Hi.
I'm just on day 2 of my low carb diet. I'm sort of following Atkins, eating 20g of carbs a day, about 1200 - 1500 cals. I exercise off about 200 calories everyday, eat plenty of dark green veges...
I was just wondering what other people's experiences with the first week of LC were like. I know everybody's different, but I'd like a vague idea of what to expect. Not to mention I could use a little inspiration right now! Let me know.

This is something that is hard to respond to. As you have stated "everybody's different" . But I can tell you, the more you have to lose the more you will lose during induction. The average is about 10% of what you have to lose. But there are even factors that can affect this. Such is wether this is your first time around low carbing or your third.

Well, I started Atkins on May 8, 2003 and lost 9.5 pounds the first week, I have now lost a total of 18.5 pounds.

I didn't make the 20g of carbs a goal, most days I am under that. A coupel of days I went slightly over. On the average I eat about 12g carbs per day and feel great. Keep it up though, I have had several stretches of 2-3 days with either no loss or a small gain but then it starts to go down again.

I work out at the gym for about 45 minutes, 3 times per week.

Good Luck!

I started May 12th and have lost 17 so far. I am not sure how much the first week though? Should have written it down. Hope that helps.

Thanks Guys.

Hey Lynne
I lost 4 lbs in my first week. As I imagine, some of that was water. I've noticed that the less you have to lose, the slower it tends to come off in the end. So things may occur fairly slowly for you. Also, weight-bearing exercises will 'add' to the weight because muscle is heavier than fat, but it's also leaner! So clothing will fit better. That's why you'll see that your measurements may be a better indication of your fat loss than the scale.
later.

I started on May 5, 2003 and I've only lost about 5 pounds total, only about 2 for the past 2 weeks. I finally lost another one today!!! I just had alot of metabolic resistance. It all just depends person to person. All I know is that I havent gained anything! Woohoo!

Like Lynne, I didn't know what to expect and I'm starting to get a little discouraged . . . . weight is up and down, energy level is WAY DOWN, and I'm not sleeping well. Today is day 6 - I've been religious about my carb intake, I gave up caffeine, and am trying hard to follow the Induction rules. I am eating the Atkins bars as my breakfast. Is that a no-no? Otherwise everything I am eating is on the acceptable list and in acceptable amounts. I'm trying to lose only 15 pounds. Will it be a slower process for me? Words of wisdom would be appreciated.

Hi! I lost 9 pounds in the first 2 weeks and the big ZERO since. It is exactly 4 weeks. I have stayed on induction levels the whole time and I too am getting dicouraged because I am watching my friend lose quicker doing that weekly meeting place. Anyway I will keep at it and I just keep hoping the scale will become my friend one day. But it sure is frustrating. But keep up the good work.

Try not to get discouraged... Reevaluate what you are eating. I had stopped losing for almost a week and couldn't figure out why so I started to look at what I was eating. I turns out that the 0 carb, sugar free Jello I was having for snacks was sweatened with aspertame. I cut back on those and the amount of cheese I was eating, 5-6oz a day, and the weight loss kicked back in. It's all trial and error, but when you really start losing you will feel great and won't even mind that you had to adjust a little.

Also, try not to eat dinner too late. If I eat after 8:00PM, it seems to not be a good thing for the weight loss. I try to eat breakfast by 8am, lunch between 12-1, and dinner around 5pm. I then go to the gym where I work off about 500 calories (2-3 times per week).

Good luck!

I started on May 29 and I'll be on to stage 2 on Thursday. I've lost 8 pounds so far but I have cheated a little. It's hard to go from eating nothing but carbs to eating hardly any carbs. I also drank a lot of sodas but I noticed that once I got over the headache I didn't miss the caffiene. Good Luck to You!

I started 29 april and lost 5 pounds my first week and another 4 the second week, for 9 total induction loss have now lost 13.5 pounds. Exercising 5 days/week 30 mins elliptical trainer, arms and leg weights. Have been quite strict with 20g until last week when starting aiming for 25g.

My DH, however, is quite another story started two weeks ago (6'4" weighed 275lbs) - lost 11 pounds the first week, another 6 the next week for 17 total induction loss. No exercise and not overly strict - heaps of coffee, diet cola and LC chocolate!!

Yes, it is a no - no. Try something sensible like bacon and eggs. This is a way of eating which focusses on natural healthy foods. The bars can come later as an occasional treat - not as a meal replacement.