Ok, so i've been doing this induction thing for almost 1 month. I originally planned on doing induction until I lose at least 10 lbs. I'm only down 6 since I started. Although my body shape has definately changed. My question is should I go with my original goal of staying on induction until I lose 10 lbs or should I begin to increase my carbs? I started wondering after I read some of the forums about how people can start to lose better after increasing their carbs? If this is true and if so what causes that? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


P.S. I'm also a borderline diabetic, i don't know if it has any barring on the topic but I just thought I'd add it just in case

Hi Mfc

Congratulations on those 6 pounds gone. It may not seem a lot, but every pound gone is a bonus.

You do not say what you have been eating daily and so some of my comments are a shot in the dark.

I was one of those who did begin to lose quicker when I increased my carbs to 30 a day and now am still losing at up to 50 a day. Part of the reason for this is that your body does need some carbs and a certain level of insulin in the blood. Whilst insulin can put sugar into your cells the is a different enzyme which takes it out of your cells and makes it more available. As these two hormones are in equilibrium then if you don't have enough insulin then this balance is not correct and so your body fat is not so accessible. Likewise, too much insulin has the same effect. The balance of the two is what is necessary. Whilst your body can make sugars from protein, it is a slow process and may not help to get this balance right.

The other issue I would look at is how many calories you are eating. Whilst this is not the main issue of a low carb diet most people can not eat as much as they think. They do however have to eat enough. You should be eating around 1400 calories a day to lose weight - around 10 times your bodies current weight. Unfortunately the smaller we are and the nearer to goal the less we can eat to lose weight. I am even shorter than you and as I've lost weight have had to reduce my calories along the way. I still have some way to go to reach your current weight though.

Make sure that you are drinking plenty of water and other fluids. Ensuring your body is fully hydrated helps a lot with weight loss.

I hope that this gives you some good ideas.

The only way to know how your body will react is to move into OWL and see what happens, since everyone is different. If you are happy on Induction that is also a factor. Add just 5 grams of healthy food and see what happens, and don't get thrown if you gain suddenly, that's usually water weight.
Since your body shape has noticiably changed, try using measurements to track your progress, and ignore the scale. I only weighed once a month, and while my weight hasn't changed in 3 months, I've lost a couple of inches.
Or get a pair of reference pants and use those. The scale can be misleading! Don't make it what you live and cry by.

Here's what I learned by reading DANDR and by reading the posts on this website.
During induction, you should expect to lose 10% of your goal. This means since you want to lose 45#, you should have lost 4.5 pounds on induction. You have already accomplished that and more! (Congratulations, BTW). You should move onto OWL to avoid potential plataues in weight loss. They can be discouraging. Also, remember, it took a while for your body to put the weight on, and to remain healthy, it should take a little time to take the weight off. In the game of weight loss, strive to be the turtle.
Good Luck!
Sandy

First CONGRATS! on the loss so far. I wouldn't change my carb count unless a) you are slowing down in weight loss AND inch lost (I have lost inches must faster than actual weight) or b) you are getting bored with induction menu and need to add some more foods. I was on induction for 3.5 weeks losing total 11 lbs. I then upped by 5 carbs and continued to lose for the next 2 months (3-4 lbs a month) until I stalled out for 2. Then I upped the carbs again to 30; lowered my cheese consumption and stopped eating any frankenfoods (i.e. SF candy, bars) and began to lose again.

Thank you all for the advice. It's so great to have people to offer you healthy advice. I think i'm going to try to up my carbs to 25. However what if I don't lose weight and don't lose inches. Should I change back to induction? Also I try to stay away from cheese and frankenfoods (but i like cream cheese way too much). I do drink lots of water and normally I only consume about 1200 - 1600 cals a day. Is it possible that maybe I eat too much cream cheese (about 2 tablespoons every other day). Would that maybe be a significant factor in this situation. I am so sorry about all the questions. I read the new diet revolution book, I just sometime feel better with real people advice. Thanks again for all the feedback.

It sounds to me like you're doing an awesome job! I think a lot of this is trial and error. If you feel like upping your carbs, give it a shot. See what happens. If you continue to lose, then great.If not, then go back down to induction levels.

As far as the cream cheese, it's totally okay to have that much. You could even have it every day. However, if you start craving it a lot, there is a possibility that you have a food sensitivity to it. You might eliminate it for a week and see if you lose faster. If not, just add it back in.

Also, do you have a fitday account? That's the best way to keep track of what you're eating. Many people find they lose better if they keep their fat at 70% of their calories, and the best way to figure that out is with http://www.fitday.com.

Keep up the great work!!

Bonzlee,

Actually I do have a fitday account. But I'm so excited. I haven't upped my carbs yet. However I got on the scale this morning and lost 2 more lbs. So I guess overall I just need to learn patience. I guess it took 4 years and 2 kids to put the weight on, it's probably not coming off overnight. Thanks for all the advice to all of you once again though. Majorly appreciate it. Ahhhh! A sigh of relief