PLEASE help me, I'm new at this!!!

[anik2grls]

Hi everyone! I wanted to introduce myself and see if any of you could help me! I'm a 35-year-old SAHM from New York, and I'm really frustrated!

I've been on induction for 3 weeks now, I've been following it by the book, my sticks have been between pink (small amounts of ketones) and dark purple (large amounts of ketones) for the entire 3 weeks and so far I've lost .... ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!!! My clothes don't feel any better either!

Does anyone have any ideas? I'm looking to lose about 15 lbs. -- I am at 149 right now and would love to be at least in the low to mid 130's.

I don't understand what's going on -- I read about metabolic resistance, but it seems that that is for people with health problems or those very, very overweight!!!!

I need some help, and I thank you all for any support or advice you can give me!

Thanks![img]images/smilies/frown.gif[/img]

[TIME2SHINE4-08]

Could you post a few days worth of menus for us? That might let someone see something that might be causing it.

[anik2grls]

OK, here goes -- these are generally the foods I eat and from what I can remember, this is what I've had the last 2 days:

Also, I forgot to mention that I do 45 mins. of cardio 4-5 times a week!

SUNDAY
Breakfast:
Two eggs fried in olive oil (2tbsp)
1 oz. cheese
2 oz. sausage
(approximations, but not overeating)

Lunch:
1 package tuna fish w/ mayo
10-15 black olives
2 oz. cubed cheese

Dinner:
1 chicken leg, 1 chicken thigh
6 stalks asparagus
2 oz. mozzarella

Snacks:
Sugar free jello-cup
2 tbsp. sour cream
Decaf tea w/ 2 tbsp. heavy cream (probably 2 times a day)
Atkins recipe chocolate truffle (1) - 2 carbs

SATURDAY
Breakfast:
Lox w/ cream cheese
2 hard boiled eggs

Lunch:
Egg salad w/ mayo
2 oz. cubed cheese
10-15 black olives

Dinner:
Ground meat w/ eggs fried in olive oil (like meatballs)
2 cups romaine lettuce
1 cup cut up cucumber
Zero carb ceasar salad dressing

Snacks:
Sugar free jello-cup
Decaf tea w/ 2 tbsp. heavy cream (probably 2 times a day)
Atkins recipe chocolate truffle (1) - 2 carbs

[not2late]

Originally Posted by anik2grls

OK, here goes -- these are generally the foods I eat and from what I can remember, this is what I've had the last 2 days:

Also, I forgot to mention that I do 45 mins. of cardio 4-5 times a week!

SUNDAY
Breakfast:
Two eggs fried in olive oil (2tbsp)
1 oz. cheese
2 oz. sausage
(approximations, but not overeating)

Lunch:
1 package tuna fish w/ mayo
10-15 black olives
2 oz. cubed cheese

Dinner:
1 chicken leg, 1 chicken thigh
6 stalks asparagus
2 oz. mozzarella

Snacks:
Sugar free jello-cup
2 tbsp. sour cream
Decaf tea w/ 2 tbsp. heavy cream (probably 2 times a day)
Atkins recipe chocolate truffle (1) - 2 carbs

SATURDAY
Breakfast:
Lox w/ cream cheese
2 hard boiled eggs

Lunch:
Egg salad w/ mayo
2 oz. cubed cheese
10-15 black olives

Dinner:
Ground meat w/ eggs fried in olive oil (like meatballs)
2 cups romaine lettuce
1 cup cut up cucumber
Zero carb ceasar salad dressing

Snacks:
Sugar free jello-cup
Decaf tea w/ 2 tbsp. heavy cream (probably 2 times a day)
Atkins recipe chocolate truffle (1) - 2 carbs

I bolded the foods that might be causing you problems.

Cheese:
You're eating too much cheese. 3-4 ounces is the daily limit. On your first menu, you had 5 ounces.

Sausage:
Make sure the sausage doesn't contain sugars (dextrose, corn syrup solids, etc.) and starch fillers (modified food starch). You need to read the ingredients due to the bad labeling laws in the US.

Olives, Cream, Sour Cream:
They are listed in the Special Category foods. These foods are "legal" but they might cause weight loss difficulties for some people.

Sugar Free Jello/Aspartame
Dr. Atkins wrote that aspartame can cause weight loss difficulties for some people. So you might want to cut this out of your menu. On a sample menu in the book, there is a "gelatin dessert made with sucralose" listed. However, many people read that as "Sugar Free Jello Brand gelatin". They are not the same thing.

Finally, vegetables....on your first menu, your only vegetable was 6 stalks of asparagus. We are to eat 3 cups of vegetables daily. The majority of our carbs are to come from vegetables. So make sure you are eating them.

[not2late]

Sorry, but I left out the truffle.....If you followed the recipe in the back of the book, it uses 1 1/2 cup of Splenda and makes 48 truffles. Each truffle counts as 1 of your daily sweetener allotments. As does the serving of Sugar-Free Jello gelatin. Moreover, the truffle recipe contains heavy cream, each truffle contains about 1 teaspoon of heavy cream. So that has to be figured into your daily totals as well.

[anik2grls]

I will definitely make these changes you suggest, but I'm curious about something -- if my sticks are positive for ketones in my system, doesn't that mean I'm burning fat? Right? So, why no change in weight?

[IrishIrish]

You may be experiencing some minor changes in measurements, as well. Most of us find that despite sticking with the plan, weight sometimes doesn't change a lot, but close may feel looser. I may have missed it, but how much water are you drinking? Any other beverages besides the two cups of tea mentioned?

Megs's advice is perfect. I fully agree with the comments about cheese, olives and sour cream.

And one more comment on the ketostix .... doesn't really matter what shade they are ... there are no degrees of ketosis. I liken it to pregnancy ... you either are or you aren't.

Best wishes!

[TitianWasp]

Originally Posted by anik2grls

I will definitely make these changes you suggest, but I'm curious about something -- if my sticks are positive for ketones in my system, doesn't that mean I'm burning fat? Right? So, why no change in weight?

The sticks don't differentiate between the which fat you are burning - the type you are wearing, or the type that you are eating. If you eat a high fat meal, the sticks will turn darker because you are burning the fat from the meal. If you eat more than your body needs, you will burn the fat from your food almost exclusively.

It looks like you probably don't have a whole lot to lose, and unfortunately that does make it a bit trickier. You will probably need to watch your carbs (and calories) more than someone who has further to go. I would strongly recommend calculating your BMI (http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/) and from there, calculating the calories required for weightloss http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-ca...dict-equation/ .

Wonderful Atkins will decrease your appetite, and get you eating the right things, but as you approach the last few pounds (I have 20 to go), you need to make sure that your calories aren't above what your body requires to maintain itself. It takes more energy to burn fat than carbs, so Atkins allows us a few more calories than a higher carb diet, but only about 200 extra per day. Figure out your calorie range, and then as you move into Induction, you can figure out how many carbs a day you can eat, and things should move along more smoothly.

Hope this helps.

[Brook]

Originally Posted by anik2grls

I will definitely make these changes you suggest, but I'm curious about something -- if my sticks are positive for ketones in my system, doesn't that mean I'm burning fat? Right? So, why no change in weight?

You can gain weight while being in ketosis, just like you can lose it while not being in ketosis.

Follow not2late's suggestions and see how ya do.