Ok. I blew it! Completely. I did everything I was supposed to do and got the colour change with the ketostix so knew I was in ketosis. I was soooooo strict with the carb intake. Lost nothing! Discovered that the two cans of caffeine free diet coke may well have been the culprit as removed everything that was a potential obstacle, cut down cheese, excluded any nuts until I was eating the bare essentials as instructed by Atkins. Drank water till I thought I would burst. Even hired a treadmill as I was working nights. Then I really lost the plot. After a month of losing nothing and cutting out EVERYTHING! - I was eating only fresh meat cuts (no processed meat at all) a very small amount of cream in my decaf coffee - twice daily. One pathetically small slice of cheese and limited low-carb veges. That was it. Still nothing. The variety was a joke. I just didn't want to give up my diet coke. I'd even made the sacrifice of switching to caffeine free. I can do without sweets, chocolate, bread, pasta - all those luxuries I missed but was resigned to give up, just not my diet coke! THEN I DID IT. I just thought...what kind of life is this? I've given up everything - and to be honest, felt far more deprived than I ever have on a low-fat diet. Then I just let my diet go. Didn't eat junk food. The same diet, fat and all but WITH bread and potatoes and rice etc!!! The result was to be expected. I GAINED a few kilos!!!
I am going to give this another go
I am going to bite the bullet and pull the caffeine free diet coke as well. I really, really need some encouragement though. I just feel so incredibly deprived on this diet. There is no variety. No sauces for meats. I took the mustard out of my original plan for fear it was having a negative effect. I really miss veggies. It's one thing that fruit and the high carb veges like carrots, potatoes etc, have to go. That's bad enough. But that we have to have restrictions on the amount of low-carb veges is killing me. Is anyone else finding this? I know that some lc diets say you can subtract the fibre content of veggies from the carb count but I am definitely not trying that one as I had no loss in the first month when I was incredibly strict and kept my carb count below 20gms.
I need help!!!
I cannot bring my own meals to work as there is no refrigeration. I work on a film set and the locations are constantly changing and often remote. The food provided is often cut sandwiches and fruit which makes it difficult. I was trying to find some low-carb protein bars to substitute but to no avail and just gave in. Any suggestions as to what I could take to work on this diet that doesn't require refrigeration?
How is it that everyone else seems to drop 1/2 to a kilo a week on induction and I just can't seem to get a result? I find this diet very difficlut to stick to without the motivation of weight loss. My stats are wrong by the way. I lost nothing! I am so disillusioned.

Believe me I sympathise. But hang in there, when we get it right, it will be all worth it.

I lost 7.5 pounds in first 4 days, and then regained 6.5 of them in the following 11. I am also in the process of eliminating everything except the bare essentials to get the scales going the right way. (It is working). Feel free to take a look at my journal. The menus for Day 17 and Day 18 have worked pretty well, and I think are good and varied. Some salad with goats cheese, olives and olive oil and balsamic dressing - with fresh king prawns, some steak with steamed broccoli and creamy mushroom sauce... yummmmmmm. I am trying to be quite adventurous with my induction foods (within the bounds of what is allowed of course).

It is important that you don't cut back so much that you feel deprived. Try to keep your carbs at between 15 and 20, you will lose better and feel better. Make up the carbs with the good stuff. make sure you eat enough. 10-12 times your weight in calories. More fat, helps you lose faster.

The things I cut out that I think were causing my problem were all excess salt, nuts and artificial sweetened stuff, I must be sensitive to it. I have read a lot about your body thinking its getting sweets so it produces insulin. Aspartame and other sweeteners (which are contained in diet softdrinks) are notorious for preventing weight loss in some. I am hoping that once my weight loss gets steady I can reintroduce the 50g of Macadamia nuts a day, as I like the change of nuts.

An idea on the lunch!!

Why not get a lunchbox that contains a thermos. You can freeze the thermos and it will act as a built in refridgeration unit. Then you can pack anything you like for lunch - salad and chicken, left over roast meats, some cheese, a ceasar salad (no croutons) with chicken. Remember to pack a snack for mid-morning and afternoon too. There are also lots of "mini-eskies" or cooler bags available now. Ok, so you might look a little odd turning up with it, but how great would it be for you to be able to bring your own stuff. Stick it in a shady spot so the ice pack doesn't melt so fast, and you should be all set.

Hang in there lisanixon, I know its easy to be impatient and want to see results.

:hug:

Kim

A couple of things...

The weight you want to lose may seem like a mountain, but if you don't have a lot weight to lose, it will feel like it's slow going. Percentage wise, it works out to be the same as some one who started with 100 pounds to lose. Ten percent of ten pounds is a pound, and 10 percent of 100 pounds is ten. Can you dig it?

If you are an active reader of this forum, you will have seen this repeatedly. Keep your calories up! 10 x 12 times your weight is the norm. Have a look at these links and if you are not an active reader, become one.

Fat and Keeping Calories Up

More on Fat and Keeping Calories Up

Start with increasing your calories and using fitday.com to keep track. Without knowing what you're eating, I would say it's the calories and not the carbs that you should be looking at.



There are sooo many vegetables! Broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, asparagus, snap beans, spinach, snow peas, daikon, radishes, peppers, mushrooms, cucumber, tomatoes, Swiss chard, radicchio, endive, lettuce of all sorts, mustard greens....the list goes on.

'Ya have to rethink what a sauce is. You have to keep your mind open to new possibilities with everything in this WOE. It is one of the biggest tools to success.Taking on the new and wanting everything to be the same is defeating you.

Mayonnaise: thin it out with water, flavour it - herbs, curry, wasabi, soy sauce, ginger, lemon or lime, horseradish, sesame oil... Commercial mayonnaise thinned with water can be heated too. You can use mayonnise and flavourings as a coating for baked, broiled or grilled meat and fish.

Olive oil with: lemon and ginger, lemon and soy, ginger and soy, pureed roasted red peppers, basil and garlic, roesmary and tomato...

Heavy Cream: reduced and spike with any of the above flavourings

Hollandaise: Same as all above

Cooked and pureed cauliflower makes a sauce too!

And last but not least. LC is not a quick weight loss diet. Enjoy the many other good things it brings and come to welcome weight loss as a great benefit.

Karen

Thankyou so much K-Louise and Karen for your advice. I actually did try the cooler thing with ice packs. I work 15hour days. Breakfast is always the first thing served and they include bacon and eggs - so breakfast is fine. The cooler worked for the next meal, but by the third one - which comes around after 10hours in the cooler, not safe to eat. Particularly in this heat. By the fourth - the 12hour mark - forget it. I just wish we had some more low-carb products available in Australia.
As for the variety. I am too scared to add anything I couldn't find in the Atkins book or the low-carb recipie book I bought. I did start with things like olives, and lemon juice, a little soy, mayo and mustard but ended up removing them as my results were nil. I really needed to remove any possible offenders.
I know there is plenty of variety in the vege department. It's the restricted amounts that are killing me. Counting mushrooms and cauliflower sprigs is depressing. I feel like they are my only luxury and it seems insane that a vegetable is a luxury that has to be monitored.
I have been eating plenty though. Fat intake is high - as far as I'm concerned. Butter on veges, eating all the fat on lamb chops, chicken skin etc, bacon, eggs cooked in oil and butter. It's like a laxative!
I guess that's just the way it is though. No use complaining. Sorry to whinge! I'm just surprised that everyone finds this diet liberating when I'm finding it so incredibly restrictive.

If you've been a yo-yo dieter and are restricting calories, your body will think "starvation mode" and hang on to it's fat stores.

Check out fitday as suggested and see where you stand with calories. It's not always just about carbs. You're restricting yourself when carbs might not be problem.

Karen