NEWBIE here, Am I getting enough calories?

[onmyway76058]

Hi, I did Atkins 7 years ago, and lost 70lbs. Then, I fell off the wagon, and gained the 70lbs back and more.

I began Atkins Induction 2 days ago.
Today, I woke up feeling great! I have more energy, and I am finally free from all of my carb / sugar cravings! I am so excited.

I started an account with FitDay.com, which I love. My stats for fat / protein/ carbs is right where it should be.
My question is, my caloric intake is only ranging from 700 - 1000 calories a day. I'm not hungry. I feel satisfied. I would be happy staying in this range, especially if I could loose the weight faster.

However, I don't want to do this the wrong way and gain the weight back. Been there, done that.

During induction, do I really need to increase my calories, or am I ok? I could increase the calories when I move up to OWL...?

I plan to loose 150lbs, so I have a long way to go!

Thanks for your help!
I can't wait to get to know each of you. I wish I would have known about a support group like this when I did Atkins 7 years ago.

[shari_dawn]

I wish I could say that I knew the answer but I wanted to support you in going at it agian. I'm on day too, (again) just like you so we're in the same boat. I've got to sit down and reread the DANDR which you could do too, but I'm sure someone will come through for you and give you the correct information then we will both be better for it. Good Luck!

[onmyway76058]

Thanks for the kind words! I have to find my book! Good luck to you also!

[Georgiana]

Originally Posted by onmyway76058

My question is, my caloric intake is only ranging from 700 - 1000 calories a day. I'm not hungry. I feel satisfied. I would be happy staying in this range, especially if I could loose the weight faster.

During induction, do I really need to increase my calories, or am I ok? I could increase the calories when I move up to OWL...?

For someone who has 150 lbs to lose, your calories are very low. Eating at this level for a long time may slow down your metabolism, which is not something you want to happen.

I'm not sure how you want to increase your calories in OWL... For example, during OWL Rung 1 you should be adding 5 g net carbs of vegetables to your Induction menu, right? But this adds 20-30 more calories. So you would have to eat more protein and fat to increase your caloric intake more. I think experimenting with new foods and new carbohydrate levels is enough work for OWL---playing with new foods, carbs, calories, fat and protein will only complicate things for you.

You should also consider that your degree of metabolic resistance will be skewed if you eat 700-1000 calories per day, so that is one piece of info you'll miss when you move to OWL.

If you want you can post a few complete menus (with amounts for all foods) in the "Review My Menu" forum and then we can make suggestions starting from them.

[EverLosing]

I would caution you against eating so few calories. Eventually, that way of eating catches up with your metabolism and your losses will hit a wall. As someone who has explored the calorie tweaking road, I can tell you, this WOE does not always support low calorie eating, especially way too few calories. By support, I mean great results. Your body needs a minimum amount of calories for optimal results. I've never found that to be under 1,000 per day and not even below at least 1200-1500 per day. There are easy ways to increase your calories even if it's just adding coconut oil or butter to all your veggies. I have found I lose better when I keep my fat intake high and as long as calories are under 2000 per day for me, I continue to lose. I really just don't want you to mess up your metabolism. Once that happens, it's very difficult to correct it.

[Aways2Go]

In my opinion you would not lose faster, you'll lose slower over the long haul. Throw some mayo and olive oil and butter at that daily diet plan and get your calories up, LOL!

I know it seems counter to everything the media has drilled into us all for the past few decades, but trust that it works as evidenced by the success of folks on this board. I aim for no less than 1500 calories a day ever no matter how "not hungry" I feel. Easily fixed for me with a fried burger patty topped with some mayo, which I can always eat even if I'm not that hungry. I sure as *#&! don't need my metabolism to slow down anymore than it already has over the last 20 years! ;-)

Good luck, and I'm sure more advice is coming your way shortly.

[Georgiana]

Wow, this is an old thread. Unfortunately, I think the OP is not around anymore...

[Aways2Go]

oops, never noticed the date - oh well, maybe it will help someone else who reads it by accident like I did, LOL!

Now I'm wondering where or what made this pop up on the top of boards somewhere? I wasn't flipping through old pages...

oh well, no matter.

[Elizellen]

Originally Posted by Aways2Go

Now I'm wondering where or what made this pop up on the top of boards somewhere? I wasn't flipping through old pages...

You might have the 'Similar Threads' section at the top of the thread enabled, so it shows old threads that seem to have a similar subject to the current one.
It seems to work a bit wierdly and often shows threads that are nothing at all to do with the current one, so I have stopped it displaying by clicking on the upward-pointing double arrow to the right at the top.

[EveWasFramed]

Even though the OP may not be on the boards anymore, I still think this is a great topic. I am SO calorie conscious after doing Weight Watchers a number of times that I worry about eating 3 eggs for breakfast, and putting mayo in my tuna fish (I have been using mustard!) even though I know it's all part of the plan. I was very successful with Atkins 6 years ago, but I have had WW drilled into my head since then so it is so much harder for me to just embrace Atkins and know that it works than it was the first time around.