Atkins

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Good luck vibes for Kevy Baby!

Seriously, GD's mom was humongous! She looks totally different now. She exercises too. Suzanne Sommers knew what she was talking about, and I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen her melt away before my eyes.

Gotta get movin' Kevy, exercise is key.

[Kevy Baby]

Thanks all for the wells wishes, advice, comments, etc.

What I didn't get into previously is the connection between my depression (purely due to a chemical imbalance in the brain - been on meds for about 10 years and probably will be for the rest of my life) and weight. My depression starts taking over and I find myself becoming more sedentary and eating more. Which makes me more and depressed and, well, yo can see the cycle. I finally decided that it was getting out of hand and I needed to do something.

My job is EXTREMELY stressful to the point of pure exhaustion when I get home (usually after a 10-12 hour day). Often times on the way home, I try to get myself phsyched up to go for a walk or do SOMETHING that night. But I don't. I usually end up with my lazy butt parked on the couch watching TV or (now that the 'puter is up and running again) cruising the net and playing solitaire.

I hope (I don't even say "plan" at this point) to add excercise the mix. I know that it would help more than a change in diet. But after months of beating myself up over continually not excersizing, I decided that doing something was better than doing nothing. This was just the first step in trying to make myself better. I am hoping that I can kick-start my body with the diet towards other improvements in my life.

Life for me of late has not been very happy. If I get out and do things, I am okay. But my drive just keeps diminishing. I am in a downward spiral and I am finally doing something to end it. I have no delusions that the Atkins Diet will be my panacea. It is just simply the first step.

And I am dealing with this one day at a time. I have no specific goals ("lose 20 pounds by XX date") at this time - it is simply too much for me to try to think about it. I just have to plod along for now, doing the best I can.

Sorry - I didn't intend to make this my public whine forum. Sometimes it just helps me to get it out so that I can start the healing. Thank you for listening.

[Gemini Cricket]

Depression sucks. That's my personal dragon. Some days I take my sword out and try and fight him. Some days I win, some days he wins. Other days I sit and have green tea with him and we chat, it's okay to be sad sometimes... But I tell you, going for a jog helps. The seratonin kicks in and chases that depression away for a little while at least. I'm not on meds, but have been in the past.

[Not Afraid]

I love my meds. But, when I don't have them, I self-medicate. That's really bad.

I'll take fat over depression any day - although I'd like to have neither in abundance.

[Prudence]

I'm working up the nerve to go see the doc about weight loss and getting back on meds. I've been off meds for a few years (the one I was one went off the market so I decided to try going without) and ... well ... it's the spiral. It's so hard to get motivated to get off my butt and get on the treadmill when the voice in my head tells me that I suck so much that there's no point so you just sit yourself down, fatty, and watch some teevee.

Maybe you'll inspire me to get off my duff and make my own changes. Keep us posted!

[Gn2Dlnd]

Originally Posted by LSPoorEeyorick

My concern about Atkins is that everyone I've known that has gone off the diet has quickly gained back the weight.

You're absolutely right. All that means is that there is an issue with insulin.

(interrupting myself to mention that the Colbert Report's - it's French, Bitch! - Wørd of the day is "Love Handles")

The pancreas doesn't repair itself. Once it's gone out of whack, the only way to control insulin production is by limiting the thing that causes the pancreas to produce it in the first place. Carbohydrates. It's a great way to lose weight and avoid adult diabetes.

Insulin is the "master hormone." If you have too much, or too little of the stuff, you have problems. Hyperinsulinemia is more than likely the cause of obesity in most people.

I often compare my alcoholism to my hyperinsulinemia. If I drink, I have an unpredictable and often unpleasant reaction. Likewise, if I eat something high in carbs, a hormonal imbalance occurs, and I have an unusual reaction. Usually involving me, face-down, in the second pizza.

BTW, I noticed that my mood improved considerably once I stopped shooting my insulin through the roof. And as for exercise? A half-hour walk will do wonders.

[wendybeth]

KB- if you can get through the first week or so, you will notice several things: your sugar cravings (and for me, my potato/mashed/chipped/french fried cravings) pretty much disappear, and you will feel a lot more energetic. You will find the evening stroll after a long days work a whole lot easier to face then.

[Snowflake]

KB, I agree and concur with WB, making it through the first 4-7 days were the hardest on Atkins. Once you really DO cut out the sugar and all the no-no carbs, the cravings go away. Atkins, however, was not the diet for me (and I am unhappily one of those ex-Atkins who came out larger in the end).

I applaud your resolve to make a change in your life! That's the important step right there! 100% behind you and feel free to whine all you like, it's not an easy road.

With job stress like you and coming out of the tunnel of depression myself, exercise is making it's way back into my life and with a new attitude and a healthier diet, I'm hoping for slow and steady results to finally get down to a normal size (this will be a long haul for me).

You go! We're all with you, I know I am! You can do it!

Donna

[tracilicious]

Kevy, I've noticed that when I eat badly I have absolutely no motivation or energy to exercise. You might find that after a week or so you feel like taking that walk. I don't believe that Atkins is healthy in the long run, but maybe this change will be the first step towards a truly healthy lifestyle.

I woke up four pounds lighter this morning. I don't consider it real weight loss, because I had tons of soda this weekend and was retaining water like crazy, but it's nice to see the scale moving. It motivates me to eat well again today.

As for exercise, I have a really hard time fitting that in. I'm taking care of babies from 7am until 11pm (Indi and baby Jade are on opposite schedules), so practically the only exercise I can get is the mile walk to the park at night. I'll take it where I can get it though. I'm going to try to fit in a pilates video a few times a week at least.

How are you doing with the cravings, Kevy? I had more dark chocolate than I had planned yesterday, but still less sugar than I normally would eat. My savior the first week I did atkins was nuts. It satisfied the carb craving a little bit but wasn't actually cheating. You can make my chicken tortilla soup without the corn and it's atkins friendly.

[Kevy Baby]

So far, no cravings. Although I have a nasty headache today that I normally get from late-night sugar. Which is odd because Gn2Dnld and I had a low-carb dinner at the park last night (unbreaded fried chicken from the Plaza Pavilion with a side salad and green beans only plus a bottle of water).

Oh well. Stuff happens.