Is it working?

Last night the test strip was 'moderate' and mauve. Now it is dark red. Am I going too fast? Also I ordered a Chicken Caesar salad for lunch but later couldn't find the carb count for the dressing. Help?

And my head hurts. In the front. Is this normal?

I didn't weigh myself before starting. Does the weight come off right away? I would hate to miss the most accurate starting point.

Thank you!

Congratulations! You're in ketosis.


Now... if you're getting a dark reading, you very likely need to be drinking more water. Usually, the darker colors mean you are dehydrated. You should be drinking upwards of a gallon of water a day.

You may experience headaches, irritability and fatigue for a day or two or even up to a week, but IT WILL PASS! And after it does, you will very likely feel great! Your body is breaking its dependence on sugar/carbs, and you are going through withdrawal just as if you had stopped smoking or given up any other dependence/addiction.

Yes, the weight starts to come off right away. Usually, you will lose 5-10 lbs inthe first two weeks and then 2-4 lbs a month thereafter. Some people lose more, some lose less. It depends on a lot of things such as your age, your dieting history, your gender, etc.

Cheers!

Friday

Thank you! I've been guzzleing the water like crazy - I'm in AZ and otherwise I'd die a miserable death, LOL!

This evening I added some more carbs. I read a few threads here after I made my post and I am concerned that I may have dropped too quickly. I am not a yoyo dieter so I get the impression that I may have little resistance to effects of LC eating.

On Atkins, you start out with Induction. That's the 2 weeks where your carbs should be at 20 max. per day and come from salads and veggies only. There is no need to decrease your carb intake to work down to those 20, you just cut back.

Be sure to follow the induction rules strictly and check out which foods you are allowed to eat.

I've found bottled Cesar dressing that had 1 carb/serving. Of course we never know for sure what's in the restaurant dressings unless we can read the label.

It is also very common to drop several pounds very quickly. Most of that is usually water, but it's not something to worry about.