Hello all. Today is my 11th day on induction. Strange things happened. For the first week, I have lost 4.5 lbs. Starting from the 8th day, my weight started to grow, and this morning my weight was up 2 lbs. Wondered if I have eaten too much veggies?

Should I follow the rules of Atkins - 3 cups salad rule or should I follow the 20 carbs/ day rule?? Thank you for your help.

Margaret

Welcome, Margaret.

The rules you follow should be the rules which are outlined in the program which you have chosen to follow. If it is the Atkins plan, then induction is intended to be no more than 20 gms of carbohydrate each day, which should include AT LEAST 3 cups of salad (or 2 cups of salad PLUS 1 cup of vegetables). This will not, by itself, generally bring you up to 20 gms of carbohydrate, however, it is anticipated that you'll get a few other random carbs from things like: salad dressing, cream, cheese, bacon, eggs, certain shellfish, etc. (from Chaper 11 of Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution.)

If you are following a different program, then you should follow that plan's eating requirements.

As to a 2 lb weight gain, that could be from anything. If you are following induction as written, and not eating any so-called "low carb" foods that are not on the induction list in the book, then your gain is likely due to water retention. This could be from a high sodium meal the day before, or TOM, or numerous other things. If it's water retention, then making sure that you have a good water intake will take care of it. That means a bare minimum of 64 oz. A better rule of thumb is to divide your weight by 2 and drink that many ounces per day. Avoiding salty foods and adequate hydration will "wash out" any water retained from a high sodium meal.

Finally, regardless of which plan you follow, you really must read the book so that you have a good grasp of what the underlying principles are.

HTH!

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A 2 pound fluctuation in your weight from day to day is perfectly normal. Have you moved your scale even an inch? That WILL weigh you different I've found. Do you weigh at the same time of day everyday? Mornings are always best because you will weigh less. Weigh in morning before you eat or drink anything. The fluids you drink during the day, and the food you eat will add weight to the scale. Also, make sure you have not eaten anything new, or anything not on the acceptable foods list. If you have added something new, you could be sensitive to that and could be retaining water. Don't stress yourself over a 2 pound weight gain. It's more then likely nothing you've done wrong. It is normal. If you are following the rules of induction, keep doing what you are doing and the weight will come off. I don't think veggies would be the cause of your gain. If you feel they could be, stick to the 3 cups of salad a day, or the 2 cups of salad and one cup of other veggies rule. Some days, I even eat other veggies all together and not the salad. Salad can get boring. Just adapt the plan to your tastes and likings. Just make sure you don't have anything illegal on induction though, and you should be just fine. Good luck, and please feel free to post with any questions you may have.

I understand your confusion. Dr. A says 20 carbs but then says 2 cups of salad and one cup of veggies. But that usually only brings you to 10 to 15 carbs depending on what veggies you choose. So I always recommend that people just count 20 carbs from allowed veggies and make sure they count carbs in things like cheese and cream.

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