Hi all, I am on the Atkins and am wondering if we are losing weight only when the stick is reading burgundy, and do we halt if not drinking enough water?? Also should we be considering the amount of calories we consume daily is there a limit? and yes I did read the book about 5 times.. I guess it just won't sink in

Also has anyone heard of Calvin Ezrin plan?? He has created a variation of the low carb plan that allows 30-40 g of carbs and claims that it will increase our seratonin level. He claims we can lose 12 lb's the 1st 2 weeks and 2 lb's the following weeks ... Just curious!!

I think the colour of the stick depends on each person's body and mechanism. As a big guy, I go streight to dark whithin 48 hours, while some take a week to reach light pink. YMMV

Drinking water has two camps, some say it's a must, some say it's no big deal. I've lost a lot of weight while drinking only when thirsty. YMMV

Calories: It's VERY important to eat enough calories to avoid metabolic slow-down due to under eating. Find out your minimum caloric requirement (their are a few formulas to calculate it) and make sure you don't go below it.



Sounds very commercial to promis such a thing to dieters. Just my 2 cents worth.

Wa'il

hi Sandi,

Some folks test dark for ketones yet the scales won't budge, others test barely trace, and the lbs are falling off. Some of the plans are not ketogenic at all, like Protein Power or Carbo. Addicts, and people lose weight just fine. There's a lot of testimonial evidence that bumping up the carb-free, calorie-free fluid intake will boost your efforts by helping to flush out ketones and other wastes of fat-burning; water of course topping the list of choices. Check out my Tips page on Stalls & Plateaus http://www.lowcarb.ca/tips/tips008.html You might find a few more ideas.

Unfortunately for some of us (me too) yes, calories do count to a point. I still have to keep my total calories below 1500-1600 per day, but when I was following a lowfat, high-carb regimen previously I gained weight eating only 1200 calories per day. So, lowcarbing is definitely the way to go. Easiest thing to do is cut back on fat, especially animal fats. Choose extra lean red meats, pull the skin off poultry, and use water-pack tuna and sardines. You can buy pure eggwhites in cartons, no additives - they are 100% fat-free. I make omelets and scrambled eggs using one whole egg, and equivalent to two egg whites. Use low fat cheeses, and maybe cut out or cut back the cream in your coffee, if you have that. Don't go totally lowfat though; use good unsaturated vegetable oils, like olive, canola and flax. Have some nuts as a snack instead of cheese or cold lunch meats.

Haven't heard of this Calvin Ezrin fellow. I must look this up. Sounds like he's just trying to cash in on the lowcarb wave. The best, cheapest, carb-free ways to boost serotonin and other important neurohormones are - sunshine, and exercise. Plain and simple.

Take care,
Doreen

hey Wa'il,

Great minds think alike!!