I'm hoping there are people who can help me out!

I've been on Atkins induction for two months and have only lost 3-4lbs, from starting with of 180lbs.

I have been following the plan very strictly, averaging 19-24 carb grams per day. I also drink a lot of water (sometimes close to a gallon). I've had 3 relapses, but only for a day at a time. Also, I managed to get through both Thanksgiving and Xmas with gaining weight. I seem to have flat-lined.

(My goal is 155 lbs, my previous weight so it's not unrealistic, especially given my height. I just want to fit a size 10. I'm pushing 14 now. I'm 5'10" and until recently have been thin my whole life. I guess it's because I hit my 30s and I have a history of never needing to watch what I eat).

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Here is an example of a typical day's menu (19 carbs):

Breakfast
Scrambled eggs
Sausage
Green beans
Cheese

Lunch
Tuna fish w/ mayo and relish
Carbolite bar (0 carbs)

Dinner
Lobster
Brocolli/green beans
Salad w/ French dressing (low carb)

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It is very frustrating to go through each day without any weight loss. In terms of inches, I haven't budged (only a 1/4 inch in my waist). BTW, my big waist is the problem (classic apple).

I know that I should cut out the lo carb bars, but I don't really eat them that often and I haven't eaten them recently.

I'm really getting down on this whole thing. So many people have lost a lot of weight in two months, so I'm really disappointed.

Can anyone give me tips on what to do? I'm afraid that I'll just give up!

Thanks, Altavista.

Alot of people are finding that if they go back to the BASICS from Dr.Atkins first book copywritten in 1972, they will lose immediately, and much more than alot of people ever thought possible. The main reasons for this are that in the original plan, there were no "frankenfoods" back then. Everything was REAL foods. Check it out, they have the original books available on EBAY for as low as 75cents a copy.

Thanks for your reply.

You seem to be familiar with that book. From what I mentioned in my post, what do you think I'm doing wrong?

Thanks.

I will post the basics of the first week according to the ORIGINAL DR ATKINS DIET REVOLUTION, not the NEW one. The main differences are that there were no NET carbs back then. You are to eat for ONE week of induction, ONLY 2 ONE CUP salads a day. One with Lunch, One with Dinner. ALL the meat you need to be SATISFIED, not full. The carbs are so low that practically anyone can lose quickly on this. Then each week you add 5-8 GROSS grams of Carbs. NOT NET. No BARS, SHAKES, SF Candy etc. This is a big kick start for MOST people on a stall. ALSO note that cream is only 4TSP a day. That was a biggie for me. lol Of course the book will be much more clear in how this works, but I know that it does. Here is the first week directly from the book:

Meat:
Steaks, corned beef, Lamb chops, hamburgers bacon, Any kind of meat in any quantity (except for meat with fillers like hot dogs, meatballs, packaged cold cuts).

Fowl: Duckling, turkey, chicken, anything with wings.

Desserts: Gelatin with artificial sweeteners.

Condiments: salt, pepper, mustard, horseradish, vinegar, vanilla, artificial sweetener, any spice without sugar in it.

Drinks: Water, mineral water, Vichy, club soda, beef or chicken broth, bouillon, sugar-free soda, coffee (under six cups caffeinated), tea.

Fish: All kinds of fish, canned salmon, seafood, EXCEPT oysters, clams, mussels, scallops, and pickled fish.

Eggs: unlimited, any style.

Salads: Two salads a day, each less then one cupful, loosely packed, made only of leafy greens, celery, or cukes and radishes. Dressings with vinegar, oil, salt, dry spices, herbs, grated cheese, or anchovies.

Butter and Mayo: Butter, mayo, lard, oil, shortening, margarine (this was before transfats information, so be careful).

Juice: Juice of one lime or lemon.

Cheese: Four ounces of any hard, aged cheese per day. NO cream cheese or cheese spreads.

Heavy Cream: Four teaspoons a day of heavy cream. NO milk.


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What kind of relish are you using? Mine shows 5 carbs in a tbsp. The second ingredient is high fructose corn syrup. I don't know how big your "strays" were, but I haven't strayed once since starting this WOE and I was stuck for almost a whole month before I began losing again. Are you measuring yourself? Do you clothes feel looser?
Alli

If your relish has that many carbs per Tbsp and the second ingredient is high fructose corn syrup, I would quit using it. High fructose corn syrup is sugar! Sugar is one of the things we avoid. If you are reading labels on packages of food you are buying you will notice things like dextrose, fructose, HFCS - lots of different ways of saying sugar without coming right out and saying sugar. That HFCS in your relish could be causing you an insulin spike and could be part of your problem with dropping pounds. Gotta watch those things - it's almost like the entire food industry is out to stop us from LCing.
I'd switch over to a dill relish - unless, of course, you find some form of sugar in it, too.

shortstuff

Get an account at www.fitday.com It's a pain in the butt at times, but only doing it for a week will really show patterns or things that could use changing. You need to have 70% of calories coming from fats, and also make sure you are eating enough calories to support your body. Restricting calories too much will make your body to hang on to energy stores (i.e. fat) like it was gold.

Those carbolite bars may say 0 carbs, but they do stall many people. Get rid of them.

Also cut down on processed foods such as sausages, bacon, ham, hotdogs and so on. All are made with sugars and have very high sodium.

I don't agree that cutting back on veggies is the answer. The NEW Dr. Atkins induction foods list doesn't recomend frankenfoods either. I don't think anyone can claim that eating salads causes them to gain weight. It's probably overall calories or a carby dressing more then the veggies.

The reason it has been upped is after 30 some years of research, life experience form the weight loss clinics and so on, they found people lost better with more veggies and the nutrients were needed.

I have many diet books from the 60's and 70's. The lack of nutricional understanding back then was depressing. Atkins was probably one of the sanest, but even he has made alot of progress in 30 some years. If you really want to cut carbs and go for a 70's diet, then you can do the eating once a week, only eating eggs, then there is the grape fruit and cabbage soup diets ect :P

I constantly eat well over the recomended amount. Remember those cups refer to oz, and unless you are eating 16oz of salad, most aren't getting anywhere near enough. Those prebagged salad mixes are only 1 3oz serving for the entire bag if you read the nutricional info on the back. Veggies are low cal, low carb fillers that help make the meal larger and more filling.

Thanks for all of your responses.

I want to be clear that I am a religious carb counter. I have a detailed Excel spreadsheet set up for the purpose. I included the 3g carbs from the little bit of relish that I put in my tuna fish. My total carb count for the menu that I posted was 19 carbs, including the relish.

I mentioned in my original message that my clothes don't feel looser and I'm not losing inches. I'll cut out the LC bars, but I'm not really eating them that often.

I will take your advice and slow down on the franks and other processed meats. I'll also add more salad (which I really don't like). Other than that, I'll just hope for the best.

I am, however, extremely demoralized by this whole experience.

Altavista

LadyBelle,

I forgot to mention that I'm going to sign up with fitday.com. Is there a place to enter measurements? I didn't see it.

Thanks a lot!

Aw, Alta, I feel for you. It doesn't seem fair when you are being very careful and conscientious, and you see that what works for others won't work for you .

One of the phrases I picked up on this board that has helped me is "Your mileage may vary" (YMMV). People really do respond differently to the things they eat, in all sorts of ways. I mean, think about food allergies--why do some people have life-threatening responses to nuts, others to wheat, etc?

Maybe try shaking up your diet, doing things that follow Atkins but are really different for you, like having a steak for breakfast (just a suggestion)? My point is that it can be very hard to figure out what will help a specific individual. I try to think of it all as an interesting experiment. Good luck!

altavista,
You didn't mention how spread apart your 3 slips were and how bad. Going off plan can take your body several days to get back into ketosis depending on what you ate. Time that by 3 in just 2 months and that with some bars can really stop you in your tracks. Try to just follow a true induction with all the helpful suggestions already posted. I was never a salad person either, but I started eatting lots of fresh baby spinach with lunch and dinner because you really need enough veggies, especially dark green leafy ones. It will help with the fiber and nutrients. Lettuce to me is pretty useless. Pick your veggies from the induction list and go for the ones with the most bang for the buck and good luck.
Marie

I didn't lose weight the first 5 months I did atkins leading to the discovery of low thyroid. Why don't you start the chapters on weight loss resistance? It could be medications that you take, needed supplements, or an undiagnosed physical problem. Dana Carpenter says that some people have to lower their carbs a bit under 20 to lose. Also watch your calories. Try exercise.

Are you in ketosis?

I followed the outline for induction and not only didn't I loose, but I couldn't get into ketosis. I did the fat fast to get the process going. That gave me the jumpstart I needed. after the fast I resumed the my induction menu and stayed in ketosis.

I don't think there is an area for measurements on fitday. Try www.mybodycomp.com

Not only can you enter measurements, but it will help you find body fat. You can also compaire your measurements over time and see graphs on how much you've lost and how they compair. It's a bit of a pain because it asks for around 20 measurements, so it's not something to do every day, but it's great for seeing progress. It will also show what areas need to lose weight (though most of us know that on our own)

You also don't have that much to lose. Most people lose 10% of what they need so in induction, then 5% each month after. With only a little over 20 pounds to lsoe, the loss will be very slow. That can be good though. While it's hard to be patient, slow loss means you are more likely to keep it off, the development of better eating habits, and less of a chance of stretch marks and saggy skin.

And you may turn out to be one of those people who lose better as the carb count increases, as long as the carbs are from vegetables, salad and maybe a few fruits, and NOT from sugar alcohols, sugars, starches or processed foods.

You're not alone in this lack of losing at Induction levels. Have you noticed any change in your health? Could be less indigestion, allergy symptoms, energy.