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  • sorry, I'm clearly a newbie, and totally confused. I'm trying to do low carb/ Atkins Induction. I thought I was doing it wrong, with too many carbs so I sort of started over. I lost a bunch of weight at first, but now the scale has halted. I keep losing and gaining the same two pounds. I've also started exercising, swimming 3x a week, and a whole lot of walking. The problem is, I don't know if I can continue with Atkins because I'm exhausted. My boss actually took me off a few classes because she said "it looks like too much for me". She actually sent me home the other day because I looked so tired. I don't want to stop swimming, I'd rather dose up on sugar before I do it or something. Also, I have slightly low blood sugar, which is why my Dr suggested this diet to me. Cutting out the sugar and carbs will mellow out the blood sugar swings, and it has. I don't crave anything anymore, which is a really great feeling, I feel so much more in control. But, I need to stop being so tired, and I don't know what to do. Seriously my vision is rather blurry as I'm typing this. My diet: today, I ate a spinach and ground beef meatball for breakfast with some low carb yogurt. For lunch I had a giant pile of salad mix with some grilled chicken, parmesan cheese and full fat ceasar dressing. I had the same for lunch, and also, because I feel so freakishly exhausted, I ate a bunch of ginger chews to try and up the energy a smidge. Oh, i also had a small coffee with half and half and 2 splenda in it. This is all rather typical, except for the ginger chews. This diet feels so normal for me, but something is so physically wrong. ps, I'm the one who posted a few days ago about thinking i was eating too many carbs. Not so sure of it anymore.
  • I completely understand the exhaustion thing. For the first 4 to 5 days, I thought I'd fall over. Then, the first weekend, I was abounding with energy and felt great; for the first time since I can remember. I hit peaks and valleys in my exhaustion, but more times than not, I'm feeling pretty good. I've been on Induction 10 days. However, yesterday, I went to bed as soon as I got home (5pm) and slept until morning. I think we're still "detoxing" off carbs and trying to reset your body can't happen overnight. Keep us posted! Best wishes...
  • I'm sorry you're not feeling well. Have you read the Atkins book? From what you posted that you're eating, you are not following induction to the letter (e.g., low-carb yogurt's not permitted; I don't know what a ginger chew is but it doesn't sound like it's permitted either). There are very specific things that are and are not permitted on induction. You should be getting all your carbs from salad vegetables, not laboratory-created low-carb stuff.

    I never got "Atkins flu" but it's very common. For most it goes away after a few days. But if you're doing everything correctly and you feel this bad, maybe you should experiment with another type of eating plan, like South Beach.

    Are you eating enough? Drinking your water? Taking supplements? Any or all of these things may have a positive effect for you. Best of luck!
  • You stated you suffer from hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)...my ex-husband has it, it can be very tricky to get it under control & unfortunately, most Dr's are clueless.
    I'm not sure that you are eating enough. A lot of people are misinformed about Atkins, thinking its a high protein diet. Atkins is a high fat, adequate protein plan. From the looks of what you say you're eating, you may want to think about getting more fat. Eggs, mayo, butter...all these things are what makes Atkins so "doable" . Fat also causes you to feel full longer
    You might want to consider changing your diet up a little. Maybe having eggs & bacon or sausage for breakfast...tuna, chicken or egg salad made with mayo for lunch....meat & veggies with butter for dinner. Don't be afraid of fat. Fat is the way Atkins works effectively. Your body will burn the fat you are eating for fuel.
    Basically, with any eating plan, its all about finding out what works for YOU!

    All the best to you!!
  • I am scared of fat. I'm trying to force myself to eat more of it, cuz that's what makes up the calorie difference, right? And no, I'm sure ginger chews are not acceptable, they were just a last minute fix for me cuz I felt so terrible.
    JerzeyGirl, has your ex ever done Atkins? Did it work ok for him, help him stabilize blood sugar even? Also, I cheated the other day and ate bread and french fries cuz they were the only things available. It's the only extreme carbs I've had in two months. I broke out in a rash. Gluten allergy? Arrrg.
  • Ale...my ex didn't do Atkins persay....but...he did avoid white bread, pasta, potatoes & rice. We learned the main thing for him to keep from feeling "fuzzy headed"....was a snack before bedtime, usually unsweetened applesauce or peanut butter on stone ground wheat crackers....neither one being Atkins friendly.
  • Ale2121,
    Has anyone checked your thyroid? When we lose substancial weight we shift our hormone levels and this can shut down or overwork the glandular systems. Thyroids can be a tricky thing and extreme fatigue can be a sign of a sluggish thyroid.
    good luck
    TQ
  • ya know, my dr has checked it quite a few times. not based on this recent stand still, but she has also checked for PCOS. possible hormone problems were why i went to her in the first place. She's firmly convinced I don't have a hormone issue.
  • When I started Atkins, one of the hardest things to get over was that it really is okay to eat fat. More than okay, in fact, it's essential like JerseyGyrl said.

    Eating this way has had a huge impact on my health. I was hypoglycaemic for years prior to low-carbing, but that's all changed thanks to my now stable blood sugar levels.
  • ok, just in case anyone with a similar issue comes across this thread, i wanted to post some results. Please don't jinx me weight loss gods!
    But, I decided to have 1 carb up day. I ate pizza and french fries. Terrible i know, but I also had to self control to stop with one day. Anyway, I gained a few pounds a few days after that, and since then have been losing at a similar rate to what i was losing before. I've lost 4-5 pounds in one week since having carbed up. Also, the fatigue went away. I was supposed to have another carb up day this past saturday, but decided against it because the weight was still coming off.
  • So far, carbing has been working me too. I'm sticking with induction for several months because I have a lot of weight to lose and I don't want to stay in ketosis everyday. If it turns out that carbing on weekends doesn't work, I'll drop it in a minute. But the only week I didn't carb, I gained a pound. So, for me, it seems to work. I've lost 16.3 pounds in under three weeks; and THAT is a record for me!

    best wishes!
  • That's fascinating. Are either of you tracking your caloric intake at all and if so would you post the results of that on high- and low-carb days?

    It seems kind of counterintuitive (to me at least) that carb cycling would work on someone spending the rest of their time at induction levels (if I'm understanding you both correctly) ~ since it takes several days to get back into ketosis once you've had a higher-carb day--that's how I read the book anyway.
  • I am not keeping track of calories. I was, but stopped. when i'm not losing weight and obsessing over things like that, i go a little nuts. I can say however that I eat between 1200 and 1400 calories per day. This includes adding more fat to my diet to keep the energy up. The ketosis stopped before I carbed up, which is why I did it. When I carbed up, I did gain a few days, and it did take a few days for ketosis to kick back in. It seems to be working well now, and I haven't carbed back up since. If the weight loss halts again, I will. This however is a short lived theory of mine, it's only been in practice for a few weeks.
  • Please let us know what happens. I'm really fascinated by the whole "carb-up/carb-down" idea. Personally I am scared of it for 2 reasons: 1) don't want to get out of ketosis 2) I'm dreadfully addicted to carbs and I'm terrified that if I let myself have one "carb-up" BITE much less day it would turn into a carb-up week, month, year...forever.

    I think I just answered my own question...no carb-up days for me EVER. Can't do it; too addicted. Oh well. )
  • It is interesting! I know I couldn't eat pizza and fries without completely fritzing myself. I don't have the self control to limit myself for starters.

    I think it's simply that calories are at at play here. If the calories are reduced overall (and 1200-1400 is pretty low, imo), there's every likelihood that weight-loss will still occur regardless of the amount of carb in the diet. It just won't be attributed to low-carb eating.