Stalled or gaining on induction??

[martiangurll]

Originally Posted by PattyInTemecula

Hello Everyone, I'm new to this site and am very happy to have found it. I started induction about a week ago - I'm down about 5 pounds. I've tried low carb on the Kimkins plan with very limited success. I was very depressed and lost interest quickly. This is my first shot with Atkins.

Congrats on getting back into low carb and 5 lbs lost. Atkins may be easier to stick with because it tastes better with higher fat allowance. Also, what many folks don't know, is that ironically the more fat you eat, the more fat you lose!

[Carola]

I'm continually stalled and I'm in re-grouping mode right now. I'm on Induction since March 1. I haven't had any junk at all, I've never been so good in my life. BUT...every pound lost is a frigging struggle and I'm tired of it. I'm sorry, but eating the way I do I expect faster loss. I'm probably within 20 pounds of my goal, and I know it's supposedly harder to lose at that point, but isn't 1 to 1.5 .lbs a week reasonable?

I think I'm the most carb sensitive insulin producing person on earth.

SOOOO, my latest approach is this:

10g carbs max, possibly less. I seem to do best at 10-15.
No dairy AT ALL.
No coffee.
More eggs
no veggies except lettuce, limit that to 2 cups or less.
More fat
More water

I know that sounds silly, but everything else is gone gone gone and I can't figure out what else to do.

My calories tend to be low, but I'm not going to worry about that end of things. I was just reading Atkins '72 and he basically said count carbs, not calories. Since I'm not on the high side of the calorie equation, I'm not going to worry.

[PattyInTemecula]

I noticed if I don't eat enough calories in the day my weight loss is slower.

[can't weight]

Hi All!

I'm starting week 4 of induction. I lost 10 the first 2 weeks. Then last week gained 3 back- TOM. I have now lost one of those 3 again- but expected them to fly off after TOM left. I drink loads of pure water- at least 10-12 cups a day- I'm always in the toilet.

I am also having a hard time controlling my calories. Now I know that we are not to count our calories- but mine are wavering between 2500 and 3000 a day. I'm stick to below 20g carbs a day. I don't cheat at all and even count the minute carbs in diet drinks and SF jello. Both of which I only have on occasion. My appetite was suppressed during the 2nd week of induction but has come back with a vengeance these past 10 days. I am eating small meals/snack every 3 hours at least. Has anyone else had a huge appetite while still on induction? I get plenty of fat and protein- my ratios are 70%fat- 25%protein-5% carbs.

The only stall item I can think of is HWC. I usually have at least 2tbsp a day. Sometimes 4 if I have SF Jello that day- but the cream is whipped so 4tbsp whipped not liquid.This week I'm not buying any HWC or diet drinks.

Any ideas on the weight gain?

[fatisyummy]

Originally Posted by can't weight

I am also having a hard time controlling my calories. Now I know that we are not to count our calories- but mine are wavering between 2500 and 3000 a day. I'm stick to below 20g carbs a day. I don't cheat at all and even count the minute carbs in diet drinks and SF jello. Both of which I only have on occasion. My appetite was suppressed during the 2nd week of induction but has come back with a vengeance these past 10 days. I am eating small meals/snack every 3 hours at least. Has anyone else had a huge appetite while still on induction? I get plenty of fat and protein- my ratios are 70%fat- 25%protein-5% carbs.

I'm in exactly the same boat. I haven't ever experienced the magical loss of hunger that is supposed to come with ketosis. I could always eat, and often do. AT 70% fat those calories add up.

[martiangurll]

Patty, are you eating enough fats and protein? If you have been on calorie restricted diets before you may need to jumpstart your metabolism and you may not be used to the amount of food you can eat and lose weight with Atkins...

Cantwait, I have a link for you Impatience Killed The Cat .. or Why To Stop Obsessing and Tweaking ...

explains how you can still be losing fat tissue via lipolysis (fat burning) as confirmed by ketones in the urine but the scale is actually going up...very interesting thread

basically, your body is anticipating you will eventually eat carbs again and it is holding onto water. if you stay off the carbs, it will at some mysterious point decide to let go of the water and the weight will come off in a whoosh (a few pounds) which we affectionally refer to as getting a visit from the Whoosh Fairy...

[Artemesia]

We are all different, nothing is cut and dried, what works for one, won't work for another. I said earlier that I couldn't lose the weight until I addressed my stress but there was another thing I found really helpful which flies in the face of all dietry advice. I have a very healthy appetite and until I gained 5 stones in a few months due to thyroid and associated problems, I'd never had to diet in my life (I'm 63). The thing I found most difficult was recognising the signs of satiety. It's all very well saying stop after eating half, put knife and fork down, think "am I still hungry?", eat a bit more, do it again. When eating alone, it's boring and I never got the feeling I was full somehow.. Doing the exact opposite helped for me. I would sit down to lunch with a really absorbing book, magazine, crossword, sudoku puzzle, wordsearch....whatever.... and completely lose myself in it so that I was only taking occasional mouthfuls of food.
Because I was mentally removed from obsessing about how much I was eating, how much was left on the plate etc. I found to my surprise that it took around 30-40 minutes for me to feel full, which is an awful long time if you have nothing else to focus on apart from what is on your plate.
I found I was often unable to finish the food and I now recognise the signs of satiety so my brain seems to have learned from the experience.I am now confident in my body's ability to decide what it needs.
Sometimes we have to think outside the box and not adopt a one-size-fits-all mentality, because it doesn't.
It goes without saying that sitting in front of the T.V. mindlessly snacking won't teach us anything!

[can't weight]

artmesia- that is a good trick. I will have to try it. I was a life long memeber of the clean plate club- so I find it hard to recognise my signs of satiety. Only when I knew if I kept eating I would become uncomfortably full would I stop. I think I often ignore the signs if there are a few bites left. It is a hard habit to unbreak!

[Artemesia]

Originally Posted by can't weight

artmesia- that is a good trick. I will have to try it. I was a life long memeber of the clean plate club- so I find it hard to recognise my signs of satiety. Only when I knew if I kept eating I would become uncomfortably full would I stop. I think I often ignore the signs if there are a few bites left. It is a hard habit to unbreak!

It is, and you have my sympathy. The brain is a wonderful thing. For 50 years, I practically licked my plate clean because "children are starving in Africa" and because, if we didn't eat all our school dinner, we had to take it into class and finish it, and weren't allowed home when school finished until we had (Oh! The good old days!). I was programmed to finish what was on my plate and my portions were never small so I kinda lost touch with reality and luckily, I wasn't prone to weight gain.
It took less than a month to identify the 'full' signal and now, I sometimes leave food on the side of my plate because I've had enough....and I don't feel guilty!Realistically,those couple of forkfuls of food are not going to address world hunger. If you give your brain a little guidance, it will do the rest.

[laranda]

hello all,
I'm new to this site. I did atkins about a year ago and the weight flew off. I really felt like I didn't even try at all. I lost 20 lbs in two weeks and gained it all back and then some.

Anyway, this time around it's a little harder. It's been two weeks and I've lost 4 lbs, which seems more like fluctuating weight to me. But I'm trying to stick with it.

And for those still experiencing hunger, or stalled in weight loss, are you getting enough veg? That always makes me full...even if it's not the most appetizing

[phatjow]

Laranda... I'm in the same place as you.. I have just finished my two weeks. I've lost 4 lbs.. which is the same 4 lbs I've been losing and gaining over and over.. I also have days when I'm experiencing hunger...I don't want to throw in the towel.. but I'm a bit discouraged..

[Hjtgeo]

I am posting today's lunch hoping to see if I made any errors.. Turkey burger with 1 slice pepperjack and 1 slice Swiss cheese.. Tomato and avocodo... Steamed broccoli with parm. Cheese on top ... Is this induction ok

[can't weight]

yup - it's all induction friendly- but you have used up your cheese for the day. 3-4oz adds up quickly! Also make sure you are counting the carbs. Tomato and broccoli are higher carb veggies- so you would probably need to stick with salad veggies for the rest of the day.

[verycherry68]

One thing that definitely helps suppress my appetite is eating a pretty big breakfast. I've always been the type to eat out of boredom, etc., but Atkins + allowing myself a big breakfast definitely makes me less hungry throughout the day. I'm usually not even hungry for lunch, so I'll just have a couple small snacks throughout the afternoon to hold me over until dinner.

Breakfast ideas:
-Big omelette (3-4 eggs + ham or turkey + 1 slice of cheese, torn into little pieces) and a few slices of bacon on the side
-Taco eggs (1/2 lb ground beef, browned and topped with a little taco seasoning or whatever spices you like + 2 scrambled eggs + half an avocado, sliced + shredded cheddar cheese + diced jalapenos + a little salsa)

[VivGabriola]

Thank you Theresa for writing the wonderfully long message about weighing yourself and what real weight loss is. I was getting discouraged about not losing much weight by the end of one month on the program. Was following the program pretty strictly with not a lot happening. Also realized, that I put about a 1/4 cup of cream in my large coffee each morning. Ha! That's a lot of carbs. Duh!

[B&K]

HI everyone! I'm new to the site and have been doing the Atkins Induction faze since last Wednesday. I was doing great, 9lbs down in 4 days, then today I was back up 3 of those pounds

Then dreaded AF headed into town two weeks early with no signs what so ever and is two weeks early. Would this contribute to the weight gain? Do you think it will go away after she packs her bags and leaves?

I'm eating within the guidelines, and drinking a TON of water, way more than the 8 recommended glasses a day and peeing like crazy I feel like that is where I spend all my time!

So basically right now my biggest concern is that weight gain, I'm thinking that AF is the reason why but not too sure...

[can't weight]

AF is DEFINITELY the reason. I also gained 3lbs at the beginning of week 3 due to AF. It took me another week to loose the water weight. Very frustration- but remember it is only water weight. Also a lot of women have noted that their cycles get a little irregular when for starting this WOE- but then it evens itself out again.

Not to worry!

[B&K]

Originally Posted by can't weight

AF is DEFINITELY the reason. I also gained 3lbs at the beginning of week 3 due to AF. It took me another week to loose the water weight. Very frustration- but remember it is only water weight. Also a lot of women have noted that their cycles get a little irregular when for starting this WOE- but then it evens itself out again.

Not to worry!

That's good to know, the scale has not gone down for me at all and I was getting quite discouraged, I started out so well and then gained most of what I had lost a few days prior and couldn't understand what I was doing wrong! Hopefully she will pack her bags real soon and my numbers can start going down again The inches are coming off tho so that is a positive thing!

[can't weight]

yep- measuring was my saving grace. I lost 17 inches while waiting for the scale to move!

[laranda]

Originally Posted by phatjow

Laranda... I'm in the same place as you.. I have just finished my two weeks. I've lost 4 lbs.. which is the same 4 lbs I've been losing and gaining over and over.. I also have days when I'm experiencing hunger...I don't want to throw in the towel.. but I'm a bit discouraged..

Well, we're in this boat together.
I haven't weighed myself too much lately because it's quite discouraging. It's been almost a month now and although the pounds haven't fallen off, I do feel healthier and slimmer. Most of the posts I read here go by inches more than weight anyway So, let's keep up the progress, four pounds lost is still better than gaining

[theswede]

Hi all,

I've been reading quite a bit on this forum but had no reason to post until now. I'm doing the induction phase now for more then 10 days and so far I haven't noticed any difference. I don't weigh myself but I'm trying to go by how my clothes are fitting and there's no difference..

I feel hungry a lot and I'm starting to lose motivation a bit.. a menu for a typhical day would look something like this;

breakfast;

2 hardboiled eggs
1 tbs mayonnaise
4 slices of bacon

Lunch;
Salad with chicken or tuna (in the salad I use lettuce and sometimes a bit of squash or mushrooms)

Snack;
Some cheese, not a lot (we don't measure in oz so it's hard to tell)

Dinner;
Some veggies (broccoli or a salad)
2 porkchops (or meat with a cream sauce, or fried chicken)

I try to drink as much water as possible, maybe 2-3 litres per day. I have drastically cut down on my coffee consumption from maybe 10 cups a day to maybe 1 or 2.

What am I doing wrong? Am I eating too many carbs? Some days in the evening i'm so hungry I can't go to sleep.

Should maybe mention that I used atkins a few years ago and then I lost 40 pounds, 20 already during the first two weeks.

[can't weight]

your menu looks good to me! 1 oz of cheese is 28 grams I don't use oz either. Usually hunger is a sign of not getting enough fats or veggies. Are you getting 12-15 of your carbs from veggies?

Also I really recommend measuring yourself if you're not weighing. Also the first week the big loss is water weight which would show up more on the scale than in your clothes. It's really after induction that you start losing fat- and then you will see it in your clothes. Though I have lost over 25 inches- and I still don't feel that different in my clothes so I would definitely measure so that you get those tangible results and don't get discouraged.

Keep it up- it gets easier and easier!!

[Cosmicstargoat]

Hello, I'm new and need incouragement. I too have been faithfully on this thinG for a week and have actually gained weight! I know for a fact that I am way below the carb limit, I practically eat none at all, but I do help myself to the non-carb approved foods with gusto. Can you eat too much meat or bacon? I'm trying to limit what I eat and I can definitely feel (and taste) that ketosis is happening, but what's the deal?

Can someone please offer hints or encouragement (no prayers :-) to help me from getting discouraged? I acutally passed my "I'm never going to weigh this much" milestone while on the diet this week.

HELP!

[Cosmicstargoat]

Originally Posted by PattyInTemecula

Hello Everyone, I'm new to this site and am very happy to have found it. I started induction about a week ago - I'm down about 5 pounds. I've tried low carb on the Kimkins plan with very limited success. I was very depressed and lost interest quickly. This is my first shot with Atkins.

Mine too and I am already discouraged. I'm not going to give up my beloved beer and NOT lose weight

Help me get my mind right, someone. You can even slap me if that will help.

[Cosmicstargoat]

Here is what I have been eating.

Breakfast- 3 slices bacon, 3 eggs topped with cheese sometimes

Lunch- One lb. lean ground chuck 94/6 w/26 g protein 540 cal

Dinner- One or two steaks or chicken breasts
iceburg lettuce salad w/ two slices tomato, bacon bits, cheese,
Blue cheese dressing 2g carbs in dressing.

Tons and tons of water.
No bread, no beer, no other carbs. I'm not hungry, I just feel wierd. Am I doing something wrong or eating too much?

[Jiminjax]

I have been in induction for more than a month and have only lost 6 lbs, which I attribute to eating less calories, not burning fat or losing water weight. I have ketosix strips and check every other day to see if I'm in ketosis, and I am not. Carb intake is between 15-20g per day. Caloric intake is between 1600-1800. Fat Vs. Protein is usually pretty equal, lately it's been more like fat 60% and Protein 35%, carb 5%. I walk for about an hour a day. I am a type 2 diabetic, and I will say that I have stopped taking insulin because my blood sugar is now that of a normal person whereas before it was off the scale. I will stay with it because it is worth it just for the low blood sugar, but, what am I doing wrong with regards to losing weight?

[Cosmicstargoat]

Originally Posted by Jiminjax

I have been in induction for more than a month and have only lost 6 lbs, which I attribute to eating less calories, not burning fat or losing water weight. I will stay with it because it is worth it just for the low blood sugar, but, what am I doing wrong with regards to losing weight?

Congrats on the blood sugar. I too am very discouraged, I'm only getting fatter. I'm eating almost zero carbs, but am really loading up on the meat. I certainly don't want to gain weight, but that is what is happening.

Very discouraging and there doesn't seem to be much help here.

[can't weight]

The only advice I would give is to start a thread posting your typical menus. Usually only newbies go on this thread so they would not be much help.

The only thing I can think of without seeing your menu is either carb creep or too much protein- which can act as a carb if eaten in excess. Some people to better with more fat less meat- but everyone is different.

I would start a NEW thread asking for people to go through your menu and make suggestions!

[Cosmicstargoat]

Originally Posted by can't weight

The only advice I would give is to start a thread posting your typical menus. Usually only newbies go on this thread so they would not be much help.

The only thing I can think of without seeing your menu is either carb creep or too much protein- which can act as a carb if eaten in excess. Some people to better with more fat less meat- but everyone is different.

I would start a NEW thread asking for people to go through your menu and make suggestions!

I thought you could eat all the protein you wanted.

[can't weight]

No- the book makes it pretty clear this is not a high protein diet. The new book also has a chart based on gender and height. It tells you how many grams of protein you can eat daily. It's pretty generous so as long as you haven't been going crazy it should be fine.