I am so worried and scared the the wonderful path I was on isn't working now or something????! I have been doing FANTASTIC with Atkins as a WOE for the last 7 months. Never been happier, or felt better. Rarely hungry. I had lost 39 pounds, quickly at first and then, steadily. I added exercise and felt great!! PMS was way less, having regular periods as always... until about 2 weeks ago.. I became STARVING all day, felt bloated and like a slug. I kept LCing same as always and expected this must be one of those once or twice a year really bad periods. I never miss a period (even tho I am 49) and have very precise 26 day cycles. This terrible hunger started about two full weeks before a period should. Now, my period is a week late, with no signs of it coming. Feeling a bit better and hunger a bit better, but I have gained 8 pounds. I am often out of ketosis (according to those darn sticks I've bought again, or just light, very light, pink???) It is very worrisome to me because I was doing so well and finally felt as if I had found a real lifestyle, life saving solution to my eating problem, which was horrible burden for years. I did buy some PMS formula and was taking that at a weaker dose a month ago, but doubt it could have had much effect.??? It had vit. A, E, B's (high in 12), zinc and GABA, Choline, Evening Primrose, Kava kava, white willow bark, cramp bark extract, chamomile, and Blue Vervain...?? I only took maybe one or two at most a day and it says three per day. I stopped when this whole thing got so bad. Don't think it is that?? My worry is that I am jumping right into menopause or something and LC will no longer control my bloodsugar or weight?? ANYONE KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS??? I am eating the same foods, just higher calories as I am so hungry.. but keeping my carbs low (around my old 25 or 30), with 65% - 70% fat. Everyday, I hope I will see TOM drop all the extra weight and be back on track... but it's not happening. Should I go on really strict Induction again? Oh, no... I hope I haven't lost that golden touch I found in LC!!!!!!!!! (If this is menopause starting, how long until LC will work fine again??!! Please don't say "never"!) Should I just do nothing? Or act to try and stop the weight gain??? Thanks for any info./ideas

Can't help with the menopoause question, but:

Question: Any chance you could be pregnant?

Hi Gardens,
I just had almost the same problem as you without the weight gain though I had about a 6 week stall. I'm 48 and also have regular periods but this past month for some odd reason it was more than two weeks late, and for weeks before I was starving. Two days before it did start I had a serious craving for veggies of all things! I had read a thread in the general health section about someone having heavier bleeding and she was given the information that it may be because estrogen and other hormones are stored in fat and when you lose a signifigant amount of fat it can effect your TOM. I think that was probably the case with me and it might be for you too. The good news is my TOM finally came around (I never thought I'd be GLAD to see it!). and my weight started going down again, Good luck!

It may not be a menopause thing. I'm 35 and am having the same problem this month. I'm at day 37 since my last period. Felt PMSy for a couple of weeks now and have had a HUGE appetite.

Not pregnant. Tested just to be sure.

I have had this happen once before, and I know it wasn't diet related in any way.

Could be the hormone issue as Demer says. Will wait and see I guess.

K.

Thank you, thank you so much to all who responded so quickly... I already feel so much better just hearing your comments and same experiences and seeing the pom poms!! Thanks for suggestions too. It is so helpful knowing others take it seriously enough to think it over with me.. really.
I had been getting more and more down as the weeks went by about this and worried... finally today, while reading other threads for general LC support and interest, I decided to put my frustration out there and I am so glad I did, Thank you for helping.
Talon, nope can't be pregnant, but I thought the same thing! Sounds like a classic case didn't it?
Red: Thanks for all your comments and the water idea... I actually realised I had cut way, way back on water as I felt so gross and discouraged and didn't want any more water weight!! I was hungry and was going for food, not water... how silly we get.. I am chugging now.. thanks for the important reminder.
Demer: very interesting your comment about estrogen in fat. The week before this I had a big whoosh and was at my lowest weight and felt very trim and fit, not jiggly and joggly as now. (Had lost 6 pounds that month, which is a lot for me.. usually 3 or 4). Maybe that big loss had put out more estrogen and the balance was off and stalled out TOM..?? BUT LISTEN TO THIS!!! Just tonight I was listening to the 6 o'clock evening news and Dan Rather did a piece on one particular hormone that is in red meat that they now think is a real problem and mainly because it too is an estrogen and is related to increasing cancer... it's also getting in the water of lakes and streams and messing up the reproductive cycles of fish! (hey! didn't we used to be fish? tee hee) This really caught my attention because.... before starting Atkins months ago, for the past thirty years, I rarely, really never, at red meat... a bit of chicken/turkey, but I was so serious about low fat/low cal and I (like the majority of misinformed Americans) thought red meat equalled heart disease. Now, of course, I eat a lot of red meat.. in fact, just before my period I often get especially hungry for it.. so.. my point here, when all this hunger and PMS came down hard I really upped my red meat consumption the last three weeks (thinking maybe the iron would help.. ha). I even bought and ate meat lower quality than ususal (at a steak house a couple of times, and bought some on sale meat, etc). I wonder if doing that put even more estrogen into my system and it was sort of like taking hormones and then not stopping the estrogen to let menstruation occur??! I know this seems a bit far fetched.. but maybe possible? Maybe already alot of extra estrogen from the big loss the week before it happened, then, MORE extra estrogen from the red meat increase? Maybe I just happened to get some meat from cows who had been especially treated and had an especially high level of that estrogen hormone or something? Maybe those of you who said this happened to you also happened to get more estrogen from weight loss and/or hormone rich red meat those particular times you had same experience? I'm sure it's not that simple, and that my body is also doing it's own hormone thing, but I am always very stable that way and this was so weird.
Anyway, I will drink more water and now, for the next weeks be very careful about the meat I eat.. I've always known I should get hormone free meat now that I'm eating so much, but it's more difficult to get and more expensive. This has motivated me however and I will simply plan ahead and go to the whole foods store.
I know this is 100% anecdotal and NOT scientific, but... you know how with birth control pills they have to reduce the estrogen for a few days to give the message that it's TOM time.. maybe my estrogen stayed too high and didn't give the OK. Hmm.. just strange timing to hear that piece on the news tonight as I had been eating so much extra red meat lately to try and help get TOM! ha!
OK Well.. I'm done ranting here... just got me thinking about hormones... I know milk can have alot of sex hormones (as they use them to get higher milk production from the cows), so I have always stood firm there and only bought organic milk for my kids... guess it's time to treat myself as lovingly and get the meat without estrogen myself!
Thanks again for all your responses. I am definately reenergized to hang in here longer now... try a couple of new things and "lay off the estrogen" if I can!! smile
Thanks again.. feeling much more like my "old" self, even eithout TOM now! Cheers to you all,

Glad you are doinng better tonight, also glad you didn't mind my question?

When I lost a good bit of weight at first, my periods didn't stop, but were longer heavier and spotting in between. But I also have heard that many skip a period or is late. Different strokes for different folks - but still the same thing: hormones being released has fat is given the heave ho!

Also didn't realize that about the meat. My local grocery store just started selling "Organic" meat - wonder if that is the same as what you are talking about? Hmmmm...

Now, for the rest of the story, or WOE "chapter"...
After three weeks at a five pound weight gain (with no cheats) and TOM being two of those weeks late, (which never happens), and after INTENSE hunger for a good two of those weeks.... and after a plea for help on this forum (this) and such encouragement from several of you... today, I am back down the five pounds!!!!!
I could look at it that three weeks have gone by and I'm right where I "started", but then I know many of your have had longer times than that and it's not technically even a stall. But I'm viewing it with total RELIEF that this WOE has not stopped working for me and that I am still on the road to weight loss and even better health!!!
I saw the quote on someone's entry that you can say too bad a rose has thorns, or wow!! amazing the thorns have a rose!! I'll take the later!!

Thanks again to all of you who were sympathetic, either by posting or in your mind as you read!
Here we go.. another new day of feeling good about my body and relationship with food!
Whew!! As Willie Nelson would say, "On the road again...!", but then, I guess I never got off it, it was just a bit more uphill in one section that I had realized! Happy travelin'
Cheers,