[pferde01]

I had a loss of 20 pounds on the board since May, the last few weeks I've slipped a little. I've been eating a few too many veggies on a regular basis. I had a work party where I had low carb beer and some alchohol. And under the influence I had cookies... not proud but it happened. So in two weeks time I gained back 4 pounds which I thought was excessive. This week I'm back on the wagon, induction level and while I did drink caffeine otherwise I stuck to it, and I'm up TWO MORE pounds.

Is this something other people have experienced? I'm hoping its partially digestive (I haven't been taking my fiber regularly) or that I'm retaining water because even. I don't mind a stall but this has made me really sad, lol. I am still committed to this eating style and am cutting out caffeine this week to really re-rev up on induction. I was just wondering if any one else has had this happen.

[sarahinparis]

There are a few things to bear in mind :

Yes, having cookies & beer (or any other high-carb food) can wreak massive havok on your weight, especially if you were being really strict (ketosis level) before. Remember, with carbs back in your body, water comes with them. The fast loss on induction is a double-edged sword - you lose it fast but you gain it back fast too, and sometimes with a rather modest slip-up. You'll gain more from a day or weekend of indulgence off plan on low carb than you would from the same day or weekend if you're following a low cal or low fat plan. But it's not FAT you've gained, it's water, and being back on very low carb it will go away again - for me it usually takes 4-6 days to go away.

Another thing that can be effecting your weight is the time of month of your menstrual cycle. Most women gain weight (retained water, again - NOT FAT) in the week before their period. For myself, I routinely gain 3-5 pounds during that time, and generally don't lose it again until about 4-5 days into the next cycle. If you know your pattern you're much less likely to freak out about it.

I have noticed that being constipated can stall the scale - especially if you're a slow loser. I am pretty zen about weekly weigh ins so I don't let it bother me too much, but it can make a difference of a pound or two.

Finally, you could be really stalled. That happens on any weight loss plan. Our bodies arent mechanical machines that work on a calories-in, calories-out fixed calculation. All kinds of hormones also regulate weight, and when you've lost a fair amount (especially quickly) your body can alter things to hold on tighter to the weight for a while.

I have a plan of attack for stalls : carefully count carb grams (right now I don't - I just wing it 95% of the time, eating only from foods I know to be low carb.). I count the grams and get them back to the 20-30 range for a while. If that isn't enough to move the scale, then I'd focus next on calories - making sure may calories stay between 1600-1800. Only if that failed would I personally cut caffeine, but that's my preferences, my body.

I actually haven't stalled in months, but I know what I'll do when I do. I don't count my self-induced vacation indulgences as a stall (since I knew what impact that would have & I went back on the attack the day I got back from vacation). I don't count scale movement around time of month as a stall either, since it's normal hormonal changes. I recently went through IVF and that wreaked havoc with my hormones but I was expecting it and again I don't count those weeks as a stall, since there were special circumstances. In a few weeks I'm having surgery - and again, won't count the several weeks of convalesence as a stall because I expect to be bloated from the incision and know I'll have several days of IV fluids (glucose!) and that basically it will kick me out of induction. Again, not a big deal because I know it's coming and I know the context.

Hang in there - I'm pretty sure that with a couple of weeks of real focus those 4 pounds will be gone again.

[Deena52]

Hi pferde01,

Sarahinparis wrote a great post here giving multiple explanations for your weight gain/experience you posted about here...so I won't repeat any of them.

But she is so right about things like beer and cookies wreaking havoc because Atkins is a metabolic diet....and truly is a double-edged sword in that it can work fabulous if you stick to plan but can cause weight gain if you add in things not on the plan. It's very critical to stick to plan, IMO.

I think it's totally fine to go off plan if you've planned for that and know the consequences and factor that in. I stay on plan simply because I don't want to have to go through those 2-3 days again where I'm hungry due to my body again having to use up the stored sugar (I think it's glucagen, not sure if that's the exact term).....until my body goes back into ketosis again. Unless I specifically planned for this....it would cause me to get frustrated....having wasted several days....having to invest time again to go back into ketosis....and to have even possibly gained for a few days....just too frustrating for me to risk going off plan....just out of weakness.

Like I said.....a planned going off plan is different. Events happen in life that are out of our control and we have to deal with them and factor these in. But repeated episodes of going off plan....just sporadically and not specifically planned for....can stall and frustrate us.

If I'm understanding your post correctly....what you're saying is that it concerned you that just a small change in plan would result in what you saw as a significant weight gain....right? I can actually very much relate to this....as I've been there myself. It made me think....what good is this diet if just a small variation is gonna cause this amount of gain?

BUT.....I managed to maintain my weight loss for almost 15 years the last time I used Atkins. It definitely is a plan that can work for life. However.....yes, I could eat cookies....but had to be very careful about the additional carbs I ate. Had I allowed myself to start having these things daily, I would surely have inched back up and gained it all back. I made a rule that if I gained 5 lbs., I went back on induction and lost it. This was the price I paid for allowing things like cookies too often.

If you stick to plan, over time you will see that it is definitely a diet that can work for life. You gain a lot of understanding, over time, as you stick with it. You do have to be rather rigid in order to maintain consistent weight loss...but when you get to goal....you can have a great deal more variety in your diet as long as you're careful. I mean, let's face it....if we're not careful, we'll gain back the weight no matter what diet we used to get to goal.

The worst thing you can do is to allow an episode of going off plan to result in an off-plan spiral. Just get back on plan......and stay away from the beer.