It's been 2 weeks...need advice.

[cbrock008]

Hi,

First I would like to mention this is a great community-- after reading the forum for about a week, I purchased the latest book, read it and began induction 2 weeks ago.

In the 1st 2 weeks, I have lost 10 lbs, however I have seem to have stalled momentarily--I haven't dropped a pound in 4 days (I know I shouldn't weigh myself daily, but it helps with my intiative).

Is it possible that eating too few carbs can have an adverse effect? Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of salads so I've been eating a lot of chicken, hamburger, eggs, etc...I think I'm averaging about 5-8 carbs a day.

Also, I had been eating sugar free Jello and crystal lite with Aspertin (sp?) which I have now ceased...I have quit drinking all caffeine too.

I'm not struggling with the induction meals and I planned to continue for another couple of weeks--anyn suggestions to help increase weight loss?

Also, I have been very constipated and took some laxatives last night with very limited success. Any recommendations?

Thanks,

Chris

SW: 203
CW: 193
GW: 178

[ladyinred]

You need your 3 cups of veggies daily. Your body needs the carbs and the nutrients in them. That could be partly why you are stalled and constipated. Try new ones or try cooking them in different ways. They are a critical part of your eating plan.

Cutting out the aspertame and caffeine should help. Also, are you drinking lots of plain water? That is also essential to flush things out and keep you hydrated.

Are you exercising? If you are new to exercise then your muscles may be retaining water. It will go away soon. If you aren't exercising then you should as this is another key element of the plan.

Hope this helps. You've done great so far! 10 lbs. woo hoo!!

[cbrock008]

Thanks for the quick reply...

Yes, I have been drinking a lot of plain water--I used to jog about 3 times a week for about 2 miles, but I haven't in the past month or so...

Will a basic salad with lettuce and tomatos be sufficient for my veggies or should I add more?

Thanks!

[goin2Bgood]

You can have a basic salad but you'll be happier in the long run if you try other veggies and get to enjoy them too.

Also, a pause in weight loss is not uncommon around the 2 week mark. It'll start coming off again very soon.

[2big4mysize]

keep reading your DANDR stalls are 4 full weeks not days of no weight loss nor inches lost in chapter 15.
right now you are in what is know as a slight hesitation in scale weight loss very common at the 2 week mark of ANY weight loss program. your body for complicated biochem reasons is still shedding fat molecules from your fat cells but plumbing those tissues with fluids so you are getting smaller but not lighter. you are adding muscle mass which is good too so you can be shedding a pound of two of fat adding a pound or 2 of fluid weight and muscle mass and showing no change on the scales. BUT if you check your inches lost you will still see you are morphing your body shedding fat mass while adding the lean body mass working your Atkins.

since the scale frustrats you when it doesn't validate you hard work join the no weigh challenge and put it way for a while.

Happy low carbing.

[ladysiberian]

Throw the scales out! You're doing great and I think you should just sit back, relax, plan your meals, add some good carbs such as the especially good-for-you cruciferous vegetables, exercise, feel good, and you're going to drop those pounds absolutely. You're already off to a fabulous start, aren't you!

[cbrock008]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the support--I stopped the aspertame in my drinks and it appears my weightloss continues

I've dropped 14lbs in 3 full weeks...woohoo!

Thanks,

Chris

[DragonflyMoon]

That is awesome, Chris! Way to go!

[ValidRouge]

Chris,

Great Job! I'm going to chime in here about the veggetables.

There are 2 reasons most people on here get constipated:
1) not enough Fiber in the diet because of not eating enough veggies
2) not enough fluid in the digestive system because of not drinking enough water

Those same 2 reasons are why some people complain of leg cramps.

When you are constipated, your body is retaining all the food you eat in your bowels, so even if you lost fat, the food you ate shows on the scale. And, when you're not getting enough water the body will hold onto water and not shed it.
For both those reasons, you might not show a loss on the scale...and could possibly show a gain. Ugh.

Not to mention that those vegetables are FULL of vitamins and other nutrients your body needs. Have you ever tried raw red bell pepper with cream cheese????? Maybe we can tempt you with some of our yummy favorites?

[hypnogirl]

I used to LOVE brocolli with melted cheese. But, since I have been on Atkins I LOVE just the steamed brocolli...don't even need the cheese. I just crave the broccoli...Amazing, huh??
j.