Hi my name is Marilyn. I was wondering if someone can answer a question for me, b/c I haven't found any info to back this up. I am following the Atkins diet plan (primarily, no more than 20 carbs a day) to try to loose about 20 lbs. Is this too little to want to loose? I have a friend who is studying to be an athletic trainer and dietician, and she said to me that she's learned that unless you are trying to shed alot of weight your body may go into "shock" and try to hold on to your fat stores, by following a diet such as Atkins. Does anyone know anything about this, to tell me if this can really happen? I not really too concerned b/c I know I could stand to loose this weight, but I'm not obese either, my body fat percentage is 23%, but I've still got rolls! I'm only two days into the diet, so I haven't had results yet either, but want to make sure I will! Thanks.

im trying to lose about 25 pounds, around the same as you.... my body isnt in shock right now, and i have already lost 10 pounds. I think that you are going to be fine, and no matter how much you are trying to lose, the Atkins WOL can help you.

Sarah
159/148/135

Hi Marlyn,

The chance of your body going into 'shock' and holding onto fat is MUCH more likley to happen when eating low fat, low cal. Eating meats, fish, chicken, eggs, LOTS of veggies, low glycemic fruit, plenty of water, is a healthy way of eating IMHO. PLEASE get the Atkins book or at least check out his site www.atkins.com It will explian the science behing this way of eating. Also the 20 grams of carbs a day only is for 14 days on the Atkins plan,then carbs are gradually increased as dictated by your weight loss and activity level. BTW I only have about 25 lbs to shed and my doctor recommended low carb eating, in fact he has been recommending it for years - his words 'lay off the pasta, rice and white bread'.

HTH

Becky

Welcome Marilyn

Not only will your body not go into shock if you're following the Atkins plan correctly, you won't be as likely to lose muscle as you lose weight.

The "shock" that I think your friend is discribing sounds more like what's referred to as starvation mode and rarely happens on a carb controlled diet. It happens when the body isn't getting enough calories and fat and thinks it needs to protect itself against starvation.

Since you only have 20 pounds to lose, it will probably take a while to lose. The last 15-20 to get to your goal weight are usually the hardest to get rid of. If you haven't done so already, be sure to measure yourself. There will be times when the scale won't move but you'll be losing inches.



Always eat your veggies first!
LCE member since March 2002

Marlyn, Tell your friend that 'shock' is classified as the medical condition in which the circulation of blood is so low that it cannot supply the metabolic needs of the tissue.the medical condition in which the circulation of blood is so low that it cannot supply the metabolic needs of the tissue. It can be caused by:
low blood volumes, e.g. due to dehydration or bleeding (hemorrhagic shock)
heart cannot pump effectively (cardiogenic shock), e.g. after a heart attack
obstruction to blood flow, e.g. occlusion of the blood vessels by amniotic fluid (amniotic fluid embolism)
there are many other types of shock, including but not limited to spinal shock (caused by spinal cord injury), septic shock (caused by severe bacterial infection), pyschogenic shock (caused by overwhelming physcological stimuli, ie, fainting at the sight of blood)...In other words, I think your friend is using the word 'shock' as a catch-all term.


"Do, or do not. There is no 'try'."
- Yoda ('The Empire Strikes Back')
Start Atkins 9.1.03
225/198/130ish
Valentine's Day Goal: 180

Welcome, Marlyn.

Read the book and make yourself at home!

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