i am on day 7 of the atkins induction. i wieghed myself on day 5 and had lost 12 pounds which was great . however upon weighing myself again today i found i had gained 3 pounds. i feel absolutely gutted as im not sure what iv done wrong. i have been sticking to the diet religously i think. only thing iv changed these last couple of days is iv been drinking diet pop instead of water and chewing gum. somebody please help

You probably haven't done anything wrong. Bodies will hold and release weight or water when they feel like it. Don't sweat it , keep on with the plan, you'll be fine.
Maybe you could try only weighing once a week, so you don't notice the ups and downs of your weight so much?
A lot of people say the artificial sweeteners in diet pop and chewing gum will slow down or stall your weight loss. The sweet taste definitely makes me have cravings. Maybe you could try going back to plain water for the rest of your induction.

Anywhere near that 'time of the month'?
Some people see several pounds scales weight gain around that time!

It's most likely the artificial sweeteners in the diet soda and sugarless? gum.

I started gaining again too and I realized the only thing different I was doing was adding splenda to my diet.. I stopped it last Tuesday and have lost 13 pounds in this past week. I wish I had realized how bad it was for me sooner!!

Btw.. 12 pounds in 5 days is FABULOUS!!

Stay away from the scale, your weight will fluctuate no matter what you do. Various things can cause this. Hormone influx, salt retention.....I avoid the scale the first two weeks, third week got on and saw I lost 20 pounds..I do not plan on getting on again for another two weeks....inches are coming off...that is how i truly measure success. Soda and gum..I drink one soda a day and one piece of gum a day.....but every body hanldes these chemicals differently....just relax...do as you have....and weigh yourself in two weeks or more...

thankyou all for your replies and kind words. i actually feel alot better havin read them . iv decided to stay away from the fizzy drinks and gum and c how that goes. i will keep you posted .