Not odd at all. Perfectly normal for menses to become lighter or stop all together with a Mirena IUD. Not odd at all either that your periods resumed after starting Atkins and beginning to shed fat. Estrogen is stored in fat tissue. As you begin to lose fat stores, the estrogen is released. As the estrogen is released, it can impact your periods--in your case the resumption of your menses. Perfectly normal.

Also, perfectly normal to have cyclical weight flucuations with the cycle of your periods.

Keep moving forward with your plan, sounds like you're on the right track.

Progress not perfection.

Lisa

We don't use 'cups' here either in UK.

But if you go to the USDA database here
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
You can see how many grams a cup of any food holds and use the weights instead. There is also see very detailed nutrition information too.

You can also download a copy of the database to use when not online
http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=5720

There are many members who do manage to Atkineer in Germany and other European countries.

Everywhere in the world it is much easier if you can do your own cooking then you are not reliant on what restaurants and fast food outlets offer but with perseverance you can do it as a tourist when eating out all the time.

I have only visited Germany a few times since I went Atkins but had no problem. My grasp of the language is not very much more than schoolgirl level but with a dictionary I managed well.

Most meals I was able to order meat without breading, and apart from the sodium in them german sausages are good for Atkins as they do not contain the breadcrumb/rusk/starchy fillers that our British bangers do.

There is usually something 'legal' at most Schnell Imbiss places.

There are many Turkish and Greek restaurants where you can easily get non-carby foods. Apparently Germany's favourite fast food is the Doner Kebab, which without the bread is usually fairly safe. as long as it is the meat slice,s not cut from the elephant leg thingie (which could contain starchy fillers - though traditionally it should not).

And the 'Hähnchen' (rotisserie chicken) on sale at the takeaway type 'Hut' are to die for!!

Breakfasts were easier to Atkinize than at many cheap hotels in UK to be honest, where all they offer is what they laughingly call a 'continental breakfast' which is cereal, toast, maybe a croissant and butter and jam.

Unlike what I was able to get in Germany - plates of cold meats and boiled eggs, which to my mind is a perfect Atkins meal!! I did avoid the obvious meats like meatloaf-style ones but always there were slices of ham and other recogniseable meats to choose.

So try and think positively about working out how best to Atkinise what is offered and you might just surprise yourself.
I would say 'luckily' not available in Germany!!

They are notorious for halting weightloss - the old Atkins company website used to have a whole page advising what to do if they did stall weightloss (basically - drop them from your menus!!).

Also they contain ingredients not allowed on induction like nuts, soya and grains, so are not suitable till the later OWL rungs no matter what phase they claim to be suitable for IMO.

I have followed the Atkins WOE both on and off oral contraceptives, and though I will admit the weight came off faster off the pill, I have still been able to lose weight while on the pill as well. It is possible. Like you, I was also placed on the pill by my doctor as an aid in managing my anemia because my periods were very heavy and i was not producing enough RBC's to stay in the normal range. I do also use them to prevent pregnancy though. So giving them up right now is not the best option for me.

Whatever you decide, I don't think your time on induction has been wasted. As Lisa said, some people do not experience a loss on induction. BUT induction is supposed to be a period of cleansing, when you rid your body of toxins, overcome your carbohydrate addictions, and convert to burning fat for fuel. If you've done this, then you've succeeded.

Thanks for the positive words, everyone!

I'm still at it... day 7 today. Still having problems with constipation which really makes me feel rather 'heavy', if that makes sense.

I treated myself to a sort of English breakfast yesterday...just had to skip the toast! I don't like baked beans so they weren't missed.

I'm going to make myself a Thai red curry (sans rice) as a treat to myself for getting through the first week

Vesparia I hear you about the constipation...I feel so heavy if you put a pair of wheels on me I'd be a pull along suitcase of waste food, it's so disgusting to think about what my guts must be like inside! not even a strong coffee is shifting it.

I use the keto stix to check if I'm still in ketosis and it's purple so I know I'm doing ok in some ways but holding all that food is so unfair!

Anyone? please dont say extra veggies or water, it's not working and just adding to the problem.

x

Coffee isn't helping me either. Tried (whole) flax seed - nada. I used to eat a lot of dark breads which is where I got my fibre from.

I thought about the sticks - problem is, I have no idea what they're called in German (I've only seen sticks to measure for sugar, blood and protein) or even if they exist here

I had trouble finding them here this time so ended up ordering them off www.ebay.co.uk I'm sure many do eu postage, thy are not that expensive and I hear Amazon do generic ones even cheaper.

They just give me a little boost in confidence that although the scales are not saying good things my system is still responding to the changes I can't see. I'm happy to see light pink but deep pink or purple first thing in the morning before food or drink is nice to see

hey ladies glad I found this thread..day 5 of induction and still no weight loss for me..and had been seriously constipated those 5 days until I had lots of coffee this morning ...tmi I know...still didn't lose any weight after the bowel movement! lol This discourages me but I will keep going. I'm just terrified that I will GAIN weight on this!

Little update - managed to find those strips! It turned a very deep purple so that must be a good sign

Tomorrow will be 7 days... but I don't want to weigh myself before things, um, move, so to speak...

No, I do not agree. The sheer amount of fresh foods to processed foods as well as the fact that you can scrape the breading off things, not drink at all - and if: Wine, as well as the fact that there is much fresh meat on offer.

Also, many of the wursts are not processed with nitrates. It's a matter of paying attention to what you buy.

In the AM, sliced meats and cheeses, you can eat without the bread.

Hot lunch: See the Atkins Induction Recipes Thread

Evening: Again, skip the bread and eat the other bits or a salad. Or cooked eggs.

I have successfully done atkins for over 10 years in Germany - and even cheaper than anywhere else (US and England).

Do not even think about the Frankenfoods - steer clear of those. They often cause stalls and overeating them is easy to do.

Take Care!

Oh yes - that is not incluing doner/lamm kabob (and even the "elephant leg" hah at this name, by the way) things are actuually meat at MOST places, and not with added nonsense) etc on offer at most Schnell Imbiss/Turkish Restaurants.

Also - steaks (Argentine and others) are very affordable there.

Hmm, most places I go to serve everything "mit Pommes" and they get rather shirty if you want to change your order somewhat.

Duesseldorf Altstadt is a nightmare in the evening and restaurants are expensive. Non-elephant-leg kebabs are hard to come by, which leaves pizza and chips/bratwurst/currywurst.

I cook everything from scratch, so when I'm in the supermarket I have a pretty easy time. It's just when you want to go out in the evenings and not spend a small fortune in restaurants where I have trouble. Although I have found an Atkins Burger in a bar ("Cross Over Burger") but at €14 it's pretty expensive for me.

You can ask for salat instead of pommes. Are you non-German?

If so, are you asking in English in a foreign Country?

If so, this may be from whence the "shirtiness" comes.

If I am to ask for something in German in England, I think people here might be a bit "shirty" as well

Or just do not eat the fries at all.

I mean....?

I guess only you can decide what's more important to you.

Al I know is that I lost 60lbs in Germany with no problem at all.

This is a change of lifestyle.

In order for it to work, yopu have to change your life.

Sometimes, that means dealing with the "shirty" or simply not eating the fries. Whichever makes you more comfortable.

Or eat before you go out and then have a salad.

*shrugs* I do not know. To me not being fat was more important than shirty and pommes put together.