I bought and read the book Monday the 14th. Realized that I wasn't exactly doing Atkins correctly. Mainly that I'm not allowed Aspartame and a few other thing. So long, my beloved Crystal Light Raspberry Tea! That first week I lost 8 pounds, and now I haven't lost any in over a week. My "official" weigh in days are Monday, but I'm still at the same weight I was last Thursday. Yeah, I lost 8 pounds my first 3 days. I was ecstatic. Now I'm discouraged, tired, sore, feeling like crap! I am working out. I walk/jog for 45min on a treadmill at the gym almost every day, losing 1-2lbs worth of sweat. I drink tons of water to replenish that.

Oh and I just binged on 3 low-carb ice cream bars, so now I have that guilt too. The sugar cravings went away that first week really well. Now I can't even let my kids have a cookie if they finish their meal, cuz I'll end up snagging one as well.

What is the deal???

can I ask how you lost the 21 lbs? What made you start atkins instead of what you were doing? maybe you just need sometime different? I am to new to this to really give out advice but all I can say is that with any diet week 2 is always the slowest (ok not always but in my experience)

It's the dreaded second week stall out. It sucks. But just stick it out and you'll be fine. Make sure to get in a good amount of fats from olives (up to 20 in Induction), half an avocado, and some heavy cream. Others have even suggested using coconut oil, but I use sunflower oil for just about everything! Even on salads. It will help you to feel better, feel fuller, and just overall less horrid. As for the sweeteners and stuff, the only thing I really watch is the darned Splenda. Splenda (granular and packets) is 'bulked' with an ingredient called Maltodextrin. THAT is a derivative of potatoes! It does indeed have cals and carbs! 92 cals and 24 carbs for a CUP! :O So, I DO limit the amount of that I have. But other than that, I didn't give up fave drinks or even caffeine. Now, not saying this will work for everyone, but it hasn't hurt me at all. I'm still losing and feeling good. I don't drink 3 diet drinks a day, but if you have some with lunch or at snack, I think you're fine. If you use a notebook or some other method to track your carbs and cals, start paying attention to your protein and fat levels. I don't typically track mine, but when I start feeling 'off' or not losing, the culprit is usually in the numbers to be found. Hope this helps some and good luck!

You might be having aspertame withdrawls depending how much tea you normally drink!