Cheated and gained 7 pounds!!!

[JFourth]

Ok so honestly I had a great Valentine's Day consisting of a little too much red wine with my fiance.....and Sunday I was feeling the effects. I had pizza and a blt/fries Sunday. Scale went way up Monday from 172 to 179!!! And it's 4 days later and I'm STILL at 179! I thought at least some would be gone by now! What can I do!?

I started Atkins Jan 6th at 192 and as of 2/14 I weighed 172. I haven't cheated and have been staying at induction levels but just blew it this past weekend! I workout 5 days a week and drink at least 64 oz of water a day usually more. I am looking to lose another 20 pounds total. My clothes aren't any tighter really since the cheat but I just feel so gross! Any tips on how to get the weight back down???

thanks!
Jessica

[harleymoma]

water, water, water
get it flushed out
you will be losing again

[JFourth]

I know I've been drinking water like it's nobody's business! HA

[peanutte]

Just get right back to what you were doing, and remember how unpleasant the consequences are--you'll need that reminder next time you are tempted.

[Forgotten18]

It should go down to what it was anywhere in a week or two. Just keep drinking tremendous amounts of water and maybe go backwards on the carb ladder for a few days. It's mostly just water weight, not body fat, so I wouldn't be concerned really. Sometimes you need to just go out for a special occasion and enjoy yourself. Just remember to get right back on track the next day, and you'll have no prob. at all.

[ourugger]

I had a vday like that as well! Saturday I had red wine throughout the night and chocolate fondue after dinner (with strawberries and a truffle to dip!). I was only on the 3rd rung of the OWL ladder so I was definitely not due for berries or wine! And chocolate doesn’t really fit in there at all

I don't regret partaking but I understand what Sunday was like! I had bad cravings for more chocolate and I wanted pizza. I was able to power through and not cheat Sunday but it took all my willpower.

Before I opted for the Vday indulgence part of the deal for me was going back to strict induction on Sunday. It wasn’t as punishment, it was to get rid of the cravings. It has worked for me and I’m only up a smidge.

If it's water weight then more water definitely sounds like the way to go!

[2big4mysize]

just keep working your Atkins and forget about it used to be 172. Go down from where it is now and keep working both the eating and the mandatory exercise part of your Atkins to morph your body to thew smaller healthier one you want.

[Sybilizedliving]

simply get back on plan

whether you're up a few pounds this week or not, does it really make that much difference in the big picture of making lifetime changes to your health?

I'm not talking specifically to you, but I think people get too tied up in scale numbers and it's more important to look at long term health issues.

[peanutte]

Yes, but when you are overweight or obese and trying to make changes in your life, seeing progress via the scale is important too. It doesn't have to be all or nothing, but I could look at long term health issues till the cows come home, and without the accompanying weight loss it isn't going to make much difference, because a lot of those health issues will be improved or even resolved when the weight comes off.

I understand the feeling of being exasperated by a preponderance of "diet"-focused posters who seem completely fixated on the scale, but I don't think that means we need to be dismissive of the importance of tracking our progress--stalls, setbacks and all. JFourth is a little shocked that the scale tells her she's up seven pounds as the result of her weekend. That is useful factual information, and will inform her attitudes next time she is considering going off-plan.

I do believe that lowering one's carb intake dramatically will have desirable long-term health benefits, but I'm not going to pretend I wasn't motivated to make this change by a primary desire to lose weight. Some of that motivation comes from practical concern for my health, and some of it comes from vanity. Both are legitimate reasons.

[Sybilizedliving]

agreed. But, what is the alternative? Not getting back on plan? No one wants to see anyone go that route.

And, I wasn't saying weight loss isn't important. It's just not the only thing that is important.

[peanutte]

Well, of course I do agree with that. Because if you're solely focused upon weight loss, what's going to keep you going during significant stalls when you're doing everything right? And also, of course I think you have to just get back on plan...having learned something, hopefully.

[Narkissos]

The weight gain is just water/sodium retention (and some glycogen, from the pizza/bread indulgence).

Your electrolyte balance should be back to normal by this weekend... so you should shed part of the water retention by this time.

Glycogen will be depleted by your workout this week (providing that you've gone back to your carb-depleting diet, and 5 workouts per week schedule).

Don't stress over it... as stress can cause you to retain water on a serious level.

Just try to get back into the swing of things.

[JFourth]

Thanks for all the replies everyone! The scale is down about another pound. It's crazy; takes one day for it to shoot up like that and forever to get back down! I have definately learned something! I am going on a cruise in April with my fiance and have been debating going off plan for the cruise but just since this one night I REALLY don't think that's a good idea! Has anyone completely gone off plan for a week or more? What has happened???

Jes

[Narkissos]

Originally Posted by JFourth

Thanks for all the replies everyone! The scale is down about another pound. It's crazy; takes one day for it to shoot up like that and forever to get back down! I have definately learned something! I am going on a cruise in April with my fiance and have been debating going off plan for the cruise but just since this one night I REALLY don't think that's a good idea!

Why would you, having just had an experience like above (related to just 2 days off the plan), consider going off the plan for longer?

re: cruise... Don't you think you will be able to stick to the plan while there?

Originally Posted by JFourth

Has anyone completely gone off plan for a week or more? What has happened???

Jes

I have... at various stages.

The results have always been disastrous.

The first 3 days = massive water/sodium and glycogen retention

After that?

Fat gain.

I suggest you figure out a way to stick to your plan despite the cruise's environment.

[sacmom3]

Just curious guys. If you are on OWL and go off plan, do you usually so like the book says and start back on Induction level or can you just go back to OWL?

[peanutte]

Where in the book does is say you need to start all over again? I don't recall that being the case.

If you made a mistake, simply go back to doing what you were doing. If you want to keep your carbs a little lower for a few days, that's fine, but you don't have to.

[JFourth]

Thanks for all the replies...
Here is my update and it's not pretty......it is 9 days after my cheat and of the 7 pounds I gained I only have lost 2 of them! I am eating so well....
Bfast - coffee and eggs
lunch - usually can of tuna on small salad or some chicken
dinner - salmon or fish of some sort and green beans
LOT OF WATER (at least 64 oz usually more)
snack - an ounce or 2 of cheese or a few almonds

Not quite sure where to go from here now. I can't believe it is taking so long! Is this normal?
Thanks!
Jes

I've also still been working out (last week though was only 3 days) but this week I am shooting for 5 days/50 minutes. I have read posts that some people don't lose weight when they exercise.....strange. I wonder if that's my problem. I just don't see how NOT exercising can be healthy at all....I don't just do it to TRY to lose weight (even though I'm not!) but I do it for my sanity as well! Ha!

[peanutte]

Off the top of my head, that doesn't seem like enough food to support your workouts. Looks like maybe 1200 calories or less, to me. Let's just say in 50 minutes of a workout, you burn 300 calories (I don't know what kind of workout you do, but on the elliptical this would be a LOW estimate--you could easily burn up to 500 calories in 50 minutes on an elliptical). If you do that 5 times a week that's at least 1500 extra calories burned...but are you giving your body adequate fuel for that?

[2big4mysize]

Originally Posted by sacmom3

Just curious guys. If you are on OWL and go off plan, do you usually so like the book says and start back on Induction level or can you just go back to OWL?

when you say GO OFF PLAN that is pretty vague. if off plan means for a meal or a day then no you just keep going. if you binge for days on end and are out of ketosis Dr Atkins says to eat a few days of induction to get back into ketosis and then go right back to where you were before the cheating ways.

if that off plan turns in to months then yep you should redo induction and act like a newbie to Atkins in terms of your eating plan.

[ourugger]

I agree with Peanutte, I think you actaully need to try eating more. I posted on another thread that I do track calories, but only to make sure I'm taking in enough... I don't have a top number, I eat only until I'm satiated, but I do have a bottom number that I make sure I hit.

I don't see a lot of fat in there either -- you want to make sure you're getting enough of that too. Do you keep track of your foods online to see the carb/fat/protein makeup of your intake? How many eggs do you eat? Do you use butter with your eggs/Green beans? What kind of dressing on your salad?

I workout 1-2 hours a day, 6 days a week, so I'm very conscience about what I eat. On Tuesdays it's 2.5 hours of workouts so I'm trying to eat a little extra today. It's hard though, I don't have near the appetite I used to so I have to be creative.

Keep tweaking your diet and posting updates, you'll get to the bottom of this!

While it'd be awesome to drop weight insanely fast, I truthfully don't want to lose faster than 2 lbs/week. Maybe try dropping the nuts for now to you sort this out?

[EzraDuncan]

gotta pewps