Help ! does this diet work for everyone?

[llass]

I started this diet on 02/05. I haven't cheated once. My ketosticks were purple after three days. If I drink any more water I will float.

Any suggestions?

[kaycee]

Hi llass, I have been on atkins for 1 month. I was drinking the water, counting carbs and turning my ketostix dark also. I did not lose 1 pound until I started to exersice. I started lifting weights 3 days a week for about 40 minutes each time and I walk around 20-30 minutes 5 days a week and bam! 4 lbs the first week. If you are not exercising give it a try it worked for me. :)

[DivaDani]

Are you eating salty, processed meats and/or cheese? If so, lay off these for a few days and see what happens. These things have a tendency to stall people. And are you seriously floating? 4-6 liters could be the kick start you need.

Just some suggestions :)

[llass]

many thanks. I'm eating just a couple of ounces of deli ham & turkey.

I will give your suggestion a try

[llass]

Many thanks Kaycee. I will give it a try

[wbahn]

Did you take your measurements before you started (and more than just your waste)? If so, check them again. If not, take them now and track them as well (if not more than) your weight. There are all kinds of reasons that the scale might not move - and most of them have to do with the various ways that the body hangs on to water. That will pass.

Be sure to review ALL of the Rules of Induction and be sure that you are following ALL of them religiously.

Start a journal and post everything you are eating every day. That way others can offer suggestions one what you might want to alter.

How much water are you REALLY drinking? At a MINIMUM you should be drinking 64 oz plus another 8 oz for every 25 pounds you want to lose. If your sticks are dark purple, that is usually (but not always) a sign that you are dehydrated. This diet requires LOTS and LOTS of water.

Most important - stick with it. Commit to AT LEAST one month in order to properly and fairly evaluate it. At the worst you end up not losing anything. If you abandon it too soon you may well have given up the one approach that would have actually paid off.

Finally - keep interacting with everyone here. This is an amazing source of information and support.

[llass]

Many thanks for the advice. I am so disappointed !
When I read all the other entries and see that everyone else has lost 10 lbs in the first two weeks, I can't believe that I am not losing at all. However I am committed to trying for at least a month. If this does not work I don't know what to try next.

thanks again

[wbahn]

I've seen quite a few other people that have not lost much in the first week or so. I've seen a lot that lost some the first week and gained it all back the second - I gained four pounds in my second week.

The very common "ten pounds in two weeks" is mostly water. If your body didn't happen to have any excess water when you started then you had nothing to dump. As you lose fat your body tends to fill the empty fat cells with the denser and heavier water expecting to replace the fat. It can take quite a while for the body to decide to dump that water. You may also be building muscle at the same time you are losing fat.

Have Faith. Stick it out at least a month and then go to the section of DANDR that talks about what to do for the very metabolically resistant. But DO NOT go there until you have given Induction an honest effort, following the rules strictly, for at least four weeks.

If you haven't already, get ultra strick with yourself. If it is not on the list of allowed foods, don't eat it. Don't guess or improvise. The list is the only food that exists.

The LC WOL works for nearly everyone - if you give it an honest shake.

Hang in there.

[bsayne]

Welcome to the forum...This is a great place for information!
As I see you're getting lots of!

There is an entire chapter on slow losses in the Atkins book you may want to re-read as there are lots of different things that can contribute to a slow start.

If you have repeatedly dieted previously..especially low fat, medications, hidden carbs eg; "LC" bars, just to name a few.

I second all the other good things Wbahn and Dani have told you...do start a journal and record all of your food & drink as we have no way of knowing if you are drinking 1 liter of water or a six pack of diet coke and 3 slices of pizza!

Looking forward to hearing good things!

Bsayne

[SkinnyRae]

Low carb diet alone will not do the trick. Get up and move! When I first tried this plan 5 years ago, I was just like you. I followed only the diet, without adding any exercise, and dropped 6 lbs in 12 weeks. NOT GOOD! This time, I started the low carb plan April 1, 2001 along with 30 minutes of exercise daily, and I've dropped a total of 81 lbs. to date. The first week, I dropped 8 lbs, the second week, 13 lbs. and so on. I am a firm believer now (and still dropping weight!) Yippee! Don't give up!

[llass]

Thank you so much for the encouraging advice. I am going to take a thirty minute walk every day and see if that helps. Exercise is a bit of a problem as I have peripheral vascular disease, so I have to take it slowly. Also I am a little older than the rest of you.

thanks again and congratulations on your great success