Been back on Atkins for a little over 3 months, and have been doing suprisningly well, averaging about 3-4lbs a week.

My question is this: Why is there such a rapid 2 to 4 lb gain the day after a one time cheat? Is this water weight? It can't possibly be fat, can it?

I've got a graph log I made up on MS Excell. It never fails, I usually take my son out to see his grandparents every other weekend, and the temptation is just too darn much, I usually end up munching some chips or a sweet one night a week. Without fail, the following Monday, the graph shows I've gained 2 or 3 pounds. A few days later, I get a 5 or 6 pound woosh going, and by the following Friday, I'm down another couple or 3 pounds.

These little twice monthly cheats may actually be helping weight loss I feel. I've not had this consistient success before on my previous Atkins experience. This time, it is like clockwork with the weekly weight loss.

It is more curiosity than anything, as I'm nearing my goal, and it hasn't stunted my weight loss much. And, it does keep serious cravings away during the week.

I've also experienced this with the Atkins muffin mix and locarb waffles, so my main concern is will I be able to have much of this stuff at all on maintenance, or will the weight keep going up with sweet tasting food? I can drink diet soda, crystal light, and all that all day long, but if I put sweet tasting low carb food in my mouth, it's all over it seems.

Every gram of carbohydrate you eat will attract 4 grams of water to it - this is why we call it 'water bloat'. This is also why you lose a lot of 'weight' during the first few weeks of any LC plan as you deplete your body of it's stored carbs (glycogen) and the water it holds.

As for the 'cheating' - there are a few theories on that. Simply increasing calories can help precipitate a loss. This keeps the body off balance, stops it from thinking "diet". It also helps to raise Leptin levels. Leptin is a hormone that is a rather recent discovery - it's also called the 'starvation hormone'. As you lose fat leptin levels fall. Lowered leptin levels signal the body that it's starving and perhaps it should eat a little more. It makes you hungrier. This is of course a very simplified explanation, there are many more variables involved. You can read more about Leptin and the role it plays by clicking on the link: Leptin: The Next Big Thing

Nat

Great info Nat.

thanx
cin

glycogen stores are ususually around 250-350 per person