Stalled or gaining on induction??

[can't weight]

Well, I'm definitely not an expert- but ham is often cured with sugar, and also has quite a bit of sodium. Without knowing how it was cured it is hard to know it's carb count. Salt can also cause you to retain water. The book does warn about cured meats like ham and bacon for that reason. It may or may not be the ham. Cut it out and see is the only advice I can give.

But be prepared for stalls. Most people stall for up to 3 weeks after induction. Don't give up- it will pass.

Best of luck!

[Tena]

Really? A stall for up to 3 weeks? WOw, I bet thats hard to get through! No worries though... I'm in it for the long haul.

Thanks for your opinion. I guess I wasn't worried about it when I began eating it because I eat bacon everyday and was losing like mad. I'm guessing its just that stall thing.

[Carmen@Co]

Originally Posted by threas

WHY THE SCALES CAN LIE

A biologist at Berkeley shared something very revealing on the low-carb BBS system about 4 years ago that helps us all through the erratic weight fluctuations you invariably encounter: Fat cells are resilient, stubborn little creatures that do not want to give up their actual cell volume. Over a period of weeks, maybe months of "proper dieting", each of your fat cells may have actually lost a good percentage of the actual fat contained in those cells. But the fat cells themselves, stubborn little guys, replace that lost fat with water to retain their size. That is, instead of shrinking to match the reduced amount of fat in the cell, they stay the same size! Result - you weigh the same, look the same, maybe even gained some scale weight, even though you have actually lost some serious fat.

The good news is that this water replacement is temporary. It's a defensive measure to keep your body from changing too rapidly. It allows the fat cell to counter the rapid change in cell composition, allowing for a slow, gradual reduction in cell size. The problem is, most people are frustrated with their apparent lack of success, assume they have lost nothing, and stop dieting.

However, if you give those fat cells some time, like 4-6 months, and ignore the scale weight fluctuations, your real weight/shape will slowly begin to show. The moral of the story - be patient! Your body is changing even if the number on the scale isn't.

PATTERNS OF WEIGHT LOSS

Common patterns of weight loss from tracking a lot of people who become assimilated into the low carb lifestyle, a pattern emerges.... the 2 week induction is pretty heady...weight lost just about every single day, enormous and unbelievable amounts of weight loss are reported. This is often followed by complaints that weight loss "stalls" or that the rate drops to only 1 pound per week.

Many people just don't know that fat-loss ...the actual goal when on a weight-reduction" diet, is rate-limited. In other words, the human body has factors that prevent more than a certain amount of fatty-acid release from storage...and even more factors that prevent those released fatty acids from being used up instead of stored back into the fat cells.

A priority of the human body is survival. Anything that threatens its survival results in the cascade of events to maintain the previous status quo. Water fluctuations are one way the body does this. OK...so you done good on Atkins' during induction...lost 10 pounds the first 2 weeks. Maybe 7 the first week and 3 the second. But, whoa! Weeks 3 and 4 there is NO loss! And weeks 5 and 6 is only 1/2 pound each!

So... what gives? Initially, the body jettisons the water attached to the glycogen stores that we diligently deplete to get into ketosis...this accounts for about 3-5 pounds of water. In addition, muscle stores of glycogen are not being replaced when used...which will account for the rest. All in all...MAYBE 1/2 pound of fat was metabolized during the first week... and MAYBE 1/2 pound of fat was metabolized the 2nd week. Of that 10 initial pounds, only 1 pound was fat and 9 pounds water...

The body senses this lack and sirens start shrieking: Warning! Warning! Losing water... new thing...got to get back to the status quo! Brain tells body to produce and release that vasopressin anti-diuretic hormone....more water is retained, and no weight loss noticed. Fat loss is still occurring, MAYBE even 2 pounds per week, because ketosis is firmly established and appetite suppression is in effect...but water retention is hiding that continuing fat loss. The body is preventing dehydration with this mechanism, and that's a *good* thing.

From the perspective of the scale, it can be discouraging. Which is why the mantra: Water retention masks fat loss (repeated frequently to oneself) is helpful. Water retention will mask ongoing fat-loss for as long as the body retains the water. We can combat this by drinking more water...but we aren't going to totally overcome this mechanism during the initial water-loss phase of the Atkins diet. By weeks 5 and 6, things start to get back in balance, and the scale will begin to reflect the true fat-loss...which, as mentioned before is rate-limited.

Individuals vary, but max weight loss runs about 2 pounds per week...under extremely optimal conditions... or 1% of body weight (whichever is the lower number). So don't use the scale as an excuse to undermine your progress. Even when the scale is in a stall, fat loss can be occurring.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We've been told over an over again that daily weighing is unnecessary, yet many of us can't resist peeking at that number every morning. If you just can't bring yourself to toss the scale in the trash, you should definitely familiarize yourself with the factors that influence it's readings. From water retention to glycogen storage and changes in lean body mass, daily weight fluctuations are normal. They are not indicators of your success or failure. Once you understand how these mechanisms work, you can free yourself from the daily battle with the bathroom scale.

Water makes up about 60% of total body mass. Normal fluctuations in the body's water content can send scale-watchers into a tailspin if they don't understand what's happening. Two factors influencing water retention are water consumption and salt intake. Strange as it sounds, the less water you drink, the more of it your body retains. If you are even slightly dehydrated your body will hang onto it's water supplies with a vengeance, possibly causing the number on the scale to inch upward. The solution is to drink plenty of water.

Excess salt (sodium) can also play a big role in water retention. A single teaspoon of salt contains over 2,000 mg of sodium. Generally, we should only eat between 1,000 and 3,000 mg of sodium a day, so it's easy to go overboard. Sodium is a sneaky substance. You would expect it to be most highly concentrated in salty chips, nuts, and crackers. However, a food doesn't have to taste salty to be loaded with sodium. A half cup of instant pudding actually contains nearly four times as much sodium as an ounce of salted nuts, 460 mg in the pudding versus 123 mg in the nuts.

The more highly processed a food is, the more likely it is to have a high sodium content. That's why, when it comes to eating, it's wise to stick mainly to the basics: fruits, vegetables, lean meat, beans, and whole grains. Be sure to read the labels on canned foods, boxed mixes, and frozen dinners.

Women may also retain several pounds of water prior to menstruation. This is very common and the weight will likely disappear as quickly as it arrives. Pre-menstrual water-weight gain can be minimized by drinking plenty of water, maintaining an exercise program, and keeping high-sodium processed foods to a minimum.

Another factor that can influence the scale is glycogen. Think of glycogen as a fuel tank full of stored carbohydrate. Some glycogen is stored in the liver and some is stored the muscles themselves. This energy reserve weighs more than a pound and it's packaged with 3-4 pounds of water when it's stored. Your glycogen supply will shrink during the day if you fail to take in enough carbohydrates.

As the glycogen supply shrinks you will experience a small imperceptible increase in appetite and your body will restore this fuel reserve along with it's associated water. It's normal to experience glycogen and water weight shifts of up to 2 pounds per day even with no changes in your calorie intake or activity level. These fluctuations have nothing to do with fat loss, although they can make for some unnecessarily dramatic weigh-ins if you're prone to obsessing over the number on the scale.

Otherwise rational people also tend to forget about the actual weight of the food they eat. For this reason, it's wise to weigh yourself first thing in the morning before you've had anything to eat or drink. Swallowing a bunch of food before you step on the scale is no different than putting a bunch of rocks in your pocket. The 5 pounds that you gain right after a huge dinner is not fat. It's the actual weight of everything you've had to eat and drink. The added weight of the meal will be gone several hours later when you've finished digesting it.

Exercise physiologists tell us that in order to store one pound of fat, you need to eat 3,500 calories more than your body is able to burn. In other words, to actually store the above dinner as 5 pounds of fat, it would have to contain a whopping 17,500 calories. This is not likely, in fact it's not humanly possible. So when the scale goes up 3 or 4 pounds overnight, rest easy, it's likely to be water, glycogen, and the weight of your dinner. Keep in mind that the 3,500 calorie rule works in reverse also. In order to lose one pound of fat you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in.

Generally, it's only possible to lose 1-2 pounds of fat per week. When you follow a very low calorie diet that causes your weight to drop 10 pounds in 7 days, it's physically impossible for all of that to be fat. What you're really losing is water, glycogen, and muscle.

This brings us to the scale's sneakiest attribute. It doesn't just weigh fat. It weighs muscle, bone, water, internal organs and all. When you lose "weight," that doesn't necessarily mean that you've lost fat. In fact, the scale has no way of telling you what you've lost (or gained). Losing muscle is nothing to celebrate. Muscle is a metabolically active tissue. The more muscle you have the more calories your body burns, even when you're just sitting around. That's one reason why a fit, active person is able to eat considerably more food than the dieter who is unwittingly destroying muscle tissue.

Robin Landis, author of "Body Fueling," compares fat and muscles to feathers and gold. One pound of fat is like a big fluffy, lumpy bunch of feathers, and one pound of muscle is small and valuable like a piece of gold. Obviously, you want to lose the dumpy, bulky feathers and keep the sleek beautiful gold. The problem with the scale is that it doesn't differentiate between the two. It can't tell you how much of your total body weight is lean tissue and how much is fat.

There are several other measuring techniques that can accomplish this, although they vary in convenience, accuracy, and cost. Skin-fold calipers pinch and measure fat folds at various locations on the body, hydrostatic (or underwater) weighing involves exhaling all of the air from your lungs before being lowered into a tank of water, and bioelectrical impedance measures the degree to which your body fat impedes a mild electrical current.

If the thought of being pinched, dunked, or gently zapped just doesn't appeal to you, don't worry. The best measurement tool of all turns out to be your very own eyes. How do you look? How do you feel? How do your clothes fit? Are your rings looser? Do your muscles feel firmer? These are the true measurements of success. If you are exercising and eating right, don't be discouraged by a small gain on the scale. Fluctuations are perfectly normal. Expect them to happen and take them in stride.

It's a matter of mind over scale.
__________________

Quoted the whole post as I really needed to read this. I'm stalled on extended induction, and following plan to a letter this past week. I'm going to continue with extended induction until I take off 10 lbs., and keep it off for a week before going to OWL. My body is in shock--as I'm going from 90% vegan diet to 90% carnivore diet--lol.

I think a good 60-90 days is necessary for our bodies to adjust at the cellular level to a new way of eating. I'm sticking in with Atkins (NANY) for the long haul.

[EatRite]

Originally Posted by Tena

Really? A stall for up to 3 weeks? WOw, I bet thats hard to get through! No worries though... I'm in it for the long haul.

Thanks for your opinion. I guess I wasn't worried about it when I began eating it because I eat bacon everyday and was losing like mad. I'm guessing its just that stall thing.

Hi Tena,
After you lose the initial Induction weight, you will probably slow down on Atkins.

A .4 gain is nothing.
You can go up and down several pounds every day depending on what you eat and your activity and water consumption. That is why it is better to only weigh weekly so you don't see those little ups and downs.

And stalls can last a long time. One month I only lost 1#, and then I went to OWL 1. I lost 12 # that next 4 weeks!

About the Ham, yes, lots of extra sodium. Whenever I eat ham, I drink an extra bottle of water.

[Carmen@Co]

And make sure you write down EVERY morsel & sip you take to find hidden carbs. I did this over 2 days and discovered I was eating 54+ carbs in one day!

I'm on the "real" induction phase now, and know the scale will move once I cut out all the carbs I was not counting.

I must say, by jotting down immediately into a cheapo notebook the foods I ate over a day opened my eyes wide to how easily carbs sneak into your diet without notice.

[wheels]

[B]Well I am finished with induction. Did for 3 1/2 weeks. I weight came of slowly. I think I was eating too much fat. I did lose 6 pounds, but I am going on to phase 2 as of today 9-16. Any help with this phase please let me know. I know I can add some nuts and Avacado's now, any some berries I believe.....

[Tena]

Thanks for the tips on ham. I eat a lot of bacon so I do drink more water. I lost a couple more pounds so I am just under -15 lbs which is pretty good for 3 weeks on Atkins.

I am going to try to do something to get more exercise although I don't know what yet.

[momof5sobusy]

I have been on induction for almost 2 weeks. I had 20 lbs to lose and have only lost 1.5 lbs the first 3 days (water weight). Nothing since, not even a 10th of a pound. Measurements aren't changing either.... sigh I am ready to give up. I have went by the book and am frustrated. I was reading some post on here and thinking maybe I should lower my fat/protein intake. Anybody got any suggestions as I'm ready to give up...

[can't weight]

You definitely can't expect the big losses when you only have 20lbs to lose. Usually people who lose 5-10lbs during induction have 50-200 lbs to lose.

What exactly are you eating, how many carbs, how many calories, are you tracking what you are eating? A lot of people believe they are doing things by the book, but fall victim to carb creep, or are eating atkins products.

Too much protein can be a problem as they can act like carbs if there is an excess- but most people would really have to be eating a ton of protein for that to happen, and it is usually not the case. Even if you had a portion of protein at every meal and 2 protein snacks you should be ok. Fat is also very important to eat on this diet- but fatty foods are also calorie dense, and since you don't have much to lose, calories may be important for you. A lot of people find when they are trying to lose their last 20lbs they have to start watching their calories. I would still keep your fat up, and on this diet you need to be eating fat, so that your body will release it. Fat is your only energy source now- so if your body isn't getting any in, it won't want to give up it's stores.

Without seeing a menu or something i can't give any more specific advice- but don't give up yet. Atkins isn't a quick fix diet- after the initial boost, or a couple months in, most people lose at the same pace of any other diet. Atkins is just healthier than the traditional low fat high carb diets. And is generally more enjoyable once you learn to take advantage of all the yummy things you can eat on plan.

If you post a menu of a couple days, i'd be happy to take a look and see if there are any red flags...

[EatRite]

Originally Posted by momof5sobusy

I have been on induction for almost 2 weeks. I had 20 lbs to lose and have only lost 1.5 lbs the first 3 days (water weight). Nothing since, not even a 10th of a pound. Measurements aren't changing either.... sigh I am ready to give up. I have went by the book and am frustrated. I was reading some post on here and thinking maybe I should lower my fat/protein intake. Anybody got any suggestions as I'm ready to give up...

Hi,
On average people lose 5-10% of what they need to lose during the 2 week Induction, so with needing to lose 20#, on average you should lose about 1-2#
on Induction.

Hang in there, giving up after a few days is surely not going to help one bit! Give it a chance, and you will be fine!

I lost 12# during the 2 week Induction, but I needed to lose over 100#.

[momof5sobusy]

I'm having right at the 20 carbs a day. I eat no atkins products, but have used torani surgar free syrup(sweetened with splenda and no carbs) a couple of times. All of my food is fresh cooked. I drink 100+ ounces of water daily. My fat is high I'm sure lol I use raw coconut oil, olive oil, and butter. I was eating around 25+ ounces of protein a day and the new book for my 5'3" heigth says 15 ounces so I'm thinking maybe that was it. I'm not doing a food log, but I think I'll start tomorrow. Ijust get so frustrated. Sugarfreesheila has an inspiring story. She only had 30lbs to lose and lost 7 during induction. Oh well guess I have a snails metabolism.

[EatRite]

Originally Posted by momof5sobusy

I'm having right at the 20 carbs a day. I eat no atkins products, but have used torani surgar free syrup(sweetened with splenda and no carbs) a couple of times. All of my food is fresh cooked. I drink 100+ ounces of water daily. My fat is high I'm sure lol I use raw coconut oil, olive oil, and butter. I was eating around 25+ ounces of protein a day and the new book for my 5'3" heigth says 15 ounces so I'm thinking maybe that was it. I'm not doing a food log, but I think I'll start tomorrow. Ijust get so frustrated. Sugarfreesheila has an inspiring story. She only had 30lbs to lose and lost 7 during induction. Oh well guess I have a snails metabolism.

You can't compare yourself to others, it just set you up for disappointment.
Sheila could have eaten tons of salty stuff days before she started and just happened to lose more water weight. She could have a better metabolism. It could be she is younger than you, or older than you...Or it could be something else.
You are you, and you are going to lose at your own pace.
You just have to focus that you are going to do this and just do it the "momof5sobusy" way.

[can't weight]

100% agree with Eatrite- I would say that sugarfreesheila is an exception. That is almost 30% of what she wanted to lose during induction- this is definitely rare.

It sounds like you are doing everything right. I assume you are weighing your food, or at least measuring to know how many carbs you are eating. Are you getting at least half your carbs from foundation veggies?

Is this your first time dieting? Generally if you lose slowly on other diets, you may also lose slowly on this one (unless you have a specific problem like Insulin Resistance or something, where you would then lose much faster on Atkins)

All I can say is keep it up- this diet works. I do recommend a food log- online- a lot of ppl are surprised by what they find. You don't have to do the food log forever- just until you get into a routine.

All the best!

[shaykinumoff]

So I feel like crap.. I cheated BADLY! I got down to 147.0 and then ate pizza and ice cream and so much junk I don't even remember.. Now, I am trying to get back on track and finding it so much harder this time. I literally went up to 154 in 2 days! Why does it come back on so fast like that? lol

[can't weight]

It's not like you gained 7lbs of fat in 2 days. You regained your water weight (glycogen stores) that you lost at first during the first week of induction. I'm sure if you go back to induction levels, you will lose most of it again.

Don't beat yourself up, but treat it as a learning experience. Was it really worth it? What did it accomplish?

When you get further along, you might benefit from 1 planned off-plan meal every 6-8 weeks. Some people do this to help keep them on plan- though others cannot because 1 off plan meal turns into a whole day, then a whole week etc. But if you feel deprived, than looking forward to a planned off plan meal might help. But i would wait until all your cravings are under control and you are confident you can get right back on plan.

Best of luck.

[smurfett]

I have been struggling the last 2 months low carbs but I have decided I am ready, so hear goes. I won't say no to some buddies along the way, cheers

[KarenJez]

I restarted induction on 10-10-10 after 4 years ( sucessful) 1 lost 5 pounds in the first 5 days. The last few days I have gained a pound, each morning! I have been strict. The only thing I can attribute it to is eating way too late the last few evenings. Is that possible?

[Mcd4185]

Hey Everyone,

Im new to this site (finally joined after reading many posts over the past few days). Im a re-atkins guy here. (lost 80 lbs doing it about 4 yrs ago, but then i felt skinny and went off lol. here i am again).

i started again on 8/30 and as of yesterday, im down approx 20 lbs. now im STUCK and STUCK big. i havent lost anything (in fact, ive fluctuated 3 lbs daily for like 3 weeks now..ugh).

my diet hasnt changed at all, and im eating exactly what i ate when i did it the last time. SO FRUSTRATING!! (but its nice to know im not the only one that stalled...) My brothers getting married in dec so i need to drop like another 20 by then.

CMON STALL NO MORE!!!!!!!!!

[Bejewelme]

WOW this thread has a lot of good info!

[LowCarbPanda86]

Hello,
I began Atkins on 10/12/2010 at 276 lbs. I am 264 lbs as of this moment. I have had a semi-clean induction, meaning I stick to meat and veggies but have had more cheese than recommended and those damned cream cheese muffins (completely addictive and I don't plan on making them again for a while). I do 45 minutes of cardio (elliptical, treadmill or recumbent bike) EVERY DAY, drink 3 - 4 16.9 oz bottles of water per day. I am happy so far with the weight loss, however I do have some trigger foods, cheese and sweets, never liked no calorie sweetners, but have recently indulged as I am a former sweets addict (no joke!) so I would like to ask if someone could take a look at my menu below and tell me what to remove or add to achieve slightly better results. A few stats first. I am a 24 y/o female, 5 feet 4 inches goal weight is 120 ( I have not been 1 anything since the 5th grade)

Typical Day:

Breakfast:
2 scrambled eggs w/ a sprinkling of cheese
2 strips of Bacon
1 16.9 oz bottle of water

Lunch:
Tuna Salad w/ full fat mayo, egg, onion
1 1/2 cups of spinach or romaine
1 16.9 oz bottle of water

Gym before I get home:
45 minutes of cardio (elliptical, treadmill or recumbent bike)
1 bottle of 16.9 oz water

Dinner (done cooking and eating by no later than 8:30 p.m.)
1/2 serving of Cauliflower crust pizza
Broken down: 1/2 cup of cauliflower, 1/2 whole egg, 1 cup of cheese, 10 turkey pepperoni, 1/8 cup of tomato sauce, 1/8 cup of onion and 1/8 cup of green pepper)
1 16.9 oz bottle of water

Dessert (done eating before 8:30 pm)
2 cream cheese muffins w/ 1 tbsp each of whip cream
Broken down: Whip cream made with heavy cream, squirt of lemon juice, and vanilla extract

Tell me if this is okay or can I improve (remove or add something). Thanks!

[mamaemolady]

Thanks so much for this information. I started Induction three weeks ago; I have been going down every day--I weigh every day, but have started to slow down a bit. Your info helped me a lot. Thanks!

[mamaemolady]

Carmen@co

Your information was invaluable Thanks!

[EatRite]

Originally Posted by Mcd4185

Hey Everyone,

Im new to this site (finally joined after reading many posts over the past few days). Im a re-atkins guy here. (lost 80 lbs doing it about 4 yrs ago, but then i felt skinny and went off lol. here i am again).

i started again on 8/30 and as of yesterday, im down approx 20 lbs. now im STUCK and STUCK big. i havent lost anything (in fact, ive fluctuated 3 lbs daily for like 3 weeks now..ugh).

my diet hasnt changed at all, and im eating exactly what i ate when i did it the last time. SO FRUSTRATING!! (but its nice to know im not the only one that stalled...) My brothers getting married in dec so i need to drop like another 20 by then.

CMON STALL NO MORE!!!!!!!!!

What stage of Atkins are you on? Did you move to OWL? What Atkins book are you following?

[jason35962]

I lost considerably on my first Atkins run a couple of years ago, fell off that wagon, and yoyo'd ever since. I've been following induction closely but have only lost water weight thus far. My best guess??? It just gets a little harder every time you yoyo. Darned body is getting used to my shenanigans.

I did have a induction question about quantity. I know the book says three meals per day, other low-carb blogs/boards say eat "liberally", some say as much meat as you want, others even specify quantities of 6-8 ounces. Anyone had trouble getting things going because of too much meat? Is there a golden rule with meat quantity? I honestly never payed any attention to quantities the first time around. I HATE veggies of all shapes, colors and flavors so I'm living on meat and cheese (which suits me just fine). Ketostix are negative too... I've heard that can be from dilution from drinking a lot of water, I've also heard water should not make a difference.

Wish I found this site the last time I did this... thanks to whoever set this up!

jason

[LowCarbPanda86]

Originally Posted by jason35962

I lost considerably on my first Atkins run a couple of years ago, fell off that wagon, and yoyo'd ever since. I've been following induction closely but have only lost water weight thus far. My best guess??? It just gets a little harder every time you yoyo. Darned body is getting used to my shenanigans.

I did have a induction question about quantity. I know the book says three meals per day, other low-carb blogs/boards say eat "liberally", some say as much meat as you want, others even specify quantities of 6-8 ounces. Anyone had trouble getting things going because of too much meat? Is there a golden rule with meat quantity? I honestly never payed any attention to quantities the first time around. I HATE veggies of all shapes, colors and flavors so I'm living on meat and cheese (which suits me just fine). Ketostix are negative too... I've heard that can be from dilution from drinking a lot of water, I've also heard water should not make a difference.

Wish I found this site the last time I did this... thanks to whoever set this up!

jason

Jason,
I am telling everyone I can that cheese can be a MAJOR stall. It was for me, I was consuming far more than the recommended 4-6 oz. recommended. It is easy to eyeball a "sprinkling" of cheese, but try measuring it out and I bet your "sprinkling" is likely more than one oz. Also I eat until I am near full and then chug at least 1 bottle of water to fill the space and if still hungry, I'll get something else to eat. Also, are you exercising, this is non-negotiable, and could be a part of your problem. I won't harp on you about the veggies, not everyone can tolerate them, but I fear meat and cheese may clog your pipes without the ruffage veggies provide. But take plenty of fiber to help. HTH!

[Bejewelme]

Jason:
I am assuming you are a man, LOL My ex and I did Atkins and he ate meat til it was coming out his ears and lost twice as fast as me, and he was not buff or lean at anytime in his life, it is something you have to gauge and see. I do better when I stick to meat and not so much cheese or flax products, they tend to make me stall, also the meat you are eating, bacon, sausage, salami, etc if it has a lot of sodium that can stall you. Keep a journal and write down what you eat and how much you lose that might help identify what you can consume, I eat when I am hungry and never measure, as long as I eat clean, meat, eggs, little cheese and veg I lose, it is a slippery slope if I start eating flax muffins, etc

[jason35962]

Ahhhh.... hidden carbs. Thank you for the heads up, I may be eating too much cheese (albeit probably just a little too much). I did not exercise regularly the last time I did this but now that I think about it, I did exercise a lot for the first two weeks (until I got sick of it) but this probably gave me a good jump-start. glad to hear success can be had sans-veggies, but the prepackaged meat is tricking me a bit. I bought some ham, carefully checked the labels at the store, this says 2oz servings - no carbs, but the label also says cured with brown sugar. I'm afraid to start eating it (now that I bought it and it's sitting in my fridge...doh). I <3 ham so I hope its ok to eat.

[2big4mysize]

Originally Posted by jason35962

I lost considerably on my first Atkins run a couple of years ago, fell off that wagon, and yoyo'd ever since. I've been following induction closely but have only lost water weight thus far. My best guess??? It just gets a little harder every time you yoyo. Darned body is getting used to my shenanigans.

I did have a induction question about quantity. I know the book says three meals per day, other low-carb blogs/boards say eat "liberally", some say as much meat as you want, others even specify quantities of 6-8 ounces. Anyone had trouble getting things going because of too much meat? Is there a golden rule with meat quantity? I honestly never payed any attention to quantities the first time around. I HATE veggies of all shapes, colors and flavors so I'm living on meat and cheese (which suits me just fine). Ketostix are negative too... I've heard that can be from dilution from drinking a lot of water, I've also heard water should not make a difference.

Wish I found this site the last time I did this... thanks to whoever set this up!

jason

first the keto stix since if one reads tha package one sees that they do not measure the amount of actual ketones in the urine only the concnetration of one specific ketone body that drinking lots of fluids can alter stix color. If one were to create say 100,000 excess ketone bodies and pee them out in a daily urine out put of say one cup the color would be significantly darker on the stix then if one peed them out in a gallon of urine.


Next the cheese. If one reads Dr Atkins book then one knoews that even though the carb counters say cheese has most aged cheeses at less then .4 carbs per ounce Dr Atkins says to count it as 1 carb per ounce which helps to limit our consumption of cheese.

The veggies are there for their micronutrtiants which our bodies need to keep our fatty acid metabolism going AND to keep our normal metabolism going. We are very complicated interdependant systems and messing one up can have a negative effect on others.

The meat issue has to do with the way human bodies metabolize meat. The protein part will be digested to the amino acid stage and the human body will store all it can but at some point storage for free amino acids will be exceeded and the human body being the efficient organism it is will then convert those excess proteins to glucose which will stop our bodies from using body fat to provide the fuel for making energy. it will also effect blood sugar stability (which is why Atkins is so great at keeping us from being hungry) and insulin production which is also a fat storage hormone.
Dr Atkins also in DANDR says to not eat our Atkins too high in protein because he knows all that will happen.

soo watch your meat intake and only eat enough to satisfy your hunger at the time youa re eating. Yes there are no numerical limits on how much we can consume doing atkine but Dr Atkins says that he did not mean to gorge ourselves. Yes legally we could have 4 dozen naked buffao wings BUT that doesn't mean we should unless we were that hungry.

[DXcoupe20]

I'm doing well and today I weighed myself and I gained a pound. I know exactly what caused it was too. Day before yesterday I bought one of those huge tubs of pork rinds for a snack. I had a whole lot of them to the point i felt a little sick. It's probably just water weight but its still annoying. The scale has been consistently been going down everyday.

I stuck them in a high cabinet where I can't see them...NO MORE PORK RINDS..

[Bejewelme]

I just finished 10 week staying at induction levels and lost 35.5 pounds, I had big weeks and then small weeks, never a gain, but I only weigh once a week, this week 6 pounds on week 10, it all catches up, believe me! I lost 70 then gained 20 back and yo yo back and forth, finally with steadfast commitment I am lower than I have been in over 20 years and keen that I can reach my goal, do not give up too early give your body time to adjust, stick the to book, and drink lots of water that is my advice!