Hi THere,
I am new to the atkins diet and have just completed my 2nd week of the induction and i just stopped losing. I was doing great the first week, i lost 10 pounds then it just stopped.
I am starting to get discouraged.

Can someone HELP!!!!!

Thanks
nancy

First of all, it looks like you've done a FANTASTIC job with your weight loss so far. 10 lbs. in a week, for someone with little to lose like you, is really excellent!! The average rate of loss is 10% of your desired weight loss during induction and then 5% per month thereafter. For you that would equate to a 3 lb. loss during induction....So you are 7 lbs. ahead of the game here! 1-2 pounds per month from now on would be considered a good, healthy rate. A "stall" isn't a true stall until there's been no weight loss or inches lost for 6 weeks or more. A plateau right after induction is more common than not.... so you're apparently quite normal.

This is no time to get discouraged!! You're doing GREAT!!!

Thanks for the encouragement!
I just thought that it was going to come off faster then this. Any thoughts on how to make it come off quicker?
Also i was wondering why you gain it all back so quickly if you start to eat normally again?

nancy

10 pounds in one week and you are disappointed? Are you out of your mind????? I would be jumping up and down and thanking my lucky stars if I were you. You are doing fantastic!!!

After such a quick weight loss, the body takes some time to get used to it's new lower weight. You might not lose any more weight for a week or two and then it will start again. Try not to get discouraged if you go another week without losing a pound. I haven't lost any real weight (gaining and losing the same 1.5 pounds) or inches in 55 days, but I am still here and "weighting" (LOL!) for the Whoosh Fairy to come along.

Good luck!

Shasta,
Thanks for writing! I guess i shouldn't complain but i have never done this diet before and i heard so much about how quickly you lose the weight that i was thinking that maybe i was doing something wrong.
You must have a great deal of will power to still be going on after 55 days with no weight loss, I dont think i could go that long without giving up. I hope thats not the case with me.

thanks for writing,
nancy

Plateaus and stalls are a normal part of any diet, especially the closer you get to goal. Stalls lasting 3, 4, 5 months or longer are not unheard of. I had one that lasted 7 weeks then lost 6 lbs. Currently I'm at 6 weeks with no loss...but am I thinking of bailing? NO WAY!!! What's the alternative? Going back to eating carbs? HA! I don't think sooooooooo. I'll give it another couple of weeks and then may try to tweak a little bit.... go back to induction, eliminate artificial sweetners or nuts, or increase exercise, etc. It's just a part of the process and the more prepared you are for that day when you, too, may stall, the better the chances are for your long-term success. I've got the experience of all those gone before me here on this board....so when I get discouraged, I turn to them to help get me through it. This is a way of life for me....and stall or no stall, I love it!

welcome to LCing!

I say what follows with encouragement and respect.......

But in one of your posts you talk about going back to "eating normally". If you return to previous ways of eating, you will regain the weight (and more). This is true of any way of eating you chose to lose weight.

LCing isn't a diet - at its best, it is understanding that our bodies are not equipped to handle fake foods, refined carbs and our foundation for eating should *not* be grains.

I'm worried for you, Journey, as you seem so focused on weight that you will miss important information about LCing and *health*.

Hi,
HSmom, Thanks for the reply, But what i ment by eating normal is going low fat.
I have dieted all my life and was still able to have that low fat ice cream when everyone else was having a blizzard from dairy queen and still lose weight. But if you slip up just a little bit on this diet you have to start over because you will gain 3 pounds by morning. Why is that? I just dont understand. Yes i am wrapped up in the weight lose because it is a very big issue for me, Isn't that why "most" people go on this diet in the first place?
I have always gone low fat but for some reason this last time i just couldn't take off the weight.
I know people who have gone on this diet and have lost 15 pounds during the induction period and kept losing rapidly there after, I just dont know why i havn't lost any weight in almost 2 and a half weeks.

Does someone have an answer?


thanks Nancy

Hi Journey!

I don't know if this is your answer, but this is my personal experience. I lost 10 pounds in 2 months (9 of these pounds were in the first week, 1 pound the 2nd week, stalled the rest of the time).

My family and I went on vacation. I was real good as far as my cheats, I did eat a few things like pizza w/crust and a sandwich and a few dinner rolls, but never deserts! When I got home I realized I gained all the weight back. Within 4 days of going back on strict LCing, I lost the weight again. In my opinion, it was just water weight because I know that little bit of what I cheated on did not make me gain 10 pounds, especially given the fact we walked almost 2-3 hours, sometimes more, a day.

In no way do I want to discourage you, because there are so many here who have lost a significant amount of weight. I continue to watch my carbs, though not nearly as close, because it makes me feel better, I'm relying more on my exercise now.

Again, best of luck and that's just my experience, I'm sure many have more positive ones and everyone is different

tend to agree with you i have been on this diet since may 1 and mave gained 12 lbs I exercise 4 times a week , my fat levels went up, I never used to eat muck bread before or sugar but no fat at all. then suddenly all the fat well what can I say the results speak for themselves, i was also getting alot of bleeding from my bum and it was a pain in the arse to take a dump - I dreaded it the pain was intollerable, so last week I thought -sod this and I took up a variation on a theme as follows:
Bfst Egg white omelet-no butter with spinach, mushrooms or tomato
Wheat toast 1 slice Coffee : fruit or veg juice

Lunch Grilled Chicken on wheat roll with lettuce and tomato-(hold the mayo)

Dinner
12 oz grilled fish or 8oz steak or 2 chick breasts with steamed veggies

snacks
Protein shake, non fat yoghurt with fruit and sliced turkey or non fat cottage cheese. skimmed milk.
No soda, no alcohol, 12x 10oz water p-day

Guess what I have lost 6 lbs. in 7 days
and I have tons of energy....and I can take a shit withouut grimacing and a toilet bowl full of blood.
When I am doing alot of cardio I eat more oatmeal for breakafst.
Well I am going to keep this going and lets see.
Prior to this IO was doing
bfst 4 pcs bacon + 2 eggs mayo
lunch large cobb salad 3 tbs mayo
dinner 10oz steak and veg 3 tbs mayo
12x10 glasses water as above.

My routine-diet component is that on heavy weight days in the gym I eat more protein
So in effect my approach is to conserve caloriesby giving my body calories in the shape of prortein and carbs only when i intend to need them.not indiscriminantly protein- fat- protein- fat day after day....on cardio heavy days I go heavier on the complex carbs.but cut out almost all the fat.
Guess what I feel great...today I have lost ANOTHER one pound ! And I can run for ever!! and take a crap without screaming..
I guess this works for me and I am not suggesting
this is gonna work for others but it's a variation on a theme.
Regards Richard

Don't worry, hun! I also only lost ten pounds the first week and then everything seemed to stop. I just started running a little bit longer during my workouts and tried not to stress about it too much. And now, almost six weeks later, I'm getting really close to my goal and all of my clothes are too big on me! I don't really pay alot of attention to the scale, just on how I look, how I feel, and how my clothes are fitting.

I just gave up on that diet all together! i was not losing and feeling very deprived. I started on a low fat diet and exercise and i feel better already, I have only been doing low fat for a few days so i dont think i have lost any weight but i am sure i will.
And if i want a real snack i can have it just a little though. It might take a while but i have nothing but time.

nancy

Richard, that's exactly what I did after coming home from vacation and realized I had gained water back. I now eat more carbs when I know I'm going to exercise and then the other two meals be more careful. I eat a ton of fruit which has taken away the cravings for sugar away. I don't load things up with butter or mayo anymore. I purposely up my carbs so that I'm not in a ketosis state. I guess what I'm doing is combining watching my carbs and my fat. I dunno why this is working, but I too have lost 6 pounds in a matter of 3 weeks doing it. Yesterday, because of what the day's situation was, I ate toast for breakfast, chicken burritoe with chips, blueberry cheesecake and a double cheeseburger from McDonalds with the bun.....and the scale didn't move a bit. Now if I was on strict L/C, I can guarantee you I would have weighed 5 more pounds this morning! I can't explain it, but combining the two seems to make it real weight, and not water weight.

Hi there swimmer
Well i'm delighted to tell you that i am still making excellent progress and have tons of energy.
The ketosis state does't do me any good at all just makes me irritable.
My chef Who weighed 297 lbs at the start
has been on the induction for 3 weeks and has lost 20 lbs!! We actually exercise together and he is delighted with the results so I guess it does work for REALLY OBESE people. He used to wolf off a whole baguette in 10 minutes. That's Guinness Book of records stuff !! ha

I actually vary the food cardio-protein plan I'm on plan according to the type of work out or day off that I have
eg
cardio only
cardio and weights
weights only
day off Brown rice, veg and fruits only but each meal my rule is no more than I could hold in the palm of my two cupped hands, an old thai monk taoght me that one years ago
keep me posted
Richard
I also drink skimmed milk and