I have been on Atkins since Jan 2002 and initially I lost 12 lbs then it seemed to come to a screeching halt. I was faithful to the diet, kept charts, graphs and did fitday every day. Still I did not lose.

I have been tweeking this diet since sometime in August and still nothing.

Recently I started back to the gym and now I have been having a steady increase of 1/2 lb this week 1/4 lb next, etc. This didn't bother me because I just atributed this to muscle from the workouts. I felt that in time, this would level out and I would begin to lose.

Well, this week I had a 5 lb gain! I was horrified! I am now telling myself that it must be fluid because it is impossible to gain that much weight in one week.

I am getting very discouraged because it seems that no matter how hard I try, this weight doesn't want to budge. I have seen a recent change in the Pant-o-meter, but that is all.

I don't want to hold onto false hope, but still I keep telling myself that this is temporary.

Any suggestions from you seasoned vetrans of this woe. I am getting desparate here.

Carol

Hi Carol,

I just had a peek into your journal to see what you've been eating, and I see you've lost ½ inch from various bits of you. That's great! Sounds as though you have definitely grown some muscle. Remember, muscle weighs more than fat and takes up less space.

All I could see of your food intake was an apple with salt, followed by a rice cake. (??) Matey, all salt, sea salt, whatever salt contains sodium. And sodium causes fluid retention. Not recommended.

I know you believe in the idea of changing your body's acidity. Carol, I hate to tell you this, but that is just not true. What you eat can definitely change the acidity of your urine - but that's all. The acid/alkaline balance of all the rest of your body - all of it - is kept at a very fine balance by your lungs and kidneys. If you eat "acid or alkaline producing" foods, your kidneys will simply eliminate whatever is not needed into the urine.
Your blood pH is kept at a constant 7.4 in health. In fact the parameters are so tight that if someone's pH is less than 7.35, they are considered acidotic, more than 7.45, alkalotic.
These values change only with serious illness.

So, I guess what I'm saying is that eating apples, rice cakes and so on is not really compatible with low carbing and may be contributing to your weight gain. How about redoing 2 weeks of Induction? I did that recently and lost 6½ pounds. Or if you don't like Atkins, restart one of the low carb plans by the book.

All the very best, Carol.

Roz

Hi Carol!

Rosebud mentioned that you were having rice cakes. Rice cakes have a severe negative impact on insulin levels. Apples are not allowed on Atkins Induction and need to be counted in carb counts otherwise.

As Rosebud suggested, you need to go back to induction and do it clean/by the book. If Atkins is not the plan for you, look on the quick link to the right "Which low carb plan is right for me?" for one that might suit you better. Whichever plan you select, in the beginning, you need to follow it to the letter.

I hear what you're saying and 6 months ago, I would have said the exact same thing. However, I followed Atkins to the letter for over 7 months and I did not lose. This is why I have decided to go a different route.

As for the salt, Rosebud, you are not correct in saying that all salt is the same. The sea salt contains the proper minerals to balance out the sodium and therefore will not cause fluid retention. I found that as soon as I started to use the sea salt, I no longer had any puffiness around my feet and ankles. I am one that swells at the mention of something salty, but this salt just does not do that to me. I have been using the salt for over 2 weeks now and I have loved the benefits of it.

The weight gain also happened when I joined the gym before and I am now wondering if the exercise is the cause.

I know that it sounds like I am pulling at straws, but I just can't seem to lose even if I stick to a plan very strictly.

I can say that I haven't felt better than I have felt for the past 2 weeks. I realize that this is what is important, but I would also like to see a reduction in weight.

Thank you, Rosebud and Zuleikaa for your suggestions. Maybe it is time I give induction a try again.

Carol

Hi there,

"Salt" is a catchall generic term, when in reality there are literally thousands of 'salts' that can make up a salt mixture. I sold research grade salts for years, but I don't think that any company acutally sells pure salt or NaCl, sodium chloride, for direct food use.

Table salt contains primarily NaCl, sodium chloride. It is this NaCl that causes water retention, etc. Other components include KI - potassium iodide (for protection againts goiters) and/ or calcium silicate (to prevent clumping).

Sea salts only contain approx. 40% NaCl and up to 60% KCl - potassium chloride - and MgCl(subscript 2) - magnesium chloride. This is the reason why Sea salt (and other lower sodium chloride products such as Nu-Salt - which has a similiar compostion) do not have the same effects as table salt, i.e. water gain, etc. There is no special formula to balance out the NaCl, you are just eating less actual sodium, which has obvious health benefits. One salt does not cancel another.

Just wanted to let you know this lest it influences your choices...'salt' comes in many forms, the different formulas and compositions yield different biological effects.

Interesting note, I've tried sea salt and Nu-Salt, and since they have less NaCl, I found that they tasted less 'salty' - so I just used more. Kinda detracts from the health benefits of a 'lower salt alternative' I guess!

Smile....

Ive been reading the notes today on the "reversal diet" Dr Atkins says some long timers ( thats us, huh ? ) may need to jolt the system from time to time.

recommends , for 3 days doing a different diet ie: not a binge but a controlled diet of a different sort for instance, fruit, or pasta, reduced calorie.
( I have the old version, presumably the same in the new book ?)

then return to LC. So, Im wondering, if your venture into rice cakes and fruit would have the same effect as having done the reversal diet. So going back to induction at this point would be of benefit ?


let us know how you get along.

Plum, the reversal diet is not mentioned in the new book.
I can't help but wonder if it's because for some severely insulin resistant folk (such as moi) increasing carbs for a few days simply increases weight.
My $0.02

Roz

Hi Artsy! Just a quick thought and perhaps you are already on top of this. How long has it been since you had a really thorough physical exam? Perhaps there is thyroid problems or something else which is causing this difficulty. I would definitely check if you haven't yet. Best of luck and I hope you find your answer . Cindi

Orschid, I had my complete check up this summer and my doctor wasn't concerned at all. My numbers had all come down and he thought I was on the right track. He felt that it was just the gym that was causing the stall, and said not to worry about the weight. It may not concern him, but after all this time, it does concern me.

I realize that I may be building muscle, but after a time, that muscle should require more fuel than the fat it replaced and I should start to see some loss, not just more gain.

Susanib, I can understand what you are saying about eating more salt. I never used much salt but now I am enjoying the taste and some days I do think that I am eating too much. I have stopped using all salt for a few days to see if that will help. Now I see that I am beginning to get puffy again. What a puzzle!

Carol

Atrsy, I had a problem with my feet and ankles swelling up, starting in Dec. 1999.It was my left foot first, then both, then my right foot... this went on despite staying off my feet as much, putting my feet up to rest... numerous tests were done, there was concerns about blood clots, they came back negative... all tests came back ok...the doctors were puzzled.My feet would swell so much that I could not even get my shoes on, and my ankles were as big around as my calves...which was a real bummer because my calves are very muscular, and not small. In January 2001, I got pregnant... and I immediately started prenatal vitamins, and drank all the fluids I was suppose to be,... all the milk, juice, and water, and my feet instead of swelling as many pregnant women's do... went down~! After I had KaeLyn... which was Oct. 17th 2001...this summer I started having problems with my right foot swelling up again... then I started this LC'ing... and my goodness... my feet are like new ones~! I have my skinny ankles back, and no fat toes anymore... I make sure I get enough water.... my personal goal is over a gallon a day... but each has to decide what it right for them, I also take a vitamin pack with a high potency multivitamin in,additional C & E, Siberian Ginseng and Chromium Picolinate... I also take echinacea and goldenseal extract... I don't know if what I take would help you or not, or what I am doing... but I thought that I would share my personal experience with you about my swelling problems~ good luck with finding something that works for you~ (edited to add this: We don't add salt to anything, my hubby has high BP, and instead we use Mrs. Dash, and various herbs and spices)

Just hang in there and don't panic. I too gained weight when I started to do weights. I panicked and made things worse by altring too many things and here I am 5 months later starting again.I have kept with the excercising and my body fat has reduced quite a bit but no loss on the scales and nothing fits (too small)..Now I have to stick to my way of LC eating and stop messing around. It seems to more you read the more confused we become.Get rid of the scale..It really doesn't matter what is says and stick to the PantOmeter

My doctor, my dad's friend's doctor, and my dad's doctor (all different) said we could have sea salt and should have it instead of table salt. We all have high blood pressure and retention. I have also read up on sea salt and I say stay with the sea salt. My dr specialized in metabolisim/nutrition so I follow what he says.

is designed for Body for Life people. People who are working out according to this particular workout plan. BUT I think it explains what you are experiencing pretty well so why not read it?

http://www.hussman.org/fitness/#inside

Wow! Excellent article - thanks for posting!

I'm new, and certainly no "expert" but... here's my take on the whole thing - and it might sound simple to some, but here goes...

you are exercising, you are eating "right" you are visiting your doctor regularly for check-ups, you are healthy, you stated your "numbers" are good... so... why the fixation on the scale???

I think that we, ESPECIALLY women, tend to think that no matter how healthy we are, no matter how beautiful we are (and yes, you are a beautiful person), no matter how good we feel physically... we step on that scale and are instantly downgraded to a loser because it hasn't moved south!!! Please take a look in the mirror, compliment yourself on being a healthy, beautiful person and thank yourself for all the hard work you've put into it so far.

Personally... when I let go I of all the baggage... find that's when it all happens!!! (not just talkin' weight here)

Stay healthy!!!

Linny