PLEASE HELP!!!!

[nhjeepgirl]

HI>>>I have been on atkins for 16 days as of this morning and I am losing weight extremely slow...I follow it to a T and Im very strict with what i put into my mouth. I was on thepill but i stopped taking it after 15 years because it says the pill causes slow weight loss...I was also on Lexapro which is an anti-anxiety/anti-depresant and I cut the pill in half (took a smaller doage)..however, yesterday was the last day of it... I dont eat aspertame...Im very careful about not using more than 3 packs of splenda a day and i dont drink caffenine or alcohol. For breakfast I drink a low carb shake (2 grams carbs) ....9 grams of fat...lunch i usually have tuna, and egg with lettuce, some celery sticks, and fatty salad dressing with one carb in it...Dinnner I dont eat till 9 pm cause i work 2 jobs, but i usually have a 2 egg omlette with american cheese with some form of meat, either hamburg or steak ...on the george foreman...in betwwen i have pork rinds or a slice of cheese....I drink 101.4 ounces of water a day....(3 liters)..I just need insight....I also walk 2 days a week..whcih isnt much but I leave at 7:30 am and dont arive home until 9:00 PM every night mon-friday...

[MammaC]

Could you tell us what you mean by "extremely slow"? How many pounds have you lost since you began? Also, are you measuring? You might be losing inches, too. Also, does your shake have sugar alcohols in it? It doesn't seem like you are eating many veggies either. Eating more veggies usually helps keep calories down and adds fiber and vitamins which you need.

[nhjeepgirl]

the shake has 0g sugar alcohol. Im nervous about veggies because they add alot of carbs to the diet...what other veggies can i eat..im trying to stay at 20 grams for awhile longer...Ive lost like 8 pounds in 16 days. which isnt much compared to what ive heard..people saying they lost 20 pounds in 14 days...or 40 pounds in one month....

[kcbookworm]

Originally posted by nhjeepgirl
the shake has 0g sugar alcohol. Im nervous about veggies because they add alot of carbs to the diet...what other veggies can i eat..im trying to stay at 20 grams for awhile longer...Ive lost like 8 pounds in 16 days. which isnt much compared to what ive heard..people saying they lost 20 pounds in 14 days...or 40 pounds in one month....

8 lbs in 16 days???? That is a LOT! How much do you have total to lose? An average loss for the first 2 weeks is 10% of what you need to lose. I started off needing to lose 25 lbs and I lost 5 lbs in the first 2 weeks, which is more than 10%.

If you don't have a lot to lose (i.e. less than 30 lbs) and you set your expectations too high, like thinking you will for sure lose 40 lbs in one month, you are you going to be disappointed.

As for your nervousness of vegetables ... The veggies ARE how you get 20 carbs a day. If you follow induction cleanly, you will be eating unlimited meat, eggs, and fats, 3-4 oz cheese a day, and 3 cups of salad or vegetables. Your carbs come from that 3 cups of salad or vegetables. Sounds like you need to re-read the induction chapter of the Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution book or go to www.atkins.com and read the induction rules.

You asked what other vegetables you can eat ... you will find a list of legal vegetables in the book or on the website.

Good luck and keep up the good work! 8 lbs is a great loss!

[Diana]

Where are you getting the People losing 40lbs in one month?????

Unless they are not eating that is impossible!!!

[nhjeepgirl]

A friend of mine said she lost 50 pounds in 2 months and 40 of it came off in teh first month...unless shes lying..I havent seen her yet...shes moved away and lost weight...tehn my mom keeps telling me im doing something wrong..so i have alot of negative feedback about my diet...Im going ot make a few changes that i think might help like not eating dinner until 9 pm..ill move it to 5:30 PM...and ill get some of the cheese out of my diet...other then that I cant think of what else I can do...except work out and I just have NO TIME!!!!!!!!!!

[MammaC]

8 pounds in 16 days is great. I lost 8 pounds in my first 14 days, so our starting loss is about the same, and I have lost 99 pounds as of today 11 months later.

As for the vegetables. You can eat all kinds of vegetables and keep your carbs under 20. From what you said in your first post, you are not eating anywhere near 20 grams of carbs a day. Do you have DANDR? If not, you can go to the Atkins site and find a list of all the foods you can eat on induction. Some of them are broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, spinach, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumber... just to name a few.

[Diana]

I have never heard of anyone losing that much in one month... noway!!! She must not be eating.... or Lying to you.

Your doing fine keep it up. Remember slower wins the race. The longer it takes you to lose it the better, develop new eating habits, and enjoy the ride

[nhjeepgirl]

I went out during my lunch break today and bought frozen spinach because my mom told me of this really yummy thing she makes that has sour cream, spinach, cream cheese,and dried ranch dressing thats she bubbles in teh oven....I also bought fresh green beans, frozen grean beans, and brussel spouts and some romain lettuce...Im going to cut down on my cheese intake and im planning on stopping the shakes..maybe make a big breakfast...big lunch..small dinner...trying to change things up a bit to see if it makes a difference

[Lisa Rae]

Nhj,

I'm also curious as to how much total you needed to lose when you started. As staed above..the average loss seems to be about 10% of the total number of lbs you need to lose in the first 2 weeks Induction) (cheat free of course!)

I had over 100 to lose and lost 9..then nothing for 3 weeks. When I started (4+ years ago) I was told by many that that was very normal. You have a big loss the first 2 weeks..then often the body will take a break for a few weeks to re-aadjust (many oldbies call this the post induction stall.) I've seen it over and over when people lose well the first 2 weeks. I would not be stressing your loss. 8 lbs is wonderful..and you need to get over thinking of this as a "diet" If this is a way of life..then eating by the list..exerciseing and loss will happen. You didn't gain it overnight..and it won't come off that way either

[Atkins_Nutritionist]

Seems like you are on the right track. You are losing weight at a typical rate and your menu looks good. But you do need to add more veggies, and this should be where you are getting most of your carbs. Makes sure you choose veggies highest in fiber. You also need to realize that these are changes to your diet that you will need to make and keep making. You are changing your approach to eating, and will be adding carbs back until you find the level that allows you to maintain your weight loss and keep it off. It's tricky to time your meals, especially if you work so late. Maybe eating 6 small meals instead of 3. I wouldn't suggest eating dinner at 5:30 as you mentioned, but if you are eating 6 times a day, you can eat at 5:30 and then again at your usual time. It's all about individualizing to find out what works best for you! Good luck

[LowCarbHoney]

I lost about 9 lbs on induction and I followed everything to the letter. A year later I've lost over 80lbs. One thing I've learned is to focus on my story. I was green with envy when I heard of those who lose 100 lbs during a year. But they are not me. I'm doing the best I can and remaining true to myself. After all, the first two weeks are not important. I now realize that I have to maintain this woe for the rest of my life. That's what we should focus on. Two weeks is insignificant in the grand scheme of things.