I have been on Atkins for 3 weeks now. I'm still on Induction (20 carbs or less per day). The first week I lost 5 pounds. THe second week I lost 2 more pounds. I weighed myself this week and I have GAINED 2 pounds back. What is with that?! I keep a food journal and I noticed that the past week I have eaten a lot more cheese and Have eaten those Morning Start Bars almost everyday.I have also had a lot more Splenda-Ice Cream with Splenda. Are those bars not good for you? Also, I logged on to Fitday.com and inputed all my foods for today... My ratio is this: 52% fat, 45% protein, and 3% carbs. Isn't it supposed to be a 65/30/5 ratio? Am I eating TOO much protein? What am I doing wrong? Another question, are Diet Rite sodas okay to drink? They are made with Splenda, but I have been drinking a couple of those everyday this week... I thought Atkins was supposed to help you lose weight,lol!! I used a keto-strip this morning too and it was almost negative in color! Every other day it turns dark pink! Am i out of ketosis? I need some advice please! I know there are a lot of questions...sorry .

Hey AtkinsChick -

First, the bars and ice cream are very likely affecting your weight. I've said it a million times and I will say it again. You must pay attention to sugar alcohols! I'll find the thread and bump it up for you. They will stall you out and even make you gain weight because they are carbs and they are digested - no matter how slowly.

Secondly, check the FAQ section. There's a thread there about why it's normal to stall in the 3rd or 4th week or even gain a little bit back.

So cut out the bars, ice cream and even cut back as much as possible on the soda and drink your water instead.

Good luck!
~Star~

Hi AC, welcome !!!!

Don't worry about asking questions, thats how we all learned.
You might want to check out on Fitday your calorie intake compair it to the first two weeks and see.

I gained my third week to, because I was eating 2400 calories and didnt' realize it, once I cut out some of the cheese and other things out, I started losing again.

Like Star said, be careful on the prepackaged foods, I would go lightly on them and use them as a treat instead of a staple. Remember the simpler the food the better.

Hugs !!!

oh heck. Forgot to watch my cheese intake. Bet it's higher than it should be. Thanks for the reminder!!

Ditto to Star's comments on the bars and ice cream!
I too stalled in the first month and I re-read his chapter on Yeast problems. Now I have never had a yeast infection in my life so when I first read the book I skipped that chapter. But since reading it I've cut out all mold types cheeses and stuck with mozarella and cream cheese. I've also cut out the mold type nuts and that seems to have helped.

I also began taking some of the supplements he recommends which I too believe have helped me a great deal espeically Aceytl-L-Carnitine and CO-Q10.

I'm willing to bet it's the fake sweets. Diet Rite, as far as I know, is ok in moderation. Remember Dr Atkins said to have no more than three packets worth of splenda a day MAX. I count each can of pop, each packet in coffee, as one of those... maybe limiting yourself to the 3 servings of fake sugar a day would help? When you consider each packet of splenda is a gram--limiting yourself to a total of 3 grams sweetener a day would drastically cut down on them. Things sweetened with dextrose, sugar alcohols, etc all pretty much contain upwards of 10 grams--making them, in my mind, unsuitable for induction or people stalled in OWL.

Your ratio looks fine.

It is entirely possible that, given a few days, those two pounds will be gone because: it could be water, it could be lack of fiber, it could be *natural and normal* fluxuation that occurs in weight on a day to day basis and you just hit a higher point.

HI, I have been luking for some time while I tried to get my account activated and now I can post (yea!). I have lost 63 lbs since I started on Atkins mid July 2003 and know I have not lost any weight for two weeks. Have any of you had a stall at this point in you weight loss? I have been cheat free the whole time and my fitday was 70f/17c/23p. I wonder if my portions of meat are to big now that I have lost some of my weight? I am a bulk eater so like to fill up on protien. I am going to curves three times a week. Lori

On my last Atkins foray, the only thing I found that would successfully break a "stall" -- if I was still being careful about my ratios and keeping down my carb count -- was EXERCISE. Now, I'm not one for big exercise, but I made it a point during stalls to walk a mile a day for at least 4 days a week and.....POOF!!! The stall was broken. Worked every single time.

I've thought about it, and I just have to throw this one in, although I've never tried it:

My physician's assistant back in Baltimore was an Atkins convert. She personally lost over 80 pounds on the diet and had her own "secret" for busting through stalls that she said was based on the Heller's method. If she stalled for more than 2 weeks, she would work a high-carb meal into her diet. The deal was, however, that you had to eat the meal in one hour. Then, back on induction levels of carbs (not more than 20 per day) for at least a week. She tried to explain it to me in lots of medical terms, but the idea was that it jump-started your system by the effect it had on your insulin levels. She cautioned me against using candy, etc., but suggested pasta. I never tried it, but she swore by it! I'd love to know what STAR thinks of this....

Lori, welcome , depending on what stage of Atkins you're in your carbs might be high at 17%, otherwise with your fat ratio in the 70 range you should be losing. How long has your stall been? I'm down 45 since July, (with a three month stint in maintenance due to some major life stress issues) and have yet to had a stall, I think 7 days is my longest time without a weight loss. As sped mom said, excersie may be the answer . Also, there's a great site that has a whole section on plateaus and what to do to break them, Your First Plateau....Is it really a plateau? Hope it helps, and wtg on the 63 pounds! How far are you from you goal?

Tummy

I just wanted to chime in and say it's not a stall until you've gone *4 weeks* without a change in weight OR inches and you've made no changes to diet or activity level. If you've been on vacation, added something in, or changed your level of activity-atkins says you need to look at that. Also, it's entirely possible to lose inches and not weight--and if you're doing that, it isn't a stall.

Wow. I read that and noticed I don't think I'm drinking enough water. I was drinking roughly 8 glasses a day. But I'm seeing they suggest I drink about 2-3 more glasses. Not sure my bladder can handle it. lol

I agree with Khem that it's not a stall at this point. Lori, you and I are in similar positions. I started Atkins in mid-July 2003 and have lost 58 pounds. I don't see changes in the scale every week. I attribute it to my body needing to catch up on occasion. There's some mighty big changes going on!

Spedmom - I personally wouldn't go with an entire high carb meal, but that's just me. That being said, I have had a higher carb meal on occasion (we're talking once every 3 months) and it sometimes kicks my body back into gear. My own personal rule is that I will not eat anything that will not be a part of maintenance. So no sugar and nothing made with white flour. The 2 higher carb meals that I've had occured at Outback where I had a little slice of the whole wheat bread and ordered a loaded baked potato with my steak. No croutons because they're made with white flour. I don't eat the entire potato, just a few bites that come out to under 1/2 a cup.

It tastes pretty good and I don't feel bad because I'm still staying on plan

Hey Gang, I've been lurking a lot on the Atkins boards lately bec I'm fixing to give it a go after my next doctor's appointment, and wanted to say that there was a lot of good info right here on this thread. I did not know you were suppose to limit Splenda to 3 packs a day. Wow! I use 3 in one cup of coffee and have 2 cups a day. I also have at least one glass of caff free diet coke a day which is made with aspartame. don't know if that matters or not? But I can't think of anything else right off the top of my head that I have with splenda in it, but I'm sure there is more, if I really think about it.

But wanted to say something about AtkinsChick scale being up 2 lbs. Am I the only like this??? if if get on the scale everyday (which I quit doing a long time ago) my weight can fluctuate anywhere from 2 to 4 lbs for no reason at all. Be up 2 one day, down the 2 the next, up 3 and down 2. It's crazy! That's why I don't get on the scale everyday or even once a week. I mean maybe AtkinsChick didn't gain back 2 lbs, maybe it was just a crazy weight fluctuation that evened itself back out during the week?

thanks for the continued good info.

Cathy

Cathy, I agree with you! I fluctuate 3-4 pounds during the course of the day! I'm a scale addict. Maybe it's just rationalization, but I think that it helps keep me sane because I don't freak out when my weight seems a little high in the afternoon because I weigh myself frequently enough to know where my "range" is. So as long as I'm within or below my range, I'm happy.

Aspartame is a judgement call. It's discouraged because it can have adverse effects on you. I get major stomach cramps if I have very much of it.