New here, just want some scrutiny!

[dmw80]

I started Induction on April 16, '07, so this is my third week. The first week and a half I lost 12 lbs, which was awesome! But then I gained about 2-3 lbs back... Now I am stuck at 210lbs (10 lbs down from my starting weight). I've heard that getting stuck is common in the third week of induction. Is that true? I've also just incorporated exercise this week. I seriously haven't lost anything in the past 7 days (I know, I'm probably being overanxious.. but with all the exercising and keeping my calories AND carbs down... I feel like I should be seeing a major loss), so what gives?

Here is my FitDay journal, if anyone wants to look it over and give me some constructive critisizm!



Also, is it true that FitDay grossly overestimates how many calories you're burning per day? How can I figure out a total that's closer to what I'm really burning so that I can adjust my exercise accordingly?

I appreciate the help!

[sjmiller]

No bread on Induction.

My advice is to follow the rules of Induction as Dr. Atkins wrote them.

http://www.atkins.com/articles/atkin...-of-induction/

Do you have the book, Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, 2002?

If not, then please read:

http://www.atkins.com/articles/nutritional-approach

http://www.atkins.com/articles/atkins-phases/phase-one until you get one.

And... eat only from this list:

http://www.atkins.com/articles/atkin...eptable-foods/

And... you need 12-15 net carbs from vegetables per day. Which you're not doing.

I suspect your calories are too low.

Using the rule of thumb of eating 10-12 times your current body weight, you should be in the range of 2110 calories.

You can also check your BMR at http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

You shouldn't worry about calories at this point on Atkins.

If you're doing Atkins, then do Atkins... don't mix thinking!

[dmw80]

thanks for the reply, but... I'm not eating any bread! 12-15 net carbs is really hard to get from veggies when you're only allowed 3 cups per day, two of which are salad greens! I can't seem to get to 20 net carbs per day no matter how hard I try! I have two of the Atkins books and I have followed the acceptable Induction foods to a T! I'm also following the prescribed ratio of fat/carbs/protein almost exactly!

[jtinker]

i dont eat prepackaged or deli, luncheon meat , i know it says 0 carbs but on the deli meats allot if not all have carbs,,,,,

[dmw80]

FitDay actually counts the carbs on those lunchmeats for you. Most of the ones I buy say <1g carbs per serving (usually 3 slices), so I count them in my head as 1 carb per serving, and FitDay counts the exact carbs for me.

[jtinker]

from what you showed on your fitday somedays u had 21 carbs,, with out adding the added carbs for lunchmeats .. if i eat lunchmeat i add 2 carbs, its just what works for me, i try not to eat them

[sassycat]

hey hang in there remmber exerise and drink alot water i start this is my 5 th day and im losein i can tell come to chat great support my name is candy

[Edwards20]

Originally Posted by dmw80

thanks for the reply, but... I'm not eating any bread!

The low carb tortilla counts as bread. I would not eat this until sometime later. I would ditch the pre-packaged lunch meats as well.

[dmw80]

Originally Posted by jtinker

from what you showed on your fitday somedays u had 21 carbs,, with out adding the added carbs for lunchmeats .. if i eat lunchmeat i add 2 carbs, its just what works for me, i try not to eat them

FitDay counts the TOTAL carbs, you have to subtract the fiber to get the net carbs.

[dmw80]

Originally Posted by Edwards20

The low carb tortilla counts as bread. I would not eat this until sometime later. I would ditch the pre-packaged lunch meats as well.

I only use the natural lunchmeats, that are made without added sugar or cured with nitrites or nitrates. The low carb tortillas I have are made with soy, and my books say that these low carb convenience foods are OK on induction. I don't have them more than once or twice per week, anyway.


I just don't understand how I am supposed to eat MORE calories, less protein, and cut these things from my diet. That really doesn't leave anything, except for maybe spoonfuls of mayo..

[Edwards20]

there is a huge list of foods to choose from.

the book may say they are ok, but if you are stalling, they may not be right for you.

[sjmiller]

Originally Posted by dmw80

thanks for the reply, but... I'm not eating any bread! 12-15 net carbs is really hard to get from veggies when you're only allowed 3 cups per day, two of which are salad greens! I can't seem to get to 20 net carbs per day no matter how hard I try! I have two of the Atkins books and I have followed the acceptable Induction foods to a T! I'm also following the prescribed ratio of fat/carbs/protein almost exactly!

On the 9th, you had a low carb tortilla. It's "bread" and it's not acceptable on Induction.

You will NOT find it on the Acceptable List of Induction Foods. Period.

You can get to 20 net carbs by eating more vegetables.

The current thinking on Atkins is that you "count the carbs", not the cup.

So... forget the 3 cups rule, count your vegetable carbs, and get rid of the tortilla.

[dmw80]

How exactly is more veggie carbs better than 4 carbs of a tortilla?

And why is that a rule that I should chuck out the window? I have the MOST recent Atkins book, and it says no more than 3 cups of veggies?

[jtinker]

a 7 day stall is not that long, but you should not be gaining, it seems like something isn't working for you , go back to what you were doing for the first week , it did seem to work for you. i know for myself i can not eat the lunch-meat or low carb tortilla . i have to be careful of to many eggs, and cheese , i also wont eat heavy cream, so u need to find what works for you,,, if you did gain it didnt work, i go by atkins 72 .Induction Acceptable food list. i cant go to high on fats,,, so find what works for you, gl .

[sjmiller]

Originally Posted by dmw80

How exactly is more veggie carbs better than 4 carbs of a tortilla?

And why is that a rule that I should chuck out the window? I have the MOST recent Atkins book, and it says no more than 3 cups of veggies?

There's more nutrition in the vegetables.

The tortilla is not nutrient dense. It's really pretty useless nutritionally speaking.

Your book is still printed before the Induction rule at www.atkins.com was revised.

So... the rule I posted for you previously is the most current thinking.

If you're not having any trouble losing with the way you're eating, then keep doing what you're doing.

If you are having trouble... I've made my suggestions.

If what you're doing isn't working, why are you so eager to hang on to it?

There you have it.

[Edwards20]

The most important thing to me is to know my carbs are GOOD carbs, not BAD carbs ... no matter how many I eat.

If you're not losing you are wise to evaluate what you are doing. BUT, in order to be a worthwhile evaluation, you will have to modify something. If I ate a LC tortilla with the same number of carbs as broccoli, I would gain.

[CarolynF]

Yes, in fact the carb ladder is crucial to weight loss..and grains are the last thing to add..(LC tortilla or LC bread).. I suggest that look at that part of the book..

Overeating protein can make you stall, too..Basically you should get your energy from the fat you eat and your body fat...Too much protein acts like carbs, Dr. A. says..

Take your lean body mass and multiply it by .6 for the amount of protein you need a day..Women basically need between 60 grams-90 grams a day..

And, alot of us have problems with the salt in cheese, processed meats..and this causes water weight gain..So, continue to drink your water..and eliminate processed meats until you get a handle on it.

[realityjunkee]

Honestly, your fitday journal doesn't look too bad--but I try to keep myself in the 20 total carb range instead of nets because it works better (sometimes) for me. I've only been doing LC for 2 months, but I have noticed from the boards that everyone is a little different in how they react to different foods like cheese, cream, vegetables, etc. The only advice I have is to try some of the suggestions ppl have made and see what works.

[flourchild]

Originally Posted by dmw80

How exactly is more veggie carbs better than 4 carbs of a tortilla?

And why is that a rule that I should chuck out the window? I have the MOST recent Atkins book, and it says no more than 3 cups of veggies?

Oh boy.

You said you wanted feedback, and received some very good advice from seasoned low carbers. You also have an Atkins book and the Acceptable Foods list handy, so what is and isn't allowed should be pretty clear if you plan on Induction awhile. You could eat from that list for weeks without having the same meal twice! Thing is, no LC police are coming to your house to enforce any rules, so if you don't like them, or the recommendations or the carb ladder, feel free to do as you please. We all own our choices, right? Cheers!

[dmw80]

Originally Posted by flourchild

Oh boy.

You said you wanted feedback, and received some very good advice from seasoned low carbers. You also have an Atkins book and the Acceptable Foods list handy, so what is and isn't allowed should be pretty clear if you plan on Induction awhile. You could eat from that list for weeks without having the same meal twice! Thing is, no LC police are coming to your house to enforce any rules, so if you don't like them, or the recommendations or the carb ladder, feel free to do as you please. We all own our choices, right? Cheers!

It just seems to me that people here don't really seem to know WHY they are following these "rules" of this diet, and seem to preach following certain rules religiously while others are tossed by the wayside.

It doesn't make sense.

I understand and appreciate the whole logic behind the Atkins diet, but I don't think it's for me. I will continue to low-carb and exercise and lose weight, but I can't follow arbitrary rules that don't mean anything. I think I should be able to have some strawberries and cottage cheese in the morning for breakfast if I want, without it affecting my weight loss. I mean, gimme a break... who ever got fat from eating fruit and cheese?

[Edwards20]

Originally Posted by dmw80

It just seems to me that people here don't really seem to know WHY they are following these "rules" of this diet, and seem to preach following certain rules religiously while others are tossed by the wayside.

It doesn't make sense.

I understand and appreciate the whole logic behind the Atkins diet, but I don't think it's for me. I will continue to low-carb and exercise and lose weight, but I can't follow arbitrary rules that don't mean anything. I think I should be able to have some strawberries and cottage cheese in the morning for breakfast if I want, without it affecting my weight loss. I mean, gimme a break... who ever got fat from eating fruit and cheese?

I don't think anyone was questioning the strawberries and the cottage cheese hun. I think the biggest discussion was the LC tortillas, and why a carb is not just a carb. And that veggies are more nutrient dense that a LC "product" that is not natural. Too much cheese can not be a good thing for SOME people. I think you totally misunderstood the discussion. You asked for scrutiny and I think you got some fair answers, and some explanations. I certainly never meant for any of my comments to turn you off of the LC lifestyle. I only intended to answer the questions that YOU put out there.

[Boudica]

In the immortal words of my grandmother....,"If you don't want the answers...then don't ask the questions."

~Deila

[sjmiller]

Originally Posted by dmw80

I understand and appreciate the whole logic behind the Atkins diet, but I don't think it's for me. I will continue to low-carb and exercise and lose weight, but I can't follow arbitrary rules that don't mean anything. I think I should be able to have some strawberries and cottage cheese in the morning for breakfast if I want, without it affecting my weight loss. I mean, gimme a break... who ever got fat from eating fruit and cheese?

And you can have those foods... just not on Induction.

You state you "understand" Atkins... but your statements show you don't.

There's more to Atkins than Induction.

[jtinker]

Originally Posted by dmw80

It just seems to me that people here don't really seem to know WHY they are following these "rules" of this diet, and seem to preach following certain rules religiously while others are tossed by the wayside.

It doesn't make sense.

I understand and appreciate the whole logic behind the Atkins diet, but I don't think it's for me. I will continue to low-carb and exercise and lose weight, but I can't follow arbitrary rules that don't mean anything. I think I should be able to have some strawberries and cottage cheese in the morning for breakfast if I want, without it affecting my weight loss. I mean, gimme a break... who ever got fat from eating fruit and cheese?

it seems to me that you have made a choice,,, you have to do what you think is right for YOU.. the rules do mean alto. in short terms if it didn't work millions of people would not have lost weight on it, I'm sure you will be able to find a plan that works for you , gl..

[dmw80]

Originally Posted by sjmiller

And you can have those foods... just not on Induction.

You state you "understand" Atkins... but your statements show you don't.

There's more to Atkins than Induction.

I understand the logic behind low-carb eating, but I don't understand the arbitrary rules of Dr. Atkins' diet.


I understand a carb is not just a carb, they affect you differently, etc... I still don't see how a low-carb tortilla made with soy (no added sugars, etc) is bad for you. You people all act like tweaking the rules of induction is going to throw the earth's axis off balance or something. It's a low GI, low carb food! I know it's not allowed on induction, but I think the rules of induction are pretty sorry. Why not keep your carb count to under 20 net carbs while eating low carb, low GI foods EVEN IF they are not on someone's "acceptable foods list".


I'm losing weight, the inches are melting off, and I feel great! EVEN when I eat strawberries for breakfast or a low carb tortilla for lunch.

It's not that I find a low-carb WOE unappealing, just the opposite is true. I'm going to stick with low carb eating, but I'll be doing the MY-Kins nutritional approach instead.

[imjustpeachy]

Originally Posted by dmw80

I still don't see how a low-carb tortilla made with soy (no added sugars, etc) is bad for you.

As Dr. Phil would say, "So, how's that working for you?"

You already answered that...

Originally Posted by dmw80

I seriously haven't lost anything in the past 7 days ... with all the exercising and keeping my calories AND carbs down... I feel like I should be seeing a major loss), so what gives?

I would just say, try to follow the most current rules of Induction for a week. See if that makes a difference. If not, make your own plan and see what you can do. I know from experience how hard it is to toally give up control over food and follow someone else's plan to a "T", but I now also know how good I feel now that I did.

Good luck!!

[dmw80]

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