Hi I'm new to the forums and I had a question. I was on a low calorie diet for a year, I went from 234lbs to 196 . I was hungry all of the time ,so when I saw a friend of mine she had weighed as much as me 235 she was down to 186 she was looking really great and said that she had not sufferd at all. Well at this point I was willing to try anything.I have now been on the induction phase of Atkinsfor 6 weeks and I have gained 10lbs. the weird thing is that my clothes a getting looser not tighter My friend said that it could be muscle,but I am worried 10lbs of muscle????that seems like a lot of weight to gain. I am not on any meds and I have full thyroid function. I have been so to the book and this is really discouraging. has this ever happened to anyone else???

it sounds like a combination of water and muscle. Try watching your salt intake

Use www.fitday.com
watch calories
watch salt

Hello 2fast4u, I am also new to these forums, however I've been LCing for about 3 years.

Some background.....
When someone goes on a very low calorie diet, something very nasy happens to your body, it goes into starvation mode and gears for survival. For all it knows, you are on a desert island and fighting for your life.

"So what.", you may ask, "I'm losing weight right?" Yes you will lose weight, but what type of weight are you actually losing? Lean muscle mass mainly!

"So what.", again you may say, "at least I weight less:. True you weigh less, but your Body fat% is now higher and your metabolism is burning less fat since lean muscle mass burns calories. Low calorie diets will wreck your metabolism.... period.

Now that you are on Atkins, I asume you are eating a more normal amount of calories a day. Your body thanks you! The fact that you gained weight means nothing other than you are repairing the damage you did on the low calorie diet. The fact that your clothes are looser is the BEST indication of your success. Remember, the scales can be you friend or your worst enemy. Never gage your success only by them or you will be disapointed. How your clothes fit and how you look in the mirror are far better indicators than what a $19.95 bathroom scale reads.

It sounds to me like you are headed in the right direction. Keep it up!!

RCG Thankyou for the info. I believe that you hit the nail right on the head.

to elaborate I have been experiencing the same symptoms as 2fast4u off and on . I think that you hit the nail right on the head with your answer . I too lost a little weight on alow cal diet and I think that it did some damage to my body ,not to mention the amount of muscle that I lost .I am now gaining muscle along with losing fat so it does get confusing sometimes when the scale doesn't move . thanks for the heads up. I hope that 2fast4u takes it to heart as I know I did.

Hey there 2fast4u,

The folks here gave you all the info that I could think of. Welcome to the forum and you may want to consider keeping a journal here with your foods. If nothing happens in awhile you can have some folks look at your juornal and give you their thoughts as to where you may possibly going wrong.

But all in all, hang in there.
Dewi

Hey 2fast,

Shape, not weight,

Muscle makes you burn off the fat quicker.

Your waist going in is going to make you look better no matter WHAT the scale says.

If you ended up slightly higher than your original goal, but looked absolutely fabulous, would you care??

Take your measurements of different parts of your body, if your shape is changing all is good, because the weight will follow.

Welcome to LC'ing.