What could I be doing wrong?

[Sonya Parker]

I have been on Induction for 9 days total, and havent moved an inch off the scale or bosy fat percentage-wise. I use Fitday to count carbs/calories etc. -I used to use it even before Atkins. I find that I am eating twice as many calories than I did previous to Atkins and thats possibly why Im just maintaining and not losing.
Heres a typical daily menu (yesterday).

Please tell me what I could be doing wrong?

Bkfast
4 thin strips bacon (0 carbs)
2 eggs (0carbs)
I slice Ham (0carbs)
1 teaspoon butter
2 oz mozarella cheese
1 cup decaff coffee


Lunch
1.75 cup romaine lettuce (1 carb)
.25 cup green onions and red peppers
1 can tuna (waterpacked) (0 carbs)
3 TB regular mayo
salt/pepper
4 black olives

Dinner
5 oz grilled rib steak
1 cup caesar salad
(I usually have 1 cup of veggies like broccoli, spinach etc.each day + 2 cups of salad vegs....but yesterday I had dinner at a restaurant and this seemed a better alternative as a starter)
2 oz mozarella

Fitday reads as follows
Fat 120 g 65%
Carb 16 g 3% (also add 2 pieces of sugarfree gum = 2 carb gms for
a total of 18
Protein 132g 32%
Total cals 1685

[Moochiecat]

I think you had the right idea when you thought you should maybe cut down on the cheese a bit. Take it down to 2 ounces a day and see what happens.

If after 2 weeks you haven't seen any change in your weight or inches, do as the book suggests and read Chapter 20 (page 259 in DANDR) about Metabolic Resistance.

Also, are you exercising? If you are exercising strenuously you may be building muscle, which is heavier than fat, and that could account for why the scale hasn't moved.

You're drinking the proper amounts of water?

Are you hungry between meals? If so snack on a protein/fat combo snack.

Stay away from the scale and the measuring tape till your two weeks are up, ok? Just do your thing, and check it all on day 15.
If things haven't changed at all, don't give up!! Read Chapter 20 and go from there. If you feel you are Metabolically Resistant, you can ask around in the Main Atkins forum for advice from others that are as well.
Try and be patient...I know that's not very comforting advice, but that's what you need to do.

[2big4mysize]

we need a little more info like how many pounds do you need to lose


were you dieting before you started Atkins? well obviously you were if you were eating 1/2 of that 1685 cals so you don't have the glycogen reserves stored in your body to shed when you started for that rapid induction loss virging dieters get.

What are you doing for your mandatory exercise part of Atkins is this a new to you program? if so your muscles will be holding water for a while until they know that the new program is their normal expected load and not some emergency strain you are under.

How much water are you drinking? water is very very improtant to weight loss. In the FAQ as soon as the links get fixes you can read all about it. You need to be drinking at least 64 ounces plus 8 more fluid ounces for every 25 pounds you need to lose and more if you are activey sweating. Bren our former admin broke her stall in 2003 just by adding more water to her program.

Also did you just eat all that food to eazt it cause you could or were you actually feeding your hunger at the time you were eating? on Atkins even though they use the word unlimited Dr Atkins caustions us several times in his Book DR ATKINS NEW DIET REVOLUTION 2002 version that unlimited isn't a license to gorge on those foods. Feed only your hunger and stop even if you have food on the plate, room in your belly or carbs inyour budget. When your hunger returns feed it again. Many new to Atkins folk seeing the news shows about Atkins think they can stuff on the proteins and fats as long as they limit the carbs and then wonder why it doesn't work for them.

Hand in there. Betty our current admin went all of induction 14 days with no loss of weight nor inches, but a yr later was a goalie.

Happy low carbing.

[lola101]

I don't think you are allowed to have sugar free gum!

[Sonya Parker]

I drink a minimum of 2 litres each day - nothing new - have been doing this for last 2 years.
I exercise both cardio and muscle conditioning (4X week) - also been doing this for 2 years. I weigh 132 lbs (5ft 4in) and want to lose 10-12 lbs.

Ive maintained my weight and I look okay but I want to lose another little bit. I was on a high-protein, low fat diet and moderately low carb (60-70g)diet. Ive realised it didnt work because of the hunger pangs which led to sugar indulgences every now and then.

As far as I can tell, Im doing ATKINS to the letter. Today is Day 9 and no change at all.

[2big4mysize]

with that small amount to lose you will be losing at a much slower scale number then somebody with a 100 pounds to go as each pound lost for you will be about 10th of your total weight needed to lose. When I started my weight loss that would have been 14 pounds for me.

Make friends with your tape measure as you are going to see inches of fat being shed as you morph your body. For every complicated biochem reasons the human body needs to maintain shape for the pressures on systems to stay constant. So as you shed fat molecules from your fat tissues your body will add water molecules. As water molecules are denser then fat you will see inches of you leaving even when the scales don't show any gravitational effect changes on your mass. When your body exceeds its individual tolerance for the biochem interferance the water causes your body will generate some water shedding chemicals and you will see a whoosh as we call it on the scales.

I'm curious as to your statments about your Atkins eating being twice your other caloric intake. What did your doctor say about that very very low caloric intake you were doing and what did your blood tests that you had before you started show? Usually very restricted diet plans likethat are done in a hospital setting under constant supervision. If you were defiecint in any vits or minerals you will need to build them up with supplements as Dr Atkins recommends in his chapters on that to asssit your body in metabolism.

Happy low carbing.

Happy low carbing.

[Sonya Parker]

Thanks for the advice - Im not too hung up on the scale really. I want to see inches and my clothes looser. I do have a tape measure that I use once a week. This morning it seemed my chest and waist were the same, my hips gained an inch. Yes......gained an inch.

I didnt weigh myself or measure myself all week just to wait for this morning. And I was so discouraged to see no weight change (not a biggie) but the inch gain made me shudder.

Is it possibel in any way to gain weight on this diet? are there instances when it may be wiser to stop this diet than to continue as most would suggest?

[Elizellen]

Originally Posted by Sonya Parker

Is it possibel in any way to gain weight on this diet? are there instances when it may be wiser to stop this diet than to continue as most would suggest?

I think that if you are already at a weight appropriate to your height and build, AND have been on a restricted lowcalorie diet already you may well put on weight as your body will be trying to build up reserves as it thinks that although you are feeding it more food at present you will soon be back to the starvation diet of half the calories again.
How tall are you and what is your current weight?

[Sonya Parker]

I am 5'4" and weigh 132 lbs currently. My weight is in the healthy range but my body fat % is 30%. That is the reason I started Atkins - to shed 10 lbs or so - tahts all.

IF what you are saying is true - that my body is gaining back the calories, then should i simply keep to the fat/carb/protein ratios of Atkins but cut back on portion sizes and therefore overall calories?

Im so frustrated......

[tickletussler]

Hi Sonya, please try not to take what I'm about to say as being harsh, because that's not my intention Also the advice you have been given so far, from the mods and esp 2big are excellent.

I have lost 20lbs and I would like to lose another 20. Many would say that my weight is fine for my height, but I would like to lose more because I have been 20lbs lighter not too long ago and because I feel I can still get more muscle on my body. When I first did Induction, I lost 6lbs and I wondered why I heard so many others losing much more than that. But 6lbs was more than 5-10% loss (which is the average % for most Atkineers). The first 20lbs came off relatively easily. These next 20 are not - I would be lucky to see a pound budge every few weeks (if not longer, and if I don't slip up)

IMO Atkins was created mainly for the overweight, to assist with weightloss, as well as change to healthier eating habits. That is why weight seems to come off easily at the beginning for most. But for some of us with not many pounds left to lose ie 10-20lbs, it takes much longer time to lose.
You read about Betty not losing during Induction at all.

If you did lose even 0.5-1lb, I would've been surprised. To lose 0.5lb would've been 5%, but as 10 pounds to lose isn't much, and I would've expected you to take longer than the first 2 weeks to lose the first 5% because you have only 10lbs to lose at what may be considered a "healthy weight" that you are starting at.
When I started Atkins, my BMI was 27 (overweight) and now it has dropped to 23. For you, at 5'4" and 132lbs, your BMI is 22.66 (healthy range is 18.5 to 24.9). To lose 10lbs or more it would put your BMI to 20.94 or less.

DANDR specifies that when we are 5-10lbs of goal weight, we are to move to pre-maintenance and to move weightloss so it's barely perceptible. So if you are starting Atkins with only 10lbs to lose and begin with Induction, you don't want to go and lose so quickly at the beginning with much to begin with, even though you may really want to.

Do you know one of our Canadian Atkineers took 10 months just to lose 10lbs and she ended up pretty skinny & healthy.

It seems that what you have been doing so far seems pretty much on track - you are exercising, you are watching your carbs, you are watching your calories... what's missing is a little patience, don't you think?

YOU WILL LOSE, just keep doing Atkins properly, and you will be guaranteed a weightloss!