Hi,

I had a baby in Sep. I had 20 lb to lose to be back to my normal weight. I started Atkins diet in the end of Nov. when I weaned from breast feeding my baby.

I lost 8-10 lb for the first 5 weeks, but I haven't lost any for 4 weeks now. I heard that there are several reasons for it. One is yeast infection, which I think I might have. Another is that maybe my hormone is still not back to normal because of giving birth and breast feeding. I just wonder what shall I do now? Shall I give up Low-carb diet?

Any suggestion is very welcome and appreciated.

A new mother

Hi Song!

It can take your body up to a year after giving birth to "get back to normal" again. But I have to wonder what benefit you think that giving up at this stage will bring you? Do you have an alternate plan to keep losing or keep from gaining what you have already lost back? You lost nearly half of what you wanted to very quickly. Now your body is taking stock and making sure that everything is okay before it decides to shed the rest. A pause in weight loss of 2-3 weeks seems very common after induction and something else to consider is whether or not you are getting close to your period (water retention)? Something else that you need to consider as well is that for most people, those last 10 pounds tend to be very stubborn and come off very slowly even on low carb.
One suggestion that I would make is to add excercise to your regimen if you haven't already. Not only does it benefit you physically, it also benefits you mentally in that you will feel more alert, have more energy and reduce your stress levels (and I know how high those can be with a 6 month old in the house..I had two under 1 year old at one time!).
If you believe that you may have a yeast problem, trying the suggested "anti-yeast" regime for a few weeks should show whether that is the case or not. In any case, it can't hurt to give it a try.

Thank you so much, Lisa. I think my question was a hard one. No one responsed for a while. Your answer is such an encouragement. Could you please tell me what is "anti-yeast" regime or where I could find it.

My husband and my parents are tellling me to go back to "normal" diet. They are afraid this diet would hurt my health. Since I also feel "hot flush" on my face all the time these couple of days.

Thanks anyway even if I have to give up this diet for a while. I will also try exercise more.

Have you read the section about yeast in the Atkins book? You really need to read the book to understand the plan and follow it in a healthy manner. It's only about $6 at Walmart. Until then read the Atkins web site.

It involves intestinal yeast build up, but often yeast infections (the typical female kind) are a sign of candidia over growth. Pregnancy can trigger this overgrowth.

Read the section intitled yeast in Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution. Check out the yeast forum on this bored.

Read through:
The Role of Yeast
http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/11/28-199113.html

The Wide World of Yeast Symptoms
http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/11/28-706543.html

Acceptable foods
http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/15-464579.html

Rules of Induciton
http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/15-325810.html

The candida restricted diet is strict, but it does really help. You have to stop eating all nuts and nut butters, no aged cheese or other products containing mold, watch the humidity in your house and take a few other steps. I would also highly recomend Yeast Fighters from Twin Labs.

Something else...a yeast overgrowth in the intestines may or may not give you symptoms but if you have a vaginal yeast infection, there will be no doubt as to whether you have one or not...the itching is almost unbearable (at least it was when I got them regularly)!
Read through the links that Lady Belle gave you; I think you'll find them quite helpful and I agree...low carb is really quite healthy when done properly.

Thanks for all your kindness help. I am really moved.

A couple more questions: why would low-carb diet trigger yeast infection if yeast like suger?

does low-card diet effect menstral period?

Generally, low carb diets don't trigger yeast infections; they make them better. But if you have a problem with yeast overgrowth, you need to get a little more agressive than just removing sugar from your diet...you also need to remove all molds, yeasts and fermented products as well to completely clear your system and get things back in balance again. It's normal to have some yeast in and on your body at all times and it's impossible (as well as undesirable) to rid your body completely of it. It only becomes a problem when the bacteria that normally keep them in check are reduced (often by antibiotic use) and the yeast are allowed to take over (or overgrow).




It can during the first few months and/or when weight loss is rapid. Not everyone notices that effect and among those that do, some notice it more than others. Hormones are stored in body fat and when a lot of body fat is being burned, those hormones are released into the bloodstream and can throw things out of sync for a few cycles until the body readjusts again. Normally, it's only a passing thing and not permanent; once weight loss slows, things should return to normal again.

It could also be a cse wher eyou were quite happily living with the yeast, but when you took away thier favorite food (sugar) they started fighting back. That's not how it actually goes, but if you do a search on the candida forum for die off symptoms, you'll find alot of people have a heck of a time when the yeast first starts dying away until things get normalized.

There are also a ton of threads on LC and periods. Women on here have reported lighter periods and skipped ones, but others have had heavy periods and more cramps. For me I experienced spotting while on depo, which was a new thing.

One reason could be that estrogen is stored in fat cells. When you lose weight it gets set lose in your system, but when things stablize you have a lower overall estrogen level. Now that my weight loss has slowed and practially stopped I no longer have the spotting while on depo. I just experienced that when I was losing fat well.

Each person is different though. That is one great thing about this WOE. When you take away alot of foods, then slowly add them back in one at a time, you really find out if you have any food intolerences, triggers, or just strange reactions. It is a constant learning experience