I have been on this diet since November 30 and managed to GAIN weight. I really don't get it. I honestly am not cheating. I normally eat an atkins breakfast bar for breakfast with some low carb yogurt. I eat a big salad with chicken or pepperoni on it for lunch. For dinner I normally eat some type of chicken, fish, beef or eggs and bacon. I can't even believe I am gaining weight. I started walking 2.5 miles a day on January 9th and do so daily. Yes I do drink coffee and soda - could this really be making this not work? My daughter told me I am not eating enough and am in starvation mode, could this be true. I can't believe I've invested all the time and will power in this and actually gained. Any ideas??

First off welcome to the site. Do you have the Atkins book and have you read it? What phase of the diet are you currently in and how many carbs are you consuming each day. How tall are you and what is your current weight and goal weight? Answering some of these questions may help us steer you in the right direction.

There are any number of reasons that may be causing you to gain weight, medications, stress, allergies to foods, etc.

__________________
Libby

2004 174/142/138

Begin Again 2007

164/159/142

Welcome, sparky.

Your DD could be right. But I have to echo Libby's quesitons.

Beyond that, I can definitely say "Lose the Bars" ... and maybe the "lc" yogurt.

Many "lc foods" are full of sugar alcohols which, for many of us, might as well be sugar.

Hope you'll make yourself at home.

__________________

1. Please post EVERYTHING you eat for the next few days, including portions.
2. How much weight have you gained?
3. Have you measured yourself at all? What's going on with inches?

If we're going to help, we need a more solid info. Let's see if we can't make this work for you.

Dump the bars. Glycerine isn't supposed to be counted in your net carbs, but it is a problem for so many people.

I agree with Andrea. Please give us some more information.

__________________
Katie
275/238/150
Restarted 01/08/2007
37 pounds lost!
http://justanotherfatgirl.blogspot.com

Wow...I just posted a similar thread in the Newbies section. I need help, too!

__________________
Michelle
209 / 187 / 150




DH's R&R Goal:
209 / 187 / 165
(2 months to go!)

Ok...i have gained about 15 lbs. I am 5' 9" and now weight 190 - i do not measure myself i just use how my clothes fit at a guide to whats going on. Which is why I got on the scale - because my "fat" clothes are even getting tight!. This was actually the first time I even got on the scale since November because I just find it too frustrating to watch the numbers every day.

First thing today I stopped the bars and yogurt.

I ate 5 cheese cubes and a cup of tea for breakfast
1 Hardboiled egg and and 5 more cheese cubes midmorning
6 oz chicken breasts with mozzarella cheese on top and 2 more hardboiled eggs for lunch
I drink water and diet soda till my teeth feel like they're floating

Started the day with a 1.5 mile walk and 1 mile jog for a total of 2.5 miles

Normally I would have had 2 Atkins nutrition bars and a low carb yogurt in there somewhere - and not so many hb eggs also....a huge amount of salad at lunch with some type of protien - chicken, pepperoni, ham etc and cheese. (forgot the salad on the first post)

PS...Thanks to everyone who is answering, it really helps to know that with just a few tweaks I may be able to do something with this yet

Yes I have the book and have read it. I would say I probably eat about 30 - 40 grams of carbs a day - honestly - the thing I liked most about this diet is that I didn't have to count calories or portions so I have not really kept track. After sitting down and trying to figure out carbs in the past tense there are probably things I eat too much of. Peanuts....for one. So as I answered below I am going to start over, even though all the hb eggs kill me!! I would like to lose 40 lbs now the original 25 and now the 15 i've gained. I figure I will give it one more week back on the strict induction phase and see if I can make the scale move in the right direction,

ok, I'll chime in here first....

I noticed in your listing of what you ate were are your veggies, salads, etc..
all I see is protien.... lc isn't eating just protien, but lots of veggies and protien

if youaren't eating any carbs.... ie veggies to help you along the way, your body maybe holding on to what ever you are giving it...

a typical day for me is:
2 hard boiled eggs for breakfast with mayo (egg salad)

lunch is usually a chef salad or taco salad(no chips) lots of lettuce, tomatoe, cukes, peppers, cheese, olives, whatever veggies you like, and dressing

dinner is a portion of protien - chicken, beef, fish, pork, whatever we have for that nite, and some veggies, cooked or raw, somekind of salad .. this week i made home made coleslaw, and cukes with sour cream...

I did have a little plain whole milk yogurt with blackberries at work for a snack, and at night a couple days I had some sf jello.

if you forgot to write in your veggies, edit and add them,
if you aren't eating them, you need to read the book cause he says 2-3 cups of veggies....

__________________
http://www.youravon.com/cnorulak
carolyn in texas
started 8/11/03 327/268/177
5/20/08/ - 348
onward thru the fog

sparky-you said you have the book and have read it. you need to review the chapter on induction and actually follow it.

1. veggies. you haven't listed any veggies. those are where you're supposed to be getting your carbs from. it's not healthy to eat very little and avoid veggies. in addition to going into starvation mode, you're simply not getting the nutrients you need.

2. soda-diet soda doesn't replace your water intake. aim for working up to about half your body weight in oz. of water. yes, it's alot. it also helps.

3. if you're doing atkins right, it should take very little willpower, actually. most of the time if people follow the plan, at about day 4 or so they find their appetite goes down, they get blasts of energy, and in general feel great. while each experience is unique, following the plan really does pay off.

4. the bars- even tho atkins says they are ok, they are the #1 source of mysterious stalls i see around her. dump 'em! if you need an easy food, many people have fewer problems with the shakes, but in general, natural is better.

my number one piece of advice, though- get that book out, girlfriend, and get reading!

__________________

EatSmart Nutritional Scale Review

Yes, ditto all of the above.

Although Atkins doesn't emphasize portion sizes, tracking portions does come into play for most of us -- if only because we need to figure the amount of carbs we consume.

You might find that it's helpful to pay attention to portion sizes - especially the calorically dense foods like cheese and peanuts. There's not necessarily a need to be obsessive about it, but weighing and measuring your portions for a week or two may show some areas for improvement.

There are some computerized food trackers that make keeping track of carb consumption much easier. There is a free online version of one at www.Fitday.com. I happen to like dietPower (www.dietpower.com), which has a free trial version good for 30 days.

Oh, if you use basalmic vinegar for your salads, check the label. Some basalmic vinegars have 2 to 4 g. carb per TBS. Many food charts show basalmic the same as plain vinegar, which isn't accurate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Aside: peanuts are about 5 g net carbs 1/4 cup, which isn't a whole lot nuts. Try pecans - they are about 2 g net carbs per 1/4 cup. Macadamia nuts, although costly, are even better carbwise - about 1.5 g net carb per 1/4 cup.

__________________
~~~Teelbee
Back to GOAL!!!
start weight: 176/goal range: 137-134/now: 138
Reached goal in Aug. 2003 - 4rd year of maintenance.

your body can go into starvation mode, but if you are eating adaquate quantities of the right healthy foods that shouldn't happen. one way to keep your metabolism up is to have planned healthy snacks throughout the day, eating spikes your metabolism - depending on your diet these snacks might vary. are you on an exercise plan as well? this is the most effective and healthies way to lose pounds and shape up. dieting alone is really only effective if you're eating really poorly before you begin your diet (for example, I always wondered what the heck that Jared guy was having for lunch every day before he lost a hundred pounds eating Subway every day - I would gain weight eating subway every day). it says you are walking 2.5 miles a day? were you doing that before you began your diet? your body can also become accustomed to your workout if you do the same thing every day. I had that problem as a runner, I started out running a few miles a few days a week, a couple years later I was running 10 miles every day, I could never eat enough food to stop feeling hungry and yet I wasn't running enough to lose weight. I recently joined a gym to get my own exercise program going, I had several training sessions and was told by my trainer that I absolutely had to do both weight training and cardio and diet to acheive my goals.

How much weight do you have to lose, are you trying to lose just a few pounds by changing your diet or are you looking to make a substantial change in your body?

__________________
any day now...

Sparky, you are getting lots of great advice... water, water, water.... here are some ideas for getting more veggies and more balanced meals...

Tips to make meal planning and execution much easier/faster:
? At Costco buy 2 fresh roasted chickens ? when you get home, have one for dinner, break the other one down ? drumsticks, wings and thighs for snacks and lunches ? the breast meat chopped into a homemade chicken salad.
? At Costco, buy the packages of pork tenderloin (they come in two two-tenderloin packs). Freeze one pack, open other pack, take the two tenderloins, into a large zip bag with ? c of oil, ? c water, 2 T of seasonings (we use like lawry?s seasoning, but garlic powder and paprika are easy and tasty.). Marinate in fridge for at least an hour. Preheat oven to 350 ? put both tenderloins in large pyrex coated with cooking spray (PAM) and bake for 20-25 minutes ? amazingly tender, yummy, meat, and excellent cold for lunches.
? At Costco, buy the big bag of broccoli, the big bags of baby spinach, the big bags of mixed organic greens, the big bag of romaine lettuce, etc.. the peppers, the mushrooms, whatever you like and will eat.
? Make lunch salads: tuna, chicken, egg, salmon (from canned), we do ham, too (up to you) ? here?s what I typically put into a lunch salad: finely chopped scallions, finely chopped celery, plenty of dill (not sweet) relish, lots of mayo (sometimes some mustard, too), serve on an overflowing cup of romaine, loose leaf, red leaf, even baby spinach leaves!
? Pre-chop a big baggie of green onions (scallions) ? you will add them to and use them in salads every day ? same with celery.
? Buy bags of ready salad greens ? when you need a salad, grab a handful, add the scallions and celery, and I cut up bunches of cherry tomatoes (in halves), sliced red cabbage, and sometimes a little fresh cilantro, half an ounce of blue cheese or cheddar.
? Always steam or roast veggies at dinner - zucchini with butter and parmesan cheese sprinkled on them, cauliflower with butter and cheddar and bacon bits sprinkled on them, saute (or wok) broccoli in sesame oil and sesame seeds (add a touch of soy sauce if you like), fresh string (green) beans steamed and serve with sauted chopped green onions, bacon and butter), cauliflower, sweet red peppers in a roasting pan, toss with olive oil, italian spices and roast for 30 mins at 400 degrees, steamed spinach with lots of butter and a little lemon juice, the list goes on.
? Always steam or roast more veggies at dinner then you can ever eat ? leftover veggies are great the next day in omelets (or with scrambled eggs) or for lunch in the microwave with plenty of butter or parmesan or cheddar cheese.

No rule that says you HAVE to eat eggs for breakfast every day - warmed up veggies from the previous dinner and some sausage, perhaps, or salmon (with some capers and finely sliced green onions!)...

Good luck!

__________________
Hugs, Rachel







(the horn is in honor of DH!)
Quien canta, sus males espanta... ("She who sings fightens away her ills") Miguel de Cervantes