Hi All,

I'm brand new to this site and am so thankful I've found it! I've been doing Atkins for six weeks and have lost 26.5 inches to date. I can't tell in pounds because I can't find a scale on which I can register...yet.

I've noticed a few things , though, and I need to know if anyone else has experienced the same as me. First, the insomnia! Sometimes I feel too wired to sleep and this can last for days. Is this normal? Then there's the absolute desperation for carbs at least one day of my period. I feel like a savage that day and all I can think about is the texture of a certain food that isn't meat, cheese, eggs or veggies. Luckily, it only lasts one day but it's a VERY long day. I think my only other issue is that I have to cook much more than I'd like for this lifestyle. I miss convenience foods. When I need to eat something I have to prepare it and that can be a pain at times. I can probably cook ahead but that requires advance planning and I'm not quite there yet. Any advice for this?

Now for the upside: I don't hurt! This is a very big deal. After three days I couldn't believe how great I felt, and still feel. And I have so much more time now because I'm not constantly seeking and eating. AND my clothes are getting too big! I'm hooked on this lifestyle and never feeling hungry again.

Thanks for listening. I look forward to getting to know you all much better!

Sus

Welcome Sus!!

You're doing great! WTG!! I can't help you with the insomnia problem. Right now, I'd probably pay for a little insomnia, I have 2 small kids who are up and down every couple hours during the night, so when there's sleep to be had....I'm there!!! LOL!

As for the insane carb craving for a day of your period, I'm right there with you!! It's the only time where I just outright crave carbs like a mad-woman! It was the same for me pre-LC, but 1000x worse. Y'know what I do? I tend to just eat a lot that day. I eat a LOT of legal foods. I'll do a piece of turkey jerky...if that doesn't do it, I'll make a salad...if that doesn't do it, I'll move on to some almonds...if that doesn't kick it, I'll have a mock danish. It's bad, but I pretty much keep rotating what I eat and mix it up, nuts, meat, veggies, cheese and drink lots of water. I keep myself from having off-plan carbs, which would be worse. I know if I have even 1 bite, I'll binge like there's no tomorrow. Sorry I can't really help you with what to do about it, but here's a ((((HUG)))) and a little camraderie.

Cheers!

Jen
Started Atkins 5.5.03
196/181/155

Thanks, Jen.

I perked up a little when I saw the words "mock danish", what is that? I make mock root beer floats for a touch of decadence in my life, but I'm open to suggestions.

Sus

Welcome, Sus! Congratulations on the big inches loss - that is wonderful success!

One of the fun things about this WOE is discovering new foods and discovering new ways to use familiar foods.

For my part, I discovered that I actually enjoy cooking more. I'd forgotten that cooking can be fun.

Look in Low Carb Cooking section for some great ideas: Low Carb Cooking I particularly recommend Marcies Cauli Mash (New Twist on an Old Favorite). It's actually pretty easy to make: nuke the cauliflower, grind it in a food processor, add cheeses and grind some more, then reheat in the microwave. I no longer bother to melt the cheeses before adding them to the cauliflower - I can't tell the difference in the finished product.

Since you are no longer in the induction phase, you can (cautiously) add some additional foods back to your diet: nuts, berries, pork rinds.

With the addition of nuts and nut flours, you can make legal (small) servings of cookies, muffins, or cakes.

Despite the convenience, I recommend avoiding most ready-made protein bars. They contain glycerine and sugar alcohols (maltitol, sorbitol, xylitol, etc.), which cause many people to stop losing weight.

Since I've been reading the LCE forums, I've picked up recipes for bread substitutes that make nice sandwiches (Susanne Sommer's Spinach "bread" and Revolution Rolls). If you think you want to experiment with a little baking, say so and I'll post the recipes.

~~~Teelbee

174 (Mar. 2002, highest weight), 164 (Jan. 2003, begin LC)
164/135/137-134
remember, amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic

I've had some sleeping problems since starting Atkins, and usually I sleep like a rock. However, I started birth control after one week of induction (and have since stopped: after just one cycle), and started jogging 40 minutes 6 of 7 days. So I've had a hard time figuring out what is the dietary change, what is exercise change, and what is the hormonal change. I've been sleeping better in the past week or so, not as deep as before but better.

So, I just thought I'd chime in about my fitful sleeping, even though I can't pin it down to just one cause.

A few years ago I was troubled by my inability to get to sleep, until I figured out that it had a lot to do with working at a coffee shop and having two double lattes at 8pm I had previously thought that I was unreactive to caffeine, HA!

Good luck finding sleep Sus, and welcome!
xoxo

Thank you all for the warm welcomes!

I've been paying closer attention to the circumstances that may be leading me to the dreaded insomnia. It seems that when I don't eat dinner (not hungry- heehee) I sleep like a rock. When I eat later (or go to bed earlier) I don't sleep at all. I've done my fair share of laundry at midnight! By 4 or 5 in the morning I'm exhausted but have to get ready for the day. UGH!

To be fair, I did have problems pre-LC but the condition was the opposite- I could get to sleep right away but I'd wake up in the middle of the night. Now I have trouble falling asleep but the quality of the sleep I do get is great.

It could be that the Universe is telling me to exercise more to burn up the energy...

Until this gets straightened out I'll be...
Sleepless Sus

I noticed that I was sleeping a lot less on this diet as well. I chalked it up to the increased intake of Protein. I have so much energy because of it!

I actually took a nap with my kids on Saturday, and I was up until 1:30 am that night. I SO didn't need that nap, and wasn't even tired when I took that nap! That was the first nap since July 1st I have taken and I used to be the "Queen of Naps"!

More protein = More Energy!

Valerie, 35
Wife to Shaun (36),
Mother to Madison (2) and Jackson (6 mo)
Weakness? CHOCOLATE!

5'4"
LC 7/1/03
243(pregnant)/216 (prepregnancy)/207(now)/145 goal

Hmmm... Insomnia? That's strange.

***********************
"Sometimes I think you have to march right in and demand your rights, even if you don't know what your rights are, or who the person is you're talking to. Then on the way out, slam the door."