Has anyone out there experienced slow weight loss when beginning the Atkins diet? Everything I've read says how in the first two weeks you will loose 5-10 pounds, give of take! And that you will experince the most dramatic loss during this time...... Since I began 8 days ago I have lost 2 lbs and that was about 2 days in. Since then I have not moved on the scale. I know I should not totally focus on the numbers and more about the loss of inches but I still feel the numbers should be going down. I am following the diet to a tee with no cheats. I even find it hard to consume much more that 12-14 carbs per day. Also my husband started at the same time. Eating exactly the same as I am and of course he is already down 7lbs! Any hints or advice would be greatly appreciated.

feeling discouraged,
milmndude

milmndude, those dramatic results on Induction do happen, but they tend to happen to those with a lot of fat to lose. 10-15 lbs in the first two weeks is something you see with people who aree 100-150 lbs over their ideal weight. The general rule of thumb is 10% of your goal is lost on Induction, 5% the months that follow.

While you may not have lost 10% as yet, Induction is 14 days, not 8, and there are any number of factors that might be interfering with you. The best way to figure out if this is the case or not would be for you to start up a Journal and to keep track of your menus / activity and losses. This way we could see what you're eating (Or not eating) and if there are any obvious pitfalls you could avoid down the road.

One more piece of advice, get a measuring tape out and do some measuring. You'll notice that when you're not losing scale weight you tend to lose inches. Having the two set of numbers for reference is very motivating.

And remember, no matter what you do, don't compare your fat loss to your husband's! It will only drive you nuts. Men lose faster, on average, period.

Nat

I know this can be very frustrating but there are ways to break a platau if it truly is one. In Atkins pg 259 chapter 20 it explains some causes and has the fat fast cure. You might be more resistant than your husband. Read it and try it if you think you need to. Good luck and happy low carbing don't give up !!! Smuffy

Duplicate post

Milmndude:

First off, don't feel discouraged. I for one feel your pain. I too did not experience that dramatic weight loss in the beginning. As a matter of fact, it's gotten even slower! I average 1/2 lb. per week (if I'm lucky)!!! I'm not sure why but I just keep saying to myself "self !, it's better than gaining" I've been l c'ing since October 3, 2002 and have lost 12-14 lbs. (give or take). Since late November, 2002, I've been working out 5 times/week.

The good news is that I feel better! I have much more energy! and I don't crave sweets half as much as I did before!

I've also been told that by losing the weight slowly, it's less likely to come back - not sure how true that is.

Give yourself some credit and be proud of your accomplishments now matter how large or small they are! Patience is something that I'm still trying to conquer. Sometimes it feels like I gained the weight overnight so I oughta lose it that fast too!!! I only wish that were the case.

Rest assured, you are not alone!

Kim

Nat is right start a journal it may help us figure out if we can help you speed things up.

FYI - don't do a fat fast. Those are for those people who never get to ketosis or have a stall (4 weeks in a row of no weightloss or inches lost). You are losing.

All the best.

Thank you for all the encouragement! It is nice to hear I am not the only one with these frustrations. I guess I will just keep up with what I'm doing and watch the scale slowly move down!

thank you again,
milmndude

and do try to get in more carbs with some high carb veggies!