Hi. Well this Wednesday will be 3 weeks for me--on induction and I am not showing much weight loss at all. In fact, I just got weighed now and am exactly where I started at almost 3 weeks ago.

Is there anybody here that has not lost weight in this amount of time and did you stick with it and it eventually came off?

I keep giving myself credit for sticking with this for this long. I mean, I went on vacation the past week and followed the induction (I did have 2 shakes during that week though--remember the tempting pizza in the fridge?) I figured one evil HAD to be better than the other. So I chose the shake instead.

As to say that I feel thinner---not really yet. If anything, I feel aggravated. I even did more exercise on vacation than I normally do.

I went off of my diabetes medication 1 week ago today (glucophage) because my sugar was making me toooooo low and I feel great now. I'm just wondering if it's taking this long because of going off of it.

I am so close to calling my Dr...but then again, I don't know which one I would call that wouldn't laugh in my face and tell me "just to eat right and exercise". They all seem to think that's the generic answer for everyone. Well, that doesn't work for me.

I'm also wondering if I'm just not eating enough or not at the right times or something. I didn't think Atkins was so much of a "combination" plan where you had to combine foods in order to burn. I thought it was more (especially in induction)---to eat as much as you wanted of the list as far as meats, eggs, etc and then keep the carbs under 20.

Could I be eating too little carbs? Is there such a thing?

Like I said before----probably PA (pre-Atkins) I probably ate 300-400 carbs a day and cutting them down HAS to do something, doesn't it? I mean I was used to eating sugary, snack foods ALL DAY long.

I am sitting here in tears---I just don't get it and I'm trying, I really am.

I believe my body is happy at 185, but I'm sure not. Does anybody out there have any suggestions as to what my missing link is?

I've been drinking the water, staying away from fake sugars.

I really don't want to give up.....

Thanks for letting me vent.

"T"

Please don't give up. I am not very strict with everything have lost only about 7 pounds. I am anxious to start with some of these diets and see if our local stores have any of the Atkins products. Good luck

Before you get too upset, consider a few things.

1) Each shake could have put you over the limit in carbs for your body to burn fat as fuel. If so, it would be like starting Induction all over again each time. (That is if you are referring to regular milkshakes)

2) Exercise creates muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat. You can lose inches and tone your body without losing weight....Get out the tape measure.

3) Is weight loss the only reason you are following an LC lifestyle? If you feel better since starting Atkins, maybe this is the greater benefit.

4) Your stats show that you have lost SOME weight. Not all people lose dramatically. According to the participants on this forum, you can count on losing about 10% of your total weight loss goal. If you want to lose 30lbs, that's 3 pounds during induction. Looks like you lost that plus .5 more pounds.
My average weight loss during Atkins has been around 1.3 lbs per week. I lost 24lbs in three months. One week nothing would happened, then the next...WOOSH..my weight would drop. That makes your metabolism close to mine. Most people do not have a drop on the scale everyday. Instead, they have 3-5 pound fluctuations with the trend being downward over a period of time.

Unless this diet is making you ill, I would recommend you stick to it for at least 6 weeks before you come to any negative conclusions. Three weeks isn't really enough time to make a good judgement. Realize that this isn't a quick fix.

I look at it this way...Next month will come and go no matter what I choose to put in my mouth. So why not put in the things that will make me feel better and eventually lead to weight loss?

Chin up! Don't get discouraged. Give it some more time. We've all been there at some point and time.
Remember...losing 3.5lbs is far better than gaining 5 or 6!

Hi Amy,

A regular milkshake?? What's THAT? I haven't put anything but what's on the induction list and a couple of Atkins shakes into my mouth. One good thing though is that I don't crave things and I'm not very hungry at all.

But the scale is the most important thing to me. I'm too short for this weight, too much weight for this age and too young to be taking diabetic pills for just borderline diabetes. My sugars haven't been over 100 the whole time during this induction phase---Fasting OR 1-2 hours after. So I think that's pretty darn good.

Actually, I changed my stats a few days ago when I was at 181.5 (for a milli-second) and now tonight it's reading 185 again. And that means in the morning, I will weigh 183.5 AGAIN. That's been my number for the past week. The 181.5 must have been a fluke--plus it was in the middle of the day, which is odd.

So basically, all this work and no play has done nothing for me.....except, you're right---made me feel better physically...but mentally, I think I'm gonna lose it...and soon. Wouldn't you be discouraged with NO weight loss at all in 3 weeks?

And yes you are DEFINITELY correct----I think this was the FIRST vacation I've ever taken where I didn't GAIN 10 pounds in a week!! So there is a bright side to this story...

I plan on sticking to this-----I've invested too much time, too much effort and too much $$$$ (Yes Jake, I went and bought that ice cream machine for my lemon ice that SOMEDAY I hope I can eat).

Thanks again Amy.....it's the concerned folks like you that keep me coming back and sticking to the program. I appreciate you taking the time to answer.

"T"

O I hope that darn scale starts to co operate soon.

Its great news that you have been able to cut out the meds and keep your blood sugars down. That alone will make you so much healthier.

I think if you were on a restricted calorie diet right before this your body is now taking the protein you are taking in and rebuilding good muscle tone. When you are in a fat burning mode things will turn around.

IMHO the shakes are not a big problem (unless you try to live off them alone). Keep up the good work you are doing and you will see results.

What happened to me is that I lost dramatically the first week - 8 pounds; and then the second week, I lost nothing at all. I still feel fat and almost as bloated as before. I am disappointed, but I'm hanging in there. I think my main problem is that I am extremely sedentary. I really need to start moving.

If you think you might not be eating enough, it could be (I'm not accusing, just musing) that you didn't drink enough. I know that when I don't eat, I don't drink. When I eat a LOT, I end up drinking up to twenty cups a day! In any case, make sure you don't go more than 4.5 hours without eating anything; and when you do eat, don't continue eating for more than a half hour. Eating for a long time can raise insulin levels.

One more thing - make sure you are taking a good amount of dietary supplements. When it doesn't get the proper vitamins and minerals, your body clings to its fat for dear life.

One more point: How is your sodium intake? Salt retains water, so your body will weigh more and be bloated after you eat sodium.

I notice that the following HAVE to be strict for me, or else I stall (I'm still in induction, moving to OWL this week):

1. 10+ glasses of water a day

2. go on a walk at least 2 times a week, preferably three

3. only 1 to 2 cans of diet coke a day. (still trying to cut this out). Aspartame really affects my weight loss, I've found this out through drinking massive amounts of diet coke, and trying to get away with things like sugar free jello.... stalls me out right away.

4. Three meals a day, period. If I skip breakfast, I screw myself up. If that happens, I force myself to eat something in the evenings. From what I understand, if you limit meals because you aren't full, you are not getting enough calories, and that makes it harder for your body to burn the fat (starvation mode).

5. No cheating and eating foods off of the approved foods list. I tried eating low-carb chocolate bars. STALLED. even though they only have 1.4-2 carbs per bar. Had to stop. Also - maybe re-read the induction chapter. Not to point fingers, but 2 of my close friends thought they could eat cantelope (??) and strawberries on induction. When they told me how GOOD they were being on Atkins and told me about the fruit, I just about fell through the floor. Make sure you aren't eating any fruits or nuts yet, no matter how low the carbs.

I don't know if any of this will help, but I just wanted to share my experiences of what I must do in order to lose.

Good luck to you!
Missy

OOOPS - on #4 above, it's supposed to say:

"If you limit meals because you aren't HUNGRY, you are not getting enough calories, and that makes it harder for your body to burn the fat (starvation mode)."

Dear T,
I wish my explanations offered more help than they did. And, yes, I would be discouraged without much weight loss. But I am glad to see that your blood sugar is under control and that you are feeling better!
I don't have diabetes, but I am hypoglycemic (diagnosed in high shool). I know what it's like to have blood sugar bounce around--and it doesn't feel good.
Glad to see you are going to stick it out.
Like you mentioned before, maybe your medication was slowing things down. I'm not familiar with the meds listed as stallers in Dr Atkins' book because I don't take any meds.
There are lots of great people who are members of this forum. We do care about you and hope you succeed. Keep coming here whenever you get the chance. It will keep you going when nothing else will.
Good Luck!!!!!
Amy

Don't give up! This will work. Please start taking measurements-I don't always lose weight, sometimes I stay the same on the scale and lose inches instead.

Your body may be healing itself as well-because of damage due to low fat or low calorie diets in your past. If that is the case, it might take a little patience on your part, but it will happen.

Why don't you post menus so we can see if there are any known stallers there? Some people are more sensitive to things like caffeine than others.

I think for some people loss is big and quick, for others it is small and slow. However, I am getting more and more impressed with this diet, even when the scale dosent drop as low as what you expected you might find other measurements drop nicely.
Keep it up, as long as the diet suits you then you should have no problems.
One question, why have shakes at all?
I think maybe it might be a better idea to keep them as treats for when you HIT "mini-targets" and increase your water intake instead ( im thinking I should practise what I preach about here as my water intake isnt as high as it should be)

good luck!

Went off your diabetes medicine, did you do this with the okay of your Doctor, I sure hope so.......

Why not ditch the scales for the next 3 weeks, stick to induction and see how things go, having your sugar levels under control is even better than losing weight, but I understand your frustration about the pounds not dropping off.

So my advice, stick to it, boost your exercise and guzzle that water down for three weeks and GOOD LUCK

Thanks for everybodys input. Today I'm still the same---just as I figured 183.5 I was even in ketosis before bedtime last night too. Oh well. Maybe there are hidden inches being lost that I don't know about yet.

I had the milkshakes because I was on vacation and had them packed with me "just in case". PLUS, the hotel where we stayed offered a delightful free buffet----waffles, muffins, donuts, cereal, toast and bagels. I think the shake was a wise choice in my opinion.

I am a borderline diabetic---I have hyperinsulinemia--in which most people here do and probably don't know it. My sugars BEFORE I was put on medication were 80's fasting and in the 100's 1-2 hours after. On medication my sugars are 80's fasting and in the 100's 1-2 hours and now on Atkins my sugars were in the 70's fasting and BELOW 100 1-2 hours after eating. Anytime that I've had problems before with low blood sugar, every Dr that I've been to just tells me to adjust my medication accordingly. If I'm too low and feel sick, to go off of it. I am just doing what they tell me to do, but I will be seeing my Dr soon and will let him know what I've done and how I feel. As of right now, I feel great and I'm not having any lows at all.

I refuse to give up on this plan---it really has me intrigued by now. Am I that resistant to low carbing? I lost 20-30 pounds before on CAD, but this Atkins program is trying to get the best of me.

I'm with you guys----I'm hangin' in there!!

Thanks,
"T"