Having a hard time with induction - wife wants me off

[CalamityFrancis]

Hello all -

I'm on day 3 of induction and to be blunt, I feel like sh*t. I'm hungry, I'm weak and I have a pretty bad case of diarrhea.

My wife is very upset with how much fat I'm eating - the bacon, the steak, ranch dressing. She sees how miserable I am and wants to off this diet.

Has anyone else experienced this? If so, any advice will help.

I wouldn't say I have the induction flu I just feel very weak and hungry the whole time.

[Elizellen]

Maybe if you list your daily menus including quantities of all foods and any fat used in cooking etc someone can spot any likely problem foods?

[EverLosing]

There are probably many people who have had that problem. Everyone doesn't respond to induction the same way. I've been through it where it's been h*ll and I've been through it where it wasn't bad at all. Day 3, huh? Well, many people are still feeling like crap then. You may very well feel fantastic within another day or two. You haven't given it the time you need to adjust. Truly, I would sit down with the wife and tell her you committed to yourself you would finish induction. After all, we're talking 2 mere weeks here. Tell her, you intend to keep your commitment to yourself for two weeks and then, you can see where you stand. You're right at the edge of feeling more energetic than you can probably remember feeling since you were a child. I wouldn't sacrifice that for having to listen to a little jibber jabber from your wife who is probably just concerned about you and doesn't understand the science behind the diet as she's probably not read the book yet.

[imagood1]

you should NEVER be hungry on the Atkins plan -- like Elizellen said, post your food.

To answer your question I had bad diarreah and was weak for a few days when I first went through induction....it didn't last long but wasn't something I'd wish on a lot of people! I have read where a few other people have had it also.

[JulieB]

If you are hungry, eat something! You are not supposed to go hungry on this WOE. Along with a typical day's menu, including quantities, please post your stats - height, weight, age...

[super7]

remember, on induction you do not need to count calories, for first week if you feel hungry, have some fish, or steak. i was a sugar junkie (lots of stored glycogen) and it took me about 4-5 days before i noticed that i am getting less hungry.

1st 5 days is the hardest thing you will ever do on atkins, but once you do it, it gets easier.

[Georgiana]

Originally Posted by CalamityFrancis

I'm hungry,

Yep, you should eat when hungry. And as Elizellen said, please post a menu or two and then we can discuss based on those.

I'm weak

That's probably "Induction flu", as your body is not yet very efficient at getting its energy from fat instead of carbs. Things should get better pretty fast.

Another thing might be dehydration caused diarrhea. Make sure you drink plenty of water (pure water).

I have a pretty bad case of diarrhea.

This can be caused by several things:

• you are not used to this amount of fat, and the extra fat is causing you problems (fat can be used as a remedy for constipation, btw); if this is the case, then your body will adjust in a few days
• you are eating more dietary fiber then you did before starting Atkins; again your body will adjust in a few days
• you are consuming sugar alcohols; are you eating Atkins bars, sugar free candies, etc.?
• you are consuming artificial sweeteners your body can't deal with; are you consuming any artificial sweeteners, especially diet sodas?

If it's one of the last two, then you should ditch the sweets. If it's one of the first two, then your body will adjust and there's also something you can do about it. You need some soluble fiber to add bulk to the stool. Psyllium husks are about 70% soluble fiber and should help. The amount you need should be adjusted depending on how things evolve, but I would start with something like 2-3 tbsp per day, spread between meals. You need to mix a tbsp in a glass of water (don't take them dry!) and also drink an extra glass of water afterwards. Then you can go up or down from there, once you see how your body reacts to it.

[imagood1]

How are you doing now? I hope your body is adjusting.

[CalamityFrancis]

hello and thank you all for your help.

truth be told - i slipped last night and today and need to restart the process tomorrow. i was just feeling so shitty and being at a fourth of july party, I caved.

It starts new in the AM and now I hope I'll be more prepared for success with all of your help.

Thank you again,
CF

[stacy3477]

Good luck CF - we're here for you. My husband wasn't very supportive either. I caught him reading a couple of my ADBB posts the other day...I actually think that helped! Knowledge is the key! If you could convince her the read DANDR, or even a couple select chapters that might help too. And of course, when the pounds start coming off, I'm sure she'll be cheering you on!