I am new and very frustrated already

[ferdinand]

Okay its been two weeks. So I havn't followed a particular low carb diet, except to have ZERO carbs. (Well to treat myself I had popcorn last Sat. night)...that has been it!!

So after 7 days I caught the cold of all colds....I always get sick when I try to diet....and now after 14 days I way 190 pounds...I started out at 186.

I am doomed never to be small! When I eat salad, I bloat up like a balloon, and when I eat low carb I gain weight. When I eat regular, varied meals, I stay healthy and do not gain weight as long as I do not "over eat"!

Now how am I supposed to lose the gluteneous pounds and live a regular heathy life???

[tamarian]

Hi Ferdinand,

The initial period of any plan is meant to be followed strictly, with commitment so your body can adjust, and then you can evaluate if it works for you or not.

From what you said so far, you are not following any plan correctly, and expect results at the same time. You have listed several books that you have read. Was this long time ago? My advice would be to stop zero-carbing, and under-eating, spend some time re-educating yourself with the plan you like, and then follow it correctly for at least two weeks.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Wa'il

[agonycat]

With the outline you provided and without knowing exactly what you are consuming it is hard to tell what is going on.

However let me say that these diets are NOT zero carbs, low fat, nor starvation diet plans. They are NOT fast weight loss either.

Some questions for you:

Are you drinking 64oz of water a day plus 8oz for every 25 pounds you wish to lose?

Are you eating 10 to 12 times your body weight in calories to maintain the basic BMR?

Are you exercising on a regular basis?


I would highly recommend you re-read your book, because cutting down to zero carbs is telling me right off you missed some pages of basic information.

[tofi]

And when you have a virus (cold or flu) the body holds on to water so the scales show a rise. But you could be losing fat IF you eat the right number of GOOD LC carbs for whichever plan you choose. When the cold is gone, the water weight will leave too.

But you must be drinking the daily quarts of water or else your body WON"T let go of the extra water. The water also lets your kidneys do their job in flushing out the residue of the burned fat. If one doesn't drink enough water, the liver has to take over part of the job of the kidneys and that means that the liver won't be burning fat until you get enough water into your system.

There's excellent advice above - please do some reading and really stick with one plan. All the best.

BarB

[Kellycolle]

I hate HATE water, but when I don't see results I start drinking it like suggested in adkins and on all these forums and BAMM I lose a couple pounds in a week.
You really do need to pick a program, such as adkins, and stick with it. I tried it off and on and gained wt...sigh. And listen to the wonderful people that have been here for awhile, they will give good
advice and encourage you! You can do it!! Hugs Kelly :daze:

[ferdinand]

I am so very sad...really... I think this is the first time I have really been ready to loose weight...I mean really ready to work hard at it.

Thank you for helping...agonycat...etc. alas I have not lost anything worth talking about!...

I keep reading about people who lost 10 pounds in their first week....okay, i made mistakes but I REALLY tried to follow the diet properly.

I got so constipated - I thought that was why the scale showed nothing....
I was sick with bad cold ...maybe that was why...but alas NOTHING!!!

SO AM I DESTINED...?? I am afraid I am going to give up!!!

I will try more water, I wanted to wait to exercise, until I lost 10 pounds because I am afraid for my heart...

I am just so discouraged!!!

[ferdinand]

I should also mention...I thought my scale might be wrong so I bought a new one...lucky me...I GAINED...15 POUNDS JUST LIKE THAT...now I will try to change my profile.

[Raquel]

Hi Ferdinand! I'd like to comment on something that you said:

"I always get sick when I try to diet...."

It appears your immune system is somewhat compromised and your going to the extreme of ZERO CARBS is being perceived by your body as STRESS. It is really impossible to lose weight when under stress as the adrenal hormones secreted will oppose weight loss.

Besides, when we are overweight we tend to look at it as simply an excess of pounds when the reality is that we are really not completely healthy. The longer we have been eating improperly the more damage we have done to our bodies and we need to look at our change of eating not as a "quick fix" but as a way to aid our body to HEAL the damage that years of incorrect eating have caused. My advice to you, as a nutrition "buff" and future student, is that you only eat foods as close to their natural state as possible, avoid processed, chemical-laden ones, stimulants, damaged fats (as in fried, packaged foods, margarine, etc.), drink plenty of purified water, and get yourself some good supplements as the ones suggested by Dr. Atkins in his book.

Insofar as exercise is concerned, you can start by walking a couple of blocks if that's all you can handle, it will actually benefit your heart, and gradually just add a bit more distance. When you have sufficient energy then you can move on to weight lifting, which you can start with very light weights and still benefit greatly from it without straining yourself.

And finally, NO, YOU'RE NOT DESTINED TO BE FAT, just be patient, you're not alone. I'm stuck right now myself, but I'm not quitting!

Best wishes,
Raquel

[mcavana]

you gotta change your attitude dude. Sounds to me like you are just sitting there, feeling pathetic, wondering what to do. The answer is simple. go to the book store and actually read one of the books. Find inspiration from somewhere. for me it was having a brand new baby to take care of. I want to live long enough to enjoy retirement. I want to live long enough to enjoy my grandchildren in 25 years. If there is one thing in your life that deserves 100% effort, this is it. Cut the crap, stop trying to do things your own way as it obviously does not work. spend the 10 bucks it costs for the book, and read it. I personally recommend Atkins, just because that one seems to be the easiest. You can do this, but only if you focus your efforts. right now you are not helping yourself at all. Read a book.

[ferdinand]

Thanks for your replies....Mcavana and Rachel.

Yes it makes sense to me that my body is really rebelling against this diet. This rings true to me because I did see a nutritionist a while back (when I could still afford it prior to 9/11) and he had me taking adrenal support medication. That may tell all. I sure do hope so. I will try to stick to it!

and Mcavan...you probably said it like it is....dude....I do have this problem of what my psychie seems to control....I have trouble conforming to strick regimentation - even to the point of following a diet....yes or no I seem to try to "do it my way".....alas....I thought that I was being as good as possible this past week at least!

The ketostix measure at one down from purple, so I must be doing something right and hopefully it will show up soon. I am so trying not to get discouraged and this forum is helping me oh so much.

I have a querie now.... (I have read so many books really)....

At one time I bought the book "Eat Right For Your Blood Type". The Nutrionist suggested I follow that plan. It is almost diabolically opposite to the Low Carb Atkins type approach. Now who is right? I figure if meat etc. is so bad for me, being fat is also, so I might as well go for the plan that I prefer, and risk my health (maybe yes? maybe no?) and try to loose weight. Being fat is just as bad as you said!

(Feeling a bit better today....thanks for your responses!)

[Raquel]

I've read that book a couple of times and the last one, "Live R4YT" and I don't think they are incompatible with Atkins. Are you a blood type A, by any chance? That's the group that has trouble digesting red meat but there are still other alternatives for you and supplements to take to counter the negative effect of the foods that have the "bad" lectins. I'm type O and I try to incorporate as much of that plan into the Atkins as I can. For instance, when I read that wheat and corn were not good for me, I remembered that every time I was on Atkins which is grain-free, the puffiness on my face would go away within 48 hours as well as heartburn and other symptoms, so even when I was not on Atkins, I decided to give grains up.

True, some of the advice seemed conflicting but even Dr. D'Adamo admits he doesn't have all the answer, some of his advice changed in his 2nd book. He's said that if one sticks to the plan about 80% of the time that's VERY good. There was a time in which I felt that everything I liked I wasn't supposed to eat and became depressed about it. Today, I've recovered my sanity and remembered that the key word about a HAPPY LIFE, in general, is BALANCE. If we had really eaten in a balanced way, we wouldn't be where we are today. So first we have to heal ourselves, which means a little sacrifice, later hopefully we can be a little more flexible.

Again, Ferdinand, your emphasis must be on restoring health. Adequate weight cannot really be attained unless the body is functioning properly. So, I would follow the ER4YTP as much as possible but that doesn't mean you have to live on carbs only, especially the BAD refined ones.

[ferdinand]

Hi Raquel:

Thanks for taking the time to respond to me.

Yes I can see that you are an ardent reader. You may be right on the compatibility of both programs, yet I find that it would be nearly impossible for me to try to incorporate them.

I see that you have lost a lot of pounds in a short while and compared to me you do not have as much to loose....I am envious and a pessimist - me thinks!

Funny thing. I did it...my daughter showed up with my grandchildren and hot chocolate chip cookies. They stary for lunch and I made toasted tomatoe sandwiches for hubby, son, et al and I succombed again - I had a toasted tomatoe sandwich too!

So I broke the diet. I have lost one single pound anyway, so perhaps the shock will change my weight loss (wishful thinking probably). So here's the funny thing - opposed to what Dr. Adamo says, I have been burping tomatoe and the 7 grain bread for the past few hours now. I do NOT get indigestion "at all" with the high fat, high protein, red meat menue.

Yes I am an "A" but my body does not act like one. I am going to re-read and see if I can do some of the plan and like to say - gear towards healthy, which is my ultimate goal.

I read somewhere that I may be short on the potassium, magnesium, and calcium minerals...which is why I am also so tired. Maybe my body needs to be much healthier before it is willing to let go of some of my fat!

I am back to "being good" as of right now....lots of water to flush my system, and caesar salad for dinner.

Actually I fell smaller and I am surely not as bloated as I first was. I think the constipation and fresh greens really shocked my system.

So - thanks - friend, I appreciate you answer. Do keep in touch, I am finding this forum, this site has helped me stay with it much better than anything I have ever tried before - especially the Weight Watcher type thing. I feel so exposed and angry there. After all I am not as bad as they are, Ha Ha Ha
- jokes on me right?

[Raquel]

Well, Ferdinand, I broke the diet too. I actually got off it for two days, rather on purpose though.

I suffer from insomnia and last Wednesday was a very BAD day for me, after taking a tranquilizer I went to sleep at a time when most people are taking their morning break. As a result, I woke up when the sun was going down, which made me feel very depressed, :tears: instead of making progress I was having a setback. I haven't been able to work for almost 2 years thanks in part to that. Wednesday is my weigh-in day, and last week I avoided it as I could tell I had not lost anything, not even a fraction of an inch. I've been on a stall for several weeks. The ironic thing is that I really didn't start out on Induction (I was so busy just trying to stay sugar free) yet lost 5 lbs. the first week. The minute cut back to follow Induction, my loss slowed down and I lost 2lb. in the next to weeks and then nothing. I'm hypothyroid and I read that eating too LC slows the metabolism even more, so I decided to add a few more carbs but then found I'd gained back 2 lbs.! I was so :mad: I went and had a light beer and orange flavored dark chocolate that night.

I justified myself with the thought that I had to boost my brain's level of serotonin so I could snap out of the funk long enough to do some rational thinking. It worked, I decided to come to the forums and read about other people like me, and felt better after a while and determined not to quit, just to take the next day "off". Yesterday I went back to LC without any trouble. I even resisted rice and beans which a friend I was visiting offered to me very insistently, I politely yet very firmly declined and said I'd be glad to eat the salad; later I had an Atkins shake I'd brought with me.

Maybe it's true I have "little" to lose but I've been trying to get back to a more normal weight for me for 6 years without any success. Back in '97 i got down to 127 for a short while, since then the lowest I've been was 131 last year, couldn't stay on LC and gained it all back. I began feeling just like you that I would never be thin again. For a person who used to be UNDERWEIGHT as a teenager and actually had to struggle to KEEP a weight gain as a young adult, it just doesn't feel natural to be "chunky". And everytime I read stories of people losing 100 lbs. or more I felt like a complete failure because I couldn't even lose 20. I began to understand how the really heavy feel and greatly admire anyone who's had the courage to stick to a long-term weightloss plan in order to reach goal.

This year I know I will eventually reach goal because I'm doing this to be healthier too (my b/p, tryglycerides, cholesterol, and glucose were climbing) not just to look better and all I ask is that I get there by my next birthday in Sept.

Now, about you burping the tomato and grain bread, that is because grains and tomatoes are not a really good combination, especially for the sensitive. I've had that problem on an off, in fact grains were giving me quite a bit of trouble.

Make sure you eat enough protein, did you have any with your salad? You should do fine with most kinds of fish and chicken I think, and if you don't get indigestion when eating red meat, go ahead and eat it a couple of times a week.

Well, let's try to be really good this weekend, OK? Bye now! :roll:

[ferdinand]

HI RAQUEL ET AL:

THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY. I HAVE TO APOLOGIZE FOR MY "ATTITUDE". I AM SORRY TO NEGATE YOUR WEIGHT CHALLENGE.

I DO REALIZE THAT NO MATTER HOW MUCH ONE HAS TO LOSE, IT IS STILL HARD, AND IF YOU ARE A CARB ADDICT IT IS STILL HARDER. AN ADDICT IS JUST THAT...SO I AM SORRY FOR MY COMPLACENCY.

I HAVE BEEN TRYING REAL HARD TO FOLLOW ATKINS. I HAVE MADE SOME MISTAKES WHICH HAVE PROBABLY "DONE ME IN". I WAS HAPPILY EATING BACK BACON...THEN SUDDENLY :idea: MY BRAIN KICKED IN AND I SAW THE CORNMEAL ON THE OUTSIDE. NOW I TAKE IT OFF!.

I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION...EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT THE "INDUCTION"...I HAVE THE BOOK " DR. ATKINS' DIET REVOLUTION". I CANNOT FIND ANYTHING IN THERE ABOUT AN INDUCTION DIET. I FOLLOWED THE 1ST LEVEL. INSTEAD. AM I MISSING IT?

BYE THE WAY..I HAVE DECIDED TO HAVE A WEIGH IN DAY (LIKE YOU). JUMPING ON AND OFF EVERYDAY WOULD AFFECT MY MOOD WAY TOO MUCH.

IT HAS BEEN SNOWING LIKE CRAZY HERE AND I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET OUT TO WALK..SO WE ARE BUYING A TREADMILL REALLY SOON. I WILL START THE EXERCISING WITH THAT.

I AM PROUD TO TELL YOU THAT I AM DRINKING WATER LIKE A FISH!!

:wave:

[wbahn]

You probably should beg, borrow or steal the latest version of the book - DANDR - Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution. There are some significant changes reflecting a lot more experience with a lot more patients.

I haven't read the prior books, so I am going off what a lot of others have said. I wouldn't be surprised to find that your "Level One" is now called "Induction" with some tweaks - but my understanding is that the tweaks are important.

Happy reading.

[Jonee]

Ferdinand,
Do not beat yourself up about your "bad attitude". It is perfectly normal and many of us have been there. I understand your frustration because you sound as though you were psyched to really commit yourself this time! When we feel that we are committed, and think we are doing all the right things, and then to be disappointed is devastating. Listen to all the good advice you have been given here and never be afraid to vent your frustrations or bad feelings--because someone here is going to pick you up and keep you going. Don't ever feel as though anyone is going to judge you unfairly. What you DO have to do is read all the forums you can, especially the newbies and turtle club(they were a big help to me) where you will see that there are many others who are going thru the same thing!! You are not alone and you are not a failure. But you have to be disciplined, or else all the hard work you do (and LC IS hard work) will be a waste of your time. It is so much harder to start over after falling off than it is to just stay focused. Some days are going to be very difficult---you want just a little extra treat--but if you say no to yourself, you will MENTALLY feel so proud and that is half the ticket! Some of us(myself included, after a period of stalling) have tried for one day to up our carbs to shock our systems(add extra veggies, etc or even "cheat" by adding a high carb veggie or fruit). I cheated by eating beef stew(w/potatoes and carrots and then rice chex for breakfast the next day) and the following day lost my first 3 lbs. Do not do this until you are confident that your carb addiction is under control, but it is something to look forward to and can be tried maybe once a month after that as long as your cheat isn't chocolate cake!! Did you try fitday.com yet? It is a great site where you can enter all your daily food intake and it will add your cal, carbs, protein, etc. for you. It is a great way to guide you to stay within your daily restrictions. Well, I have rambled enough. Good luck and keep your spirits up--remember, you are doing this for YOU--as we all are- and we will keep each other going!!! Keep in touch :wave:

Jonee

[Schwarz]

Hey Ferdinand:

If you like reading, why don't you get some of Dr. Atkins other books he's got out on health & nutrition (maybe through your local library). I've done this & have especially appreciated the education from his books, especially the 'Dr. Atkins' Age Defying Diet Revolution' and 'Dr. Atkins' Nutrition Breakthough' (I may not have the titles 100% correct, but your library can help you out). Also, a book titled 'Solved: the Riddle of Illness' by Langer (?) & Jeffrey (?), had some very enlightening info that helped me understand myself & gave some direction that I could seek out.

You talked about constipation? Do you eat cheese? It's deadly for constipating a person. Do you take in fibre (ie: sugar free Metamucil, etc)? If you do but don't drink enough water, it'll bung you up too.

Hang in there, Ferd! Instead of looking at your failures negatively, look at them as an education. You're educating yourself about your unique body chemistry. How does that saying go? "...One failure teaches more than 10 successes" (something like that). Think of all the things you are learning during this adventure! ...and think of all we can learn from you in the meantime too. :thup:

[ferdinand]

HI FOLKS:

Just in case you regulars have wondered "whatever happened to Ferdinand"? Here I am.

I am making a sort of confession. I had started the Aitkin's diet on February 1st...and sent a few very discouraged messages. I was not off to a good start at all.

Some of you lectured me...I needed that.
Some of you advised me...I needed that.
All of you support me...and I REALLY needed that.

So I THANK YOU!

I AM SO HAPPY TO REPORT THAT I THINK I HAVE GO "MY ACT TOGETHER!!"
I have lost 9 pounds (in the 4 weeks) but more than that I have kept my resolve and I feel that I can and will tackle this weight problem once and for all.

At first I did everthing wrong. I have since bought the latest version of Dr. Aitkens..and I am reading it.

Thanks everyone...I can't tell you how pleased I am.

Ferd.

[wbahn]

ALRIGHT!!! :cheer: :cheer: :cheer:

It can certainly take some time to really get your mind, your brain, your emotions and your body all on the same page. I know I am still working on it (but making progress every day). Far too many people quit before making it there.

Keep at it.

[ferdinand]

wbahn:

You were one of the folks who really got me thinking. Please allow me to tell you why...

I don't mean to be mean in anyway...but I identified with you because of what you said, but also because of your picture and profile.

I get a bit shall I say "snobby" when I see folks trying to loose a little bit of 10 pounds. I know I have to deal with that one...because I couldn't even loose those ten pounds myself for the last say 20 years!! - Jokes on me.

I thank you for your eager participation. I feel that I am right there with you and wish you all the best.

If there is one thing I think I have FINALLY figured out...is that in order to be slim, and more importantly HEALTHIER...I have to change my eating habits for life...till the end of my days...which I hope will come later than sooner now!!!

Thank for your support and back at ya!

Ferd.back at ya!

[wbahn]

You're not being mean at all - it's quite natural to have a hard time relating to someone that is only trying to lose a handful of pounds. What we have to remember, of course, is that if that person is on this forum then those handful of pounds are probably being about as stubborn as your 60 pounds or so and my 200 pounds or so.

It is also hard to not get depressed when you see that minority of folks that are sailing at 20, 30 or 40 pounds in just a month or two - especially when some of them already weigh a lot less then you do. On the one hand you're a bit jealous. On the other hand you are hopeful that maybe you can achieve similar results. And on the gripping hand you get bummed because it highlights how slow you appear to be going.

All that is natural and takes a lot of effort to come to terms with and place in the proper, healthy perspective. I'm not there yet. I doubt I will ever truly be there. But I am a lot closer than I used to be and am at least comfortable with it (most of the time).

You are absolutely, 100% correct about the need to make permanent changes in your diet. That's another one of those things that few of us probably entered into this with any real intentions of doing - at least not beyond the lip service we have paid to similar pronouncements in any of the other myriad of diets we have attempted. But that is where LC is so different. It really does reveal a sustainable, permanent WOL to us that actually grows on you more and more the longer you go. I'm only now finishing six weeks and I'm already convinced that I can make this a permanent WOL without much difficulty at all.

[Raquel]

Just dropping by to say "Hi" and tell you I didn't think you were mean being a little envious of us who have less to lose, the thing is like WBHAN said, my "few" lbs. are DEFINITELY STUBBORN and I know if I stopped trying they'd keep adding on because that's the "evil" tendency of our bodies, to store more fat! I'm guilty of a reverse kind of "mean", sometimes I've tried comforting myself thinking "Well, at least I don't need to lose 100 lbs. :( , fact stands, I haven't been able to stick to LC more than a couple of months at a time so I never reached goal, so as you like to say, "joke's on me". Again, as WBHAN said, we're here looking for encouragement and support as well.

After my initial loss which I believe was mostly water, I regained 2 lbs. When I broke the diet and "came back" I lost 1 lb. after 5 days but I haven't been too good at drinking all my water, counting carbs, or eating regularly to avoid the cravings that come with feeling starved. I have been under a lot of stress the past few days, the insomnia I've been afflicted with for 18 months now is at its worth and I feel pretty depressed. Yesterday I checked my b/p at one of those supermarket machines and it was a little high at 140/85 so I worried about it even though I know it's the stress. So for now, I just feel "ahead of the game" as long as I'm still LCing as in the past I always fell off the wagon while under too much stress.

So, I for one, feel very grateful that these forums exist :D "

[ferdinand]

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF A REVERSE SNOB?...maybe that is me huh?

Don't you just wanna turn inside out when you are out somewhere...with your slim friends. You have been enjoying the nibbles offered pre dinner - well actually you emptied the plate. Your friend had 2!.

Then when it is meal time the friend says..."not too much for me - I ate so many hor'derves". I'm thinking give me her share, I'm still hungry and you (my host - also slim) serve such tiny portions!. (Maybe I won't have to stop off at a restaurant on the way home!)

OR...you are out with friends... someone suggests that we stop somewhere to eat and the skinny one says..."Oh not me, I just ate"...Yeah, when was that...last week?

I so often find when I am with my "so-called friends" and then especially my family, the topis always comes to eating habits. "Well I do this, I do that".

Welll thanks a lot folks, but I already know what to do, I could probably write the next book! I just have not had success. "And I am sorry...I am not anal, like you my dear "friends, and family"...I know how to live...and I would rather die happy than be skinny, shallow people like you!"

OKAY - who am I kidding. I know my friends like me, I know they are trying to help in their way, I know that they probably really are full and have a much better willpower than me.

BUT - now I am going to show them. (not to mention me too)...and I will be one of them some day....giving advice to my "fat" friends.

Why is so easy to judge others? I need to work on that one.

That is why this forum idea is so good. Just writing this stuff down had been cathartic for me! I really do get a lot of guidance from other's wisdoms.

So I will stop rambling on now!

So long - I am going to bed...reading more of my new book by Aitkins.

[ferdinand]

Well folks....you all have been so supportive and informative...and you have inspired me to read and learn and do things "right" before I can feel discouraged again..

Now here is the good news....I just came back from the after hours clinic...I am on antibiotics...I seem to have a KIDNEY infection.

Now tell me that I not not worried. I went and bought Aitkins new book. He says in there that his diet will not affect kidneys (as reputed) unless the kidney is in bad shape in the first place.

I have lost weight, in the four weeks - 8 or 9 pounds, but was looking forward to following the induction diet (now that I know it & gee I was reading an old book! before!) ---- following the induction diet strictly.

I am really good at drinking my water! and guess what I bought a tread mill and was going to start tomorrow. My fever is to high to be tryin' that.

So now what? Do I give up the high protein? Doc says I may be on my way to having a kidney stone, if this is not a justified simple (ha! ha!) infection.

I would rather not be taking antibiotics. Cannot drink lost of black cherry juice, cause it is full of sugar. And I am so blocked up again that my stomach is bloated to the point of being uncomfortable.

What's up with me anyway? I am so tired still - and not vitalized like the story says...

I could just decide to forget it, except that :confused: :confused: