Hi Jessica, Sometimes it takes your body time to adjust . sounds like you are doing great with the exercise, I am sure it will help. I started atkins jan.28 and have lost 10 lbs so far. Try to eat some veggies also . There are lots of great people in the atkins thread who will be able to help you. I use fitday to track my carbs and keep them around 20 a day. hang in there!

It definitely takes time. Plus it's really, really helpful to stick to whatever you choose, to make a committment and not have expectations, but think of POSSIBILITIES instead. Exercise IS important and sometimes it takes a while before the number on the scale changes.

I have been pretty much on target for the last week + and I just finished my 8th day in a row workout yet when I weighed myself this morning I was up a bit (a kilo). I COULD let it discourage me, but the number on the scale is NOT the be all and end all of the entire journey.

Don't think too far ahead and don't think "if it doesn't work in two weeks I'm stopping" - rather, think about everything that losing weight and getting healthy means to you and work on ALL aspects of your solution to your health rather than just numbers.

Hang in there and keep us posted on your results!

I have to echo the veggies thing! They are SO important to help you lose weight, I aim for 4 cups of veggies a day. Broccoli is REALLY good, low in carbs I believe, and when steamed with some garlic, it's SO good for you!

Another thing I found out this week is that if you are doing weight-type exercises you may retain some water weight in your muscles. Make sure you are drinking lots of water!

-Aimee

Hang in there, girlfriend. It took me almost 3 weeks to loose more than a couple pounds, but well before then, my clothes started fitting better. You're probably gaining some really good muscle that will help you burn more calories in the future. Good job, I can never quite make it up to 7 days of working out!

Yuo could be building muscle while losinf fat so the scale will not move you shoul messure inches also. I go for periods where I do not lose any but I can SEE a difffence in my shape and when I mesure I see that I have lost inches.

hang in there...you can do it. My question is this however? why does the atkins make "scientific sense". I am a firm opposer to atkins...i;ve seen some harmful effects from ppl who did atkins...but what makes me question the atkins is my knowledge of veterinarian medicine. Ok so i know we are humans...but we are mammals. in veterinarian medicine...we have many health side effects from animals that go inot ketosis (the thing that happens with atkins). and animals do very poorly in ketosis. Also, i've just known too many ppl that either gained the weight back or had medical compications using atkins. I also feel that veggies and fruit are a key ingredient with a "healthy" lifestyle. Choose what you want and good luck with the weight loss. But just learn about all the side effects from atkins. I havent met a person yet that lost weight using either WW or calorie counting that had "side effects" if it was done correctly. sorry i'll get off my soap box now. I do wish you success in your wt loss journey however you go about it.

i do admit...too many carbs is bad...i choose to limit my carbs to a few times a day. and try to use whole wheat...but i think total elimination of carbs isn't necessary. i eat mostly fresh fruit/vegges some healthy fat and protien. I also journal all my eating and make sure that when i exercise...i do different things to give my exercise vairation.

I think Atkins is scary. The idea of losing weight while eating pounds of meat and cheese is completely counter-intutuitive. Plus, you never learn the healthy eating habits you'll need to keep the weight off.

I will say, also, that basic calorie counting is very scientific and very simple. 3500 calories = 1 pound. Eat 3500 fewer calories, lose a pound; eat 3500 more calories, gain a pound. There are other factors like muscle mass, water weight etc, etc, but the calories-in, calories-out way of thinking about food, exercise and my body really demystified weight-loss (and weight-gain) for me, and it doesn't require putting your body in a state of shock. Carbs are high in calories, so I keep mine to a minimum, but they are a completely necessary food group. You need them.

*steps off soap box*

But, to each her own. Just be patient, Jessica. If you're exercising and eating properly you WILL lose weight.

The Atkins plan is not a zero carb plan. You are required to eat vegetables. Please don't ignore that part of the plan and live on crab legs and bacon. Your health will suffer greatly if you do. I can understand your desire to find a weight loss plan that works for you, and sometime that takes a lot of trial and error. You know what they say - you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince If this is indeed the plan for you, then it will help you not only lose weight, but become healthy. That's the case with any diet plan. You'll only succeed if you follow it to the letter and that means eating more than just meat.

Good luck

I applaud you for taking the time to find a program you think will work, but I'm also a little concerned. It sounds like you are expecting results very quickly, and sometimes weight loss just doesn't work like that, no matter the program. Remember that lots of issues affect the number on the scale -- water retention being a big one for many of us. If you've lost a pound of fat but are retaining water your scale won't show you that.

Also, I can't speak for you, but for most people the goal isn't just to lose weight but to find a lifestyle that will allow them to keep it off for good. Is this one you think you can stick to?

So for both of those counts, I echo the posters who suggested patience. You didn't put the weight on overnight, and as much as we all want a magic wand, it's not going to come off overnight. Find a program (or design your own) that will help you lose weight sensibly and keep it off.

I would also like to echo that if you are going to do Atkins, that you do it correctly. The Induction phase, the first two weeks on the program, wants you to take in about 20 carbs per day. These carbs are going to come from your vegetables. (low carb veggies like broccoli, lettuce, etc.)

After the induction phase, you slowly add a few carbs at a time-maybe 22-23 a day the next week, and keep adding a few carbs each week until you figure out the level where you STOP losing weight, and stay just below that. It is not a "no carb" diet. In later stages of Atkins, you even add back in some nuts, and some lower carb fruits-such as berries. You aren't supposed to just eat meat...

Also, a healthy rate of weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week on average...so you cannot expect to lose 1/2 a pound in one day. Please be patient with yourself, and try to only weigh once or twice a week, so you don't drive yourself crazy. Healthy weight loss takes time...we didn't gain the weight overnight, and we aren't going to lose it overnight-even though we may want to.

I am a calorie counter, but I have read the Atkins book cover to cover...and it must be followed to the letter for you to maintain your health. I see women in the grocery store buying steaks, pork rinds, and a low carb fake chocolate bar...that isn't healthy. A chicken breast and a side of broccoli, or an egg white omelet with diced veggies inside are much healthier low carb meals.

But I ate some broccoli.

I did Atkins for awhile. I highly suggest you read the new book. Cover to cover. Carbs, in veggie form are strictly encouraged.

Having said that, make sure this is a lifestyle you can follow, FOREVER. It's not a diet, it's a new life, a new way of eating. That's all.

On weight loss in a week, when you've increased water and excersize as you have, your muscles hold on to water. This is a natural and protective occurance. Keep the water intake high and the body will begin to flush the excess out. Your initial weight loss on almost any plan, is high. Then it'll settle into a predictable pattern, hopefully of 1-2 lbs per week. Please, I know it's frustrating and discouraging to do so much work and see no results. But it WILL happen. Regardless of which "plan" you follow, if you take in less calories than you spend each day, loss will happen. Sometimes, the body just needs to be reassured that food is forthcoming. A given example is say before you started trying to eat healthier and move more, you took in an average of 3500-4000 calories per day<please, don't be offended, most of us ate this or more, everyday>, and now you've restricted your body to 1200-1800 calories per day, your body is doing what it's designed to do, hold on to energy<calories> stored in the form of fat, just in case there isn't food. It's a brilliant biological process. The way to get around it is eat several small, nutritious meals per day, in general I have found most of the successful losers eat every 3-4 hours, to reassure the body food is plentiful, and to encourage it to release the fat.

You'll get there, but it takes time. Work the plan, and the weight will go away.


*ETA I wanted to add, when I quit drinking so much soda/sweet tea/coffee all day and switched to mainly water, my body held on to ALOT of water, something like a 3 lb gain in a week. A few weeks later I had a sudden 7 pound loss. I firmly believe that keeping my water intake high, was what caused it. My body held on to all that water I had been needing for so long and started the "flushing" process of toxins and bad crap. The weight drop was literally sudden, within 3-5 days I had lost 7 pounds. Diet hadn't changed from the previous 3 weeks, I hadn't increased my work outs and I hadn't increased or decreased water. Once my body had what it needed to restore the damage I had done from lack of water, it started releasing the excess. You'll get there girl, keep your chin up!