Well today is day two. I am very tired and feel faint. I have a chronic head ache but no metallic taste in my mouth. Could I be in ketosis and if so how d you eliviate the side effects of this as I work full time and am a full time mom. Very hard to do anything let alone play with my little girl. I know that the outcome will be fabulous but how long will this last? Not the whole two weeks!

My daily menu is:
Breakfast:
2 hard boiled eggs

Lunch:
2 or 3 ham rollups with cheddar cheese and mayo and mustard
small salad with bacon bits slad dressing is pepper, salt, olive oil, white vinegar and mustard powder

Dinner:
some meat and a salad same dressing as above
usually steamed veggies with butter

Sadly, you'll have to wait it out. It's not ketosis that causes the fatigue and ickyness, it's sugar withdrawal. You might not even be in ketosis yet - it can take anywhere from 1-4 days. I happen to be in ketosis right now and I feel like a million bucks. It'll happen!

Did you give up coffee and caffeine cold turkey? If so, that can cause a killer headache. You can wean yourself off slowly so that you'll feel better: mix decaf in slowly with the regular stuff, or have some caffeinated diet soda.

Your menu looks good. Best of luck!

Hi there sorry you are gettin the dreaded headaches and feeling tired, I too had it after about the 3rd of 4th day. I am now into my 2nd week and it has eased up a lot. I felt sick, ihad really bad headaches and sores eyes and I turned into the bitch from hell!!
That has passed, and now I am getting up before my alarm and I have bags more energy, so hang on in there it will all be worth it in the end!!

good luck and keep drinking loads of water it helps!

I basically slept through my first 3 days. Your body will adjust, and it will be like someone (you!) flipped a switch. Keep close track of your carbs- I think that might help some- if you are under 20g, you are not doing yourself any favors. Also drink lots of H2O.
Hang in there!

I`m heading into week 3 and I`m finally getting my energy levels back. For the first two weeks I was absolutely wiped. Walking my 20 minutes to work was completely physically exhausting me. This week I am 1000 times better - back to running (which helps give tonnes of energy), getting out of bed, my appetite has shifted and my clothes are looser already. Hang on..it really will get better. Try drinking green tea instead of coffee if you`re having caffiene withdrawl - seems to have just enough to fend off the withdrawl but cleaner than coffee. Good luck!

Mmmm...and while you may find yourself lacking a bit of energy for the short term, carrying around excess weight makes a huge impact on energy levels. You will have more energy and be more able to saty on the go once your body is healthier. Ask anyone who has ever gone hiking with a 20 pound knapsack on their back for a day...its exhausting. Body fat is the exact same thing.

I'm into week five and STILL have days where this Atkins diet makes me feel exhausted. I drag myself through my work day, leave at 5 pm (though I am expected to stay later), fling myself into bed the minute I get home, sleep like a dead woman, and go back to work feeling like a sleepwalker.

There are days when I have the much-touted high and consistent energy levels, but my body apparently is still adjusting (I think in part because I do occasionally have some carbs -- it's very hard to avoid them ALL -- and afterwards I get that sickness associated with the first days of induction).

I am losing weight, though. And all in all, I'm suffering less than on the low cal diets.

BTW, you should expect that Atkins will make you constipated. Take preemptive measures now (psyllium husks AND a stool softener, because psyllium alone just makes pooping more painful -- feels like you're passing a huge hard lump of sandpaper).

Have you thought about doing a more moderate version of a LC diet? If you don't have much weight to lose, this type of very extreme dieting can be overkill. I know lots of people swear by The Zone -- and as far as I know, it's not as painful as Atkins.