I also posted this message under Tips and Stalls. Sorry if it is a repeat for any readers.

I started Atkins on Saturday. Weighed myself Sunday morning and I was down 1.5 lbs. Weighed myself Monday morning and I was down another 1.25. Weighed myself this morning, and I was shocked to see that I have given back the whole 3.75 lbs and I am back to my original weight.

I am avoiding hidden carbs by eating scrambled eggs cooked in butter for breakfast, turkey and cheese slices for lunch and snacks and either grilled steak or chicken for dinner. The only dressing of any kind I am using is 2 tbsps of low-salt soy sauce with a bit of Wasabi powder that I use as a dip for my steak and chicken. I have given up coffee and am only "cheating" with about 6 oz of Diet Coke per day. Also, I am drinking at least 2 liters of water each day. Any ideas why I might have been "sent back to start"?

Want some advice?

Stay off the scale!

I'm not sure if you weighed every day before you went on the diet. Not sure if you weighed yourself several times a day. However I will say that we all gain 4-10 pounds every single day.

Food and water are not weighless and we do not get rid of them as soon as we eat them. When we eat, we add the weight of the item we just consumed to our own weight until our body processes it and we go to the bathroom to get rid of it.

16 oz of water is a pound.

Do yourself a huge favor and stay off the scale if it is going to depress you, or at least accept the fact that you will gain several pounds a day and then lose them again. This is a long process not a quick weight loss scheme.

What she said. You're doing really well! An idea: wait at least until the end of induction, or after your next period, whichever comes last, to weigh yourself. Consider "right after your period" to be your "baseline" weight.

Did you happen to take "before" measurements? That's a better way to gauge success.

Relax and enjoy.

I didn't take my starting measurements. I wanted to but was too weak (and vain) to face reality.

I dieted down from 178 to 134 in 1997 and have stayed under 150 ever since. On my wedding day last Oct I weighed 142. As soon as I returned from my honeymoon, the free fall started. As of last Sat and this a.m., I weigh 169.5 My Dr. recently sent me for a blood work upon noting the unexplained 24 lb gain since my 2001 check up.

I actually weigh myself less than I used to because it has become so depressing. I think I may have panicked since I don't know why I have gained all of this weight in the first place. It's like I have reverse tape worm. No matter what I do the lbs continue to pile up. Atkins is just my latest effort to get rid of the weight before it digs in and makes itself my permanent companion. Having seen some early glimmers of hope, I freaked when I saw this a.m.'s result. Thank you both for taking the time to respond to me. I will heed your advice.

Badwitch, let me tell you one thing: no matter what that scale says today or tomorrow, I guarantee that if you stay on this plan you will eventually lose the weight. You are VERY smart to nip this in the bud and you are lucky you have found this board to get you through any rough spots!! You just hang in there chicky, and don't worry about day to day fluctuations. Measure yourself and chart your weight (if you want to weigh daily) so that over the long term you will see the downward trend in your weight. Not one soul here has lost weight in a straight downward line. You're perfectly normal!

for your words of wisdom and encouragement. I can see from your starting/current/goal weights that you all know what you are doing. I did NOT weigh myself this morning and am trying to hold out until Saturday morning, a full week after I began Induction.

As an Italian who grew up with pasta and bread as dietary staples, this is a very alien way of eating for me. I was hoping that I could count on the scale as a motivator to keep going. Since isn't possible yet, I very much appreciate all of your support.