Hi everyone. I am new here. I will be 39 yrs old next month and I am not happy with my weight. I only really need to lose about 30 or 40lbs. I have a goal of reaching 140 lbs before tomorrow when my 20 yr high school reunion. I have been doing Adkins I have been doing the induction for 3 weeks now and am quite disappointed. It took about 1 1/2 weeks to even start losing? Last week I started losing and was probably averaging 1 to 1 1/2 lbs a day. Here is the crazy thing? When I got down to 149 and I weighed the next morning and I was at 150, then the next day I came home and weighed in the afternoon and was at 148 then the next morning I was 150, and that afternoon I was 147, then I weighed again that next morning I was a whopping 152?/ I gained 5 lbs overnight? I hadnt changed anything? I have been excercising for about 2 weeks but not enough to cause muscle to weigh more? I then expected to weigh less in the afternoon but only 150 and then this morning I was still at 150....What in the world is going on and what am I doing wrong?? My belly was so flat at the first of the week and now I am seeing loose skin and possibly bloating?? My aunt whom has been on a Adkins/South beach diet for about 2 yrs now say that she has never heard such a thing? (She btw is the same size she was in high school).


Now I was also wondering about carb intake and when I could start adding good carbs to my diet without gaining?

I will post a better introduction of myself soon:-)

Thanks,
Everyone

hi, I would suggest to just get really familiar with whatever plan you choose and just stick to it without worrying so much about the numbers on the scale. I have been on my low carb plan for almost three months and I only weigh myself once a month to avoid what you have been going through. I am a perfect example of how the scale and the bloating has nothing to do with fat loss. For the first entire month, I barely noticed any difference in my body. If anything, I felt more bloated than usual. But I have had consistent fat loss since--my clothes are literally falling off me, so sticking to it even if you don't see immediate results may be the best way to go.

Michelle. As much as we would like, sustainable weight loss is not a race and should not be judged by how quickly we reach any arbitrary goal. Low/controlled carb eating is all about learning healthy eating habits that will enable you to lose weight and keep it off. Each person is different, so each individual's weight loss journey is different. Think of it as a voyage of discovery as you learn how your body reacts to different foods and what you can and cannot eat. Weighing everyday is a sure way to increase stress. One of my observations is that a woman's weight fluctuates a lot more than a man's due to inherrent biological differences. If you eat salty foods, you can retain additional water or you can retain additional water during your monthly cycles. I would not worry about daily fluctuations. They happen. I usually weigh every 2 weeks and then only count a gain or loss if I get a confirming reading the next time I weigh. I have not set a time table for me to reach any particular weight as I am going to follow a low/controlled carb lifestyle for the rest of my life. You stated that you were following Adkins. I assume you ment Atkins. I suggest you read or re-read Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution to get some perspective on the methodology. As to when you can begin adding "good carbs", that depends on the individual. The minimum period is for a 2 week "induction" period followed by a 5 gram of carb per day increase weekly while you establish your CCCL number. Because I had a lot of weight to lose, I stayed at induction level for 9 months before moving on to OWL. However, even then I did not increase the amount of my daily carbs weekly. Rather, I did it every 2 weeks so I could better adjust my eating patterns to the increased carb count so that the transition would be gradual and it truly would be a WOE and not a "diet". Good luck on your weight loss journey.

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Henry

Welcome, Michelle.

Ditto everything Henry and Cinnamin said.

Hope you'll make yourself at home.

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first off...don't stress....people often gain or lose dangerous amount of weight while stressing, and not in a good way. I have been known to eat eat eat when I am stressed out. Some people stop eating altogether. So consider yourself hugged by a random stranger, take a deep breath, and let your mind wander to sunshine rainbows and puppy dogs. Secondly...scales are dumb. Believe me I use one all the time at work, and even though I am weighing two of the exact products, using the exact scale, I get different weights each time. Personally in the past two weeks I've only lost a little weight, but I'm feeling better, I have a ton more energy, I'm sleeping better, I'm not as cranky as I was. (though I still get cranky lets not go overboard here) and I finally have a reason to get m'butt off the chair and move around because of all those things. Its tough, though it can be fun. Just hang in there. it gets better...or so I am told.


Be Well Be Merry,

C

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Charlie,
200lbs man trapped in a 300 lbs body.
bringer of peace and jolility
Horder of the Prime Rib
All around ladies man.

Thanks everyone;-) I got mostly discouraged as I have been on WW for over a year and followed it to a T and never lost much weight at all with it as all of my friends were losing 30lbs or more. Then I tried this diet and it just didnt seem to work that great so it worried me LOL! I will try to relax and take my time:-)

I just want to stress that everyone will gain/lose weight throughout each day based on fluctuations in fluid/electrolyte balance and one's state of waste retention/elimination.

If you want to weigh every day, that's fine. However, weigh only once per day and on the same scale and at the same time and under the same circumstances with the exact same amount of clothing on. For instance, when you have gotten out of the shower in the morning and dried off. Then, chart it, and only look at long term trends, not day to day fluctuations.

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yep, can't add much to all the fine advice you've gotten here. and as maggie emphasized, your weight can flux up to several pounds in a single DAY, and these are normal fluxes. it's the trend that counts, not the individual scale readouts. plus, your body being a biological organisim and all, usually won't operate on the calorie piggy bank scenario that you put x calories in, y calories out, and z pounds go away. maybe that works for somebody, but never did for me.

if you're eating well, not hungry, following a plan, feeling good, and have good energy, you're probably doing a lot of things right. and if the scale doesn't move downward over TIME (i.e. WEEKS not days, hours or minutes), then you may need to readjust. think in the long term or you will promptly drive yourself insane.

and welcome to LCE!

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I always tell people now that when they start low-carb to throw out the scale with the Twinkies. Its a useless device that will deceive and distort you, and will have a completely negative effect on your self-image, attitude and general well-being. It will make you constantly modify and change what you're doing, when you should just stick to the basics.

Since August 07, when I re-started LC, I've lost 100+ lbs. I've weighed exactly twice, once at the doctor's office because she made me. I can't tell you how much I do weigh right now, how much I lost this week or last. But I do know this... When I began, I was wearing 4XL golf shirts. When they get too big, I go to Walmart and buy what fits in the fitting room. Last time it was a simple XL. That's all the measure I need.

If you obsess on the scale, you're setting yourself up to fail. Relax, be consistent in what you eat, and be yourself. It really will work.

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Mikeyrat

I guess what's happening to you is just water hydration. Give yourself sometime, perhaps two weeks to weigh again. The trick is to continue on your exercise and diet and make it a worry-free lifestyle!

I would throw the scale out and just do it! Stop obsessing over numbers because they will only upset you. Weight is going to fluctuate, it is normal. Water gain, loss, many variations come into play thus the scale being not such a good alli. Weight loss at a healthy rate should be around 1 pnd a week

Let me throw in my two cents also. I don't have a scale in my house (and haven't for 10+ years) and don't intend to buy one. When I'm low carbing (still determined to make it a WOL, but sometimes fail) I try to be very concious of what I'm eating--planning out every meal (including snacks), drinking lots of water,etc. I usually get excited about the way that my clothes are fitting and try to focus on that. I have weighed myself once (at work), on the day I began LC again--just so I would have a reference point for when I am in the clothes size that I have set as my goal, I will know the total pounds lost. Good luck to you and visit often!