The Induction Blues :(
 

Bleh, just weighed myself after about 4 days and found out I gained a pound or something. I am so depressed I think I pigged out on veggies today. I'm on my 10th (11th?) day of induction and I am just NOT losing anything anymore. And it was all going so well too, the first 2 days....

I eat very little carbs, I eat tons of mayo and olive oil with my food, I exercise everyday (aero, weight training), have my daily vitamins and drink so much water I'm growing gills. Have I missed anything? I have none of the problems Atkins mentioned (or so says my doctor). My ketostix say I'm in ketosis still.

And yet I weigh the same. :confused: At first I was determined, then confused... now I'm just depressed. I mean this is induction, this is where the weight is suppose to come off... and it isn't. I've done everything, I've taken all the advice... I've been so careful, tried to make sure I followed everything and erred on the side of caution. And yet.... nothing. I mean its one thing when you KNOW where the problem is but I'm totally lost. And honestly, I don't know what else to do. My first impulse is to eat less or cut the fat but you're not suppose to do that on Atkins. So I'm stuck. Maybe I'll do that drastic diet thing he recommends, but its a last resort.

Okay, I know there are greater problems in the world then the fact I can't get my weight down (and thus shouldn't act like its a natural disaster) but... it's just REALLY REALLY getting to me.

Some advice maybe? Words of wisdom? Enlightening answers that will tell me what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks everyone, sorry this is so depressing, I'm generally a cheerful person but I've tried sooo hard and it would be nice to see the scale go down just a tiiiiny bit...

Dear elliebelly,

Weight loss when eating low carb comes in fits and starts. Sometimes you just get a whosh and lose a couple of pounds all at once, sometimes the scales don't move for a week.

You need to take it easy. This way of eating is for life. I've been eating low carb for nearly two years now and I still enjoy it.

Some of the weight you lost at first was water. You are doing plenty of exercise so you could be gaining muscle - which is good, but muscle is heavy. Measure yourself rather than rely on the scales. Also your body may be taking time out to repair damage done by previous bad eating habit (i.e. low fat, not enough protein).

You have got time on your side. This way of eating has huge health benefits, not just weight loss.

Just keep going - it'll happen - honest :thup:

Robert

Volume
 

You have a relatively small amount of weight to lose. Considering that, you might want to cut back on the "tons" of fats a little. We don't count calories on Atkins but we do have to consider, at some point, how much we are eating. I do not agree that we just eat as much fat as we desire. And I do not believe that Atkins promotes unlimited amounts of anything. Remember, even with the "caloric advantage" of Atkins, the amount of food and eventually the level of calories, does count. If you exceed the "caloric advantage" you will not lose weight.


So I think your original thought, to cut back, is a good idea. I think you should try it and see what happens. I have focused on eating less food since the day I started the diet; slowly and comfortably lowering my volume to food overall.

Good Luck!

Maybe Not Enough Carbs?
 

You mentioned that you eat very little carbs....Are You Eating Enough? This is not no carb...You should be eating 18-20 grams.
As for the calories they should be 10-12 times your body weight.

I just notice that I have not been eating enough and guess what... I have not been losing either! :mad: So today I am making sure I get plenty! :D


Hope Things Work Out For You!
Julie :wave:

Hi, elliebelly....
 

Perhaps you should figure out your calories one day and see what you are taking in. Also make sure you are getting enough calories. It could be either/or.

Also, are you measuring yourself? There have been plenty of times when I don't lose weight, but I do lose inches. Everyone's body is unique and you may lose weight differently from others. Also, it takes the body awhile (especially if you have dieted before) to accept a new way of eating and give up its fat.

:)

Lots of people don't start losing until well into the second week of induction, especially when they don't have a lot to lose. So don't get discouraged, lots of times when you see those remarkable losses posted, you have to realize that the person might want to lose close to 100 lbs and since a lot of the initial weight lost is water that makes and impressive number and then even those with lots to lose slow down at some point. It takes just as much perseverance to lose a little.

:)

Please Clarify?
 

Thanks everyone :) but now I'm a bit confused. I upped my "fats" because of the thread "is fat the key" which says that fats are the kindling and we should eat like 60 to 70% fats. But now it was suggested by Teuthis I should cut down on my fats? I'm a bit confused. So should I up my fats and reduce my caloric intake overall? Or just lessen the fats...? Or maybe lessen everything. But someone else said maybe I'm not getting enough to eat. Ergh. Argh. *scratches head*

Lets try it this way. Here are the Induction Allowed foods . Please take a look at these and ask yourself these questions.

Have you been eating until satisfied?
Have you been eating your mandatory 2-3 cups of veggies a day?
Have you been drinking enough water?
Have you been eating any LC treats or bars?
Have you been drinking any alcohol?
Have you cheated at all?

Every other question here is guess work because you haven't posted your menus.

We need to know specifics to figure if this was a food issue or if your body is just going its natural pace.

As stated, you don't have that much to lose and average loss is 10% of the amount you wish to lose during induction and 5% each month after...

Foods
 

Thanks, I have a list of induction allowed foods which I follow pretty closely. My list of foods is in my journal though I haven't written in a while because I've been feeling kinda down. Will write again tonight :)

Okay, the questions:

Have you been eating until satisfied?
*nod* I've never actually been hungry since I started Atkins which is great though I do try to eat 3 meals a day.

Have you been eating your mandatory 2-3 cups of veggies a day?
I usually try to eat a good number of veggies (and would happily eat more) but since I haven't lost anything much Atkins recommends cutting down on carbs so I'm eating less than 2 cups of veggies at the moment.

Have you been drinking enough water?
Tons, I'm sipping all day and when I go to the gym I go through water like a fish.

Have you been eating any LC treats or bars?
Ehm, I don't even know what those are.

Have you been drinking any alcohol?
I don't drink or smoke or anything else.

Have you cheated at all?
I think I had too many veggies yesterday because I was so depressed but that's all.

I'm like a military soldier, I'm so strict with myself... but still no results. If I could say I cheated or something at least I'd know what to change. But I haven't... that's what's so frustrating.

Thanks for taking the time and it sounds like you are doing good.

Now first off...realistic weightloss expectations are 10% of your weight to lose during induction and 5% each month after.

You want to lose 25lbs so you can expect to lose 2.5 during induction (you appear to have lost 4 - which is better then the curve).

This isn't a fast weightloss program. This is a healthy way to lose weight gradually and eat till satisified. Slower is better because we learn maintenance.

Hi Ellie,

If you're working out regularly with both cardio and weights, I've read that increasing protein has some very positive effects. Firstly, protein requires the most energy to fully digest and absorb. Secondly, with increased proteins--even if one diminishes calorie intake--it appears our bodies metabolism doesn't slow down, or otherwise known as "going into starvation mode".

Give this a try for a week, and see if it might work for you. Also, though calories aren't supposed to count, they do in the long run. With your activity level and weight, you should be able to easily create a calorie deficit on about 1300 - 1500 calories depending on the length and intensity of your workouts.

Good luck!