Interesting story. I just retired from the AF. Friday was my ceremony, a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I had family and friends visiting for this huge occasion. I took those 3 days off of the Atkins diet after 18 days of strict adherence and a loss of 9 pounds. I went back on the diet this morning and discovered that in 3 days I had gained it ALL back. I was back up to 215 pounds. In a way I'm not that upset because it gave me a chance to examine the nature of the way this diet and my body combine to produce effects. One interesting thing is that prior to the original attempt, I had been suffering from low back pain for about a year. Nothing worked to relieve it long-term. I was considering surgery. After I shed 9 pounds, the pain was reduced by such a large amount that I even stopped taking some of the drugs I had been given. Now the pain is back. That, more than anything, is what convinced me to get on the scale this morning. I discovered that the tipping point for the pain was somewhere between 206 and 215 pounds. The other thing I now wonder about is how much of the Atkins weight loss during induction is water. Obviously when you get 3 or 4 months into the diet and lose 50 pounds, you're way beyond water weight. But the 10 or so pounds that people lose during induction seems to be water weight...at least in my case. How else can a 3-day 9-pound gain be explained?

Anyway, thought you'd all be interested.

Ken

Ken,
Congratulations on your retirement!
I am a former USAF member myself! I only served 6 years, but I still dream of going back and finishing my 20...
OK, It IS true that much of the initial weight loss is water weight -- as it would be with ANY diet -- but this does not negate its importance. Even if the water weight loss is 10 pounds, (which is really stretching it, honestly, as most water weight gain/loss is somewhere between 5-7 pounds) that is STILL 10 pounds of weight that your body is being forced to carry! It is still 10 POUNDS of pressure on your joints. And the releasing of water by the fat cells is the first required step before the cells relinquish stored fat anyway, so it is a necessary loss.

There may be some who would like to say that all you will lose on this woe (way of eating) is water weight -- but that's really not possible. I have lost 50 pounds eating this way; that's not all water weight! And the MANY other positive benefits I have gained far outweigh any negatives -- lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, lower blood-sugar/insulin numbers, better skin, fewer body aches, etc.

I could go on and on, but honestly, you will have to discover the real benefits yourself. I hate that you gave up that amazing start; it may not come off so quickly the second time around. The body is a fast learner. But I think you will find that if you quickly get back on track and stay true to this woe, you will see WAY more results than "just water weight."
I wish you the best,

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Summer

Summer,

I don't look on this as a "setback" or an indictment of the diet at all! I'm back on it and looking forward to the same goals I had. I also didn't give up or quit. Regardless of the way I end up eating the rest of my life, I don't intend to swear off pasta, scones, and ice cream forever. There will be times, like a celebratory weekend for a really big deal (wedding, retirement, etc.), when I'm flat gonna eat that stuff. I fully intend to jump back into my normal woe right after though. And that was the case here.

Thanks for your insight about the water weight and the water from the fat cells. That was something I did not know.

Ken

Hi Ken,
I, too, have gained up to 7 lbs in a very short time...a matter of several days, when I went off plan. I found that if I got myself right back in the game, hit the water hard, and stayed at near induction level carbs for 5-8 days, the pounds I gained came back off. I'd bet once you get your glycogen stores depleted, and get back into ketosis, you'll see the scales rapidly move in a downward motion

Keep on keepin' on...you're doing good. Afterall, as we all say so many times...it's about the journey, not the destination...

Shelley

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Shelley
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Life deserves a treat now and again, but life also deserves being healthy[with required disipline] to make it worth living!

Ken,
I'm relieved to know that you don't see this as a negative; forgive me if I sounded a tad defensive, but this is sort of a sore subject as many critics of this woe claim that ALL we lose is water weight!
Your conviction sounds great and I have no doubt that you will experience much success eating this way. After all, attitude is everything!
Good luck,

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Summer

Ken, I've gained that much in a few days, when we go on vacation. I eat whatever I want, but it's usually mostly off within a week or so. So I'm convinced that a lot of the gain is water weight. You should see it melt off quite quickly. Don't be surprised if the last pound or 2 don't budge as quickly as you'd like, but that's ok. Just stay the course.

Every once in a while we just have to have a splurge!

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Nita

Ken, congratulations on your retirement!

I'm happy to hear about the discovery you made regarding your back pain, that's great news for you. You may just have a lot of pain free days ahead as you take the weight off. Keep up the good work.

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Ozzie's Place

QM,

Amen to that! I remember a quote from the Atkins website FAQ about 8 years ago. Someone was worried they couldn't have their own birthday cake anymore. The answer was something like, "sure you can have birthday cake on your birthday! Put your face down in it. Just make sure you get right back on the diet when you're done."

That's kinda what I did this last weekend. It just lasted a few days longer than it probably should have.

Thanks to everyone for the encouragement...again!

Ken

well, and i happen to think that while some of the inital losses are, of course, water, some of the the bloating "cheat-day" gains are ALSO water. i've seen it so many times, where someone goes off plan, BOOM, they're up 5 or 10 pounds immediately, and then, over the course of the next week or so of eating on-plan, it's gone.

i figure if we give water weight credit for some of our losses, in all fairness, it has to get credit for some of the gains, too; especially very quick gains. i don't think this stuff happens overnight.

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I agree. 2 days back on plan and 5 pounds is back off. And man did I drink a lot of water yesterday!

Ken

glad to hear it!

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You can do it Ken, I know you can! Hang in there in a year from now (I know that seems like an eternity) you will look back on these frequent struggles and be so glad you stayed focused, trust me.