more fat, thats what im trying to get rid of isn't it?

[me4ls]

Some little doubts have been creeping in to my head today and at the gym this evening i was really questioning how can this work?

Today ive eaten chicken fried in butter....it doesn't feel like a particularly clever idea on a diet. And yeah i get the idea....but does anyone ever get it wrong and actually put on weight??

My major concern is i dont want to get two weeks in and actually be as heavy or heavier....? Can anyone highlight if this has ever happened and if so let me know the reasons it would so i can well and truly avoid them!!

One other query i have is i wondered what happens if you stick closely to Atkins but then say went on holiday and simply couldnt stick to the low carbs for a week? Does this result in rapid weight gain? And on returning home do you need to do induction phase again?

Also is mayo allowed on induction....can't get the book out here in south korea so im trying to find all the answers online but its confusing me now.

Thank you for your help and advice in advance.

[*Emma*]

the more fat i eat the faster i lose weight, that answer your question?

your burning fat for energy now, not carbs so no, you wont gain weight! you also need fat to help you feel ful

if you cheat - (it is possible to stay legal on holiday!) you will gain water weight back, plus a few pounds yes, it can be harder to get it off second time aroung, playing mind games with your body doesnt work!

yes mayo is allowed, its a great way to get your fat up!

im sure someone will post technical reasons if you need them!

[jengeesh]

I started Atkins in feb 07 i've lost 45 pounds in 6 months. I HIGHLY questioned how eating BUTTER, mayo, oils, fats would HELP!. I VOWED i'd do the 2 weeks thing BUT if i gained ANY i'ld cold give atkins up call it a crazy fad diet. I lost over 21 pounds the 1st MONTH. My loss greatly slowed after that i do still lose anywhere from 3-7 pounds a month. I still drink coffee, i eat a lot, i don't count calories. I only cut out sugars and bad carbs. I get my veggies i eat up to 40 carbs a day now and still lose i'm on, OWL on going weight loss. Read, the book it makes it real clear why fats don't make ya FAT!. i tried long and hard on low fat low cal diets I NEVER stayed on them never felt as good as i do on atkins. I questioned it at 1st everyone told me it was bad 4 me, i know it works i feel better. The times i'm not getting enough fat i do gain a pound or two i have to re look at what i'm eating, watch SALT intake. A few times i've went out to eat and did not know the exact carb count on foods it's yet to be a issue. Even when we go out holiday or whatever i get a salad chicken or steak i just don't eat any rolls or buns it's just NOT a big deal at all. My hubby gained back 10 real quick when he went off atkins.

[Discolemonade]

If it didn't work how did I lose 76 lbs??? For me, fat is always around 75% of my daily intake. You can order the book online at Amazon.com, sometimes you'll find it for a few cents! I went off plan for about 2 years. I gained 20 of the 80 or so I lost back. 20 lbs in 2 years is not THAT bad. But you have to make this a way of life. You don't want to get healthy then go back to your old ways of eating. If you work the program, the program will work for you. There's hundreds on people on this board who are living proof that you can keep it off. I have never heard of anyone gaining weight on induction if they did it 100% by the book. If you cheat, what do you expect?

[Discolemonade]

jengeesh! Lookit your new picture!!!! WOW! You have collar bones!!!!! they're pokin' out! Great job! You look so much better!!!!

[jengeesh]

Well thank you!!!i'm almost HALFWAY to goal. i started losing from the head down my face neck chest got smaller the fastest. I gave myself a year to lose 100 good chance i'll get real close to that goal if things keep up as they are. As i hear the closer to goal you get loss can slow a lot.

[Sera]

I can't imagine how anyone can gain weight if they follow the plan strictly...I guess there might be people for whom it just doesn't work, meaning they won't lose weight but how the heck can you gain weight from eating healthy?
Nah, not possible...except for the few 100 grams of fluctuation you'll always have when losing weight.
As for the holiday thing, I will be going off Atkins during my holidays in Greece because I can't cook for myself and actually because I want to enjoy them.
I did the same thing last year after losing 8 kg on a low carb diet...we went to greece, most of what I'll be eating there is actually legal, veggies, meat, fish, yogurt, butter, eggs...but there might be the occasional cocktail or a slice of bread for breakfast...who knows...
Anyway, when I did it last year, I didn't gain a gram during those holidays since I went swimming and moved more than I would have usually done and I stayed fairly low carb compared to how I had eaten before.
I didn't lose either...obviously but that was fine.
I'll do a short induction after my vacation to get back into ketosis and then start off right where I left.
It's your decision if you do this or not and there may be a lot of a people who could have trouble getting back onto the right path but I personally don't worry about that.
Compared to last year when I didn't really grasp the whole concept of low carbing not being a diet but something for the long run I won't just go back to my old way of eating.
I know now that I don't only wanna lose a few kilos but want to go all the way to ideal weight, so I'll be right on track the day I can shop properly again and cook for myself.

[Hoping]

I may be the only crazy, but I do believe I read somewhere that you CAN gain weight BUT it's very rare. I think the two reasons were that if you ate too much fat as in completely over did it or if the Atkins just wasn't compatible with you.

If you follow it strictly--Since you don't have the book look at the stickies that give you the basic rules and legal foods--I don't see why you would gain weight.
I wondered the same thing as well and to be honest when I started I wasn't looking to do this as a life style and quite honestly wondered if it was a bunch of baloney.
In the 28 or so days that I did it. I lost 12lbs, maybe more I didn't get to weigh myself prior to eating a few bad carbs, several inches around my waist and arms. My love handles were diminishing. However, I went on vacation and am having to restart.

I think if you adhere to the plan you should be okay. Exercise and drink plenty of water. You'll see with time that the food eaten on Atkins isn't so crazy.
By the way, in the book Dr. Atkins states SEVERAL times that exercise is non-negotiable or something along those lines. It is key to weight loss.
Good luck

[Sera]

well yeah ok, if you had a huge stomach and were able to eat loads of really fatty stuff next to your veggies without getting sick...ok, I guess you could gain lol.
but that's gotta be extremely rare.

[Elizellen]

As the others have said it is 'possible' to gain weight if you overeat your Atkins - stuffing yourself rather than eating till satisfied, and some of us have more problems than others in deciding how much 'enough' is.

If anyone suspects they are eating beyond 'satisfied' then they can experiment by only putting half of their 'normal' serving on the plate and eating it then waiting say 20 minutes to see if they are still hungry. If they are then put half of what is left on the plate and eat it but the moment they feel they are satisfied, put the leftovers away.

For some of us it takes a time to 'retrain' our appetites to recognise 'enough' but keep trying and in time you will get there.