Hey all,

I'm new to both Atkins and this forum (nice to meet you!), so bear with me if all this has been covered to death elsewhere. I'm happy to follow links to other threads, I just don't have time at the moment to go a-searchin'...

Anyway, what's happened is that after losing about 8-9 lbs in 4 days of mostly water weight, I haven't lost any weight at all. My test strips are coming out purple so evidently my body is burning fat, so why isn't the scale going down? Is it possible for Induction not to work? (I've been on it for about a week and a half.)

2nd question -- my mouth tastes like crayons. It is foul and I can't stand it, but I can't find sugarfree breath mints anywhere. Any suggestions?

3rd -- Heartburn. I get heartburn daily, although it is not so bad on Atkins as it is off. Still though, I cannot live in that much pain. Is there something besides sugar-laden Tums/Rolaids that can help this? (the pills prevent my stomach from making enough acid to digest my food so I end up with gawdawful gas and indigestion, therefore I avoid the pills)

4th -- aspartame and coffee. Are these really as bad as all that? I don't want to give up my morning cup-o-joe if I don't have to, and I drink a diet soda perhaps every other day.

That's it, thanks so much to anyone who cares to share their experiences. May I also say, it is VERY encouraging to see so many people having success with this! Congratulations and holy cow, I'm way impressed (and hopeful for myself!)