Not one pound

[marinda]

I started LC on Sunday. I got on the scale today and I hadn't lost not one pound. The only thing that I have been eating is turkey bacon and eggs for breakfast lunch and dinner. I only drink diet sodas. I got depressed after I got of the scale and ate a bag of cheese curls :thdown: What am I doing wrong? I also walk 1 mile per day. I am not ready to give up yet :help: :help: :help: :help: :help: :help: :help: :help:

[ppuffy3859]

Don't give up! Are you drinking tons of water? A lot of people can't have diet soda/sweeteners/other fake sweet stuff during induction because it will stall them out. I would try replacing the sodas with water. Also, just hang in there-sometimes it seems like it takes for-e-ver for the scale to move, and just when you're ready to take a sledgehammer to the dang thing, you have what's called a "whoosh"-a significant drop in pounds on the scale. Also, remember the Atkins motto-"Weigh seldom, measure often". You may not always see your progress on the scale, but you may very well be getting smaller. I am a scale-o-holic and tend to get really bummed when I don't see the results there, but I talk myself down and remember to be patient and wait for the whoosh. Hope that helps. Hang in there! :wave:

[marinda]

I haven't been drinking alot of water. Although thats all I will be drinking from now on. I want this so bad :) I am just sick and tired of being 300+pounds.

[rightnow]

If you were not eating low carb, and then you have begun eating lowcarb, your first ten days should see at least a good water-glycose drop in weight; at your weight, probably about 15-20 lbs.

If you are not dropping water weight after about a week, then there is something wrong (maybe massive salt or something).

However, when I rebegan LC in late May, I went 4 or 5 days without losing a single pound, and then spent half a day running to the bathroom to pee and ended up like 14.5 lighter the next day. You need to give it a little more time, and don't forget to drink water.

[diemde]

:bhug: I'm sorry you haven't yet started reaping the reward, but don't lose faith! It will happen.

There are a few things that could be causing it. Is there a high level of sodium in the bacon? If so, that can cause you to hold onto more water than normal. If you drink a lot of water that will help combat the extra sodium.

Also, were you doing any walking before you started lc'ing? If not, then are your legs sore from the walking? Sore muscles also hold water and are an indicator that you are doing well with the exercise. However, if you are sore, then rest a day between the walks to let the muscles heal.

Also, on the whole cheetoh's thing... if you are at the point where you are so frustrated that you are ready to give up, then I would suggest you consider changing something. I don't follow a particular plan, but just try to eat low carb foods that are healthy. I've learned that we each have to tweak our way of eating to be able to stick with it. For those of us in the TDC, we are in here for the long haul. Rather than give up, add some other foods into your meals, like cucumbers or other fresh veggies that you like.

Let us know how it goes the next few days.

[Kandra]

Oh, I can relate to what you're feeling. I'm REALLY slow at losing, too. I agree with Dianne, the bacan could be causing it as well as new exercise/water gain. Also be sure to measure yourself b/c muscles weigh more than fat, so you could actually be losing inches. I also agree with Dianne about the veggies. They'll help keep things moving and you need the nutrients in them.
Hang in there!

[tmatrocks]

Beware of:

1) sodium - can cause a stall
2) aspartame/sucralose - can cause a stall

Or inhibit weight loss - everyone is different. You might try avoiding these things and see what happens?

And up the fat - that could really give you a kick start!

[lenjoe]

First off, don't give up on this, you have a long, healthy life ahead of you. I think you'll have great success with LCing if you want. In my own experience so far, which has been a little successful, I stay away from the scale. I think it is easier on me to stay away from the scale. I would put it away for a month if I'm you. I would minimize use of processed meat. Throw away anything that is cheese curls, or similar junk food. Clean out the house. Don't buy anymore junk and turn the other way if someone offers you some. Exercise is good. The most important thing is to fix your eating habits right now.

[diemde]

And up the fat - that could really give you a kick start!
Just wanted to comment that the OP is on kimkins, so increasing the fat isn't part of her plan. Since I don't follow a particular plan, I always have to look at what plan people are on when advising them about foods. In this case, I probably wouldn't increase fat, but increase low carb/low fat veggies that are low in calories. The reason I suggested cucumbers is because they fit that criteria and they are crunchy. That crunch can really help when you are first getting started and are going through withdrawals from chips and such.

[molmerlin]

Why kimkins instead of atkins? Just curious on that piece

You have GOT to get some different foods into your eating plan!!!Look at some of the different threads and journals, to get an idea about your choices. You will bore yourself senseless with such a limited selection.

Clean out your cabinets, make the commitment! Buy rotisserie chicken at the grocery store. Usually when I get home, after I put the groceries away, I pull the meat off the chicken, and eat some of that, and use the rest to make chicken salad: mayo, sf relish, dill,celery. Put that in the fridge, and it makes a great snack, and ice cold chicken salad is FABULOUS for breakfast. Deviled eggs, another GREAT choice for something to snack on, I put mayo, brown mustard and sf relish in mine. You are way to early in the woe to be bored with foods, cause there really are a ton of choices.
Get a journal going, and post EVERYTHING you eat or drink, and keep coming back here!

[marinda]

I really don't have a plan. I am just LCing. I have read up on both Kimkins and Atkins. I will add more foods to my list. Thanks for the advice.

[kathleen24]

I agree with the wisdom offered above, and also offer my support and encouragement.

Another thing that can cause the body to not want to drop is stress. I've been in situations where I KNEW I should be dropping like crazy, and nada--but as soon as the stress resolved I'd drop a lot in a few days. Why that might be I do not know, but I think I've seen mention of that with others . . .

[drmom]

I just want to chime in, you are worth doing this. All the suggestions above work sometimes and we are worth the effort! You go girl! :cheer:

[katwoman]

I don't have any additional words of wisdom to offer--but wanted to chime in with my support. Don't give up, you can do this and you are worth the effort!

Pam

[Calianna]

I have to agree with several points above:

Turkey bacon would be likely to be fairly high in sodium, a big water retention factor.

Some people have serious problems with artificial sweeteners, like in diet drinks. Also, I've personally had water retention issues with just the small amount of sodium in my "flavored waters" - some of us are unusually sensitive to it.

Then there's the matter of stress, whether it's self-induced by your high expectations for a huge whoosh your first few days, or some outside influence. (Right now, my stressors are intense, but unavoidable, much as I'd like to live in complete denial, so my weight has been fluctuating within a 5-lb range for the last 6 months or so - but I"m ok with that! At least I'm not *gaining*!)

Exercise can also certainly cause water weight gain, as your muscles retain water to help with muscle repair and growth.

Please find a few more legal foods to eat other than eggs and bacon. Chicken, turkey, beef, fish and other seafood - all good choices, in the many various cuts and types available, although you'll want to use unprocessed meats as much as possible, because deli meats are not only quite salty most of the time, but also are often laced with sugars.

If you're not eating any green veggies, you could also add a salad - romaine is a good choice, with some low carb crunchy veggies if you like. Be sure to use some dressing, but watch carefully - a dressing low in fat will most likely be very high in carbs. Good choices can include such full fat dressings as blue cheese, ranch, and creamy caesar (my personal favorite!:yum: )

There are other low carb veggies you can eat too, such as asparagus, broccoi, snow peas, etc, and a whole plethora of leafy greans, such as spinach, kale and chard. Don't be afraid to add some butter or olive oil to them! Most low carb plans work best with plenty of fat in the diet. (Kimkins being the most notable exception - but I don't think I'd start out with Kimkins, only reduce fat so drastically as a last resort)

Finally, give it some time. I know I've read introductory posts in TDC by those who lost nothing at all the first couple weeks or so, but then whoosh, they finally made up for it.

Try to be patient. We're in this for the long haul - it's not a diet, just to get rid of a few pounds, then go back to "normal" eating patterns. The idea is for this to permanently become our normal eating pattern, so that we can live healthy lives for as many years as the Good Lord gives us. :)

[doobie]

Maybe try picking a specific plan instead of just winging it?

[foxgluvs]

Some people just don't do well on ultra low carb - just a thought! If you get to the point where you wanna give up - maybe you should read the South Beach plan or another plan which you can eat veggies on (Atkins even if you want to eat a high quantity of meat)
You can lose weight if you find the right plan for you, but it might take a bit of perseverance on your behalf before you hit that perfect plan for you.

Good luck!

[Scented1]

hang in there!! how you doing today??

((((((((HUGS)))))))))

Rach

[marinda]

I want BREAD. How do you all do it? my head has been hurting for the past 2 days whats up with that?

[rightnow]

No idea. You may have some undiagnosed food allergies or something. But I can also tell you that it has sometimes taken me 10-12 days to get fully out of "detox" for LC and into an energetic, decent feeling ketosis. What exactly are you eating? What kind of supplements are you taking? it's hard for people to comment when there's a sort of vacuum of info about those things.

[deborah c]

What about bread? ---- I don't eat it! Eight months now - no bread, no pasta, no rice, and wait here it comes.........no COOKIES or CAKE or donuts or chips. It can be done (I'm a recovering sugar and junk food addict). It takes time to reset your body and your mind. The headaches may be withdrawal? Take it a day at a time (or hour/minute) it will get better, no pain no gain stuff here. You WILL see the fat melt off in induction eat those eggs (my best friend) eat those chicken wings (not fried) throw in a handful of almonds and when your at your goal fruit becomes the new sweet of choice. The cravings can drive you crazy but after you re-set your system these will reseed to the background and not rule your life anymore. Wishing you all the best on your journey!

[doobie]

I had terrible headaches intermittantly for the first two weeks of Induction. I think it's probably the withdrawals. If you can get through the first week, you won't have to worry about that again, though!

Hang in there, you can do it!

[c_cat]

I don't mean to provide the easy way out here - but there are a couple easy(ish) solutions to the headaches and fatigue.

1. Apparently (and I missed this in the book but I've read it here often enough), Dr. A recommended that you up the carbs a little if you're having terrible headaches. And when you "up carbs a little" it's only through a little bit more vegetables.

I really couldn't take option number 1 - as I still had little control in the beginning, and it was important to me to keep my eating the same. Option number 2 - which is what I did - is probably totally impure and ruining whatever youre "supposed to go through" - but I couldn't have survived without.

2. Excedrin Migraine. It's got pain reliever, and it's got caffeine which will help with fatigue and headaches. There were some very early times in this way of eating I considered Excedrin Migraine some sort of miracle. (I've always been an Advil gal - but this is a different sort of pain/fatigue).

Now, one of the reasons you might have headaches is if you followed Dr. Atkins advice and gave up coffee/soda. Depending on your habit - it can take up to two weeks to break the caffeine habit.


Sarah