0lbs lost on days 5 and 6

[steve22]

Hello all. I'm currently on day 7 of the 14 day induction and I woke up this morning to find that I didn't lose a single pound all weekend. I lost 4lbs in the first 4 days, I'll credit that to water weight. I did not cheat once all weekend, my portion sizes were healthy (I'm eating but not over-eating), and I drank a lot of water. I did weight training and cardio and yet this morning I'm the same weight I was on Saturday morning after just 4 days.

What's the deal? Is is common to stall out for a couple of days, then start losing weight again? I started at 194, my goal is to be around 180 - 175 by new years. That gives me 26 days to lose 15lbs. I'm going to up my cardio this week to try and burn extra fat. Is it even possible to lose 10 - 15lbs in 20 days, or is that just wishful thinking? The first time my girlfriend tried Atkins she lost 15lbs in 3 weeks. Darn her...

[Brook]

Steve, you're not going to see a loss every day. You may not see a loss every two or three days, or perhaps even for a week or two at a time. Weight loss is not a linear process so if that's your expectation, you're setting yourself up for some serious amounts of frustration.

Induction is a two week process. Give it the two weeks. If the scale frustrates you this easily, STAY OFF THAT SUCKER until your two weeks are done.

Set goals you have control over - like following the plan cleanly, exercising regularly, etc. You have no control over how fast the weight is going to move or how much of it is going to go within a specific period of time. As much as we may dislike it, that just isn't how it works.

You can't compare your rate of loss to anyone else's. A fair expectation of induction is for you to lose 5-10% of the total amount of weight you need to lose in the two weeks. Anything above and beyond that is a gift and less than that is a sign of metabolic resistance.

I'm not sure how new the exercise is to you either. If you're just starting out or if you've changed your routine, you can count on retaining some water. It's your body's natural response to what it perceives as new stress.

A stall is no weight OR inches lost after 4 weeks. Anything that doesn't happen before then isn't a stall- it's impatience

I wish you success!
~Brook

[Brook]

Oops..and welcome to ADBB

[cleochatra]

Hey! You've done great so far! Adding to what Brook said-- it also depends on how much total you have to lose and what your metabolism is, as to how much you'll lose the first two weeks.

[steve22]

Oops..and welcome to ADBB

Thanks!

I mean it's not the end of the world that i've gone 2 days with no weight loss, it's just that I'm young and in decent shape so my metabolism should be decent. I used to be in really good shape but after 3 years with a desk job sitting on my butt for 9 hours a day, a kinda let myself go. My arms and legs are still in good shape, I just need to lose this fat around my mid-section. I'm still optimistic that I'll be able to trim my waste line down pretty quickly. If Atkins makes your body burn its own stored fat for energy, then my stomach is pretty much the only place it's going to come from.

[steve22]

Another quick quesiton. Is it also common to gain muscle mass a lot faster on Atkins since the protein intake is so high?

[Moochiecat]

Step away from the scale, and give this a read:
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5090

[Karb-free Kayla]

Did you just begin your exercise program or have you been at it a while?

Sometimes a new exercise program will actually add weight on the scales, but take it down on the tape measure - how are you doing there? Have you measured yourself? Notice your clothes fitting looser?

Hang in there! I had a huge drop my first 10 days, then nothing for the next 5 - but I'm still hanging in there!

You can too!!