I'm having touble getting into ketosis, and I'm not losing weight like I have before on Atkins. (I'll spare you the gory details...) I also found out that I have a tooth that I need a root canal on. Could this little pocket of infection be contributing to the problem??? Any thoughts?

Ouch - sorry about your tooth! When I got my root canal done, it was because they didn't want the tooth to get infected...I guess your's already is

Personally, I would say that the infection itself isn't going to upset ketosis, but if you're taking antibiotics they might very well skew your system. I do anything to prevent taking antibiotics -- they upset my stomach and do all sorts of other nasty things to my body.

Finaly, there are a few threads around concerning "Atkins - The Second Time Around." They may help you with your current stalls.

G'luck!

-Jinkster

Yes!!!

Chronic low-grade infections are well-known to cause high blood sugars and higher insulin levels. It seems the bacteria interfere with the function of insulin, leading to increased insulin output and increased insulin resistance. Diabetics often go out of control when there's an infection present. For low-carbers, the higher insulin levels can inhibit ketosis and fat-burning.

It's important to avoid all sugar and refined carbs, as these will simply feed the bacteria for starters, and will worsen the unstable blood sugars.

Hope the root canal relieves your pain, and the infection clears soon. Then you can get on with ketosis and fat-burning

Doreen

Thanks for your thoughts. My dentist TRIED to do the root canal, but I'm going to have to see an endodontist to get it done.

I wasn't aware of the second-time around forum. Thanks! I guess I'm not the only one who's fallen off the wagon...