Women's Weight Loss Support

[vee_9]

I just started Atkins on October 18th and saw a few women who are in the same boat as me (just starting the program). Since women's weight loss is generally slower, and our cravings are different, and you know, we really like to ***** and complain... I'm dedicating this thread to us!

[vee_9]

I haven't lost any weight in about three days. In fact, I'm back up to 169 lbs, so I'm down to a 4 lb weight loss.

I think maybe I need to be a little more careful about what I eat. I've been averaging about 30 carbs per day. My plan was to stick to between 30 and 40 carbs per day for two weeks, then start "induction" for two weeks. I thought maybe it would shock my body a little more than doing induction right away then going to ongoing weight loss.

I guess I should be happy about losing 4 lbs since the eighteenth. I mean, that's four lbs in six days. But I lost five in the first couple of days and then it stopped.

Dieting sucks. But I'm not giving up damnit!

I'm sticking to the diet for a week then incorporating some exercise. Anyone have any tips for exercise? I'd like to have a limit per week on how much I should walk, how many squats, pushups, etc, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what would be a good goal for each thing. I thought about running, but lets face it... running blows

Also... i drink quite a bit. I'm 25 and my friends really like going to the bars. I know Bacardi has no carbs, but is drinking okay?

[Georgiana]

Originally Posted by vee_9

I haven't lost any weight in about three days. In fact, I'm back up to 169 lbs, so I'm down to a 4 lb weight loss.

If you think 3 days is bad, what will you do when the scale stops moving for weeks? It is unreasonable to expect some weight loss every day.

I think maybe I need to be a little more careful about what I eat. I've been averaging about 30 carbs per day. My plan was to stick to between 30 and 40 carbs per day for two weeks, then start "induction" for two weeks. I thought maybe it would shock my body a little more than doing induction right away then going to ongoing weight loss.

Why do you believe this? Eating 30-40 carbs (net?) will only make your "real" Induction results smaller than if you had started directly with Induction.

Dieting sucks. But I'm not giving up damnit!

Dieting sucks indeed. "Dieting" implies something that happens for a short(ish) period of time, after which you go back to your "normal" way of eating. However, Atkins is not a diet; it is a way of eating for life.

Also... i drink quite a bit. I'm 25 and my friends really like going to the bars. I know Bacardi has no carbs, but is drinking okay?

I'm 21 and just because I have friends who like going to bars, it does not mean I must drink. If they want to drink, it's their business. Just as if I choose not to drink, it's strictly my business.

Alcohol is not allowed on Induction. It can be added back in OWL Rung 5.

[liv]

nice to meet you vee.
Although you have decided to explore a different path, I would recommend trying to do Atkins by the book. It works and it may help you. You can get to a higher carb number after a couple of weeks.

I love running But I think doing what you will enjoy is so much more important than doing what you think you should. Maybe you can join some of the challenges that are about to start at the end of the month. I find them great for motivation. I started exercise slow myself. Because I had not done any before.

[vee_9]

I should clarify that I'm not on atkins "yet"... I'm just doing low carb for now, so I haven't started the actual program yet, but I'm exploring it (which is why I'm here)

Low carb seems to be working for now though!

Pickle, cream cheese, and ham roll ups are my savior...

[liv]

Well that is fine. This board is all Atkins though so you will see us try to sell it all the time

[vee_9]

I plan on doing atkins, but for now I'm trying low carb.

Is everyone here on atkins?

[Georgiana]

Originally Posted by vee_9

Is everyone here on atkins?

I'd think so... since it's an Atkins BB.

[ziggy]

vee 9 theres many great effects by doing atkins by the book but you can look around and read these forums on how to do it right

many things you should learn like when ever you drink alcohal it completely stops your body from burning fat and switches it to burning alcohal

heres some info to help get induction started

around 20 carbohydrates a day or less not counting fiber


About amounts - the 2002 edition of DANDR states that we can have 2 cups of Salad Veggies and 1 cup of Other Veggies, or 3 cups of Salad Veggies... even if you pick veggies with very low carb counts, the 3 cups rule stays in effect for Induction.

Here is a list of the Acceptable foods:

Acceptable Foods

These are the foods you may eat liberally during Induction:
all fish, all fowl, all shellfish, all meat, all eggs

*Oysters and mussels are higher in carbs than other shellfish, so limit them to four ounces per day.

**Processed meats, such as ham, bacon, pepperoni, salami, hot dogs and other luncheon meats and some fish may be cured with added sugar and will contribute carbs. Try to avoid meat and fish products cured with nitrates, which are known carcinogens. Also beware of products that are not exclusively meat, fish or fowl, such as imitation fish, meatloaf and breaded foods. Finally, do not consume more than four ounces of organ meats a day.

OTHER FOODS THAT ARE ACCEPTABLE DURING INDUCTION

Cheese
You can consume three to four ounces daily of the following full-fat, firm, soft and semi-soft aged cheeses*, including:

cheddar
cow, sheep and goat cheese
cream cheese
Gouda
mozzarella
Roquefort and other blue cheeses
Swiss
*All cheeses have some carbohydrate content. The quantity you eat should be governed by that knowledge. The rule of thumb is to count 1 ounce of cheese as equivalent to 1 gram of carbohydrate. Note that cottage cheese, farmer's cheese and other fresh cheeses are not permitted during Induction. No "diet" cheese, cheese spreads or whey cheeses are permitted. Individuals with known yeast symptoms, dairy allergy or cheese intolerance must avoid cheese. Imitation cheese products are not allowed, except for soy or rice cheese but check the carbohydrate content.

Vegetables
You can have two to three cups per day of:

alfalfa sprouts
daikon
mushrooms
arugula
endive
parsley
bok choy
escarole
peppers
celery
fennel
radicchio
chicory
jicama
radishes
chives
lettuce
romaine lettuce
cucumber
moche
sorrel
These salad vegetables are high in phytonutrients and provide a good source of fiber.

Other Vegetables
You can have one cup per day of these veggies if salad does not exceed two cups. The following vegetables are slightly higher in carbohydrate content than the salad vegetables:

artichoke
celery root
pumpkin
artichoke hearts
rhubarb
asparagus
chard
sauerkraut
bamboo shoots
collard greens
scallions
dandelion
snow peas
bean sprouts
dandelion greens
spaghetti squash
beet greens
eggplant
spinach
broccoli
hearts of palm
string or wax beans
broccoli rabe
kale
summer squash
brussels
kohlrabi
tomato
bean sprouts
leeks
turnips
cabbage
okra
water chestnuts
cauliflower
onion
zucchini
If a vegetable, such as spinach or tomato, cooks down significantly, it must be measured raw so as not to underestimate its carb count.

Salad Garnishes

crumbled crisp bacon
grated cheese
minced hard-boiled egg
sauted mushrooms
sour cream

Spices
All spices to taste, but make sure none contain added sugar.

Herbs
basil
garlic
rosemary
cayenne pepper
ginger
sage
cilantro
oregano
tarragon
dill
pepper
thyme
For salad dressing, use oil and vinegar (but not balsamic vinegar, which contains sugar) or lemon juice and herbs and spices. Prepared salad dressings without added sugar and no more than two carbs per tablespoon serving are also fine.

Acceptable Fats and Oils
Many fats, especially certain oils, are essential to good nutrition. Olive oil is particularly valuable. All other vegetable oils are allowed, the best being canola, walnut, grapeseed, sesame, sunflower and safflower oils, especially if they are labeled "cold-pressed" or "expeller-pressed." Do not cook polyunsaturated oils, such as corn, soybean and sunflower oil, at high temperatures or allow to brown or smoke.

Butter is allowed. Margarine should be avoided, not because of its carbohydrate content, but because it is usually made of trans fats (hydrogenated oils), which are a serious health hazard. (Some nonhydrogenated margarines are available in health-food stores.)

You don't have to remove the skin and fat from meat or fowl. Salmon and other cold-water fish are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Remember that trying to do a low-fat version of the Atkins Nutritional ApproachTM will interfere with fat burning and derail your weight loss.

Artificial Sweeteners
You must determine which artificial sweeteners agree with you, but the following are allowed: sucralose (marketed as Splenda), saccharin, cyclamate and acesulfame-K. Natural sweeteners ending in the suffix "-ose," such as maltose, fructose, etc., should be avoided. However, certain sugar alcohols, such as maltitol, do not affect blood sugar and are acceptable.

Saccharin has been extensively studied, and harmful effects were produced in the lab when fed to rats only in extremely high doses. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has removed saccharin from its list of carcinogens, basing its decision upon a thorough review of the medical literature and the National Institute of Science's statement that there is "no clear association between saccharin and human cancer." It can be safely consumed in moderation, meaning no more than three packets a day. Saccharin is marketed as Sweet'n Low.

We discourage the use of aspartame (marketed as NutraSweet and Equal) because of clinical observations that it slows weight loss in certain individuals. The FDA has approved the herb stevia for use only as a supplement, not as a sweetener.

The Atkins preference, however, is sucralose (Splenda), the only sweetener made from sugar. Sucralose is safe, noncaloric and does not raise blood sugar. It has been used in Canada for years, and the FDA recently approved it after reviewing more than 100 studies conducted over the past 20 years. Note that each packet of sugar substitute contains about 1 gram of carbohydrate, so don't forget to include the amount in your daily totals.

Acceptable Beverages
Be sure to drink a minimum of eight eight-ounce glasses of water each day, including:

Filtered water
Mineral water
Spring water
Tap water
Additionally, you can have the following:

Clear broth/bouillon (not all brands; read the label)
Club soda
Cream, heavy or light (limit to two to three tablespoons a day; note carbohydrate content)
Decaffeinated coffee or tea*
Diet soda made with sucralose (Splenda); be sure to count the carbs
Essence-flavored seltzer (must say "no calories" and should not contain aspartame)
Herb tea (without barley or any fruit sugar added)
Lemon juice or lime juice (note that each contains 2.8 grams carbohydrate per ounce); limit to two to three tablespoons
*Excessive caffeine may cause unstable blood sugar and should be avoided by those who suspect they are caffeine dependent. Everyone should try to avoid caffeine. Grain beverages (coffee substitutes) are not allowed. Alcoholic beverages are also not permitted during Induction; those low in carbohydrates are an option, in moderation, in later phases.

Special Category Foods
To add variety, each day you can also eat 10 to 20 olives, half a small avocado, an ounce of sour cream or three ounces of unsweetened heavy cream, as well as two to three tablespoons of lemon juice or lime juice. But be aware that these foods occasionally slow down weight loss in some people, and may need to be avoided in the first two weeks. If you seem to be losing slowly, moderate your intake of these foods



also note the first week of your personal low carbing diet you will lose lots of water weight so if you then started atkins after loseing all that water weight and are thinking hey im not loseing weight as fast! remember the water weight is already lost and your just loseing fat now so dont judge it wrongfully xD

[vee_9]

six lbs down since I started on the 18th, whoop whoop!