I need a few suggestions. I've been on Atkins for a week now and I'm beginning to feel the benefits such as increased energy and lowering of appetite, which I love. However, I'm not loosing any weight. Maybe it's too early?
My carb level is almost always below 20 (have never gone over). Calories are between 2100 and 2200. Too much? Ketostixs are in the moderate to high (more recently the high range). I drink more than the recommended water intake. I have had some things with aspratame in it (not much but a few things). I can't find the absolute sugar free jello stuff, only the sugar free with aspritame in it. I am on prozac, although it is the lowest dose you can take and I'm not able/willing to give this up.
I am going to start walking this week. I didn't last week because of the horrible weather and my schedule. This week things are back to normal and I will be able to walk again. Will this make the difference?
I am set out to loose about 80 pounds and I'm in it for the long hall, as long as it takes. I'm not frustrated, just puzzled. I figured as long as I was in ketosis I was buring fat but it doesn't seem to be working this way - yet.
Your counts sound fine to me, esp. the carbs. You are obviously eating quite a lot to have such a high calorie count, which is fine. Are you measuring? On low carb, that is a better way to guage progress. If you have not been eating adequate protein for some time, your muscles are probably rebuilding themselves which might account for the lack of scale movement. Additionally, I'd try giving up the sugar free stuff for a while, just to see if it makes a difference. Please keep us posted!
I'm hoping the calorie content will decrease as my appetite decreases. Also, my eating habits before I started all this weren't great. I basically ate on meal a day and really no snacking in between - except at night. So perhaps my body is just over excited that it has something to "eat" when it used to not. Genetics is not on my side and although I've never been a "bad" eater (i.e. never eat out, decent food when I did eat) I think my metabolism is in shock with what it's been allowed to work with.
I'm hoping the walking will help kick things into gear. I have not done any measurements. I will do that tonight. I hope you are right, maybe I'll see a difference that way.
Some people report more dramatic changes in their measurements rather than on the scale for the first few weeks or so. Others report the weight first then the measurements. Just depends on what your body will adjust to first. Gradually, your weight will come down, but since it seems that your body does not want to lose weight first, take your successes with the measuring tape. Hope this heps in some way
Nice to have you join all us chicks in the neatest LC coop around!
You've already been given great advice/suggestions - about the only thing I can add is ~ Watch out for hidden carbs (are you drinking LC shakes or eating LC bars? And what about your sodium intake ~ could you be retaining fluid? Could it be close to TOM and might take a bit longer to see that nasty ugly metal monster move in the downward direction? And definately measure. You're already feeling some of the benefits of this woe, so, you know it's working for you. Glad you're not getting discouraged!
Again, welcome and looking forward to getting to know you!
I am not seeing a loss on induction either, in fact I GAINED 2 pounds backof the 5 that I initially lost! Why are lo-carb bars bad? If you count the carbs, what is the difference? Atkins Advantage Bars are approved by the Atkins site and catalon on Stage 1. I am wondering if this is my problem. I allow myself on Caffinated Drink and one Bar a day, all within 20g carbs or less. Also what's the deal with Aspartame??? Why would that make you not lose or gain weight?
GinaMarie
Gina - Some people are Aspartame sensitive. I lose more when I don't have it, but I'm not willing to give it up, so I settle for a slower loss. Do you have any way to measure your body fat? I have scales that let me measure mine, and today I noticed no difference in weight or measurements, but a decrease of 1% in body fat. You wouldn't think that would be possible, to lose body fat without changing measurements or weight, but that's how I'm losing. Remeber that muscle weighs more than fat, so those gains might be a good thing. You're getting sleeker, not lighter.
Dyan,
I think my enemy is sugar. The bars I was eating were lo-carb solutions and they had fructose is them! 3g of carbs, yeah and they were all SUGAR!!!!!
But still. If I am taking in about 1900 calories a day and need about 3300 to sustain my weight (over 300), and am eating no more than 20g of carbs a day (usually in the 15-18g range) how is it physically and scientifically possible for me to GAIN WEIGHT!!!
See me in the pissed off thread! I am besides myself!
Gina
Thanks for your advice. I'm gonna hang in there so not to worry. I'm okay with slow, I just get discouraged when I don't see anything for some time. I'm going to measure tonight so maybe results will be seen that way.
I don't do the shakes or bars - don't want to take the chance. I know the first time I put something in my mouth like that I'll go back to it when I get in a jam - eating wise. That's why I never kept chips, cookies, ice cream etc. in the house!! I'd get lazy and eat that instead of the good for me stuff.
I'll begin my walking tonight so hopefully that will kick all this in gear!
Gina ~ You really don't know me yet but as you do you'll come to know that I have a horrible retention problem and cannot repeat to you all the wonderful, informative and technical explanations so many of these great chicks can! Yes, I am a blonde (by bottle!)
The fructose and similar products (sugar) can affect your weight loss/gains because the LC plans are based on insulin release and what that does to your body chemistry/metabolism, etc.. Don't duress, (sp?) trial and error teaches us what our bodies will tolerate. For myself, caffeine free diet sodas do not trigger carb cravings, but for so many it does. Listen to your body. Journal. It just takes a bit of time.
Keep asking questions, reading, journalling and it will come together.
J
PS - I didn't mean to imply that all LC shakes/bars were bad. I suppose that I should've expanded that comment to various products. We've just come to learn that there are hidden carbs in many products that tout LC. (is tout a correctly used word? hmmm)
I think you've received some very good explanations. In the Atkins book I think he goes into some detail on why some artificially sweetened foods can cause stalls...or maybe it's in a different dieting book. Nevertheless, they certainly can...and if you're a carb addict like myself, even the taste of something sweet can trigger cravings whether it contains real sugar or the fake stuff.
I also just wanted to mention that if you are going to measure yourself, do it right. By that I mean don't just measure the usual three locations. Measure your neck, upper chest, ribcage, upper arms, wrists, thighs, knees and ankles. Write it all down on a chart and measure the same places every few weeks. You'd be surprised at some of the strange places your fat will begin to decrease. With me, it always seems to disappear from my face, neck, shoulders and breasts more rapidly than anywhere else. Of course, I WANT it to go from my waist, tummy, backside, hips and thighs. But, we'll have to take what we can get. I figure eventually it will get around to disappearing from the places that most need the loss.
Also, to those of you who have either gained or not lost anything on the first few days of Induction, please don't lose heart. The metabolism is a finely tuned mechanism and any changes in diet and/or exercise can cause it to go into a protective mode. By that I mean it wants to maintain the status quo. If fat has gone missing from fat cells, it wants to fill those empty spaces up and does so with water. Just keep drinking lots of water and that will help flush out those greedy cells. Eventually your body will give up the battle to hang onto the fat. That's what I'M hoping, anyhow. I'm the world's fastest gainer and the slowest loser. I'm sure I could win a contest.
One more thing, GinaMarie. You may not be eating enough calories. If 3300 will make you maintain, then maybe you should eat say 2300 per day. Gosh, that sounds like a lot, huh? Well, I went through this phase since the summer until just recently where I had absolutely no appetite. I literally only ate enough to keep a bird alive, and guess what? I gained 18 pounds. Explain that to me???? Anyway, drinking plenty of water and eating more protein should help you. By the way, my first 2 week induction, I lost 10 pounds. None were lost the first week. Weird, huh? Well, the diuretic effects took over on day 7 or 8, then it was "whizzing" off, if you get my drift. Good luck to you!
OK OK OK my >02 come in. all these girls have had a wonderful reason and i just need to ad mine too it all ties in togetnher. you may be ultra sensitive to the sweeteners and thus causing a fake insulin responce. do not despair. but you also explained to your self and gina i posted to you on the thread also. you intake may not be enough so your body needs to readjust to the fact that you are not starving and needs to get its metabolism back in shape. so just try for now to stay away from the fake sweetners totally even the carb bars if possible. (the will stall me faster than i can spit) and just hang out for a while being clean and eating as much as you want your body needs to eat so it can repair itself. enjoy the energy and have fun! (just remember to take your potassium)
You are all wonderful! Thank you so much for your encouraging words. I am actually coming up on that TOM, so I think that I may be retaining more water than usual. I went to the drugstore and got some Aquaban or whatever they call it. Was that bad? I took one at lunch yesterday and stayed the same this morning. Perhaps weighing myself everyday is bad? Well I also got some Atkins Advantage bars which do not have Fructose and Sugars. I truly use them incase of emergency at work. Also, I have switched to Splenda and drink 1 cup of coffee a day, or I will swap that out for one soda, so I don't think I am taking in all that much atificial sweetner.
Let me ask one more question, if I may... I saw Dr. Atkins last night on Larry King. Everytime someone called in with a slow or stalled weightloss issue, the first question he asked was "Are you taking any medications?" Well, I am! And I look in his book and I am taking two of the worst offenders Anti-depressants, and hormones (AKA birth control, for medical reasons). Now I am not willing to give up either of these meds right now, how much do you think they hurt me diet wise? And would they make me a slow loser on ALL diets or just lo-carb?
Need Suggestions
Welcome Tam !!
Yes, I am a blonde (by bottle!)
I'm the world's fastest gainer and the slowest loser. I'm sure I could win a contest.
