Beginner

[Mollys121]

Hello everybody. I am new to the Atkins diet (i.e have not actually started it yet) (:
I am so worried as i have tried things in the past that have just failed. I feel at the moment like it is impossible to lose weight! Can anybody give me any tips or tell me how easy the Atkins diet is to follow ...

By the way i brought the book 'Dr. Atkins new diet revolution' is this a good thing to start with

Will i ever lose weight!!?? :help:

[ferrygirl]

Hi, Molly!
Sounds like you are on the right track! Reading (memorizing??) the book is the best way to start things off, I think. The book really helped me stay focused when I was getting started.

IMHO, Atkins is easy and not-so-easy. Personally, it's the best thing I've ever tried for losing weight (and tummy issues I had before Atkins went away when I started, so that was a nice bonus). But at first, it was weird not to be eating the grains, sugars, and starchy veggies. Now when I eat those things, it feels like a massive indulgence.

Best of luck to you on your journey! There is lots of super helpful info on this forum (and a ton of amazing recipes, too).

[Mollys121]

Ferrygirl how much have you lost, and how long did it take you? (:

[ferrygirl]

I've lost about 25 lbs so far in 11 months - I'm one of the slow ones around here! But, slow is better than nothing which is better than gaining, I guess! :)

[Elizellen]

Welcome to the board, Molly! :wave:

I agree with Ferrygirl, reading your DANDR is a good way to start your Atkins journey. :thup:

Have you started with the way of eating yet?

[Mollys121]

Welcome to the board, Molly! :wave:

I agree with Ferrygirl, reading your DANDR is a good way to start your Atkins journey. :thup:

Have you started with the way of eating yet?


No i have not if i am being honest. I was waiting for the book to arrive (i have ordered it off ebay)

I am just a bit worried firstly i am fully aware of all the successes there have been using Atkins. However i have also read articles that say, i am putting on weight and other worrying articles. And thanks Ferry girl. That is quite slow though, is there not a way of speeding it up?

[freeform]

hey Molly....Atkins IS a proven weight loss program....BUT....you didn't put ON excess weight over a day, or a month or a year or two....why do you think it will be gone so much more quickly? WE might be idiot's when it comes to getting rid of 'our excesses' but our body is not. If you stick to a weight loss program and do , at least, the minimum amount of exercise [for some this will be as little as just moving your body a bit more, for others it will be much more] you will lose the excess fat....but only as your body sees fit...it will not endanger itself [health] just because YOU want it gone NOW...and if you force it too you will just get ill. Be in it for life, or not at all.

[ferrygirl]

Hey, researching before jumping in sounds like a wise idea. I know I had a lot of misconceptions about Atkins before I actually read the book.

I'm sure that if I would stop having off-plan moments, things would go a little faster. :). Living in Japan, I have some unique challenges. Probably my diet overall is much closer to maintenance than OWL.

If you are feeling worried, you can always tell yourself that you are going to give it a go for about a month or so and then take stock and see how you feel.

[Mollys121]

Hey, researching before jumping in sounds like a wise idea. I know I had a lot of misconceptions about Atkins before I actually read the book.

I'm sure that if I would stop having off-plan moments, things would go a little faster. :). Living in Japan, I have some unique challenges. Probably my diet overall is much closer to maintenance than OWL.

If you are feeling worried, you can always tell yourself that you are going to give it a go for about a month or so and then take stock and see how you feel.
Fantastic that is what i will do then. I was speaking to another Atkins user and he insisted that to really get the results you wanted, it was important to stick to eating foods that were only acceptable in the induction phase of the program. He said that this is how he lost 120 pounds, and he has managed to keep it off.

If i stick to this plan vigorously, and exercise a lot, will the weight loss be more noticeable, as i have found previously when i have lost weight it is not noticeable AT ALL! I did actually lose around 30 and it appears i did not lose any weight!!

freeform I actually completely agree with you, it is just that i am so worried about weight loss, it has become a mental issue with me - something that literally consumes my entire life. But i definitely appreciate where you are coming from.

[LilyB]

Are you feeling that you MUST LOSE WEIGHT!!!!!!!??

That alone can cause undue stress.

"I love me... I am worthy of my best efforts... I am capable of becoming my best... I will do what it takes, carefully and deliberately, to make myself a better me... because I matter to me, very, very much..."

"I will treat my body carefully, with diligence towards feeding myself quality, nourishing foods, in the proper amounts, making sure I stay well hydrated and that I get enough sleep and the proper nutritional supplements for my maximum health."

"Starting TODAY, I will love myself as I love others..."

"I will learn to appreciate me, just exactly as I am, whether or not I am making changes to create a healthier me. I AM WORTH MY BEST EFFORTS, and I am a worthwhile human being... JUST BECAUSE I EXIST. Period."

[Mollys121]

Are you feeling that you MUST LOSE WEIGHT!!!!!!!??

That alone can cause undue stress.

"I love me... I am worthy of my best efforts... I am capable of becoming my best... I will do what it takes, carefully and deliberately, to make myself a better me... because I matter to me, very, very much..."

"I will treat my body carefully, with diligence towards feeding myself quality, nourishing foods, in the proper amounts, making sure I stay well hydrated and that I get enough sleep and the proper nutritional supplements for my maximum health."

"Starting TODAY, I will love myself as I love others..."

"I will learn to appreciate me, just exactly as I am, whether or not I am making changes to create a healthier me. I AM WORTH MY BEST EFFORTS, and I am a worthwhile human being... JUST BECAUSE I EXIST. Period."
I wish i could think all of that, but i really do not. I am 17 and for the last 9 years I have honestly not been able to look into a mirror, have not had a single picture taken of me. I genuinely have not worn anything but tracksuit bottoms and hoodies.
But i will give this my all - i swear. I really need to learn to accept myself (but at a slenderer size) (:
Induction is worrying me, it seems confusing - can anyone help me out?

[Sayria]

Mollys21 Why can you only accept yourself at a slender size? Do you realise that when you do not accept yourself as you are now you are focusing very much on the overweight you. When you keep focusing on your overweight body you will lock this image into your mind. Just let go and accept every little part of you exactly as you are NOW. Love every little part of you NOW. If you do this you will let go a lot of stress surrounding your body. This does not mean that you cannot love and approve of yourself when you are slender. If you want to do this imagine yourself slender, fit and healthy and love and accept yourself that way too. By letting go of the condemnation, criticism, hate and the continual pounding you give to your overweight self, you will be able to move on. Welcome. Good luck.

[euphoricme]

Molly take a deep breath lol =)

Induction is very simple. Eat as much as you like so long as you are eating less than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. You don't digest fiber although it comes in the form of a carbohydrate so if you look at a package (broccolli for instance) and it says 5 grams of carbs below that it should say something like 3 grams of fiber. To you that means that that serving of broccolli has only 2 grams of carbs.

Other than that just eat foods with really really high fat contents, eggs, bacon, butter, sausages, steak etc. If you have something like ham you can put mayo on it to increase the fat content of your meal. It is best you stay above 70% fat calories, I am probably around 80% to be safe.

I like grilled chicken for instance, but the fat content isn't high enough so I will drink a pint of heavy cream with the meal (it is really quite good once you get use to very rich foods lol).

A few days in you might feel sick when your body runs out of carbs and decides it needs to start burning fat. It lasted about 2 days for me and it hit me like a fucking freight train. I had bad headaches and barely had enough energy to walk, basically I stayed in my bed for 2 days. After that it immediately gets better.

I personally have stayed on the induction phase for a little over 3 months now. A few days a week I probably hit 30 grams a day but its whatever.

Also one of my favorite meals is a pound of bacon pan-fried, pour out about half the bacon grease and throw in 4 or 5 eggs. Easy easy easy - good induction food. I put some cheese on top of course.

[LilyB]

Molly, you are SEVENTEEN.
You are beautiful, honey.
You have young hair, and young skin, and young teeth and nails, and vigor and collagen and all those things that disappear in thirty years.

The question is... why do you not feel like you deserve love just exactly the way you are? Because YOU DO. Just because. NO OTHER REASON.

Honey, you have to love you. YOU set the example for the rest of the world.

Please understand that accepting you is a really important step.
And please don't go down that self-hatred road. It's a bad road.

You deserve just as much love at 180 as at 150 as at 120. PERIOD.

[scrlt9900]

Hi Molly. It's nice to meet you. Best of luck.

[euphoricme]

Why is everyone giving this girl this "you need to love yourself" stuff? If she was 24 and 50 pounds overweight no one would think anything of it.

Why should she not try to get in better shape earlier? And finally, why should someone love an unhealthy disgusting body? Seriously, would any of you be on this forum if you loved unhealthy disgusting bodies? I know I hated my body when I was 280 pounds, and I should have... Now at 210 - not so much.

[Brinethery]

Hello everybody. I am new to the Atkins diet (i.e have not actually started it yet) (:
I am so worried as i have tried things in the past that have just failed. I feel at the moment like it is impossible to lose weight! Can anybody give me any tips or tell me how easy the Atkins diet is to follow ...

By the way i brought the book 'Dr. Atkins new diet revolution' is this a good thing to start with

Will i ever lose weight!!?? :help:


Good luck, Molly :-)

1. You don't have to exercise. I didn't exercise, I ate plenty of fat and took most of the weight off. In that respect, this is the easiest weightloss plan in the world... don't exercise and eat plenty of food.

(I think exercise is great for building muscle and endurance as well as mental clarity, but aerobic activity especially is not effective. In fact, it can hinder certain people's ability to shed pounds... weird, huh?)

2. If you are feeling bad from the food, check your caloric fat intake. If it's below 60%, eat more fat. Up to 80% of your calories is okay.

3. If you've been eating like a bird, eat more food. That does sound counter-productive, but the theory that we have to be in negative energy balance has no basis. When I say negative energy balance I'm talking about how people think that they have to burn off more calories than they consume in order to lose weight. Ask euphoricme if you don't believe me about eating more food.

[Mollys121]

A big thank you to all those who are boosting my moral. However as euphoricme rightly said, we are surely all on here for a reason. Anyway leaving that aside ... I am beginning to get a little restless, as I am now in my third week of induction (yes i am carrying on with it for a while) and I have lost next to no weight. And no it does not seem to be coming off in inches. By the way I am in ketosis, drink at least 5-6 pints of water and am NOT going over my 20g of carbs a day. Honestly what more can i do?
Also i have a question about bacon - I have read that it should be nitrate free, but honestly I have searched near and wide and just cannot find this 'special' bacon. So is normal bacon completely off my menu?
Sorry, one more question I was wondering if you, or anyone you know started Atkins, lost the weight but came off it whilst still maintaining their weight? I have heard that the younger you are, the easier this is to do (i presume it is to do with exercising)
By the way some of your posts were making me laugh. aaha (:

[Brinethery]

By the way I am in ketosis, drink at least 5-6 pints of water and am NOT going over my 20g of carbs a day. Honestly what more can i do?
Also i have a question about bacon - I have read that it should be nitrate free, but honestly I have searched near and wide and just cannot find this 'special' bacon. So is normal bacon completely off my menu?
Sorry, one more question I was wondering if you, or anyone you know started Atkins, lost the weight but came off it whilst still maintaining their weight? I have heard that the younger you are, the easier this is to do (i presume it is to do with exercising)
By the way some of your posts were making me laugh. aaha (:

I am 23 and have not done any exercise, and the weight is coming off. Now I'm in the "last ten pounds" phase which takes the loooongest. You can call me the world's laziest dieter.

You might try flipping through Taubes' book Why We Get Fat:
http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Get-Fat-About/dp/0307272702

He talks about exercise and how it's ineffective for fat loss. I mean if you're doing it to feel good, then that's a different thing. But if it feels like torture and you're doing it for the specific purpose to lose weight, it's perfectly okay to hold off until you're close to your goal weight.

I don't eat nitrate-free bacon...just the regular kind. Here's a post relating to nitrates:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=379349&highlight=nitrate

The thing on nitrates is blown waaay out of proportion.

I'm not following the Atkins book to the T. I'm simply limiting my intake to 30-40 grams of carbs a day. The longer you eat this way, the more you will want to eat this way. People on here will tell you that after they have a cheat day and eat something like candy, they feel like crap. For most of us, we get inflammation and stomach sickness. Refined carbs, I think, are actually toxic and make us sick.

[LilyB]

Why is everyone giving this girl this "you need to love yourself" stuff? If she was 24 and 50 pounds overweight no one would think anything of it.

Why should she not try to get in better shape earlier? And finally, why should someone love an unhealthy disgusting body? Seriously, would any of you be on this forum if you loved unhealthy disgusting bodies? I know I hated my body when I was 280 pounds, and I should have... Now at 210 - not so much.
Because food is one of the weapons used in the self-hate war.

Why would we NOT tell her she's worthy of her love?
Is she only worthy of love at goal weight?

Of course we'd care if she was 24, or 44 or 64!
Did we say she shouldn't try to get into shape?
Why would you call her body disgusting?

Perhaps you should look into why you hated YOUR body at 280, and how YOU "allowed" yourself to get "disgusting and unhealthy" and leave this part of it to the people who just might understand that part of body dysmorphia issues.

And not everyone does well with "tough love".
Some people simply need "soft love".

[Brinethery]

I'm going to get specific here and differentiate between a person hating their fat versus hating themselves as a whole.

I hated my fat. There is no way that I could ever love fat that wasn't supposed to be there.

I love my mind. And now it's time to start loving my body by not putting refined carbs in my mouth whenever I get an extreme bout of depression. My excess fat was a byproduct of the food that I was using to self-medicate myself during those times that I truly hated myself.

I heard on the Tyra show that people who are overweight want to be accepted by society. But should they accept themselves as overweight? Even if they say they're happy with themselves, are they happy with the excess fat? Deep down inside, do they truly not wish that they could make the fat go away?

If we love ourselves, we'll want to treat our body well by giving it the quality of sustenance it deserves.

[Kirsteen]

Just jumping in here about the body image thing.. It's easy to be highly self-critical, especially at 17. When I was 17 I was very, very slim, with a lovely figure, yet I was terribly self-conscious and thought I was fat, partly because of negative comments made by my parents. It took me a long to time to develop confidence in myself, and honestly, I learned to be happy in my own skin and feel like an attractive woman, even when I was very overweight. I used to go out clubbing with younger, prettier and slimmer girls and got more attention and compliments from men than they did, because I was happy in myself, I felt good about myself and I exuded confidence - these things are attractive and more noticeable than a couple of spare tyres.

I think none of us likes to see rolls of fat on ourselves, but actually, I'd prefer to see a few rolls of fat than a scowl. I also prefer to see someone who's a bit overweight than someone with knobbly knees and scrawny bones sticking out. It's pretty difficult to achieve near perfection - even the film and fashion industry have to use lighting tricks and Photoshop to remove flaws and enhance the appearance of their models/stars, who often have punishing schedules and diets, and often have had cosmetic surgery to remove excess fat, etc.

As someone else pointed out, when you're young, you have beautiful, radiant skin, and the potential to be very lovely, whether or not you are a bit overweight. You just need to pay a little more attention to presentation. Wear a little make-up to boost your confidence - mascara will emphasise your eyes, and find a lipstick which enhances your colouring - Boots Number 17 lasts well, isn't expensive and isn't tested on animals. Always keep your hair shiny and well-cut. I would advise against wearing loose, baggy clothes as those will make you look fatter. Try on ankle-length clothes which skim over your shape, and long-length tops which skim over your hips, and which are shaped in at the waist, to show your curves.

Physical looks are of course, less important than ensuring we make the most of our abilities and gifts - that way we will always be judged on our merits, rather than our appearance. However, I do think that it is possible to be attractive while weighing 180lbs.. and I believe that as you get older you'll come to realise it.

You're only young once, so make the most of it and enjoy your teenage years. Don't let a few extra pounds limit your choices in life.

[euphoricme]

Molly, how much are you eating? One of the cool things about being in ketosis is a really really low blood-insulin level. Without insulin your body can't really store or retain fat. When you eat it takes your body a lot of energy to digest the foods you have eaten, furthermore it seems that the more calories you eat the faster your metabolism gets. What are your meals like?

Yes, Lily you are correct. If someone is fat it is best to lie and tell them that they are not so hopefully you can eventually convince them that it is fine for them to be fat. If you are really lucky and do it properly that person could have a proper life of diabetes, cancer, heart disease and depression.

"Perhaps you should look into why you hated YOUR body at 280, and how YOU "allowed" yourself to get "disgusting and unhealthy" "

As Brinethery properly pointed out it is the fat that fat people tend to not enjoy about their body, shockingly it was (is still) the same for me. I still have about 30 pounds to lose, can't wait for that to be over.

Anyway it is stupid to come onto a weight-loss forum and try to convince people that they have nice skin so they don't need to lose weight. Seriously?

[Brinethery]

Let me interject here...

Can we cool this discussion down? I think the main point of this forum is for us to get along and help each other out with all aspects of weight loss and this WOE. We can be supportive role models for the people who are just starting out.

Molly, you're doing great. I support you and I know you'll be successful with the choice you made to improve your health. Always ask questions if you're uncertain of something in your plan and don't be afraid to talk about the obstacles. Good luck :-)

[Mollys121]

Woah, I think we should just leave this here. (:
Okay, I am not going to lie I am struggling to eat. I have virtually no appetite and when i do have one, i am eating the same old BORING foods which eventually leads me to eating one quarter of the plate to begin with. Recently i have been upping my fats and getting my calories over 1000, like 1400! I really cannot see how people are finding ways to eat when the carbohydrate levels are so low. I mean yes i could snack on chicken, or beef all day, but it begins to make me feel nauseous. And eggs ... I am sick of eggs. ahaha

I am not going to lie, i really do believe I am doing EVERYTHING right - from drinking water to my ratio percentages which lie at 74% fat, 21% protein, and 5% carbs (by the way that is my average)

I am feeling so unmotivated at present, in fact I am getting symptoms that were not there when i was eating so called 'normally' - Blacking out, humongous bloated face, i feel fatter ... What about L.carnitine.

[Kirsteen]

Euphoricme - you were far heavier than Molly, so it is understandable that you feel bad about fat.. However, Molly is already 20 lbs lighter than your goal weight. Why shouldn't she feel and look attractive? It won't stop her trying to lose more weight, but will give her confidence and more success in social and work situations. People cannot let a few extra pounds affect their self-image, as it will have a detrimental effect on their whole life.

I think if you want to debate this issue further, then you could join in the current discussion on the issue in the forum:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=425964&page=1&pp=15

This isn't the place for it.

[Kirsteen]

Hi there, Molly. Sorry you're feeling disappointed. If your calories have been quite low, then your metabolism might need some time to repair itself. You do not need to stay on induction for more time. Adding in more veggies will give more interest to the diet and make it more enjoyable, so start the OWL incremental increases in your daily carb intake.

With regard to variety in the diet, the first time I did induction, my meat intake for the fortnight was 1 chicken breast and 3 rashers of bacon.

Here's a thread in which people suggested alternatives to meat:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=376086

Here are some other suggestions:

Riced cauliflower: This is really tasty. There are various recipe suggestions, including my own in this thread here:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=384320&page=2&pp=15

haddock ideas:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?p=7600227#post7600227

King prawns: simple prawn cocktail with lettuce, tomatoes, king prawns and garlic mayonnaise or home-made prawn cocktail sauce (mix mayonnaise with Lea and Perrins and tomato puree.

Tuna dip: mix tuna with mayonnaise and use it as a dip for veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, etc.

Cottage cheese munch: chop 1 red and 1 green pepper and mix them through a tub of cottage cheese with 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise.

Avocado and tuna salad: Mix chopped avocado with flaked tuna and add a little sesame oil for flavour. If you don't have sesame oil, you could try making a salad dressing of your choice.

Cottage cheese vegetable quiche: mix up four eggs with a carton of cottage cheese, seasoning etc. Layer a fried onion, 2 sliced tomatoes, 4-6oz sliced cheddar in a container, then add the egg/cottage cheese mix. Cook at 200 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Eat 1/4 hot or cold with vegetables or a salad.

Vegetable curry. Fry an onion, add a tin of tomatoes and stew them with some curry powder to taste for about 5-10 minutes. Add a variety of low-carb veggies of your choice (you could also add some chickpeas or butterbeans when you are further up the OWL scale), season and simmer until the veggies are cooked to your taste then stir through some greek yoghurt to make it creamy. A knob of butter or some coconut oil will add luxury.

Stir-fry tofu. Buy smoked tofu for flavour, and cut into cubes. (You could marinate cubes of ordinary tofu in soy sauce and Chinese 5-spice for flavour). Fry the tofu then remove from the pan. Stir fry onion with other veggies, garlic, ginger, Chinese 5-spice. Add the tofu to heat it through then serve.

I can give you loads of other nice light recipes.. Just let me know when you need more.

You can do it, Molly.. Just give it time. Sometimes the weight takes a bit longer to get off, especially if you've already been dieting and your metabolism is a bit wonky.. Hugs xxx

[Brinethery]

Woah, I think we should just leave this here. (:
Okay, I am not going to lie I am struggling to eat. I have virtually no appetite and when i do have one, i am eating the same old BORING foods which eventually leads me to eating one quarter of the plate to begin with. Recently i have been upping my fats and getting my calories over 1000, like 1400! I really cannot see how people are finding ways to eat when the carbohydrate levels are so low. I mean yes i could snack on chicken, or beef all day, but it begins to make me feel nauseous. And eggs ... I am sick of eggs. ahaha

I am not going to lie, i really do believe I am doing EVERYTHING right - from drinking water to my ratio percentages which lie at 74% fat, 21% protein, and 5% carbs (by the way that is my average)

I am feeling so unmotivated at present, in fact I am getting symptoms that were not there when i was eating so called 'normally' - Blacking out, humongous bloated face, i feel fatter ... What about L.carnitine.

Here's some things that I eat/drink in addition to eggs and meats:

avocado w/ salt and lime
salami
bacon
smoked salmon
smoked gouda cheese
mozzarella cheese
almonds
almond butter
coconut meat
coconut milk
frozen raspberries with splenda and heavy cream
coffee with heavy cream (are you a coffee drinker? because this is delicious)
green beans with lots of butter
cooked frozen broccoli with lots of butter

If something is low in fat, my rule of thumb is to add butter or some other fat to it. It keeps my motor running all day long.

I am not much of a cook, so these are pretty quick snacks for me. Actually, I don't snack... I just supplement these foods with my meals.

You said you're woozy. You'll need to up your salt intake with broth and/or loading up on salt whenever you eat. When a person eats the standard high-carb diet, their tissues are saturated with insulin. That insulin in turn causes the body to hold onto salt... LOTS of salt. That's why when we switch to low-carb that we're always running to the bathroom. Our insulin in the blood lowers dramatically, thus in turn causing the body to expel lots of salt in the urine.

How many calories a day are you eating? Did you say 1400 calories? If it's at 1400 and you end up feeling hungry eventually, then it's okay to up the calories to 1800 (or higher than that). You won't need to worry about putting on weight if you're eating low-carb. I can understand if you're not very hungry right now, especially if you're in ketosis. But definitely make sure to eat more food if your energy level goes way down and you feel extremely hungry. That's your body's sign that it's trying to conserve energy... in other words, it will try harder to hold onto weight.

How many weeks has it been since you've been doing low-carb? I know your body isn't cooperating right now, but give it a little time. You will start to see progress.

[Mollys121]

I am coming up for my forth week in induction. I appreciate I do not have to stick with induction (but i prefer to) Honestly it is really beginning to bug me now. I am tracking every bit of food on fitday. I mean believe me I agree with patience, but at the end of the day I would like to lose weight at some point, how long do i have to wait, a year? I am eating enough now i believe, between 1300 - 1600 i have a lot of fat. I am not going over my 20g of carbs. I have been very strict. And the answer is no, i have not just come off a low calorie diet ... Maybe there genuinely is something wrong with me :O

I surely should have lost something by now. I am drinking gallons of water, taking vitamins, sticking to DANDR like anything. Is my body Atkins resistant? How long do i have to wait, i really am trying my very hardest. PLUS I am going back to college on Monday ...

I have no problem sharing my days worth of food with you, but i do not know how to transfer it from fitday to here!?

[LilyB]

Excuse me for prying, but how are your BMs? No constipation? Regular? No abdominal pains/cramping in the intestines, etc?

[LilyB]

Also, I have a friend who after dieting for years, started eating in this different way. She held onto every pound until she bumped her calories up over 2300. Only then did she finally start to "let go of her hard-earned pounds". Perhaps you DO need an additional meal?

[Brinethery]

Excuse me for prying, but how are your BMs? No constipation? Regular? No abdominal pains/cramping in the intestines, etc?

Great question and now I'm wondering the same thing! (hey, we're all adults here and I actually don't think we talk about intestinal health enough.)

My weight fluctuates by around 5 pounds depending on how much stuff is inside of me.

[Brinethery]

I am tracking every bit of food on fitday. I mean believe me I agree with patience, but at the end of the day I would like to lose weight at some point, how long do i have to wait, a year? I am eating enough now i believe, between 1300 - 1600 i have a lot of fat. I am not going over my 20g of carbs. I have been very strict.

I have no problem sharing my days worth of food with you, but i do not know how to transfer it from fitday to here!?

I can't say this enough, but up your caloric intake. Also, completely cut out any kind of aerobic exercise. Can you believe how counter-intuitive our advice sounds? But I think with these two tweaks, you'll start experiencing fat loss.

Have you ever heard of the fat aerobics instructor paradox? Look it up on Google, you'll get a laugh :-)

[euphoricme]

I know it sounds counter-intuitive Molly, but double your calorie intake. Seriously. You are not having results on a very very low calorie diet. Try following the Atkin's induction rules and do not limit or count calories. Overeat if you want to. It isn't about calories for you on this diet. Try making all of your meals at least 1,000 calories. Breakfast 1 pound of bacon with 3-4 eggs and some cheese. Lunch 2 double quarter pounds with cheese no bun, no ketchup, extra mayo. First dinner 1 pound of sausage. Second dinner I dunno, more bacon lol.

"If something is low in fat, my rule of thumb is to add butter or some other fat to it. It keeps my motor running all day long."

lol me too. I love baked chicken but I find it is a little too low in fat so I often drink some heavy cream with it - yum!

***edit - for the record I didn't read your post where your said "counter-intuitive" prior to my post where I said counter-intuitive brine lol.

[LilyB]

I really don't care for chicken breast much, but I will cut it up and cook it in a cast iron skillet (in its own fat). Then I remove the chicken pieces and deglaze the pan with heavy cream. Reduce the cream and add the chicken back. Cream and a dash of garlic will make anything taste amazing. It's also very good with shrimp or scallops. :)

[Brinethery]

***edit - for the record I didn't read your post where your said "counter-intuitive" prior to my post where I said counter-intuitive brine lol.

No problem, the word "counter-intuitive" is a perfect way to describe this WOE. And I say that in a good way.

[Mollys121]

It is really interesting you asked about my bowel movement (actually this is one aspect which is concerning me greatly) In the nearly four weeks I have been doing Atkins I have had ONE yes ONE bowel movement, and i believe it was in my second week, I believe I am constipated ... sorry. I cannot imagine where the food i am eating is going! By the way the majority of my 20g of carbs IS from veggies ... I am also experiencing quite severe back pain (my lower back) My mum is convinced it is due to a lack of calcium, however i am getting cream, and cheese daily!

Believe me, I am not in any way shape or form trying to eat little (i.e keep my calorie intake low) However I am finding it VERY difficult to eat enough. When i began i believe i was only on 1000 below a day. I honestly cannot see how much more I can possibly eat of protein. And i have been scared off eating a lot of bacon :S

It's really bizarre actually, I am still experiencing the extreme head rushes. Having said that i do feel more energetic (I am getting up earlier in the morning etc) I am one of the youngest, if not the youngest here and I am experiencing the most health issues - maybe I am secretly 90!! :lol:

P.s I am not currently doing aerobic exercise, I was planning on starting running, but now you have said that I wont.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME !!!!

[Brinethery]

Oh boy, one in four weeks?! Eeek!

That happened to me once and I hadn't thought about it until I was driving around in the car with my friend. My abdominal muscles started to burn like there were knives trying to cut through.

Then I put 2 and 2 together and tried to figure out what the best drug would be to take just so that I could get everything out.

I would recommend that you start taking psyllium fiber (metamucil) on a daily basis.

I go on a regular basis because I'm a coffee drinker, but I would not encourage someone to take up a coffee habit just for the sake of being regular.

Btw, if working out makes you feel good and you enjoy it, you might try some form of resistance training. It seems much more promising than aerobics for weight loss.

Best of luck!

~Brigitta

[Brinethery]

Btw, here is the chapter out of GT's book that talks about exercise. If you have the time, you should check it out :-)

http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/63876583?access_key=key-20m9g2nd9weugfjputl1

[Kirsteen]

Hi there, I don't know whether you read a post I wrote into another of your threads, but just in case you didn't read it, I'll paste part of it below.

Good oil like olive oil is needed for the fat burning process, so limiting it too much is like having a handicap. Even a teaspoon at a meal will help - you don't need to go way over the top until you get the diet working for you.

Dr. Atkins discusses a number of issues in the book which can sabotage the success of the diet, including caffeine, insufficient sleep and food intolerances - it is worth reading it over carefully to see what might apply to you. Also, stay away from low-calorie sweeteners.

Without having a better idea of what you're eating and when, it is difficult to guage what's happening. Can you start a journal and write down whatever you eat, and when each day? I strongly recommend it. If you start a journal then I am more than happy to visit to take a look at it - just leave me a message anytime.

With regard to the not going to the loo.. Keeping the carbs at 20 is one reason you're constipated, because fibre is what will move the food through your system. Upping your fibre intake and oil might help. Dr. Atkins suggested fibre supplements in his book - I bought one of them in the UK when I first started low-carbing. Once I had raised my carbs a bit on OWL, the problem disappeared. Another way to get yourself moving is by taking vitamin C. It is not dangerous, because the body excretes any extra, so try taking say 1000 mg, and if you don't go within an hour, take more, you'll eventually "go" - stay close to a loo, because you'll probably have to go in a hurry, lol.

Good luck.

[Judynyc]

It is really interesting you asked about my bowel movement (actually this is one aspect which is concerning me greatly) In the nearly four weeks I have been doing Atkins I have had ONE yes ONE bowel movement, and i believe it was in my second week, I believe I am constipated ... sorry. I cannot imagine where the food i am eating is going! By the way the majority of my 20g of carbs IS from veggies ... I am also experiencing quite severe back pain (my lower back) My mum is convinced it is due to a lack of calcium, however i am getting cream, and cheese daily!

Believe me, I am not in any way shape or form trying to eat little (i.e keep my calorie intake low) However I am finding it VERY difficult to eat enough. When i began i believe i was only on 1000 below a day. I honestly cannot see how much more I can possibly eat of protein. And i have been scared off eating a lot of bacon :S

It's really bizarre actually, I am still experiencing the extreme head rushes. Having said that i do feel more energetic (I am getting up earlier in the morning etc) I am one of the youngest, if not the youngest here and I am experiencing the most health issues - maybe I am secretly 90!! :lol:

P.s I am not currently doing aerobic exercise, I was planning on starting running, but now you have said that I wont.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME !!!!
Hi Molly,
4 weeks with only one BM is not something to take lightly and you need to get the corrected asap. OK?
You can take psylium fiber and also you can take magnesium before bedtime. I started with 400 mgs mag and ended up with 800 mgs per night to insure I have a healthy BM in the mornings. The magnesium will help a lot! But after 4 weeks of not eliminating, it could take your body a couple of days to get cleared out.
IMO, that is why you're not seeing any losses....yet!! :D
Also if you are eating more than 4 ozs of cheese per day, that can be causing your body to be constipated. 4 ozs is the upper maximum limit. I allow myself only 2 ozs per day. Too much cheese can be constipating!

If you want others to be able to see your Fitday, ther is an option there to make it 'public'. Once you've done that, bring a link here.
On the no exercise, a nice brisk walk for 30-40 minutes a day, will help your body immensely!! :agree:
We'll help you get this sorted out!! :wave:

[Mollys121]

Here is my fitday link ... http://fitday.com/fitness/PublicJournals.html?Owner=Mollys121

And regards to the cheese, I do not think in a single day i have used the maximum amount of 4oz. I consume between 1 and 3oz a day. Well you will be able to see from my food log (:

I have been given a lot of options with regards to my BM ... Which one should i choose? Which one is best, i would rather not take laxatives by the way - as I am going back to school tomorrow!

OLIVE OIL. Believe me I am no stranger to the stuff. I use it a lot which you will be able to see from my log, so i do not think this is the problem.

It is interesting you mention food intolerance's. I have always thought i had either one or some, as i used to get hideous belly aches followed by chronic diarrhea ... sorry if TMI ... It has subsided however since being on Atkins to only a few twinges. And i really would rather NOT go to the doctors.

I really do hope i can work this out, at this rate I am going to reach fifty and be 50 stone :/ :help:

[Brinethery]

Here is my fitday link ... http://fitday.com/fitness/PublicJournals.html?Owner=Mollys121

Which one is best, i would rather not take laxatives by the way...



I think what you mean is that you don't want a stimulant laxative. Those things are horrific. I accidentally took too many and RAN to the bathroom. It was a close call.

However, you could try Miralax for a week or two which is non-stimulant. It is a polymer in your system and really bulks up in your colon. It seems to do something similar to psyllium fiber. So Miralax is another good option if the fiber 3x daily doesn't work.

And of course there are other options like yoga, walking, abdominal massage (I like to do this sometimes, gets things moving).

Good luck with all this. Constipations sucks!

[Kirsteen]

Don't do the vitamin C thing if you are not in the house, lol.

I agree that magnesium is great too.. I bought something called Oxypowder when I first did Atkins induction. It was great. It is meant for a big cleanse, but you could use a lot less - maybe one a day - and it would get things moving for you.

http://www.oxypowdercleansing.com/tag/magnesium-oxides/

There's a discussion about magnesium in this thread in the newbies section:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=431462&page=3&pp=15

... of course there are other options like ... abdominal massage

abdominal massage could work very well. Start at the bottom of your tummy above your right leg, with your right fingers, push in, then up, then take your fingers away. Keep repeating, moving further and further up, gradually working towards your chest. Once you reach your ribcage, start working across the way, pushing over to the other side of your body, then down the other side towards your left leg. This is the path of your colon:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/images/ency/fullsize/19220.jpg

[Kirsteen]

Molly, you haven't gained any weight, so that is a great thing. Can I suggest that you try adding some oily fish. Salmon, smoked mackerel, sardines all provide Omega oils which help with weight loss:

http://www.mind1st.co.uk/omega-3-fish-oil-weight-loss/

[Mollys121]

Okay then i will purchase some magnesium. And no i have still not been to the toilet!!

By the way did any of you read by fitday plan? I need to know were I am going wrong. Is it possible to be eating too much fat?

I honestly cannot see the point in continuing with Atkins, as i am seeing no changes. Maybe i do genuinely have something very wrong with me!

But thank you regardless ...

[Judynyc]

Okay then i will purchase some magnesium. And no i have still not been to the toilet!!

By the way did any of you read by fitday plan? I need to know were I am going wrong. Is it possible to be eating too much fat?

I honestly cannot see the point in continuing with Atkins, as i am seeing no changes. Maybe i do genuinely have something very wrong with me!

But thank you regardless ...
Hi Molly,
Did you tell your mom yet, that you haven't had a BM is all these weeks?
This is not healthy and you should've done somehting about it by now...ie: an actual enema. This is not healthy for you at all.
Whether you are doing Atkins or any other plan, not moving your waste can be very dangerous!! I won't go into the details but trust me, you need to force the issue now.
Looking at your fitday won't help you now until you get this corrected.
Please....take good care!! :bhug:

[Brinethery]

I have to agree with Judynyc. Desperate times come for desperate measures. The most gentle thing for emergency situations like this one are glycerin suppositories. Then if that doesn't work, you could try either a stimulant laxative, enema, or a bottle magnesium citrate. I hear the magnesium citrate is pretty gross to drink, but whatever works.

As a precautionary measure, you should really start taking daily fiber supplements like Metamucil or Miralax (gentle non-stimulant). If you're not eating enough green vegetables, you could also try eating more of those.

I have had a problem like this before. It caused me to be sick to my stomach, my abdominal muscles felt like they were being cut into, and I was extremely moody... understandably.

I really hope you get this situation resolved soon.

[Kirsteen]

I know that you prefer to keep to induction carbs, but I strongly suggest again that you try raising your carbs a bit in the form of fibre rich vegetables. The induction carbs were making you feel awful and Dr. Atkins says in the book that if you have problems during induction, you should raise the carbs. If your weight starts to go up, or you get cravings, you can just drop them back again.

Good luck with getting your system moving. I got constipated on induction too, lol, but once my carbs were raised it resolved itself.

You're not eating too much fat. Oil can actually be great for constipation. I was constipated on induction recently, and I incidentally ate more oil than normal at one meal, and it made me "go".

http://www.health-benefits-of-olive-oil.com/olive-oil-and-constipation.html

Your calories are actually still quite low, which is another reason for raising your carbs a bit more, and having a bigger variety of fresh vegetables, which makes the diet more enjoyable and varied. Vary your protein sources too - oily fish is great. The more different foods you eat, the more nutrients you'll probably get. You could add more protein for calories/variety too - you're nowhere near a dangerous amount at the moment. We all do a slightly different version of Atkins, because we all have slightly different body chemistry, so it's worth making small adjustments until you hit on a winning formula.

[Mollys121]

I am really concerned now. I read about magnesium citrate and apparently it is EXTREMELY strong and can give you adverse side affects. No i have not told my mum, and will not be telling my mum I would like to sort it out NOW however.

I researched glycerin suppositories and the idea of doing that is terrifying and I honestly do not know how i am going to get my hands on any. I am really scared, i read it can tear your bowel or something. I am at school as well so i cannot take these very severe ones!

Please, please, please help me what do i do!!! Have any of you tried anything that worked. Please what do i do!? Am i really in danger!?

[Mollys121]

..............

[Mollys121]

Right I have drunk 3 cups of black coffee. I am going to take the start of the day off school and buy and take some fleet enema. Will this product DEFINITELY work for me, providing i have been constipated for this long now? I am extremely desperate at this point, now knowing the health risks!
I really cannot go to the hospital or doctor, please appreciate this. So if fleet enema does not work, what else can i try. I AM DESPERATE!

[Mollys121]

Guys I am soo happy. After drinking two black coffee's i have been to the toilet. I didn't even need the fleet enema! Besides the place i was going to get it from opened at 9:00! Sorry if this is too much information but I do not feel as though i am COMPLETELY 'cleansed' so to speak, but I am out of the danger zone right?

Now that i have been, and believe me i was SO panicked, i would appreciate more then anything a fiber supplement that will work 100% as i do not want to experience this EVER again, i actually thought i was going to have to go to the hospital. THANK GOD FOR COFFEE ... I think it is also because i do not drink a lot of coffee usually so it got to work pretty quickly!

I am so relieved and would like to thank you so much for helping me (:

NOW I have some more GREAT news. I have lost weight! And not from going to the toilet, as i weighed myself before hand. I am now down to 75 kilo apparently, but can i just ask a question ... I genuinely cannot see a difference in my body, maybe i need to lose a lot more before i notice a difference? Have any of you experienced this? Have i lost water weight in my 5-6th week!

Also with your years and years worth of experience with Atkins, would any of you be able to predict a time i should be able to shed all of my weight (down to my ideal size?) This is providing i stick rigorously to Atkins, which i will do i promise. x

[Elizellen]

I am glad you have managed to get some relief, Molly! :thup:

I would suggest moving to OWL and increasing the amount of veggies you are eating to avoid the problem in the future.

Another thing many people use is psyllium husk, bran or ground flax (linseeds) which you can either sprinkle over salads or use to bake little buns or muffins.

If you do decide to go the extra fibre route start by only adding about a tablespoonsworth rather than add a lot at once as it can have the opposite effect and clog you up more if you do not drink plenty of water!!

[Judynyc]

Guys I am soo happy. After drinking two black coffee's i have been to the toilet. I didn't even need the fleet enema! Besides the place i was going to get it from opened at 9:00! Sorry if this is too much information but I do not feel as though i am COMPLETELY 'cleansed' so to speak, but I am out of the danger zone right? I'm very happy to know that you've got things moving finally, Molly! Yes, it'll take your body another couple of days to get all cleaned out but at least your on your way now.

Now that i have been, and believe me i was SO panicked, i would appreciate more then anything a fiber supplement that will work 100% as i do not want to experience this EVER again, i actually thought i was going to have to go to the hospital. THANK GOD FOR COFFEE ... I think it is also because i do not drink a lot of coffee usually so it got to work pretty quickly!Yes....you were right to be panicked as you could've perforated your bowel and that is very dangerous.


NOW I have some more GREAT news. I have lost weight! And not from going to the toilet, as i weighed myself before hand. I am now down to 75 kilo apparently, but can i just ask a question ... I genuinely cannot see a difference in my body, maybe i need to lose a lot more before i notice a difference? Have any of you experienced this? Have i lost water weight in my 5-6th week! Congrats on your weight loss! I'm sure that once you get rid of the rest of the waste, you'll see and feel a big difference. Also, when you get closer to 150, you will really see a big difference.


Also with your years and years worth of experience with Atkins, would any of you be able to predict a time i should be able to shed all of my weight (down to my ideal size?) This is providing i stick rigorously to Atkins, which i will do i promise. x
While we are all different, a general rule of thumb is that we can lose 1-2 lbs a week. You can do the math on how long it'll take you to get there....and at the same time, please know that we don't lose weight every week and soem weeks we stay the same, some weeks we may see gain...but when we are trending downward, its all good.
Why did you pick 112 lbs as your goal weight?

[LilyB]

Molly, I have a tea in my cupboard called "Smooth Move", in case I need a bit of extra "help". :o I do not know, however, if it is available in UK. It is made with Senna, which is a laxative.

I also have sugar free fiber, made from apple pectin and psyllium husk. When I take it (rarely) I make sure to drink at least two or three extra glasses of water.

I find that my two morning coffees and my lovely coconut oil almost always do "the trick". :)

[teresaw]

I suggest you go to Boot's the chemist and ask for an old herbal remedy... get that, not a laxative... a remedy. much, much milder, gentle dose... even Beachams's pills are quite gentle... until you get in to normal routine, and then you shouldn't need any help. Drink more water and take your mag.... Don't leave it so long next time...

[Kirsteen]

Hey there, congrats! I'm glad you've seen the first results. :D

As far as magnesium goes, it is an essential mineral and it helps you lose weight. It's one of the supplements which Dr. Atkins suggests to aid weight loss, but as you say, some supplement sources are better than others. Dietary sources are green leafy vegetables, including spinach, broccoli, so raising your carbs a bit to increase your consumption of those will will give you magnesium and more fibre. ;)

See here for a table with more sources of magnesium:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=75

Dr. Atkins diet book says that you should raise your carbs in small steps after the 2-week induction period, and the reason the diet is famous is because it works.. So do what he suggests and start raising your carbs. You don't want your body adjusting to ultra-low carbs, because you'll then be stuck with a very restrictive diet in order to maintain your weight, and if you hit a plateau, there won't be much left to cut out.

There is no advantage to staying at induction levels unless your blood sugar balance is so dreadful that it goes out of kilter with the slightest carb overload. You have not had a lifetime of abusing food and you are not significantly overweight, so unless you have some sort of familial link to some health issue like diabetes, it is highly unlikely that a higher carb diet will make any difference to the diet, and it is likely to do you a lot of good.

Lower carb will not make you lose weight quicker. Your body can only burn a certain amount of fat, and better, healthier eating habits are more important than fast weight loss.

Please take the advice given by ElizEllen and me and start with the OWL stage of the diet, as in the book. Give Dr. Atkins' diet a try.

[Brinethery]

I'm glad you finally went to the bathroom, that's great news.

Now you need to either up the vegetable intake and/or start taking metamucil 2 or 3 times per day. The metamucil dosages need to be spread out throughout the day or (TMI I know) you'll just have a bunch of water in your colon. Happened to me when I overdid it on the psyllium. You really need to be proactive about BMs.

As for the coffee... if you're only drinking coffee to go to the bathroom, don't make coffee a regular habit. I am ADDICTED to coffee. Anyone asks me to quit coffee now and I practically growl at them as a response. If you start coffee, you'll never stop.

[euphoricme]

"I am ADDICTED to coffee."

^^^

[Kirsteen]

I was addicted to caffeine, but it was one reason I fell off the wagon two years ago, because it caused a long stall, leading to me deciding to have some time off strict dieting, (BIG mistake) so I am totally caffeine-free now, and finding the diet much easier.

[Mollys121]

I am very worried about moving up to OWL as my weight loss in Induction has not been much, so i do not see how OWL can help. I appreciate that Atkins is not ALL about losing weight but for me that is my main reason. Please can someone explain to me why the scales show i have lost weight, but my body looks no different?

Also i have spoken to a Atkins follower a while back who had virtually exactly the same amount of weight to lose as me, he said the trick was to stay on induction throughout. He said he did move up the stages only when he had finished his weight loss goal. It feels like I am running before I can walk if i move up to OWL right now. I just need some justification for me moving out of induction really.

I really cannot get my head around why on earth I am not losing weight, it is just ridiculous. I understand that not everyone loses weight at the same pace, but mine just does not seem to want to begin!

I also have one BIG problem, do you remember i said i was beginning school, yeah well because of my schedule and the lack of food (acceptable for Atkins) that they sell at shops, my meals are becoming non existent! I am not eating breakfast or lunch only dinner, and even that feels like a chore! I am also suffering quite severely from lower back and leg pain, as well as the blackouts and occasional stomach aches.
Is it possible Atkins is just not for me?

[Brinethery]

If you're too rushed to prepare lunch, I would say to eat a big breakfast and a big dinner. I remember high school, and I didn't eat much lunch at school. I don't recommend not eating lunch, it's just that I didn't feel like preparing it in the morning. The school didn't have any low-carb options. It was fries, pizza, hot dogs, just lots of junk. And no, I wouldn't eat hot dogs by themselves... I don't even like them with the bun! So salty and gross.

Make a huge batch of hard-boiled eggs. Or make lots of devilled eggs that you can eat throughout the day.

It says on your profile that you live in London. Are you having a tough time buying food because of the high prices over there?

[LilyB]

What about just dropping a tin of tuna or sardines or kippers in your purse? You can find mayo packs and mustard packs at the shops, and you can just get a water or a diet drink...

[heirloom10]

hi there, i think you should eat more fat. low carb diets should be 75% fat. an underappreciated fact. you need some heavy cream and butter. lower back pain and leg pain point to magnesium deficiency - http://www.krispin.com/magnes.html#Deficiency this will tell you what kind to get. once you get more fat calories into you you should stop getting harsh pain, though. getting the fat is the most important thing you need to do. imho.

you may not be losing weight because you're actually eating too much protein. or you may have some thyroid issue.

there's lots to learn about LC.

[Judynyc]

I am very worried about moving up to OWL as my weight loss in Induction has not been much, so i do not see how OWL can help. I appreciate that Atkins is not ALL about losing weight but for me that is my main reason. Please can someone explain to me why the scales show i have lost weight, but my body looks no different?

Also i have spoken to a Atkins follower a while back who had virtually exactly the same amount of weight to lose as me, he said the trick was to stay on induction throughout. He said he did move up the stages only when he had finished his weight loss goal. It feels like I am running before I can walk if i move up to OWL right now. I just need some justification for me moving out of induction really.

I really cannot get my head around why on earth I am not losing weight, it is just ridiculous. I understand that not everyone loses weight at the same pace, but mine just does not seem to want to begin!

I also have one BIG problem, do you remember i said i was beginning school, yeah well because of my schedule and the lack of food (acceptable for Atkins) that they sell at shops, my meals are becoming non existent! I am not eating breakfast or lunch only dinner, and even that feels like a chore! I am also suffering quite severely from lower back and leg pain, as well as the blackouts and occasional stomach aches.
Is it possible Atkins is just not for me?
You ask why you aren't losing and yet you did tell us that you were down to 75 kgs? Was that true? or not?....I'm confused! :confused:

[Judynyc]

Guys I am soo happy. After drinking two black coffee's i have been to the toilet. I didn't even need the fleet enema! Besides the place i was going to get it from opened at 9:00! Sorry if this is too much information but I do not feel as though i am COMPLETELY 'cleansed' so to speak, but I am out of the danger zone right?

Now that i have been, and believe me i was SO panicked, i would appreciate more then anything a fiber supplement that will work 100% as i do not want to experience this EVER again, i actually thought i was going to have to go to the hospital. THANK GOD FOR COFFEE ... I think it is also because i do not drink a lot of coffee usually so it got to work pretty quickly!

I am so relieved and would like to thank you so much for helping me (:

NOW I have some more GREAT news. I have lost weight! And not from going to the toilet, as i weighed myself before hand. I am now down to 75 kilo apparently, but can i just ask a question ... I genuinely cannot see a difference in my body, maybe i need to lose a lot more before i notice a difference? Have any of you experienced this? Have i lost water weight in my 5-6th week!

Also with your years and years worth of experience with Atkins, would any of you be able to predict a time i should be able to shed all of my weight (down to my ideal size?) This is providing i stick rigorously to Atkins, which i will do i promise. x
There it is Molly...you said it.... :agree: you lost weight and now you say that you didn't. :q:

[Kirsteen]

I am very worried about moving up to OWL as my weight loss in Induction has not been much, so i do not see how OWL can help.

You have have been indoctrinated into thinking that eating less and doing something drastic will cause better weightloss, and this isn't a very healthy attitude to food and eating. A lot of us also have battled with the same issues. You need to trust what Dr. Atkins said, and follow his diet properly. Otherwise you are not doing the Atkins diet - you are doing a starvation diet of your own, which is a sad state of affairs when Dr. Atkins devoted his life to sharing all his knowledge and experience gained through a lifetime of helping people to lose weight in his clinic. Your current diet might lead to nutritional deficiencies which will IMPEDE weightloss, and possibly cause worse problems. Dr. Atkins stipulates that you eat top quality food and don't get hungry on the diet. So that is a first thing to aim for.

Please can someone explain to me why the scales show i have lost weight, but my body looks no different?

When you lose fat, the body replaces the lost fat with water, so your weight and appearance might stay the same, but the fat nevertheless is breaking down in the cells, and you'll eventually lose the water. You need to be patient, Molly. Work just now on getting a healthy, adequate OWL and the weight-loss will follow.

Also i have spoken to a Atkins follower a while back who had virtually exactly the same amount of weight to lose as me, he said the trick was to stay on induction throughout. He said he did move up the stages only when he had finished his weight loss goal.

A. He is male and his nutritional needs, food tastes, metabolism and body composition are very different to yours, so his experience is irrelevant.
B. Dr. Atkins started low-carbing as a young man and died (from a head injury) in his mid-70s, so he ate low-carb for about 50 years. He ran weight loss clinics for years, and the New Diet Revolution was produced near the end of that long, healthy and professionally successful life. He knew more about the subject than your "Atkins follower".

It feels like I am running before I can walk if i move up to OWL right now. I just need some justification for me moving out of induction really.

You need to move out of induction because it did not suit you and raising your carbs might help. I have spent many many hours learning about low-carb eating and I have read the experiences of many different females on this site. I am telling you that some women who cannot lose on induction carbs can lose better by raising their carbs, induction is generally understood to last two weeks and that your own particular nutritional needs will be met if you raise your carbs by including more good veggies, etc. Leave off the wheat, sugar, corn, potatoes and any starch which doesn't pack a punch of fibre and you will be fine.


I really cannot get my head around why on earth I am not losing weight, it is just ridiculous. I understand that not everyone loses weight at the same pace, but mine just does not seem to want to begin!

You won't lose weight easily if you are eating too few calories, because your body will go into starvation mode. You might also have an intolerance to a food group, so by adding in more different foods, you'll naturally eat less of it, thus enabling better weight loss. There are other reasons as well, such as certain nutrients accelerating or enabling weight loss, etc. If you add extra vegetables etc. then you will be able to have some butter with them, which will raise your calories. Remember what I said about eating a little oil with every meal, which helps to burn fat.

I also have one BIG problem, do you remember i said i was beginning school, yeah well because of my schedule and the lack of food (acceptable for Atkins) that they sell at shops, my meals are becoming non existent! I am not eating breakfast or lunch only dinner, and even that feels like a chore! I am also suffering quite severely from lower back and leg pain, as well as the blackouts and occasional stomach aches.
Is it possible Atkins is just not for me?

Molly, you are not doing the Atkins diet! You have taken advice from one person who *thinks* it is better to stay on induction. In fact the Atkins diet does not advocate staying on induction. Otherwise the book would only be about four pages long. You are supposed to move onto add more carbs and Dr. Atkins gives direction how to do that. If he thought everyone would be better sticking on induction, he wouldn't have suggested that people start adding carbs after 2 weeks. You need to grasp the fact that by adding more carbs the diet will be easier, more varied, you'll feel better and will learn far more about eating a healthy diet which will sustain you in good health for your life.

There's no reason why you cannot do Atkins at school. Is it a boarding school? If not, you have your breakfast before leaving the house. You can take a packed lunch. If you used to eat so many carbs that removing them means there's nothing left, then you really need the Atkins diet, so you will learn to eat more variety, good quality protein foods, a good selection of high quality, vitamin packed veggies, healthy oils and fats and much more. You'll soon find a few staple things you enjoy which you can throw together quickly, and you'll be set for lunches.

LUNCH IDEAS
Take one large tub, a couple of small tubs, a picnic knife, fork and spoon to school every day. Packed lunch ideas are:

1. Devilled eggs like Brinethery said - that's eggs with mayonnaise
2. A greek salad is very easy and quick to prepare: feta cheese, lettuce, tomato, olive oil.
3. Chicken salad with mayonnaise.
4. Prawn cocktail salad.
5. Chop 1/2 an avocado with a can of tuna (drain it and break it up a bit) and add either a little sesame oil or a different dressing of your choice.
6. Raw broccoli with a curry mayonnaise is a delicious salad you could have on the side of some cooked ham, etc.
7. Raita (cubed cucumber in greek yoghurt) would be lovely with something meaty, or with a quiche.
8. Tuna dip with raw cauliflower and courgettes to dip in. (Mash a can of tuna with mayonnaise, and add lemon juice/chilli/black pepper to your taste.
9. Egg mayonnaise with cheesy coleslaw (go light on the carrot)
10. You could make a baseless quiche to last for several days - try mixing 4 eggs with around 4oz of cottage cheese and some herbs, fry a sliced onion, then layer the onion, 2-3 sliced tomatoes and 3-4 ounces of sliced cheese in a baking dish and cover with the egg mixture. Bake at 180 for around 30-40 mins, until set. Serve with any salad and it's 4 servings. (For variation you can add some seaweed (soak it for a minute first if it's dried) or spinach to the egg mixture or use different vegetables
11. Mix up lettuce, chopped tomatoes and chopped cooked bacon with mayonnaise mixed with mustard for a tasty salad. That recipe comes from "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution".
12. Mix sliced tomatoes, boiled eggs and mayonnaise for a yummy salad to serve with cold meat or other salads.
13. Smoked mackerel pate - mash approximately 150g tub of cottage cheese with 2 smoked mackerel and some black pepper to taste. (2 servings) Serve with sliced tomatoes.

Have a couple of extra small containers with a couple of teaspoons of hummus or greek yoghurt (3-4 teaspoons of Total full fat) with some fruit to eat with your lunch. (You can freeze some fruit like rasps/strawbs and just take a little out to add to your yoghurt every day).

Take a bag with a few nuts (Dr. Atkins suggests brazil nuts), seeds, or small amounts of fruit, but don't take too many - just a few is enough each day.

Try to get plenty of variety.

Start to broaden out your diet then you won't have so many problems. :D

I really think you need to challenge yourself to loosen off your tight control over what you think you should eat, and accept that the Atkins diet is called that because Dr. Atkins was the diet guru who has saved the lives of countless morbidly obese people. Consult Dr. Atkins book for lists of possible foods and some recipes. Start adding in the carbs slowly, get some healthy exercise which you enjoy like dancing, walking or skating, and accept that men, excessive eaters and those who retain water lose weight quickly on Atkins, but many others just take a lot longer to get the weight loss rolling, and the key to getting it rolling is to try out different things, because we are all different. ((((Big hugs Molly)))).. It's hard, but I know you can do it. xx

[Mollys121]

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[Mollys121]

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