Need advice, HELP!!!

[jeffmac]

Here's what happened...

First day on Atkins, lost 1 lb
2nd day, lost 2 lbs
3rd day lost 3 lbs
4th day, no change
5th day, lost 2 lbs
6th day, gained 1 lb (!!!)
7th day, no change

I know that everyone says not to get hung up on daily scale readings but I also made some alterations to the diet that I now feel may have caused my stall. On the 6th and 7th days of my diet, I did 2 things:

1) I cut out my 2 daily salads that I initially started out on. My reason for this is that I was only showing moderate ketone levels on my test strips. I thought that by eliminating all carbs for a couple of days, I could put myself deeper into BDK, thus dropping the pounds quicker. Was my thinking flawed? My plan was to add the salads back in once I hit a high ketone level, but my ketone level hasn't really changed, in fact if anything the strips seem to be a touch lighter than before.

2) I also allowed myself some sugar free JELLO on those 2 days, thinking the aspartame was ok, now I think that may have been a mistake. Why oh why did I change 2 things about my diet at the same time? Dumb dumb dumb...

Do you think the JELLO or the salad removal had more to do with stall? Or is this really not a stall at all, just a normal fluctuation for someone of my weight? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

:q:

[gonnaBlean]

jeff, i am new here also, but i'm sure like many here have dieted most of my life. make sure you drink, drink, drink.
i've been doing atkins 8 days now and have lost 17 poounds, and stalled for two days. experience will tell you not to get excited, after all you are on the way down. i would stick to the rules and not add anything right now.
my personal motivation for this way of live is this, one day i looked in the mirror and told the guy looking back " if you dont take care of this weight sitiation your gonna die" maybe a little harsh but no one can be tougher on me than me.
went i get a craving or want to change something to make this way of life easier i go talk to the guy in the mirror.
good luck !!!!

[mrschmelz]

You can't eliminate all carbs from your diet, that wasn't a good idea. I would bring back the salads and quit watching the scale on a daily basis ;)

As for the sugar free jello, I personally have had NO problems with the aspartame like some people have.....but everyone is different.

Here is what I would do.

Add back the salads and note your progress in a week. If you are losing, then try the sugar free jello again, then note in another week whether you are still making progress after adding the jello. If you are still losing, then the Jello probably doesn't affect you all that much. But also remember that the lower you get, the harder the lbs are to lose.

[Lisa N]

Good advice above, Jeff!

Cutting your carbs below 20 won't help you lose any faster and may backfire on you entirely. Eat more veggies...you need the fiber and nutrients!
Darker Purple on the test strips doesn't necessarily mean that you are burning more fat and will therefore lose faster. ANY shade indicating you are in ketosis is enough. Often, the darker colors can indicate dehydration or simply that you ate a lot of dietary fat (that shows up on the strips, too).
Aspartame is a YMMV thing. Some people are affected by it to a large degree, some find that it doesn't cause any problems at all. If you think it's causing you a problem, cut it out and see what happens.
Not losing weight for a day or even gaining a pound one day is not a stall. A stall is defined as no weight or inch loss for a period of 4-6 weeks. Weight loss is rarely ever in a steady downward trend; there are going to be ups and downs along the way. If you have to weigh daily, record the weight and then do an average of the entire week. That should give you a much better picture of your progress.
Above all, be patient. You didn't gain all the weight overnight, you're not going to lose it that way, either. :)

[spellbound]

jeffmac

Some good advice here. Do not cut out the carbs totally. The fiber is so important. The other thing that may help is to drink at least 1/2 you body weight in ounces of water each day. This is water, not soda, or other liquids. Just water. It will make a big difference.

Good luck. Keep going.

[ladybugvv]

It looks like you lost 9 pounds in 7 days. That's quite a bit. Your body has to catch up with that fast loss. You didn't gain the weight over night and you won't lose it all overnight. There's no hurry! Your weight will fluctuate, but it's the average that counts.

Drink your water, eat your veggies, and relax.

By the way, congrats on your weight loss! Looks like this wol agrees with you! :D