I reported being 7 pounds down on day 6. I did not dip below that on days 7-9. In fact I was feeling a bit sick to my stomach for a few days. One thing I noticed was that I was not getting enough fiber (I can't help it...I hate vegetables). So I found the highest fiber-to-carb ratio cereal at the store (25 carb/14 fiber grams in a half cup serving), and took a half-serving the last 3 days. This "should" have been 12.5 g of carb and 7 grams of fiber, for a NET of 5.5 carbs, right? At any rate, a bump in my carb level made me feel better, but it definitely slowed my progress, and actually caused me to gain back a pound or so (though this could just be natural variation at work).

Is it a definite fact that you can simply subtract fiber count from carb count?

Anyway, I figure that with a goal of 10 pounds for my 14-day induction, after day 9, I should be at minus 6.43 pounds this morning. Low and behold, that's where I am.

Ken

Did you check the cereal to see if there was any sugar in it? You can subtract the fibre from the carb count too. But if it has sugar that's a no no....especially on induction. You did very well though with the weight you've lost. Keep up the good work.

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Donna
238.5/168.2/150
I will see my goal weight again!

Weight loss on low-carb (or any other plan) usually doesn't progress in a steady fashion. The body makes adjustments that can last anywhere from a week to a month. Probably it's best not to set a timetable, which can often lead to disappointment and frustration.

If you like to see what's happening over time, start a graph. If you weigh weekly, chart that. If you weigh daily, chart the weekly AVERAGE. You'll see the decline gradually taking shape. And speaking of shape, take measurements. Inches can decrease while weight stays the same. Puzzling, but very common.

Yes, you CAN subtract fiber from the carb count, and most nutrition facts labels allow you to do this conveniently. Keep in mind that GRAINS (whole or otherwise) are not part of induction or the first phases of OWL on Atkins. For additional fiber, you might try a supplement like Metamucil, or ground flaxseed, which you can sprinkle on salad, or use in various legal recipes.

Best wishes. Sounds like you're doing well so far.

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Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

How about trying the One-Minute Muffin for fiber? Depending on how you sweeten it, it can have basically no carbs (or just 1 or 2). They really are yummy, and you know exactly what you've put in it.

Just a suggestion... (and since I just had one for a snack, it's in the front of my brain.)

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Mada
221.6/193.8 <--- ONEderland! /sz 8

Hey Ken.

You're right that you can subtract fiber from carbs. However, regardless of the net carb count, some people find grain-products will slow them down.

But I do feel obligated to point out that a few days at the same weight, or even a lot of days at the same weight, is NOT unsual, but is par for the course. Especially towards the end of induction, people find losses slowing down and many experience a temporary pause, if you will.

While I understand having goals to shoot for, I often encourage people to adopt behaviorally oriented goals, as have full control over those. So instead of X pounds lost by X date, I suggest people consider having a goal of eating on plan for X number of days, drinking X oz. of water, so many minutes of walking each week, etc. These types of goals will support your losses, and you don't end up feeling discouraged if you do well but don't meet some (often extremely optimistic) outcome.

I wasn't a big veggie eater myself before low carbing, but it does grow on you as you go alone. I found my tastes actually changed over time, and I didn't even like the stuff I used to live on before low-carb.

Do focus on the ones you like best, and check out recipies for different ways to fix 'em. Don't just limit yourself to salads you'll go nuts. I love the calimash recipe we've got here by Marcie (which I can't find right now). When I make my roast in a crockpot, I add sliced turnips, which taste like potatoes when cooked that way. I make cheese sauce for my broccili. Stuff like that-ways to make things as appealing as possible.

Mainly, I think it takes some imagination and adjusting to find the stuff that you like the best.

On the fiber, I know others have made some suggestions, so perhaps that would help. Personally, I sometimes take a fiber supplement. I sometimes use high-fiber sweeterners to coffee or whatever (Fiber Fit, Stevia with Fiber), or in cooking. I might add flax meal sometimes in cooking.

Keep experiementing, and you'll no doubt find your groove. But please don't worry that things slow a bit as you round your way out of induction. That's what you normally see and does not mean things are amiss. If you start to feel discouraged, take your measurements, try on clothes, or do other things that help reinforce the notion that you are progressing. Don't use the scale as the be-all authority on how you're doing, and you'll be much happier.

And as long as you continue to work it, the scale normally catches up in pretty short order. If not, come back here and the folks can help you troubleshoot.

Peace out.

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Fat Baggage- Is Yours Packed?

I can't disagree with the advice already posted.

To that, I'd add a little information from the perspective of one who has to test her blood sugars. Insoluble fiber is the ONLY thing I find I can safely deduct from the total carb count of any item. (And some products lead me to suspect that they're exaggerating the fiber content - or counting soluble fiber in the total fiber content - of the product involved.)

I find that true (non-soluable) fiber does not negatively impact my BGL's. Every other "non-carb" ingredient is on a case by case basis. Most other ingredients that people often use to "discount" the total carb count, I can't. Things like sugar alcohols (except for ertythritol), "resistant wheat starch", polyglucose and glycerin (to name a few) have an impact on my blood sugar levels that is not acceptable to me.

Is this true for everyone? Probably not, but if it is true for you, it makes a difference for you. Just offering my own experience for comparison.

The other perspective I would add (echoing goddess's words) is that aiming at "process" goals is often more useful than aiming at "number" goals. My "process goal was to normalize my blood sugars. My numerical hope (scale wise) was to maybe lose 20 lbs. After two years of keeping my blood sugars normal, I was down well over 50 lbs. So I got a normalized weight out of it, too.

There are many ways to measure success.

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I think that the recipe from Marcie that goddess is thinking of is here.

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thanks maggie, that is it. we have this at least once a week here, and everybody loves it.

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Fat Baggage- Is Yours Packed?

Thanks for all the advice guys! It is going to be hard.....no....impossible...for me to use "process" metrics as my sole measure of merit in this endeavor. The busines I'm in (process improvement) demands an almost freakish level of attention on process, and you do need those metrics. But the true bottom line is a combination of weight loss (yes, scale numbers) and body measures (I MUST lose my man-boobs and love handles ). I would hazard a guess that most people, regardless of what they say outloud, are using either body measurements or weight as their primary indicators of success (no actual evidence on this, just my guess).

All that said, I also understand the importance of performance over time, and the impact of variation on those numbers. The key to this is not acting on the individual data-points, but on the overall average. Barb's idea of charting the numbers is actually the best way to measure all those numbers. It's just so darn hard to do this sometimes, even though I teach others to. Oh well.

Maggie's comment about the sluble versus unsoluble fiber was an excellent one as well. I didn't know about the difference and its impact on carb count. 1 of the 14 fiber grams in Fiber One was listed as soluble. Not a lot, but that's a half-gram of carbs I didn't think I was getting with my half-serving. Anyway, I have quit the grains until induction is over. Speaking about fiber, the RDA is 25 grams. I considered the fiber supplements, but they only give you like 2-3 grams! You'd have to take them 10 times a day (assuming very little fiber form food, which in my case is a fact). So I was trying to figure out how to get a big fiber bang for my buck. Oh well, I guess I'll just try to get by with the few veggies I do eat until this phase is over.

Again, thanks for all the advice. And BTW, I was 9 pounds down this morning on the start of day 11!.

Ken

Where's that One Minute Muffin recipe? I make one of these puppies almost every morning--you can make flaxseed muffins by the "each" or by the batch. Either way, it's a huge slug of fiber--and, in my case, protein and fat, too.

Here's the way I make mine:

1/4 cup ground flaxseed/wheat bran (half each, by weight--I keep this stuff already mixed in the freezer)
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 packet Splenda
Cinnamon to taste (I use a lot--heaping tsp)
1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder (presweetened with Splenda)--optional
Chopped nuts (optional)
1 TBS coconut oil (melted in microwave)
1 egg

I mix up dry ingredients. Mix the egg and oil separately, and then combine everything in a coffee mug. Nuke for one minute. Slice it, slather on the cream cheese, and I'm good to go.

Somewhere on this site, there's a link to many muffins. A fiber bonanza.

__________________
Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

OMM is stickied in the cooking thread.

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Fat Baggage- Is Yours Packed?

howdy ken.... see, i didn't even think about there being a special name for what i was suggesting. go figure.

i don't consider the process the sole measure of success, no. but most people don't need to be encouraged to check the scale-only not to check it every 20 minutes. and i have seen repeatedly the scenario where folks who have every indication of progresss who discount it all because the scale doesn't drop the right number of pounds on the right day. people get kind of a slot-machine mentality at times: i put 20 carbs in, so the scale should read 2 pounds down. or something like that. plus, if you follow the process, the results normally appear.

while people seem to like it when the sizes drop, etc., i most often see complaints regarding the scale, somewhat independent of other measures. i think there is an extra emotional component related directly to those numbers, myself. i dunno. now i'll have to watch.

i can tell you, however, that often my measurements change at different times than when the scale does. however, tracking the overall trends as barb suggested can remove most of the daily ups and downs from the process.

congrats on your "process" so far, as well as your results. you've got an excellent start!

peace out.

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Fat Baggage- Is Yours Packed?