I am getting a little confused and a little discouraged. I have been on the Atkins plan for 7 days now and I really don't understand something. I get up in the morning and it almost always says that I have lost a pound or so, and in fact, this morning the scale said that I was down to 226. But evening I get on and it tells me that I am EXACTLY 230. I could understand a couple of pounds per day, but why always 230?

Typical day of eating:

Morning: 2 scrambled eggs and 2 sausage patties or 4 bacon.

Lunch: Couple of small hamburger patties w/cheese. Small salad.

Mid day snack: Chicken or another hamburger patty.

Dinner: Steak or Chicken, w/green beans.

I generally drink about ten 16oz glasses of water a day at least.

How does this sound? My keytone strips still say that I am in moderate to high. Sometimes I am at "small" more more often than not I'm at moderate.

What do you think? Please let me know.

-Rick

My first guess looking at your food is salt from things like cheese, sausage and bacon. My weight also does a 2-3 lb bounce from morning til bedtime, so that part is absolutely normal. Let's look at it this way: your maximum fluctuation, 4 lbs, is 1.5% of your total weight. Is 1.5% worth the headaches you're giving yourself worrying over it?

Another way to look at it: you know that there is no way on earth you can gain and lose 3-4 lbs of fat or muscle in 12 hours, so that weight absolutely has to be water (and of course, the steak or chicken still being digested from dinner). If you were female, you'd know that you never shop for shoes late in the day because things like water, salt, gravity and heat make your feet swell! So for you, just don't get on the scale before bed and you'll be fine.

One thing you might like to do if you haven't already is go to www.fitday.com and start entering your food there. Your protein looks good, but your carbs might be closer to zero than they need to be, and your fiber is probably low. A nice tip: you can subtract the fiber grams from the carb grams listed for any food!

Also, the water you drink will dilute the readin on your ketostix, so don't worry if the color is light. It's even possible to not register at all but still be in ketosis just because of hydration.

Have some more veggies, make sure your calories are at least 2300 (10x body weight), and relax and enjoy this WOL. (way of life)

Cheers!

Friday

Because weight fluctuates. My daily fluctuations vary from 4 lbs to 10 lbs. TEN lbs. Take this advice and save yourself a lot of unecessary stress: Weigh once a day then stay away from the scale if you cannot handle the daily changes.

Everything you eat or drink will effect that number. Food has weight. 3 litres of water has weight. It all adds up.

And stress is your enemy when losing fat.
Nat

You're doing everything right (better than me) so just relax. I find this diet is high in salt intake so you will be holding a lot of water one day and spending all day in the bathroom the next. I advise you to just weigh once a week.

Good advice all. I will take it.

I also started taking the Atkins Basic #3 vitamins. My wife is saying that she can tell that I am losing weight and I can feel it coming off. It's coming out of my face and everything. I am already getting back into some of my old jeans. Woo Hoo!

I got the munchies like a madman tonight. Which brings up another question. Should there be a "cutoff time" for eating on this plan? Some nights I feel really like I have the munchies, but not really hungry. Ya know?

I'll stay off that scale. Once a week is good by me.

-R

The others had some great advice and insight and I just wanted to add one thing.

How much water are you drinking? Did you know that 64 oz of water is 4 pounds? Also how much food? 16oz steak perhaps? Food and water are not weightless. When we ingest them we take on their weight until it passes through our digestive track and out of our bodies.

So if you are consuming say 5 pounds of water and another 3 pounds of food by the end of the day you would probably end up 4 or 5 pounds heavier. Food takes a bit longer to run it's course through the system than water does afterall

i think your doing great! We all fluctuate in weight. Your morining weight will always be lighter. So pick a time you want to weigh yourself, and only weigh yourself at that specific time. Not every day, but once or twice a week is good. That way you can have a more accurate idea of your rate of weight loss. And watch the processed stuff!! I posted something about that very topic. I eliminated all processed junk like the deli meat and hotdogs so as to eat more healthy and see better results on this plan. When you feed your body whole foods it will "run" more efficiently" and thus you'll use calories better for your daily activities. Think of your body like car. If u give it ultra super gas, a cleaner fuel, your car will last longer and run better. Give it the cheap stuff, that is full of junk and the car will last you ahlf the time. OUR bodies are the same way.

Are you excercising at all? excercise is always a good thing to incorporate into your lifestyle. Because the low carb plan is a lifestyle not a fast quick solution. Hope this helps.

Piera

Yeah - I'm trying to do at least 30 minutes per day (in the late evenings) of cardio at the gym. The elyptical Precor machines. I also do some weight training on odd days.

-R

Hola: I am new on this diet, but I have been doing a lot of reading and came up with a good suggestion about the weighting routing. I am following the Atkin's diet, however I also read the "Diet for Carbohidract Adicts" and on this book it is suggested that you average your weight weekly,( for the same problem you are having, - water retaintion and other facts may increas your weight not necessarily what you are eating) the plan is this: weight yourself every day at the same time, (prefer. A.M. Naked (give your wife, girlfriend, or special one, a good morning start ) Anyway, back to the plan, record your weight and af the end of the week add up all the numbers and divided for the 7 days you weighted. This will give you an average of how much you gained, loose during the week.

Also, check your scale this way, get on, get off, get on, and get off again, if the difference every time is more than 1 pound you need a new scale. It is recommended the digital one because it not only give you numbers like 190, 189, it read the entire weight like 199.2, 192.5 and is more accurate this way.

Hope this can help,

Wanda L.

Sorry about the type-Ups !!