I've been following Atkins Induction faithfully for two weeks and have been steadily gaining, not losing! I lost 3 pounds in the first two days but started back up on Day 3. Now I'm 4 lbs above my starting weight. I read the book, read the articles on the Atkins website daily, and have kept a log of everything that has gone into my mouth. The only sneaky culprit I could think of were the Atkins Advantage bars I was eating for a few days (but counting in my carb count) so I cut those out yet keep gaining. Could someone please give me some advice? I really don't like meat so this diet's been very hard for me. Should I cut my losses and try a different approach? I'm only trying to lose about 15 lbs (well, 20 now!). Thank you!

Normal Day:
B: 2 eggs & 2 morning star farms veggies sausages
L: grilled chicken salad (chicken, spinach or lettuce, few other veggies for taste, no dressing because I hate creamy dressing and my normal bals. vinegar isn't allowed)
D: grilled chicken or fish and broccoli or side salad
S: 2-3 oz cheese (throughout the day)
Water: At least 8 16-ounce glasses
Exercise: haven't much because I feel so dizzy and yucky. 15 minute brisk walk to/from work daily, weekly softball games, walked or hiked 2-3 hours each weekend day.

Your situation is very unusual. From the foods you list I can't see any reason for this to be happening to you. I'm assuming you've been eating normal portion sizes. Sometimes eating too little can lead to a stall but I've never heard of it leading to a gain. The only advice I can give you is hang in there for another week and if nothing changes switching to a different diet plan might then be an option. BTW - Have you used a food tracker like www.fitday.com ? I find this a very useful tool to fine tune my diet.

__________________

my blog

Oh and exercise is important but usually induction is not the time to start.

__________________

my blog

Hmmm... have to agree with Rob. :( This is not *typical* at all.

A few questions:
Are you male/female?
How much weight do you need to lose?
Are you eating ANY of the following?:
LC bars (Atkins Advantage, Pria Carb Select, etc.)?
LC chocolates?
LC bread, cookies, muffins?
LC pasta?
What kind of diet were you following before?

I'm hoping with the answers to these questions, we might be able to pinpoint what is going on here.
PLEASE don't throw in the towel just yet! Stick with it just a bit longer & let's see if we can't figure out what's not working.

__________________
Summer

with only 15-20 pounds to lose, it tends to be slower, although you're right, gaining is unusual at this point. most people feel better than they ever have after that first few days!

a few possibilities: the cheese may be a problem for you, as it is for some. you could try cutting down on the cheese a while (1 oz or less) or taking a break from it and see if it helps.

i'm not sure of the carb count you're getting exactly. are you eating enough of everything to get at least 20 carbs a day? and now that induction time is up, maybe you should consider upping it. people who exercise in particular may need more than 20 carbs a day, and having fewer than you need can keep you from losing as well.

if the exercise is more than you had been doing before, sometimes building muscle will keep the scale from showing your work for a while. are your measurements changing or are you clothes fitting differently? check for other measures of progress.

check your atkins book on the chapters that talk about sluggish weight loss. sometimes a food allergy, medication, or something else you may not think of can cause stalling.

it does concern me that you say you feel dizzy and yucky after two weeks. for low-carb, people often feel icky for the first few days if they are going through sugar withdrawl. but that's 3-4 days, NOT two weeks. if it continues particularly after you've upped your carbs some, you may also want to check with your doctor to see if you have any medical concerns.

it's true that low-carb is not for everyone, but it helps many people. only you and your doctor can decide for sure. if it were me,though, i'd probably start mixing things up a bit at this point, eating some different foods, more and different types of veggies, and upping my carbs a bit.

oh--make sure you're drinking your water! diet soda does NOT count. about 1/2 your body weight in oz. of water is what's recommended. if you are not doing this, this CAN make a major difference all by itself.

good luck and let us know what you find out!

__________________

EatSmart Nutritional Scale Review

Thank you for responding - I'm getting so frustrated because I started at the same time as two other girls in my office and they look fantastic...and they've been cheating (yes, I know I'm not supposed to compare) and I'm up another pound from yesterday. :(

Here are my answers to your questions:

Are you male/female? Female

How much weight do you need to lose? 15-20 lbs

Are you eating ANY of the following?: Was eating Atkins Advantage bars, cut them out a week ago with no result.

What kind of diet were you following before? Normally eat similar to South Beach: never eat pasta, potatoes, or rice. Eat lots of veggies, some lean proteins (chicken & fish, I hate red meat and most pork products), and whole grain breads. And a lot of booze (I'm 25 and work in a very social town). I love sweets but try to limit them to just a nibble of each thing I'm craving. So basically Atkins seems like my normal eating habits with a lot more fat and far fewer veggies...and no alcohol. I guess that could be the reason why.

Rob, I used to post on fitday everyday before I tried Atkins, just to keep my calories/fat in check. I'll try using it again to see if there are some hidden carbs I'm missing, thanks for the suggestion.

I'm sorry; somehow I missed that you already said how much you needed to lose! That's what I get for reading too fast...

Ok, ditto all that Goddess said!
With such a small amount to lose, the weightloss *will* be slower for you, but that still doesn't explain a gain...
Something not clear: Are you *still* drinking "a lot of booze"? If so, STOP. That will knock you out of ketosis faster than anything & it could explain your gain.

Yes, the fat intake is *slightly higher* on Atkins, but the veggie intake should not be less! EAT THOSE VEGGIES. In fact, if you want to know *MY* honest opinion? Totally disregard the Atkins book when it comes to veggie guidelines & eat as many as you want! It has been my experience that the more veggies I eat, the faster I lose. I consider them a *free food*.
Remember to keep portion sizes sane (CALORIES DO COUNT), and don't skimp on the water.
Try the fitday thing again & see if that reveals anything to you & definitely stay away from those bars!!!
Good luck to you. I hope you find whatever is impeding your progress, but do remember that if Atkins isn't working for you, there are SO many other LC plans you could try. There's something for everyone!
HTH,
Summer

Welcome.

Ditto all of the above.

Alcohol is a "ready made" fuel for your body. It goes right to the bloodstream without any metabolic hassle and therefore is used "first." As long as there is sufficient alcohol in your system, your body will not be burning fat. Indeed, much more of what you DO eat is likely to be "stored" for future reference.

Also, nibbles add up.

__________________