Nicole,

I haven't lost anything really since the very beginning either. I was starting to get really discouraged (I even went out and bought those ketosis strips to make sure I was doing it right!) until this morning when I took my measurements again. Even though I haven't lost weight, I've lose several inches.

Did you take your measurements when you started? I've always heard people say to do this when dieting because sometimes the scale doesn't reflect the fat that is disappearing but never really believed it. Just a suggestion, it might make you feel better until the scale starts to move again (it will!).

I have to admit, I'm still really annoyed with my scale for not reflecting all of my hard work! Like you, I have not cheated yet. (Well, I had one incident where I ate something that I thought was okay without looking at the ingredients and as a result gained back 4 pounds! I won't make that mistake again!!) I'm really uptight about following the rules EXACTLY and feel I deserve some payoff! :)

Nicole & Lamby I am with you guys.. I lost 7 lbs in the first 4 days and I am on my 11th day and that's all I have lost. My husband on the other hand keeps losing, 8lbs in 4-5 days then about 1lb every day since... I have lost 2 inches total and I can tell with my clothes, but I just wish I would lose a little more eve 1 lb ever other day... I don't know. I did lose more when I could run more...lately I have been weak and dizzy feeling but the good people on here told me I needed potassium and magnessium supplements and this is my 2nd day taking them, they are working with the dizziness!!

Anyway, it's hard to stick with it when you aren't seeing results!! I have not cheated at all, in fact I wondered if I wasn't eating enough carbs... I know there are days that I only eat about 1-15 carbs a day, not on purpose but I get busy and miss lunch and then I eat basically no carb food at home, except for supper but I don't eat too much, but then I am not hungry much either...

I am hoping it will get better!!!

I have been using the sticks and mine turn at least the second darkest color every time and have been since the third day of the diet. I did measure before I started, but haven't measured since. Maybe I should do that, but I'm almost afraid to - if there's no change there either I might just go off the deep end!

The only thing I can think of is that my husband eats way more than me just about daily. Maybe there really is something to the idea of not eating enough. I always thought that as long as I eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm satisfied (but not full) then I'm doing ok. Maybe I should be eating more protein or something?

When I go online and look at sample menus or read other dieter's journals, they are almost always eating way more than I think necessary. So maybe I should just eat more.

At this point, it can't hurt.

I just hate to think I'm doing it worng and could tweak something and lose faster. I have a LOT to lose. I don't want to fool around and waste time.

Nicole, have your clothes been fitting better? If so, you should really try your measurements again. It will make you feel better.

We just have to wait this plateau out. Maybe our bodies are just catching up with all of the fluid we lost in the beginning.

I've been coming up with all kinds of theories why I haven't been losing!

The thing is, all of us who just started seem to have hit a wall at the same time. Maybe it's normal and we just need to stick it out? (Okay, that’s another example of me trying to rationalize it!)

My original plan was to measure again on Monday, the day after my original 14 day induction will be up. I'm going to stick to that.

And I think sticking it out probably IS the answer. I keep reminding myself of the positives APART from lost pounds - no indigetsion/heartburn, no stomach problems, I'm sleeping better, my skin looks GREAT, and after a few days of the blahs passed I now have a ton of energy. So we must be on the right track.

I have not cheated even once. I'm doing everything to the letter except I'm probably eating a little less than recommended but it's because I'm not hungry. I'm drinking water. I'm getting some exericize. My stick is purple. I'm doing my part, I just have to wait for the diet to kick in.

Meanwhile my stinker of a husband just keeps on getting thinner. Rat!

Man this thread is getting a little discouraging. It’s making me a little paranoid about doing this diet at all? But then I keep hearing about all the people that are loosing weight. Like your husband Nicole. That must be so frustrating for you watching him loose and then seeing nothing on your scale. I would normally be all “Hey hang in there” but I feel the same way u do! LOL

I really hope I am doing it right. I went ahead and weighed my self this morning. It says I have lost about 3 pounds. ( I started 3 days ago) But I am not sure if it is just the time of day I weighed though. My first weigh in was late in the day after allot of water. And my weigh in this morning was when I first woke up. So maybe I haven’t lost anything? Or worse, maybe I am gaining? sigh

It doesn’t feel like a diet to me. I feel like I am being bad! I have eaten steak, cheese, half and half in my coffee, butter, broccoli and cheese, eggs, sausage. Etc. How can someone lose weight with eating that much fat? Do u loose faster if you stick with low fat meat? Like chicken, fish etc? Or does it matter how many fat grams you eat? I am very confused today.

I hope all of you are having a better day then I am.

Feffyy
Heaviest (267 pounds)
Current (264 pounds)
Goal (137 pounds)
Lightest (145 pounds)

Well, aside from my husband, both of my brothers and my mom have lost weight doing Atkins and kept it off with a low carb, whole foods with some splurgest lifestyle - if that makes you feel any better. I guess my brothers lost like 80 pounds each and my mom about 75. This was several years ago and they're still slim and trim. So it can work.

I worry about the fat as well but I only eat when I'm hungry and never "just because" and if I add up the fat and calories at the end of the day, it's really quite reasonable. If you're eating more than you're hungry for or just because you can - then you might want to cut back. But as long as you're getting in those veggies and water and you're losing, then you're probably ok.

Sunday is my last day of induction. I will take my weight, measurments, and more pics to compare with the ones I took at the beginning and I will probably do another two weeks of induciton, but I plan to add exercise as well (starting Monday). This has worked for other people, I intend to see it through and have it work for me.

Hang in there feffyy, tons of people have made this work. We can too.

And if you are worried about what you're eating, perhaps we could all get into the habit of posting (on this thread) what we've eaten at the end of every day and our weigh in results (say every Monday?) just to compare notes. It's a thought.

I posted this somewhere else (another thread) but I'm going to paste the same thing here because I feel like such an IDIOT!

Here ya go:

Also, I think I just discovered the source of my stall - friggin Splenda has .8 carbs per packet. Now, if I have two in my coffee in the morning, two in my tea in the evening, and about a million glasses of icaffine free iced green tea with one each - HMMMM, wonder what the problem is???

I can't BELIVE I've wasted a whole week with this STUPID mistake!

ACK ACK ACK and a thousand times ACK!

Well that is very encouraging to hear about your family’s great success! Don’t beat yourself up over the splenda thing! You are not an idiot. :-) Thanks for the pick me up! I don’t think I am getting enough food, and I don’t think enough veggies either. Hmmm

All I had today was a few slices of egg plant for vegetables. I think it’s a great idea to post what we ate every day and also a weigh in with measurements every Monday.

Here is what I had today:
Am: coffee with 2 tbs. half & half (3)

Lunch: Baked chicken (from the deli) (0)
Egg plant (6)
Cheese slices, 3 oz (2)

Dinner: 4 eggs (4)
Cheese 2 oz (1.5)
3 bacon slices (0)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL: 16.5 grams carbs

Did I count this right? Hope so! I noticed on another page that some of the girls didn't count meat, cheese, eggs etc. Should I count or not count them?

Plus about 5 16 oz cups of water, and 3 8 oz cups of flavored water (no cal, no carb, no sugar)


Ps. By the way have you girls checked out the carb data base? Here is the addy. If you haven’t checked it out you should it’s pretty cool. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl

Feffyy
Heaviest (267 pounds)
Current (264 pounds)
Goal (137 pounds)
Lightest (145 pounds)

I think it is great the way you new LC chickies have come together to support each other in this new way of eating but you all are welcome to take advantage of our WHOLE Low Carb forum here. Please post on our daily thread about your everyday life so we can all get to know you (and visa versa) and use the weekly menu posting thread to check out what everyone else is eating. There are many people here that are in various stages of the program and are a great source of information and support.

Please join us!

Thanks for the invitation Ms Spot. I'll start poking around in other threads soon.

Feffy - I count every carb, ironicly enough. Every carb I KNOW about that is. I do count cheese and eggs- in most places I've seen eggs listed as .5 so that might give you a little more wiggle room. And you can have 3 cups of salad a day, so take advantage of that. I'm pretty sure you can substitute one cup of salad for a cup of another veg. I LOVE www.atkins.com for Induction info. It really lays it out for you. AND it even has info about Splenda which I either didn't read for failed to accuratly understand.

Honestly, I'm so relieved to find out what the problem probably is, I'm almost happy. I'm going to do two more weeks of NON Splendafied induction. I'm almost looking forward to it!

I agree with Mrs. Spotdog. Please join us on the daily and start new threads for questions that could get missed. We just can't read everything - although I'd like to be able to do that! This one was sort of a one person thread and has grown.

If you post your questions and concerns as separate threads, they will get more views and the advantage of support and info from all the experienced low carbers. we'd hate to miss an important question!

Thanks again for the invite. I think we're just all having a good time in each other's company here - just hadn't thought to post elsewere yet.

;)

It's up to you. Perhaps you can start a Part 2 thread called Newbies or something as this one is getting a bit long and takes a while to load. (Us moderators worry about stuff like that!)
Please also check out the information in the Frequently Asked Questions section of Low Carb Lifestyles.

Thank you for inviting us! I guess I feel sort of inexperienced still. Also, I didn't want to push my way into your conversations! :) I will try to branch out more though.

I have really enjoyed comparing notes with the ladies here (not that I wouldn't want to get the know the rest of you!). It's always nice to talk to people who are in the same place as you.

Nicole, I'm glad to hear you figured out what was holding you up. I just wish I could! And it's really encouraging to hear that your family had so much success.

Feffy, I also watch every little thing I eat. And be careful with the cheese, I think during induction you can only have 3 oz a day. That has proven to be the hardest part for me! I really like cheese!

Sunday will put me at two weeks since I started induction but I think I will stay on for at least another week. I'm finding it pretty easy to stick to so far and although I haven't seen results on the scale (still haven't put it away!) I feel really good and can tell I'm getting a little smaller.

But the weekend is always hard...