Blah. During induction I lost 12lbs. I started adding carbs slowly along with a lot of exercise and MUCH more weigh lifting. I was 141lbs at one point but now I bounce from 145lbs to 148 lbs. I'd like to think it's all muscle mass but it's frustrating.

The only thing I can think of is that I eat more of the "Atkins" and "low carb" foods now that I've added more carbs. On the ingredients they say something like 22grams of carbs....but they say to only count the NET carbs. is that a mistake?

Here were my typical foods on induction and foods I normally eat today.
INDUCTION:
Breakfast:
-2 Cups coffee
-Lots of turkey
-Diet Coke

Lunch:
-Salad
-Chicken w/ melted cheese
-Diet Coke

Dinner:
-Salad
-Artichoke
-Beef
-Diet Coke

Snacks:
-2 string cheese
-3 slices salami
-turkey slices
------------


NOW:
Breakfast:
-Atkin's pancake mix (3g Net carbs) w/ Syrup (0g carbs)
-Crystal Lite
-1 Cup Coffee

Lunch:
-Low Carb Bar (2-3g Net carbs)
-Piece of Atkins bread (3g net carbs) w/ cheese
-Diet Coke

Dinner:
-Artichoke
-Salad
-Some kind of meat (steak, chicken, lamb....)
-Crystal Lite

Snacks:
-Low Carb Bar (2-3g Net carbs)
-Carbolite chocolate bar (2g Net carbs)
-Atkins shake (1-2g Net carbs)


I'd love some feedback from everyone!
Thanks!
<3Lindsay

watch the bars - i can eat them but i must count all of the carbs not net carbs. but for other items it depends on what is in them some things i can eat and count net carbs and not have any problems. i think my body doesnt like sugar alcohols so i have to watch them - but i notice sugar alcohols in some things dont stall me but in others it does. for instance i can eat ice cream w/ sugar alcohols no problem, but the bars stall me.

you will simply need to watch the new things you eat and see how you react to them. it is a tweaking process - eventually you see what you can eat and what you cant without stalling. some carbs wont touch the scale at all others will - sometimes it the amount you eat and others it's what else was mixed with the carbs. not all low carb foods are the same

the bars i have to count as 20 carbs even though its only 2 net carbs. but the atkins crunchers i can count as only 3 net carbs - go figure. with low carb ice cream i can count it as net carbs not total carbs. so you see there really is no pattern for any one person to follow (sugar alcohols in one food causes a stall but not in others) just keep tweaking. hope this helps.

Yes I completely agree with jedswife about the bars. I ate one of those everyday during the first two week induction, and a few days TWO bars a day and I only lost 6 pounds on induction (which for someone needing to lose 130 pounds that is very unusual!)

After I stopped eating those my weightloss has resumed to a normal rate.

hey guys-
thanks for the advice. gosh those bars are so good oh well....i can substitute with some other foods.

by the way, what is sugar alcohol? And how do I know if a product contains them?
Thanks again!

Polyols (or polyalcohols), better known as sugar alcohols (nutritionists call them 'sugar replacers') because part of their structure chemically resembles sugar and part resembles alcohol BUT they are sugar-free sweeteners that are NEITHER sugar nor alcohol!

Look for these names: erythritol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (including maltitol syrups), isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol and xylitol.. Also FYI if a product claims it is sugar free it MUST list sugar alcohols etc on the packaging as well.. but the name should be in the ingredient list

They are slowly and incompletely absorbed from the small intestine into the blood.. the part that is absorbed is metabolized by processes that require little or no insulin (most people do not count these carbs). They are lower in calories than regular sugar as well (ie: sugar = 4 per gram; maltitol = 2.1 calories per gram; sorbitol = 2.6 calories per gram)

"Sugar replacers (polyols) provide fewer calories per gram than does sugar, they do not promote tooth decay and they do not cause sudden increases in blood glucose levels... In some people, excessive consumption may cause gastrointestinal symptoms, such as gas or laxative effects"

They are sometimes combined with other alternative sweeteners, such as acesulfame K, aspartame, saccharin and sucralose.. you want the ones combined with sucralose (splenda) or none since we are trying to avoid aspartame/saccharin etc... sometimes combining gives a more pleasant taste.

HTH

information taken from here

wooow...thanks for all the info! I really appreciate it

Although if they do not affect insulin levels....then why would they cause a stall? I have an after-dinner-snack with 19g of Malitol and the product claims to be non-impact.

Yes, those non sugar type things claim not to raise blood sugar but many get different effects from it.

But some people are not affected by it, but many are. And I have read multiple times that eating too much fake sugar alcohols and the like will cause your body to switch and start using them the way it used to use real sugars.

Atkins also says that the bars do not raise insulin levels and can be eaten during induction. I wish I had found this site first and not eaten them and I think I would be several more pounds closer to my goal.

People on Atkins are trying to avoid the 'sugar spikes'..

These sugar alcohols are incompletely absorbed.. requiring little or no insulin.. the blood sugar rises slowly rather than all at once.. "Current research shows that it is the amount of carbohydrate eaten and the rate of its digestion that are the most important factors in blood glucose control." Sugar alcohols provide a bit of energy to the body.. so they may affect your blood glucose..

Many people find they can stay in ketosis and continue losing weight while using them, others stall, and still others do get a sugar rush from even a small amount.. YMMV.

Each person is individual and it may take some tweaking to figure out which ones affect you (different sugar alcohols = different rate of digestion etc) ...IF they affect you at all

info found here and here

hope that clears it up a bit..

I see. I'm sure I'm one of those people who can't have the bars....the day I started to eat them I haven't gone anyway. Well...I guess I can eat them when I've reached my goal

ohh one more question! sorry i'm just loaded with them. What about Dietary Fiber? Does that cause problems with some people as well? My aunt is a diabetic and she says doctors told her to have more fiber because it can help her blood sugar.

Again thanks for all the help....this forum is full of smarties!

yes, fiber is excellent for people who are trying to control their blood sugars (like us and diabetics)

check out this info I posted about the benefits of fiber

~~Benefits of FIBER you may not know~~

HTH

Hi All - lots of great info!

Personally, I'm finding that just having one or two "Atkins" items a day is stalling me. Looks like it'll be meat and veggies, almost no dairy for me for awhile!

I was wondering if maybe the issue is that the emphasis shifted from eating meat/veggies to eating almost all Atkins products. As a result, maybe the fat/protein required aren't there.

I noticed in New Diet Revolution that Atkins stresses eating *less* processed/prepared food and having more of a whole foods approach. I can't help asking if perhaps Atkins "the business" is neglecting to mention this (let's face it - the bars, shakes etc. are big marketing and we all miss our sweets and snacks).

I wonder, too, whether eating all of the prepped food reinforces our compulsions to eat the high-carb items. While it may make low-carb more "liveable" for those of us with a sweet tooth (definitely includes me), I think it misses the message Atkins was trying to send in the first place.

Thoughts?