Induction again?

[savedexana]

On induction i really didn't lose much at all.. i went from 123 pounds to 119. I was working out aswell, but i'd always been working out so it's not like 'new' muscle mass?

on OWL, my CCL is arounf 33 grams of carbs (with working out!)... once i go up to 38 - 40 it slows down awfully or halts, or i even gain abit.

i'm only 20 yrs old and 5'4" and i had previously gotten down to 108-110 lbs on a low calorie diet + excercise. but it was hard as a lifestyle and after a year and some after going up to 123 lbs i finally decided to do low carb.

i did a proper induction, by the book! it's obvious i'm metabolically resistant and i do have obesity in my family so it's no surprise, i've always known that if i let myself go i'd suffer too so i've always been on some kind of diet and have always been working out.

should i redo induction and try again? or should i just do my OWL since it's more bearable tho snail slow with results? i understand it's all individual here, and atkins works for some ppl more than others but i'm convinced it DOES work. and atleast i'm eating socially again without busting my 'calories for the day' and obsessing. counting carbs is easier, even the hidden ones.

please reply..

thanks
elle

[not2late]

Originally Posted by savedexana

On induction i really didn't lose much at all.. i went from 123 pounds to 119. I was working out aswell, but i'd always been working out so it's not like 'new' muscle mass?

on OWL, my CCL is arounf 33 grams of carbs (with working out!)... once i go up to 38 - 40 it slows down awfully or halts, or i even gain abit.

i'm only 20 yrs old and 5'4" and i had previously gotten down to 108-110 lbs on a low calorie diet + excercise. but it was hard as a lifestyle and after a year and some after going up to 123 lbs i finally decided to do low carb.

i did a proper induction, by the book! it's obvious i'm metabolically resistant and i do have obesity in my family so it's no surprise, i've always known that if i let myself go i'd suffer too so i've always been on some kind of diet and have always been working out.

should i redo induction and try again? or should i just do my OWL since it's more bearable tho snail slow with results? i understand it's all individual here, and atkins works for some ppl more than others but i'm convinced it DOES work. and atleast i'm eating socially again without busting my 'calories for the day' and obsessing. counting carbs is easier, even the hidden ones.

please reply..

thanks
elle

During Induction, we can expect to lose 5-10% of the weight we need to lose. So a person with a 100 pound goal, can expect to lose 5-10 pounds. A person with a 10 pound goal can expect to lose 1/2-1 pound. You lost 4 pounds. In other words, you lost the same amount of weight a person with a 50 pound goal would expect to lose. So you aren't metabolically resistant to weight loss per Dr. Atkins definition of metabolic resistance. According to the charts in Chapter 12, you have average metabolic resistance.

You're 5'4" and had a start weight of 123. Your Body Mass Index was 21.1---which is within the normal weight range for your height. By the way, I'm the same height as you and my goal weight is 125 pounds. 108 to 110 pounds is the border between normal weight and underweight for people our height. Although the health risks associated with overweight are more widely known, being underweight is equally hazardous to general health. (http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2005-mchi/2796.html)


CCLLs vary person to person. Your CCLL of 33 is within the average CCLL according to the chart in Chapter 14. Instead of following purely your weight, you might want to look at your % body fat. Scales lie. If you lose 1 pound of fat, but gain 3/4 pounds of muscle that scale will only see a loss of 1/4 pound. It would show you that you lost fat and get a normal % body fat is the name of the game.

So my advise is to stick with OWL. You know what your CCLL is, so don't eat above it if you want to continue losing weight. Get your % body fat measured and get re-measured in a month or two to see if it has changed. For all you know you might already have a normal % body fat and it will be unhealthy to go below that. If that is the case, then you might feel better about your body if you exercise to tone up.

[MendoGirl]

I was thinking also that you are at perfect weight for you height, if you go below your third goal weight of 110 you will be underweight (according to BMI calculations), I would say that I would recommend OWL at this point. I understand your fear of becoming overweight and trying to avoid it is great. I was thinking of posting this advice earlier and was hoping that one of the Mod's will kick in as they know far more than I do. Thanks Not2Late I think your advice to Savedexana is great.

[LuckyD]

I am also 5'4. I spent a lot of my young adult life at 114lbs. I was a size 2-4 and it was really an easy weight to maintain as long as I excersized. After I had a child and I lost the baby weight I got down to 117llbs. I was still the same size but clothes fit differently. I was also being told by a lot of people that I really shouldnt lose anymore weight. I have very small bones and I was pretty tiny. Now I was not as tiny as a Hollywood starlet because they are just insanely thin. Now I am shooting for a goal weight that will be attainable with my age and activity level. I bet you look pretty darn good right now. I can relate to wanting to lose more though. But I think 108-110 would be heading in the unhealthy direction. But you know your body and what you want and maybe you can make that weight work for you. But don't get obsessed with it. Just eat healthy and stay active and your body will find a weight it likes. For me it was 114 allthrough my twenties and most of my 30's.
Good Luck!

[savedexana]

Thanks so much megs for taking the time to reply! you make so much sense, and it feels silly to say this but i'm most comfortable/happier with my body image at a skinny weight.. honestly.

i understand i'm the average slim person already, and even thin to some people, but unfortunately that's not the case in my own eyes. i don't wana sound like a freak but right now i feel unbearably fat. I'm just used to being thinner so i realize i'm aiming low for my height.

i run, do pilates, yoga, and workout on the elliptical so i've already got some muscle on and i'm into working out. Though measuring bodyfat is a good idea.. might get that done and post it. i had it done once and my ratio of muscle to fat was pretty high, and apparently i did have low bodyfat.

i visited the link, and the risks of underweight such as osteoperosis can be countered with my weight training and running, and the other risks were really just statements that being underweight is an alarm that something might be wrong, not necessarily the problem being the low body fat. Only thing i'm worried about really is losing my period and having to restart it, but even that is something i'll worry about when i have to.

i don't mean to sound ungrateful because your feedback's solid and informative! and thanks so much for putting me in the light about the whole weight loss percentage, i guess my hopes were too high with stories of people losing over 10 pounds in induction, my measly 4 felt like no accomplishment at all.

However, i've decided to do another induction and be stricter with myself, just for the sake of giving it a shot.. can't stand bein all 'what if?' about it. might aswell DO it anyway! i've got nothing to lose but weight.


Thanks so much!

[savedexana]

LuckyD - i loved being at 108 lbs, some thought i was too thin and some thought i looked fine, but to me i was where wanted to be weight-wise! i'm also small structured but i've got on plenty of muscle mass.. but i can gain weight super fast if i indulge in the wrong foods/portions. so i've been controlling my weight with diet/exercise since i was 17. i'm 20 now goin onto 21. would do anything to get back to 114 lbs even!

[savedexana]

whoops.. thanks mendogirl for your input! I have a question though... aren't BMI calculations really statistical? The median of 'healthy' weight is considered the average and then there's the range of normality... and whatever falls above/below is unhealthy either underweight or overweight. i'm not even there at 108 though i remember feeling good at that weight and not looking overly skeletal since i'm athletic, personally i feel it's a good weight for me. with my bone structure i really didn't look emaciated so i don't think it could be that bad

[MendoGirl]

Yes, I think you are correct about the BMI calculations, they couldn't know your muscle tone or % of body fat. You sound so healthy and of course you know your body better than anyone. If I sounded unfriendly, I apologize. I just wanted to you to keep in mind that your health is more important than anything.

Again I hope I didn't come off sounding rude, it was just intended as a friendly reminder, if it doesn’t apply to you I can appreciate that.

[savedexana]

no hun ur input was fantastic, and there's nothing unfriendly about caring enough to reply! thanks again

[Elizellen]

I would suggest NOT redoing induction!
It is designed to get us started on weightloss which you have done admirably with a 4 pound loss so far.
Take a look at the threads at the top of the OWL forum and discover how to add foods in the order laid down as you continue to lose weight.
Many members here only STARTED to lose weight once they moved into OWL!!
If you have a low CCLL then when you reach it as you climb the OWL rungs just stay at that carb level but add foods from the higher rungs while leaving out those you have already tried, in order to find out what foods affect you in preparation for eating at maintenance for life.
This is sometimes referred to here as treating OWL as a net rather than a ladder, and moving from food group to food group while staying at the same carb level.