Hey Guys, I finished my 2 weeks of induction. Was pretty proud of myself for just getting through it even though I didn't lose as much weight as I wanted to. I found myself constantly having cravings and having a really miserable time saying no all of the time. I lost about 9 pounds in that time (pretty much all of it the first week) Anyway, my husband was going away on business for awhile so I took a break for 2 days and didn't do anything crazy and didn't scarf down carbs. I had a little coleslaw and had 2 pieces of pizza and a bowl of cheerios the next morning and everything else was pretty much "carb free" Anyway, I thought I would go back to low carb this morning but when I weighed myself this morning I was back up 6 pounds!! I am very frustrated because although I realize that low carb is a way of life, I want to be able to have cheat days now and then and am very discouraged that one or two days of "cheating" will wipe out everything that I have worked for so hard. I am hypothyroid also and know that this is more difficult for me to lose weight than the average person but it is really ridiculous. I have done slim fast, weight watchers, and starved myself and really when I eat normal it is not normal for other people. I thought that maybe low carb was my answer but now I am thinking that it is not. I really would be happy if I lose 15 pounds but they are the hardest pounds that I have ever seen. I haven't been working out as much as I normally do while on low carb because I was feeling really lightheaded and dizzy and was worried I would pass out. This just seems so hard. I feel like I am at square one again and I did work so hard for nothing. I haven't gotten to the point where I feel good yet eating this way. I do admire you who have gotten to the point where you don't need cheat days anymore but I am not there yet and my cravings won't go away. I get to the point that if I see one more egg, or any more tuna and mayo I feel sick. I know my husband isn't very happy right now because I focus so much on food and he loves to eat so much (he is a normal weight) and I feel like I ruin the whole eating experience for him. I know I am obsessing but I guess I am just looking for answers when I know there are no easy answers so I am just venting. Does anyone else find this way of life really hard? You guys are so encouraging to each other but make it sound so easy. I found it a stuggle every single day and it really affected my mood. Thanks for listening to my rant. Sorry to be so down. Those 6 pounds in two days just blew me away.

Well, I think for starters, you have to decide if losing weight is really something you want to commit to - it sounds like you want a quick fix, with no effort involved.

Plainly speaking - if you are just starting, having cheat days every now and then isn't going to result in losing weight. Have you read the induction book? It isn't just for show, it needs to be followed seriously in order to get rid of all those cravings you are talking about. As well, going "pretty much carb free" isn't going to work either - you need to have carbs in your diet - at least around 20grams per day - coming from nutrient rich veggies and salads.

This diet WILL work for you, but I think you need to get serious, buy the Dr. Atkins New DIet Revolution Book, and really read it to understand why the induction phase is there, and how your body will respond and work with it. You can do this!

Hi there...we all find it hard to give up carbs but falling of the wagon (so to speak) so soon looks like a bad sign...Sit down and ask yourself why you felt the need to eat these carbs...maybe it was a trigger..ie stress...also try to think when you put food into your mouth...will it take you closer or further away from your goals...dont loose courage....drink lots of water and keep a record of all the days you remain sin free...try treat yourself to something nice when you go a period of time without falling of the wagon....hope you keep going and have success.....good luck!!

Hi! Induction is a very strict 2 weeks. Not eating foods not on the list, making sure you're drinking the water, and reading the DANDR. (So you can understand how and why things work).
I really don't understand how with so little to lose to start with you could complain about losing 9 lbs in the first 2 weeks....that's awesome. I lost 5. So when you started eating non lc foods you immediately put on the weight? What did you expect? This is a way of life and not a quick fix loss for bingeing.
I really think if you read the book...you would get a lot of enthusiasm out of that alone. And then you would be a little more ready to try a clean induction and give Atkins woe a fair shake! Good luck..you can do it!

ps..the 6 lbs could be just a lot of water weight...so just get back on the horse and you'll probably see them vanish...also consider when is tom?

Let me start off by saying, that some of the 9 pounds you lost was water, and most of the 6 that came back is also water. But if you don't get back onto plan, it will easily turn into fat.

You have to make a choice now, is this an eating style you can live with? You will only do more damange to yourself and weight jumping back and forth. If you were still haveing a lot of cravings, maybe you needed to be on induction longer? It is hard for anyone to know why you are still haveing cravings unless you give us a good idear of what your were eating. There could have been a trigger food in there that someone might have picked up on for you. Seeing that you did lose 9 pounds in the first two weeks, with what you have to lose, than according to Atkins your resistance to this eating style is low. Meaning that you can get away with eating more carbs than some. That does not mean you can get away with eating pizza's and cereal and what not in one day.

Once you knock yourself out of ketosis, it will take three days to get back in. So you have to decide if that cheat is worth a three day set back. You really don't have much to lose. But maybe you should have waited longer than right after the induction to cheat.

Hi there

It is hard to give up the carbs, and a cheat day every now and then is tempting, but keep in mind that in DANDR, Dr. Atkins does say that a single cheat can set you back a week. For some people that is 5 or 6 pounds, so just get right back into induction and avoid weighing yourself for two weeks. I think you'll be plenty pleased if you really follow the plan.

As for the dizziness, it's totally normal and only lasts a week, two at the most, and then you will have more energy than you will believe. Just give it a chance, with no cheats for the two weeks. Great tips here on this site at the top of the page, just click on low carb tips and there are several things to read about.

It would be a shame to give up and say this WOE isn't right for you when you didn't even give the first phase a chance to work.
Hang in there, you can do it!