TDCers, I need your help for my husband!
 

When I started Atkins, so did my husband. He is quite overweight, by about 120 pounds, and he suffers from fibromyalgia, so I really wanted this WOE to work for him. I know it's helped so many other fibro sufferers.

Unfortunately, he felt pretty crappy all during the two weeks of induction, and he didn't lose anything. I felt that if he'd stuck with it, he would have lost, but I understand his reluctance, too. Give up foods he loves AND feel like crap AND still be fat? I've been trying to gently encourage him to get back on the wagon. To his credit, though, he has really upped his water intake as well as cut back on the carbs and really only has a few foods that suck him in (chips, sugar in his tea, ice cream, and potatoes).

Yesterday, I read an interesting post about basal metabolism and how you need to eat more than your basal metabolic requirement in calories but less than your total metabolic requirement in calories to lose weight. The larger you are, the more calories you require, too. Just out of curiosity, I figured up his requirements. Depending on the calculator, he needs anywhere from 2500 to 2700 calories per day just for basic functioning. I estimate (and this is a generous estimate) that on induction he was getting maybe 1500 calories a day because of the appetite-killing effects of induction.

So ... could the low caloric intake be an explanation of why he didn't lose? I don't know if the "starvation mode" thing would have happened that quickly, though. Has anyone else here experienced that? Was it alleviated by eating more?

Please help me. More than anything, I worry about my husband and want him to feel better and be around for a really, really long time. Thank you all in advance for your comments.

I think probably you're right on the mark. 1500 cals is so very few for a man, but I still would have thought the diuretic effect this diet has would still have caused some loss. Did he track his fat/protein/carb ratios? That could be a starting point, and could also help find the reason why he felt so badly even into the second week.
It's really not hard to get to a 60/35/5 ratio with some juggling as long as he tracks his food in fitday.
I would think the low calories are probably because of not enough fat and that would be an easy place to start. Ground beef is supposed to be a perfect fat/protein ratio food so burgers with cheese are great for induction and they're calorically dense.
It's always worth another try for him, especially if he's not losing on another plan.
Best of luck to you husband, and to you too of course! :)

My first thought is absolutely! He needs to eat more.

My DH needs to lose about 25 pounds now, but he still needs around 2300 calories per day due to muscle mass. If he eats less than this he does not lose, or he he does lose it is all LBM.

Good luck to your hubby. I hope this can work for him too. :)

If you husband really did two weeks of lowcarb at 1,500 calories a day and lost nothing, not even water weight, I would go to the doctor and get a complete physical including a thyroid check. It sounds to me as though there is something wrong. I do not believe that anyone who is 120 pounds overweight can put themselves into starvation mode in a couple of weeks and even if they did, they would have initially lost weight.

Oh, heck. I forgot to add that at the time, he was taking quite a few meds that, per Dr. Atkins, can stall weight loss. He has weaned himself off of some of them now, though.

Thanks for your quick responses so far. You guys are the best!

Hey you might of answered your own question right there.
I've always figured that for the first two weeks you can eat till you are full as long as you keep it legal. The larger you are the more nutrients you need to keep going. As you continue your appetite will gradually decrease on it own (or you'll stop losing and then cut it back). Plus once you settle into ketosis you don't feel as bad. Actually energy levels spike for me. I've never had a problem losing when I do this. (My problem tends to be maintaining)
Plus, did he cut out caffeine at the same time? The withdrawl from it is not pleasant.
Hope this helps, ttyl!

Quick question - did he do a totally clean induction? I mean no junk food, or low carb junk food at all? Did he stick to the veggies, meats, fat etc?...maybe there were some hidden carbs there somewhere...and the water is so important..but tht said, the meds may have played a part too..what you can do is write or email directly on the Atkins website for advice..they are really good about responding!

I don't know the answer, but I did notice that there are low-carb options for most of the food you listed that he decided he couldn't live without. Low carb chips, artificial sweetener, low-carb icecream, not sure what to suggest about the potatoes though <g>, I've never thought the cauliflower was really good as an option for that.

Maybe he could keep to low-carb using these options. And try the basal metabolic theory, have him eat more calories (which will be easier with the low-carb snacks) and see what happens.

Valerie

I agree. The problem is that when the meal is LC (even now), he tends to eat only a little more than I do, and sometimes I struggle to get in my 1500 calories a day. Induction quickly suppressed his appetite. When eating high carb foods, OTOH, he tends to overeat. I can definitely tell the effect the carbs have on his blood sugar. If I can sweet-talk him into starting induction again, we will have to figure out ways for him to get more calories in.

I think so. Currently we have one car. I work outside the home, and he works from home. And I do all the grocery shopping. :D So he didn't have a lot of opportunity to cheat.

I know, but he is PICKY. He also has a highly developed sense of taste and smell (he's a wonderful cook), so the little nuances of foods stand out to him. Although he did say he's starting to like my LC ice cream better than the regular stuff, because it's not quite as sweet.

Again, thank you all so much. I am going to talk with him about your replies.

*peeks back in after months away*

How do you know how many calories you should consume in a day. I can't lose anything, even though I haven't been cheating, my keto strips always read at least the second from the darkest option...my doctor and my husband both say that I don't eat enough, and I just plugged in one days consumption into fitday and came up with about 500 calories.

At 5'9" tall and 330 lbs..female...what should I be aiming to eat?

Karen

Hey Intarsia! I would place this in your journal but it looked pretty abandoned. It sounds like you need more water. Keto strips being darker doesn't mean faster weight loss just whether you are in ketosis or not.
Calories aren't supposed to be important in this diet. However eating enough is. If you don't eat enough you go into starvation mode and lose NOTHING!!! You solve this by eating more legal foods.
Plus the question of are you measuring yourself. Sometime you won't lose anything on the scale but inches will melt off your body!!!

Hi Frecklffluf!
Doesn't the fact that we can't seem to give up these foods... say something in itself.
ttyl!

Have you thought about possibly switching diet plans? If your hubby has a hard time giving up certain foods, enough that he won't stick to Atkins, why not try Carbohydrate Addicts? It allows for some "bad carbs" each day while still giving the benefits of a low carb diet. Not one plan is for everyone. WHile Atkins is a great plan.....if your hubby won't stick to it....it's may not be good for him. YOu can still stick to atkins even if he changes plans. They eat two "atkins type" meals a day and on their third have a "reward" along with the atkins type foods. Just a thought.

If you are only getting in 500 calories a day, you are DEFINITELY in starvation mode. At 5'9", 330 pounds, age 43, you should be taking in at least 2200 calories per day. Check out this article for a good explanation of why: http://www.countcarbs.com/advice/LC...s_WhatGives.htm.

Good idea. I'll look into that and suggest it to him. Thanks.

Thanks for the link, Sweetie...that helps a ton!

*big hugs*