help, i'm on my fourth day. i am trying so hard and following everything in the book i think, eating small meals every 2-3 hours drinking tons of water. yesterday i had tuna salad made at the deli counter and asked if it had sugar in it he said "no" so i bought a lb and ate it throughout the day. and i also had light whipped cream from a can 1gram carb w- sugar free jello. i got on the scale this morning to see i gained two lbs. i am so bummed i feel good and definately am losing water but the scale is such a killer for me. do you think the tuna or /whipped cream made a difference, and can i eat this on my induction phase? my strips are still pink and i am confused about how long i should stay on induction and how much should i be losing?. overall this way of eating i can get used to i don't crave anything anymore but i need to see positive results help help help :.

You will find a bunch of folks on here that know way more than I do,.. but I can tell you a little about what I think. I think the salad from the deli probably didn't help matters. I have checked various salads packaged at my grocery store,..and all of them had sugar and too many carbs. The deli person probably just knows that they didn't put any sugar in it. I would bet that the ingredients had SUGAR. (maybe a bunch)

Try making the salad at home...use the meat (chicken, turkey, tuna, salmon or whatever) add "REAL" mayo (not salad dressing), some boiled eggs, cukes, olives, a few bits of tomato (watch the amount of maters), maybe some bacon bits (real ones - not the fake) and what ever you like. Eat it alone or on a bed of lettuce...Great for lunch.

Some sort of exercise might help,..if you aren't already doing it. Even just walking works wonders. Especially if you have been a non-exerciser before. I do about a mile or so a day on the treadmill. It helps.

Hang in there... drinking the water (lots of it) has helped me tremendously.
God Bless

The best advice I can give is to stay off that durn scale.... especially during induction. First of all, your body is just beginning to adjust to this new way of eating. Not to mention the fact that scales vary throughout the day, depending on MULTIPLE factors.

With that being said, Chuck's advice was sound; it's always nice to know exactly what you're eating, especially during induction. You'll notice I mention induction as a special case, but it really is the time when you have to buckle down to rid your body and your mind of its routine. After induction has reprogrammed you, it will be easier to include more dangerous foods, such as sweeteners and low carb goodies such as chocolates and breads.

Anywho, you will do well since you've been reading up and looking out for hidden carbs. Just forget about the scale (at least for a week or two) and let this new way of eating really take effect before you judge a pound here or there.

Happy low carbing!

thanks guys the support is encouraging and well needed. i will continue making my food that way i will have complete control and know whats in it.