Hi everyone: Last week I decided to go off the Atkins Plan because I was concerned about hair loss and irregular menstral cycles. I didn't go crazy, just introduced fruit and shakes, but got my carbs up to around 140 or so. It has been one week and I feel like hell. I'm so tired at the end of the day, I feel bloated and generally not healthy. This morning I decided that I'm going back on the plan, I never felt better before and I know that the hair loss and irregular cycles will pass. I'm glad to be back.

Glad you are back! Hope to hear more from you.

how much did the scale jump in one week alone? I know alot of it is water weight, but still I am curious to see what this can do with the numbers

"Hair loss" and irregular cycles usually fix themselves if you stay on the plan. Hair loss comes about 3 - 4 months after a quick wieght loss. Cycles usually get back in order by the second month. How long have you been doing LC?

I'm sorry tht you are feeling bad but you have taught yourself one of the best things about eating LC - you feel so much better. And you probably didn't even know that you hadn't been feeling well.

Hope all goes well for you now.

I've never heard about the hair loss thing...man...mine is growing like crazy...and it looks so healthy...the last few days I have had so many comments on it....Or maybe these people are noticing a change, but not really sure what it is yet, so they are assuming it's my hair...lol...ya....I like that....

bearbear:

My scale jumped to 172, I know a lot was water gain, but my stomach bloated so much nothing wood fit. After being back at it now for over a week, I'm down to 168 and my shorts fit me again. I'm looking so forward to losing again.

tofi: I've been LCing since January, but by March I was slowly slipping off the plan, now I'm back at it 100%.

lilwannabe: My hair is still coming out - I went to the hairdressers on the weekend to get a trim and my hairdresser assured me that there isn't a lot to worry about, and that most people "shed" in the summer anyway.

I recently went off Atkins, too, because I was frustrated by almost 2 months of no weight loss. I figured I would give myself a "break" for a few days, eat some of the foods I had missed the most, then have renewed motivation to be strict about carb intake and increase my exercise. Today is my first day back on Induction -- it will be interesting to see whether I go through the same symptoms I did when I first started back in March.

Someone asked how much the scale jumped -- for me it was 7 lbs in only 5 days off the program!! That was so scary to see that number on the scale that I hadn't seen in months!! (194 !) I'm sure most of it's water, because I'm feeling very bloated and PMS-y.

It WAS fun to eat some things I'd missed (Indian food, ice cream, potato chips, nachos, oranges!), but I certainly didn't enjoy that food-coma feeling that follows eating a lot of carbs. I'm a low-carb convert for life!

day

I love the term "food coma", that's exactly what it is. After induction you can certainly have Indian food - I love the stuff too. I make a chicken curry with whipping cream (no rice though) and veggie curries are allowed too. I hope you don't feel back going through induction again, I don't think you should, I feel amazingly good, but I didn't go back to a breads, pastas, sugars, etc., I just upped my carbs with fruit and shakes, so I didn't get hit too badly. Good luck