Hi everyone!

Although Atkins doesn't encourage calorie counting, with “only” 25-30 pounds to lose (“only” – yeah, right…), I feel very nervous about consuming too many calories (I would LOVE to have an UNLIMITED amount of olive oil/butter per day like lots of you are doing…but I’m nervous to!). I don’t know if those of us who have less to lose can realistically lose weight without restricting calories…but I could be dead wrong…and that’s why I’d like to know how the rest of you with my approximate start and goal weight have handled this issue and what your experience has been.

There's many formulas out there to calculate calorie needs – the ranges that seem most prevalent are 8-10 x current weight…which based on today’s weight of 144.5 would leave me with 1156 to 1445 calories. I’ve been averaging about 1300 calories…but I’m considering dropping it to 1200.

I know some of you are quite satisfied with losing weight slowly and my hat is off to you! I REALLY admire your patience. But I’ve been yo-yo dieting/bingeing and dilly-dallying for TOO long already and I’m out of patience – I’m going to make this WOE work for me and get this weight off ONCE AND FOR ALL! And I intend to do it as quickly as possible – within reason of course. ALL studies show 1-2 lbs loss a week as very healthy and reasonable. On other programs in the past, I’ve lost an average of 1.75 lbs/wk and I want to aim for at LEAST the same with Atkins (2 lbs would even be better!).

Sooo…for those of you with stats like mine (see signature) that have already lost all/most of their weight (OR those still losing), would you mind answering the following FOUR questions?

1) What was your start weight?
2) What were/is your average calorie consumption per day?
3) How many lbs per week did/do you lose on average? (PLEASE don’t forget to answer #3!)
4) How long did you stay in Induction (20 gm carbs max)?

Thank you so much in advance to all those who respond! (BTW, I posted this same poll at another low-carb board so I apologize if you end up seeing it twice.)

Hi,

Stats quite similar


1. mental block prohibts me from answering (dumb i know)

2. 1300 - 1600

3. looks like 2 but I can't say for sure yet (I'm bouncing around pound or so could be water )

4. Am still on first 2 weeks of induction Day 12


I am considering dropping caloric intake, really expected more exiting results on induction, but I will wait it out and see. I am also considering doing the fat fast if by Sunday I have not lost at least 4lbs on induction. I'm getting quite desperate so understand how you feel . I have been working out also, joined Curves and have some home equipment.

Hi

I know I weigh a lot more than you, but I've been limiting my caloric intake to about 10-12x my goal weight which comes out to about 1350-1550 a day. I'm in my 4th week of induction. I lost 11 pounds in the first 2 weeks, and the I upped my calories to about 2600 for the past 2 days, and I dropped 2 pounds all of a sudden. I do fluctuate from day to day though, but the trend is downward.

1) 181 pounds.
2) 1350-1550 (past 2 days at about 2600, mostly fat)
3) 3.5 lbs. (1/2 pound a day)
4) Day 27 today

I use to diet the traditional way of eating salads and low fats and low carbs.... and enough protein with alot of running...

1. I started Atkins at around 160 or 161lbs
2. My daily intake of calories are around 1700-2100
3. I started Feb 4th 2003 and right now I'm around 155-156lbs
I say I lost about 3lbs first week and slowly after that.
It's only been like 15 days so I'm not complaining.
4. I stayed in Induction for around 12 to 13 Days at most.
Now I eat around 30-35 Carbs sometimes 40-45 Carbs.

I exercise 6 days a week sometimes 5 days a week but no less than 5 days.

I run 3 miles everyday sometimes 4 times a week ... depends how I feel.

On weekends I may run 5 miles also

I weight lift at least 4 times a week.

So I'm very intense.....

One time I did eat 2700 calories and whoa not a good idea hehe gained 1lb hehe but lost it again.... no biggie...

Hi Pinkdreams:

Most of these answers will NOT be what you want to hear, sorry to say.

1) What was your start weight?
I used to weight 145 lbs years ago and lost it before I started LCing. Too complicated to get into - it's in my journal.

2) What were/is your average calorie consumption per day?
1230-1300 calories/day - BTW, your goal should be 10-12X current weight, NOT 8-10X. Most people would agree that 8-10X is too little.

3) How many lbs per week did/do you lose on average? (PLEASE don’t forget to answer #3!)
1/2 pound/week - I can take it off faster by reducing my calories even more, but 1) it's not healthy and 2) it causes binges and yo-yoing. To make the last 10 pounds of weight stay off permanently you have to learn patience. Taking those last pounds off quickly and keeping it off is an "oxymoron". I've learned that you can't tell your body what you want it to do. It has it's own agenda to keep you healthy, which may be different than everyone else's. All you can do is feed it properly and do all those things that you are already doing so well re: your signature. .

4) How long did you stay in Induction (20 gm carbs max)?
Longer than most in order to control reactive hunger/binges. Everything I do revolves around controlling my sugar addiction/binges as opposed to weight loss.


Wow! That's lots of work. Why don't you create your own "custom" foods in fitday if you see discrepancies. Or use a different software package as a gift to yourself? I use a program (but it wasn't free) that I found helpful in making me understand many of the things I've learned.

Wanda

1) Start weight: 160

2) Calories per day: Anywhere from 1500-1900 calories. Right now I'm shooting for 1600.

3) How many pounds per week on average?
This is a really tricky question. Weight loss is not a steady process so I could give you an average number I guess, but that wouldn't really illustrate how it happened.

I started October 2, 2002. Basically I lost about 10 pounds during a three week induction... then a bit less than a pound a week after that I suppose... with some bumps and stalls. Have been as low as 136.5 and most days now weigh in anywhere from 137-143 depending on the time of day, etc.

4) How long did you stay in induction? Three weeks.


Don't expect to lose as quickly as other diets on Atkins after the initial induction, though. Most diets cause you to lose muscle mass, while this one causes you to lose fat and retain muscle with adequate levels of protein.

I've also been working out for the last month... so while I haven't really lost any more weight, my body fat has gone down another percentage according to my Tanita scale!

I have to stress not to compare yourself to others. I know it's hard not to, but our bodies are all different and you have to listen to your own.

Good luck! I hope you see very positive changes with this way of eating.



Angela

Hi!
My stats are the same - nice to see so many 5.5ers!
Fat 65-70%.
Protein 28-31%.
Carbs below 20.
Cardio 6 days/wk. 1 1/2-1 3/4hours (endurance training )
Weights 3 days/w. 20minutes

1. 130
2. 1500-1600.
3. I'm on day 25 & I've lost 4 pounds down to 126 so that's about 1 pound per week.
4. I'm still on induction until the 28th - simply too lazy to figure OWL out.

I'm pretty happy with 1 pound per week... I'm not fatigued during my workouts... not hungry...

However, I too question whether or not I'm eatting too much... If I want to weigh 117 - can I only eat 1,380? Oh brother viv

Thanks very much to everyone who's answered my poll so far. When I get more responses, I'll make some comments...so keep 'em comin'!

In the meantime, I have a technical question. I have the box checked to receive email notifications whenever someone replies to my post, but I haven't recieved ANY emails even though many have already answered! The same thing has happened before when I've posted. I checked my Profile and my email address is correct. Can someone help me with this?

Thanks!

pinkdreams

Hiya Pinkdreams!!

We have similar stats(altho I am 5'4") and share a similar impatience LOL. Im just so sick and tired of this weight and want it off now (although I do know this is unrealistic and unhealthy- still cant help the urgent wishing. ) I have not been slender in my adult life. I have never seen the 130's, and although I am in this low-carb way of eating for life, I sure would like to see some lower numbers on the scale.

I will have to get back to you on your poll as I am new and a work in progress. Ive been doing induction(a bit imperfectly, had a few days I went over the 20 carb allotment) but I am learning.I lost 6 pounds the first week ...put back 3 the second.

I am now doing a fat fast, to rid myself of bloat, change up the metabolism, and I figure after 5 days ...induction will be smoother sailing than it was for me the first time around.

Just wanted to say hello to ya ...hope you find what works for you and that you meet your goal.

Btw....are you planning to start a journal? I would love to keep in touch with you...maybe share what works for me as I go along, get some tips in return.

Take care gf.
BB

Hi.....I started at 160 and I am in my 6th week. I weigh 147 right now. I had a very slow start. It wasnt until I was in my 4th week that the pounds really started to come off. I dont even count my calories. I try to stay away from the low-carb candy bars. Sometimes I'll have one a week. I drink an Atkins Chocolate Shake every morning. And I have a 12oz coffee with splenda and cream in the morning.
I try to keep my carbs at 20, but sometimes I have 25-30.

E-mail notifications have been disabled. You can still check on subscribed threads by clicking on the button at the top of your screen "profile". I think there were spammers or something with the e-mail notification. There's a sticky at the top of each page explaining it, I think.

Hope you get more great responses!



Angela

Hiya,

1. I started at about 165#.

2. 1500-1800 calories a day at first, but have gradually reduced that to 1200-1500, mostly just through learning how to tell when I was full.

3. 1.5# per week, pretty steadily all along. I think that has more to do with carbs than calories.

4. I am still at induction levels. I'm planning to increase starting this weekend, which will make it exactly 5 months. Before now I had more like 15 carbs most days.

I hope you don't mind a little editorializing, but I have to say that I'm not sure losing as fast as possible and keeping it off forever are compatible goals. I went into this planning to lose the weight and then go back to my "normal" eating habits, but after 5 months I'm sold on low carb as a lifestyle. Which means going slowly enough, especially at the end, to learn how to integrate it into my life permanently.

2+ pounds a week is an aggressive goal, especially with the amount you have to lose. You may be able to do it, but I've found that trying to force myself to lose at a particular rate makes me miserable, and often doesn't work anyway. But then again, I'm not willing to suffer in order to be thin I could never do a traditional diet (much less a crash diet), but low carb has been great for me.

Also you may have already read this, but a lot of people with lengthy histories of yo-yo dieting report slower progress at first while their body adjusts. Something to think about if you run into any frustrations early on.

1) What was your start weight?

162.8 and am currently 148.5 heading for around 120

2) What were/is your average calorie consumption per day?

It's supposed to be around 1400-1500 but to be honest I haven't checked. It probably is around there though because I'm still losing but not in huge amounts since I finished induction

3) How many lbs per week did/do you lose on average? (PLEASE don’t forget to answer #3!)

During induction I lost around 9.5lbs, now that I'm through that and have started eating fruits and some delicious lo-carb bread that I made I'm steadily losing around 1lb per week. It seems slow in comparison to my first 2 weeks, but I don't want to lose it too quickly and that way my body gets used to eating this way and mentally it will make it easier for me to stick to.

4) How long did you stay in Induction (20 gm carbs max)?

2 weeks

Good luck

Thanks very much to everyone who responded - I appreciate all of your comments and suggestions!

Hi Wanda: I know -- calculating my foods manually IS a lot of work...but the most time consuming part is over now. What I did was make a list of all they typical foods I eat, looked it all up at the USDA Nutrient Database website and wrote it all down...then typed it up. I DID create my own "custom" foods in fitday but after I did all that, to my surprise I discovered that they round up or down all the numbers...which means that the end numbers aren't really correct. I've experimented by taking a few days of food intake -- doing it manually and also doing it in fitday with my custom list. Each time fitday's total ends up being way off compared to my manual list (and yes, I take into consideration that fitday doesn't subtract fiber from the carbs). Also when I tried to put "0" grams of protein for veggies in my custom list, it wouldn't let me...and since veggie protein is not "complete protein", I really don't want those numbers included in my protein percentage. Yes, I noticed in your journal that you use a different software program -- I'll have to check into that! Thanks again for all your feedback, Wanda.


Hi butrf1yb1u: No, I'm not planning on keeping a journal on this board...altho I do have an email buddy (outside of this board) I journal with everyday. Yes, please keep in touch -- write me anytime! And thanks for the warm welcome...

dreamseeker

I think that fitday rounds off the display, but uses the actual number in its calculations, so the total you see at the top of the screen is off by no more than .5 gram.

For instance, I just looked at my fitday totals for yesterday. The total carb count at the top of the screen is 17. If I total up the carbs displayed for each food, it adds up to 18. But if I check the detailed info for each food and add up the exact carb counts myself, it's 17.3. So I think the rounding off is just done for the display, it's not calculating the totals with those rounded numbers.

I have some problems with fitday -- it's cumbersome to use, times out too quickly, and I really really wish we could build custom foods by combining ingredients, rather than just entering the totals -- but I do think that, as long as the carb counts for the ingredients are correct, it is calculating accurately.