Hi all,

I hope I am not going to ask questions that have been answered 1000 times before!

I am a 25 years old and having been strictly following the Atkins diet for a 2 week induction period so far but I feel a little bit confused!

I eat 3 meals a day that contain very few carbs and ever since about the 4th day of my Induction, I have been feeling great! Im not tired and I have energy that I havnt experienced in years.

I excercise pretty much every day (at the gym doing 30 mins cardio work and plenty of weights or swimming) and I do drink plenty of water!

HOWEVER! I was led to believe that after my 2 week induction on Atkins, I should have lost a good deal of weight (either in fat or water) but I havnt. I have lost about 3lbs in total and it doesnt seem to be moving! (I weigh 15st 7 currently and am 6" tall) which to say the least is a little disheartening isnt it? The inches dont seem to be moving either!

I am fully into Ketosis as my strips are a dark colour which shows the highest level of fat excretion in my urine according to the bottle.

I am relatively strong willed and I am wondering if I should stick at this diet or move onto a regular 'eat less calories than you consume' one because surely with my excercise that would move it quicker??!!

Please give me your thoughts as although I may seem impatient, I will stick at it if someone knows what im talking about!

Thanks, K

I meant a 'burn more calories than cosume' type diet, sorry!

Hi K, and Welcome!
I'm sure you're gonna get this answer several times here but, 3lbs is weight lost! Also, at 6' tall and 157lbs, you don't seem to need to lose that much. I bet if you took measurements, you'd see a big change. Do your clothes feel looser? Also, feeling energized and wonderful is a great side-effect!

I'd say keep up the good work and I bet you'll see results you'll be ecstatic with!!

Cherub
304/288/160

That is what I thought when I read this, at 157 and 6 feet tall, that does not sound like you need to lose alot, so that would explain why you have not really lost alot at first, you may feel that you have some weight to lose, and your sticks say you are burning fat so you should lose slowly, but you will lose.

So don't get discouraged.

I think that would be fifteen STONE plus seven lbs.--so not a skinny guy.

But welcome, Kristo. Sounds like you're on the right road. But everyone's experience is different. From my point of view, the first and best thing I've learned in my year of Atkins is patience. We're learning a lifestyle as well as losing a few pounds, and it all takes time.

I say, carry on. Enjoy the journey.

I'm sure other friendly posters will have a suggestion or two. It's a good place to hang out.

Barb L.
Started Atkins January 2003
162/137/130

Welcome Kristo!
I think you should post a few days worth of your daily menu so we can see what you are eating. I also think you might need to eat 5 or 6 smaller meals the just 3 times a day. I find if I go more then 2 hours without eating, my blood sugars drop. I feel light headed or tired. That is one of the many things I love about low carb. I can EAT!

HTH,

Jen

Atkins since 11/11/03

5'3" 140/130/115


I used to be indecisive...But now I'm not so sure!

15 stone 7 is 217 pounds, I think. I would give this woe a chance, Kristo. See where you are at the end of one month on the plan. sometimes heavy exercise masks weight loss. Maybe you are taking in too many calories and maybe not but you can still do low carb and keep an eye on calories too. You said it yourself - you feel great eating this way. why stop? Have you ever used www.fitday.com to track your food intake?
It's a useful tool. Track for a few days and see where your calories etc fall. Then get back to us if you want with the results.

Rob
310/234.5/180

Me, a skeptic? I trust you have proof.

[This message was edited by Rob on 01-16-04 at 03:15 AM.]

Welcome Kristo

Show us your menues, including amounts. I'm sure we can help.

Also how much water are you drinking and are you exercising.



Always eat your veggies first!
LCE member since March 2002

Rob, I thought a stone was 16 lbs????? Not sure.
Barb, good catch!!!!!!

Kristo, if you are in ketosis,.........patience will be a virtue. And yes, list your menues so we can evaluate. You have begun to lose, so hang in there!!!!! Are you drinking water 'til it's coming out your ears?

Barb - 30 lbs gone FOREVER!
www.iwsgroupinc.com - website design and development


Atkins-3/14/03
174/144/135 5'2"
"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."
Knowledge is POWER

A stone is 14 lbs. Source: great conversion site

Check out the quick links on the right side. You can convert almost anything here!

Maggie
5'1" ~~ Atkins since '98 (160+)
Maintaining nicely (110 +/-)
~~ Redhead until further notice!

I feel your pain and want to know if I'm doing this for no reason sometimes! It's almost the last day of induction and I'm only down 1.5 lbs this week and not sure of last because my scale was broken and had to buy a new one. I don't have a tape measure but my clothes are not feeling any different, granted I've been on TOM since the beginning but how much of a difference can that really be? I eat l/c 20 a day and low calories too. AAAHH! when will I lose weight?? I feel destined for fatness, sorry to do this but I kept trying to stay positive but now that the week is at an end and only 1.5 lbs and I'm eating 10 x better and less than before what gives? And I have a lot to lose, like 50 lbs..... it'll take 10 years at this rate
Sorry, thanks, any advice?

Here's a sample menu:

Egg bake in morning for breakfasat (2 egg/a little cheese and a little bacon (real meat bits))
Salad w/ a protein (usually chicken) for lunch
tons of water! by now I've probably had 50 oz. (by lunch time)
broccoli or green beans or zucchini and a protein for dinner (still chicken or fish , rarely red meat) by now I've had 80 to 94 oz of water.....

If I snack it's usually between break and lunch or lunch and dinner and it's like a piece of string cheese that's all...

HELP

Oh thanks Maggie!!!! I'll burn that figure in my brain!!!

Chrystal, your menu looks good, are you eating enough???? Try having raw veggies and dip to snack on too.

I stall all the time.......not to worry.

Are you exercising at all?

Barb - 30 lbs gone FOREVER!
www.iwsgroupinc.com - website design and development


Atkins-3/14/03
174/144/135 5'2"
"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."
Knowledge is POWER

Hi all,

I thought (according to the 'New Atkins Diet Book), watching your calories was something you didnt have to do!?

As I have a busy work day, I usually have the same food in the morning which is a cheese and bacon omlette (or variations of the same), lunch is usually a chicken salad or again some sort of variation of it and in the evening ill have a steak or chicken or pork etc with a few veggies like broccoli or cauliflower etc. And Pork Rinds for a snack!

This may seem a bit boring to eat the same thing each day but I am quite happy with it and I know that it falls well within my daily carb allowance!

I feel that I need to lose about 2 stone in weight which I could do with a healthy eating plan and excercise but I like the way I feel on Atkins so I dont want to give it up, however I would like to see some results to see some results because im starting to worry now that the fat I eat is just piling onto my weight and im not going anywhere.

I wont give up if anyone out there really thinks that I am just going to have to keep at it to break through this initial barrier?

ANYONE?

Kristo, I have a problem eating all the fat because I feel like it just makes me fatter, but somehow it doesn't and it actually helps you lose it, apparently.
I was trying to eat l/c and l/f together and not seeing much results, then one night I had school and didn't get to eat til around 9 pm which is rather late for eating but I was so hungry I ate 2 bunless burgers (the first time I hadn't watched my calories and fat) and that was the first time that the next morning I saw a 2 lb. weight drop... so, I guess I/we need to eat more and more fat. Crazy huh??
It'll happen!

Hi, Kristo.

You are absolutely correct that most people do not need to count calories on Atkins. I never did. I have very good feedback on when I'm satisfied but not stuffed.

However, many people - for one reason or another (often repeated "dieting") - have messed up their satiety signals. They really can't do "portion control" solely relying on their body's feedback mechanism. In those cases, weighing, measuring or even counting calories proves useful for them.

When you say you are drinking plenty of water, are you getting in about 100 oz (3 liters) per day? What else are you drinking, since you don't mention any beverages.


Another area of inquiry would be your exercise program. If you started it at the same time you entered induction, you are very likely to be building muscle (which cubic inch for cubic inch) weighs much more than fat. That could prevent your scale from showing your loss in the beginning.
Maggie
5'1" ~~ Atkins since '98 (160+)
Maintaining nicely (110 +/-)
~~ Redhead until further notice!