Hello there,introducing myself.

[DanielF]

Hello,

My name is Daniel and i'm on the 3rd day of the induction phase in the Atkins diet.

Over the last 2 years i've lost about 70 lbs on very low calorie diets and plenty of exercise..
After a while i reached a point in which my body would no longer lose weight doing those diets, so, "obviously", i lowered the calorie intake further.
During that last diet i felt so weak that i couldn't exercise at all..
and after losing 25 lbs with that diet (95 lbs under my starting weight),
i noticed that I was not lean at all, i was almost underweight but the fat just wouldnt come off,
thats when i realized i was doing something wrong, so i searched the web a bit and i found the BFFM (Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle) program, I read the whole E-book and realized that going on extremly low calorie diets burns more muscle than it does fat, i also read about the different kinds of carbohydrates and their effects, the Glycemic Index and in short- what you should and shouldn't eat.
I went on the BFFM program ,but every weekend i fell off the wagon and ate enormous amounts of food..
I didnt manage to burn much fat but i did gain those 25 lbs back-as muscle(atleast..)

I feel like i haven't given that program enough of a chance to determine whether it works for me or not, but i think what made me fall off the wagon so many times was the incredibly slow progress i was making (even though i was doing the strictest form of that program)

So after i found out that a carbohydrate isn't just a calorie, and that it's reduction can work wonders on stored body fat, and due to my awful genetics, i decided that a bigger carb reduction would probably work better for my body type.. so here i am :)

I read about the Atkins diet on the official site and im now giving it a shot-and this time im way too determined to fail.

I currently weigh 171 lbs , ~16% body fat..
my goal is 9% body fat, i have no weight goal since i wouldnt mind gaining muscle on the way :)

I work out 6 days a week, 4 of them include weight lifting (in addition to the eliptical machine)..

I am looking forward to sharing experiences and making buddies here in the forums ,..

D

[mom2-4sons]

Hi DanialF, :wave: I'm on my third day of introduction too and it's kind of hard but I think this time I'm going to get through this diet. Maybe we can be buddies and get through this together. I workout 5 days a week and I do weight training and cardio. :agree: I also read a number of books and I read the GI diet book. I just got off the slim-fast diet because I wanted major results so I pulled out my Atkins book and started reading away. :idea: Then I found this website and I think it's a great website to help you get through the hard times. What I'm experiencing now is a nasty taste in my mouth. Let me know what you are experiencing too. Also let me know what kind of meals you are eating to help you get through introduction. :help:
Hope to hear from you soon :D
mom2-4sons

[DanielF]

Hey mom2, i'd love for us to be buddies :)

well..i haven't been experiencing any bad breath issues really
I eat 4-6 meals a day ,until i'm satisfied..
like 2 of my meals are omelettes, sometimes i add some salmon to them, but lately it repels me..
i eat like 3.5 oz of semi-hard cheese a day( it makes it all worth it!)
and um,, chicken breast,tuna in oil,salmon steak,chicken steak..

and some whey protein after my workouts or late at night if i feel hungry..

having some fears about my calorie intake though.. i eat just as much as my body "requests",no more (maybe just a little less?) ..

i know that the fact i work out ALOT has everything to do with it but..
i guess the guilt's still there, hope it'll go away at the end of the week when i weigh myself, and at the end of the induction period when i measure body composition :)..

what about you? mom2, is it your first time on atkins aswell?
what have u been eating?
have ur workouts been going as bad as mine ? (guess no carb=no energy ..)

D

[mom2-4sons]

You hit it on the spot!!!! :agree: I have no energy and when it's time to exercise, I look at the treadmill with disgust. Sometimes I don't feel good like now, I feel kind of lightheaded. This is defintely a struggle and we came this far, so we will make it. :thup: I read alot on the website that you don't have to exericise on introduction and I believe them because I feel like I'm going to pass out. :idea: So right now I'm just conserving my energy for the boys(four) :D and household chores. Just until I get through introduction and add some more carbs. This is my first time on atkins because before just the thought of giving up carbs and sugar made me sick. I've been eating fish,turkey bacon, eggs, califlower, broccoli, celery, cream cheese, colby cheese, herbal teas and water. Lastnight I had a sweet tooth so I found a recipe on this website and it hit the spot. :yum: I'm going to share it with you, the ingredients are 1oz cream cheese, 2 packets of Equal( I used Splenda), 1 egg, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon of butter. Butter the pan and let it get hot, mix together the softened cream cheese,vanilla and 1 packet of the equal set aside. Beat the egg and the remaining packet of equal together, pour in the hot pan,let the egg cook until done,then spread creamcheese mixture on top of the cooked egg. Let the mixture warm up some and then roll-up the egg it's like a crepe. It is so good and it is only 3 carbs. Let me know if you make it and let me know if you are getting headaches or lighthead ? :help:
mom2-4 :)

[DanielF]

hey,

haven't been getting any special headaches,,,
ive had this chronic migraine for about 3 months , but that started alot before i started induction.. never mind that..

id love to try that recipe sometime- except i dont know what splenda is :)
sounds like some american patent maple syrup (just by guessing)

I live in Israel and i have no idea where to buy splenda or ketostix (googling didnt help much either)..
guess im gonna have to rely on the scale ..

are you in a state of ketosis yet?

my workouts have been bad but not that bad, i just keep the cardio moderate and lift to faliure (even though faliure seems to be alot easier to achieve now ;/)..

I cant help feeling like i over eat, i thought the program is supposed to suppress appetite, yet im hungry all the time .. ugh..

I read somewhere today that whey protein is absorbed so rapidly that it takes you out of ketosis, not sure whether that's true or not but im gonna dump it anyway for a while,..

think i might start limiting my calories to a bit over my basal metabolic rate, just to make sure im not eating over maintenance level..
all that fat ! bah.

sorry for the paranoia :) would love to hear some more from you..

[FabByFifty]

Hi and Welcome
You seem to have done a lot of research and have the knowledge of what you need to do, and you seem to be able to do it too. Good for you.:)
You are right, the calories can not be too low because your body goes into starvation mode and that is no good. Not for weight loss, mucsle growth or your health.
You workout and that is a positive from the get go. Lower your carbs and maybe doing a precentage thing could help you also.
Do you belong to FitDay? If not here is the link www.fitday.com.
Registration is free and it's a wonderful program to put what you eat daily. Also it adds the precentages up for the day by what you eat. The program makes you more aware of what you are eating and you can adjust your eating habits and precentages accordingly.:)
This is for both Mom2-4boys and DanielF
As far as the bad taste in your mouth it's ketosis. This means you are burning stored fat. And the energy levels will drop in the beginning, but you will soon find that you will have more energy than you thought you could.
Daniel, You have fantastic goals, and I wish you luck.:)
I have been doing Atkin's off and on for almost 2 years, and just began again Monday, and yes the energy is dropping drastically but you have to ride that out knowing it's temporary.

Good Luck to both of you and Welcome to the forum.:)
Brenda

Have either of you started a journal yet? If not you both should its a good place to keep track of what you do daily and Daniel you should start a Gym Log, this would be excellent for you and you will get tons of help doing so.
Look around the main forum the journals are started in Journals/Bootcamps and the exercise logs are started in the exercise forums below the Journals/Bootcamps. Just go to them and start a new thread, name it and you are on your way.:)
Good Luck

Brenda

[PurpleJane]

Hi and welcome! :wave:

I'm on my 2nd time around on atkins, having kept off my 30lb lost, I'm back for more! or to SHIFT more :clap:

Are you both eating your salad and veggies? it's really important to have the 20g of carbs, and will help in the energy stakes.

Also Daniel, once you 'up' your carbs as you go along the ladder, you'll find your energy improves.
Might be that your exercise demands more... I run regularly and when I was running 3x a week of up to 3 miles/5K I found I was shattered after, and totally 'empty'. I've since had some great advice on making sure alot of my carbs eaten are vegetables to give me extra stamina.

You'll love the board, and everyone is so friendly they'll have great advice for you both.

Good luck with your induction. :D

[mom2-4sons]

Thank you so much!!!! :thup: Brenda and PurpleJane for the great advice, :agree: I do have a food journal I write in everyday and I make sure I have 20 grams of carbs. I also eat my salads and veggies. :help: I just can't shake this headache and my energy is low but I'm seeing results already in my midsection. I wanted to start drinking my protein shakes again, they only have 3 carbs. :idea: Do you know if you can have protein shakes while your in induction?
mom2-4sons :D

[mom2-4sons]

Hey D, :wave: Your doing good with the exercise part, :thup: but I just can't shake this headache. Once I get rid of this headache I can start exercising again. :idea: Like Brenda said get you a journal and right everything down and go to Fitday.com. I write everything I eat in my food journal. I think that's why I'm not hungry because I stay in my carb range. Splenda is a sugar substitute and they have a website:www.splenda.com. I just read last night in my fitness book that Whey Protein is good for you and it has alot of health benefits. :yum: I'm thinking about starting my protein shake back up but mine is Soy Protein and it has 3 carbs. My husband just gave me his Whey Protein shake and it has 3 carbs too. I'm doing research on the both of them and see which one is the best. Do your protein shake give you energy? :q:
mom2-4

[FabByFifty]

Thank you so much!!!! :thup: Brenda and PurpleJane for the great advice, :agree: I do have a food journal I write in everyday and I make sure I have 20 grams of carbs. I also eat my salads and veggies. :help: I just can't shake this headache and my energy is low but I'm seeing results already in my midsection. I wanted to start drinking my protein shakes again, they only have 3 carbs. :idea: Do you know if you can have protein shakes while your in induction?
mom2-4sons :D

The protein shake I use is Body Fortress Whey Protein Powder. It is low carb, 3 gms., and 110 calories. This one can be made with water, but that would be gross, so I have never tried it that way I use a soy milk that is fantastic!! I hate the taste of soy and this stuff it can not be tasted in at all!! It is called 8th Continent Light Soymilk and only has 2 carbs per 8 ozs., and only 50 calories in the 8 ozs. I found this in my local grocery store.
I wish you luck and just hang in there the headaches and the sluggishness is just induction flu, it will pass.:)
Brenda

[AZDweller]

Hmm, no Splenda overseas, or you don't know what to look for. Splenda in the US, at least, is an artificial sweetner that you might put into coffee, like Equal or Sweet and Low. Comes in little yellow packages over here, or bigger bulk packages. Splenda is like Aspartame or Saccharine, but it doesn't stall most people in small quantities. Just don't get the half sugar, half Splenda blend for cooking -- still lots of sugar. It doesn't take much to sweeten anything.

[DanielF]

Thank you all for the great advice and information :)

We do have sweetnlow here, but each pack contains almost 1g of dextrose- a refined sugar, so i can live without it..

As far as i know, whey protein isnt supposed to energize, its supposed to create an anabolic enviornment after physical activity- meaning it should help you build muscle if taken at the right time, or atleast maintain it..

I think ive been eating alot because im allowed to, gonna monitor my calories a bit from now on..

Today is the morning of my 5th day in the induction and i built up the courage to get on the scale, well , the conditions and time of day were similar to when i weighed myself the morning of the 1st day, and ive lost 4 lbs-- in 4 days , heck.. i doubt most of it is fat, but its still a bit encouraging, hope no muscle went down with it :)
its good enough to keep me going! hasn't been that easy..

mom2, I really hope u lose that headache soon, ive been on diet programs for the past few months, wasnt serious bout any of them though, thats why i made no progress..
but i suppose im just used to it, i do remember some bad headaches when i first began, 2 years ago or so, hope you can exercise again soon..

[mom2-4sons]

Thanks D, Brenda :wave: Last night I made me a protein shake for dinner it was so good!!!! :yum: I put one scoop of soy protein,some ice, two packets of splenda and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 8 ounces of lowfat soymilk blend altogether it was like a healthy milk and only 6 carbs. I woke up today feeling alot better.

DanielF, I lost 6 lbs and some inches, I tried on some of my can't fit no more jeans and I zipped them up with no problem, that made my day. :D This makes me want to keep on going. D, you should try to have one shake every other day and see if it bothers your weight loss. I don't think it should because you workout alot. :thup: You read right about the Whey Protein, that's why I'm doing research on Whey and Soy Protein now. Keep up the good work!!!! :thup: We can get through this together because we have 10 more days to go. ;)
mom2-4 :)

[foxgluvs]

A migrane for 3 months is not good, you should seriously get yourself checked out!!
:)

[DanielF]

Mom2, thats alot of weight uve lost! congratulations !

I was wondering, do you watch calories closely or do you eat just as much as ur body tells you to?

My gym was closed today due to this national fast day..
there were absolutely no cars on the roads so i went walking on the highway.. always wanted to do that.. and gym was closed.. lol.

I didnt fast because im not really into religion..and i dont like damaging my body -_- (except for when i eat about 3 2 litre boxes of ice cream, that i dont seem to mind.. but hey thats history..IT IS!)

wish we had this splenda thing here.. ill try finding an equivalent..getting bored with the food.. gotta find something new, will probably go to the supermarket tomorrow..

I ate some cottage cheese today! i'm such a sinner.. :)
around 17-18 g carbs eaten today, dont think i can eat anything now..
cant wait to work out tomorrow, ive become a gym addict ..

only a little longer to go (NOT).. but were getting there! must be nice fitting into tighter pants.. congrats again !

[DanielF]

A migrane for 3 months is not good, you should seriously get yourself checked out!!
:)

well, ive gone through a CT thing and another thing where they put this weird helmet on you and alot of jello in it..

they found nothing, said my brain and blood flow are absolutely fine..
doctor claims its stress or something..
it started when i was studying for some exam i was way too stressed about..
and it just never stopped ..
now i got another appointment scheduled for november..
not fun to live with ,really.. but what can i do..
atleast its nothing serious..

[mom2-4sons]

Thanks again D, :wave: What I do is listen to my body, it tells me when to eat. I drink water all day and have one diet soda which has no calories,carbs,sugar and no caffeine. I make sure I get my veggie carbs which is the green color no matter what so I don't be so backed up. I also drink herbal tea with no caffeine and a packet of splenda. :thup: I can't wait until I can start exercising again and be like you and become a gym addict. Lucky me I don't have to go to the gym because I have a treadmill,total gym,ab scissors and I use my husband's {Power House home gym} all this is in our basement. Just waiting for me to get better. :idea: One more thing make sure you write everything down and add up everything you eat, that's what I do. I also have a calorie book, it breaks down all the foods. Happy Shopping tomorrow!!!! :D
mom2-4 :)