I am doing atkins and plan to lose but how do you switch to calorie counting andnot gain or plateau?

When you switch from Atkins to calorie counting, you can expect to gain a few pounds. Not of fat, but water. Carbs make you retain water, and Atkins has a diuretic effect. There's not much you can do about it, but thankfully water gains are only temporary. But to not gain back any fat, just make sure you don't go overboard on the carbs/calories. Atkins taught me alot about the effects of sugars and starches on our cravings and blood sugar levels. Start back out with whole grain choices like breads, pastas, and cereals, instead of the white processed stuff, and it will help with the transition. It's hard once you add carbs back in because the cravings and insulin roller coaster come back in to play. As long as you don't give in to that, you'll be okay.
As far as a plateau, you also should probably expect your body to fight the change. It has to switch fuel sources. It was probably about a month after I switched that I lost anything more, and I was really strict about the calorie counting. It's also dissappointing because you can't possibly expect the same results-Atkins loss can be so abnormally fast-I lost 30 pounds in 7 weeks. It's not really possible to do that counting calories. I was just happy not to have gained it back, because that's a problem for SO many people when they go off Atkins.

I'm aiming at 2059 calories a day but so far I'm only at 675 calories.

i was on Nutrisystem for 2 1/2 months doing about 1200 calories,
now i'm counting calories, with the help of my-calorie-counter.com
I'm staying as close to 1200 calories as i can. i slip a little and everyother week my husband and i have a cheat date night.

i've lost 32 pounds since 7/1/06

"I was just happy not to have gained it back, because that's a problem for SO many people when they go off Atkins."


Well, most of those new to lo-carbing are not taught calorie consumption. The books really don't say anything about it either. When a person comes off their success, they don't realize that Atkins is a life long way of eating. Or they cheat too many times and then fall prey to blood sugar addictions and are helpless against them again. Weight comes back as quickly as it drops and then some.

You mean to tell me that you are only consuming 675 calories a day? Or...is that just how far you've gotten today? lol

I am 5ft 6 and I average 1500. Last few days because I've been sick has been low, and the day before I got sick I gorged myself on everything in sight!! Maybe my body knew I was getting sick and decided to store it up?? LOL

What I really want to know..........besides did you REALLY fitday ALL the candy you ate?? LOL!
Is how the heck you all find the time to do as much exercise as you do???

I used to do 2 hours (including shower) a day and after I lost the weight I can not get myself motivated to do even 30 minutes!!

I know I am sick right now, but as soon as I am well I need to get going!
It gets harder and harder to maintain if I don't walk at least 30 additional minutes a day.
I homeschool my 5 kids and (4 other kids twice a week) so it's not like I'm lazy or anything, just busy.
I have tried and tried to get up earlier than 7 am and it ain't happening!
I read that you can split a 30 minute workout into 2 - 15 minute workouts but does that really work?

That is how many I consume in a day

Generally I am aiming for 1200-1400 calories/day. I would like to get back to zigzaging though I know it really works. First though I will continue with a few weeks of this with a vitamin, exercise and lots of water, until I get bored.
Then around Turkey day I think I'll start zigzagging so I can so I can be short one day to make up for the Holiday. Even though I am looking for some calorie wise recipes for Thanksgiving. That is my plan for now.

Wow... I eat between 2300-2500 calories a day and can lose about a pound or a pound and a half a week . My problem is that I often end up eating closer to 3000-3500 calories a day which is why I'm trying to monitor calories to get a better idea of things. I'm 5'2", currently have about 20 pounds to lose (have lost 20 so far), though I could certainly stand to lose more like 30! I work out 5-6 days a week. About 60-90 minutes depending on day. I do a combination of strength training and cardio (running or step class). I am also nursing twins, so I'm thinking that is what is giving me those extra 500 or more calories to play with!

Prior to the pregnancy, I was maintaining for about 3 years at my goal weight on an average of about 2500 calories a day. Some days, more though, depending on what I was doing for exercise.

I really want to get a metabolism test (Saw it on TV) to see where I should be for calories though. Figured it would either tell me that I need to eat less and that the hunger I think I'm feeling isn't real or that I can keep getting away with what I'm doing -- assuming, of course, none of those nasty binges!

Take care,
Zoelda

I eat between 1500 and 1600.