 20# in such a short time, chances are that it will come off quite quickly if you restrict your calories and exercise, I doubt it would take 10-12 months to lose those 20#....

Like I said just my 2 cents...

I had a similar thought to Ilene--why not just do SBD? Phase 1 of South Beach is almost exactly the same as Atkins anyway, and you can stay in Phase 1 for as long as you like (they say at least 2 weeks, but when I did SBD, I stayed in Phase 1 for more like 2 months for fear of adding the good carbs back in!). the only reason I think Atkins is semi-evil is that it says saturated fats are okay, cholesterol is okay, etc...basically, it says you could eat lard from a bucket with a spoon so long as you don't add sugar or eat it with bread To me, that may help you to lose weight which could help your current problems, but it will probably just replace your current problems with others (high BP, high cholesterol, etc.). Just my 2 (or 3) cents

In any case, I still hope you see someone about the sleeping problem. If you're having difficulty breathing to the point that it wakes you up when you're not fully asleep yet, then chances are, you're stopping breathing multiple times throughout the night once you are completely asleep (sleep apnea, as others have suggested), which isn't good. Besides losing weight, there are other ways a doctor may be able to help you with this. Skinny people can have sleep apnea, too

And just as an aside, I was diagnosed as being "pre-diabetic" years ago (in my late teens) due to poor glucose tolerance test results. This happened multiple times over the course of about a year--I kept having high sugar, sugar in my urine, etc...I have since GAINED weight (at least 50 pounds since that diagnosis) but have had better control over my sugar intake, and I no longer have problems when they test me for diabetes--all test results (fasting, immediately after a meal, at a routine appt., etc.) have been normal for at least 4-5 years now, so how much you weigh is not directly related to whether or not you will have diabetes (just a comment on your "5 pounds away from diabetes" comment, though I'm sure it was meant sarcastically ).

I'm going to have to have a lood at SBD. It's sounding pretty familiar. But I'm going biking first and then I'll think of a helpful answer.

I'll definately look into doing south beach first instead of Atkins, I have both books. I didn't even think of that. My only thought was to do a drastic cut and then I guess you would say, relearn how to eat.

Headed for the bookshelf.

I agree with Ilene. I would start SBD right off-it has a 2 week induction period SIMILAR to Atkins-but healthier. All the meat and things in the induction period are LEANER meats-not bacon and regular hamburger. It also allows a few things that are not allowed in Atkins induction such as nuts, etc.
I personally think SBD is a lot healthier than Atkins, because it encourages leaner meats and you are avoiding the bad fats and unheathy meats like bacon.

As far as the diabetic comment goes-I know how you feel. I was gestational diabetic with both of my children, which caused BIG babies and birth complications, a particular diet through my pregnancy with excessive weight gain for me during that period, and blood sugar testing periodically throughout the day. I am also at very high risk for adult onset diabetes. I have chosen not to have any more children because it puts my health at risk, and heightens my probability of getting adult onset diabetes even further.

I committed myself to losing weight in a slow and healthy manner, losing 1-3 pounds a week the first month or so, and I am FINE.

scrunchkin, honey. listen to me. for your health's sake, please address the sleep apnea FIRST, before going on any eating program. here's the deal. you've said that the recent 20 pound weight gain was basically the last straw, as far as your mobility. the fact that you stopped breathing and were lucky enough to wake up suggests that you've had apnea for awhile.

apnea ALONE will cause the lack of energy and the respiratory problems, and WILL HINDER WEIGHT LOSS EFFORTS. let me explain [and i'll try to be brief, but the bottom line message is that i know this from experience].

i gained weight on 800 calories. i weighed 500 pounds. when they FINALLY diagnosed my sleep apnea, and put me on the CPAP [aka the breathing machine], i lost about 50 pounds in 2 months. yes. you read that right. and i asked many docs why. the only decent answer i got was from a lung doc, who said that my body hadn't been getting enough oxygen, and now that i WAS getting good old O2, i had a metabolism...

in many ways, it makes sense to lose a few pounds with the hope that the apnea will go away, but the apnea may make it very very hard to lose just those few pounds.

you're right to try everything possible before having weight loss surgery. however, if your best efforts don't work and you've genuinely tried everything possible over and over and over again, considering the surgery is NOT a sign of weakness, nor is it the easy way out...

we're here for you, darlin.