First of all sorry for this epic but I am now absolutely desperate to make this work and I thought that if I put everything down then some one might pick up on my mistakes!!

I first started the Atkins diet back in October and I think I've stuck to it pretty well but I haven't lost any weight - in fact since October I think I've put on a few pounds.

As of 2 Jan 2002 I decided to draw a line over the past few months and to start the diet again being as careful as I can to stick to the rules but after a fresh positive start I've now hit an absolute low as I still haven't lost weight after just about two weeks!!

A typical days menu consists of:
Crispy bacon for breakfast, a chicken and bacon salad for lunch with a tablespoon of mayonnaise and then in the evening I have either chicken or tuna salad with a small omelette (one egg and nothing else) with a tablespoon of mayonnaise.
Also over the day I have two portions of sugar free jelly and about 2.5 - 3 litres of water.

I thought that I might not be eating enough fat so I started to have about a 113g carton of clotted cream at breakfast instead of the bacon strips (it may sound disgusting but it's not really)

I go to the gym for about 30/35 minutes before work each morning. The Ketostix show that I have reached ketosis (at first weak but after including the cream it went to strong).

Over the last 7/8 years I have been diagnosed with IBS and have suffered a horrible skin condition (like acne) which was diagnosed as a yeast infection of the skin. I have the 'pot belly' which Dr Atkins highlighted as a possible symptom of Candida. I have therefore cut cheese and mushrooms out of my diet as well as everything else.

Has anyone any tips? I have recommended the diet to several people and the frustrating thing is I have helped them with their diets (advising more water etc.) and it has worked for them so WHY NOT ME????
The principles of this diet make sense to me and I really want to stick to it and make it work but if I don't make any headway soon I am going to have try something else!

Please help... I want my clothes to fit me again!

Thanks
Hilary

Hilary,

I understand just where you are coming from. I have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and am severely insulin resistant. I was on Atkins for 6 months and gained 2kgs by the end of it. I tried everything I could think of. In the meanwhile, I managed to get referred to an endocrinologist who did a full workup on me, including (among many other things) an IGTT (glucose tolerance test with insulin). It was determined my insulin level at fasting was almost 4 times normal and after glucose (carb) intake it was off the chart. That's why I wasn't losing on Atkins - the diet alone wasn't reducing my insulin enough to 'work'.

I have been taking an insulin-sensitizing drug (metformin) for a few months now and am FINALLY beginning to lose, slowly, but it's happening. I am following CALP (carb-addicts lifespan program) and it's working for me.

You mentioned the IBS and possible yeast infestation - if possible, you may look more closely to these factors and possibly hyperinsulin as well. I know it is so frustrating to not know WHY it's not doing what it should! I think you may just need to dig deeper into your own personal biochemistry with the help of a knowledgeable GP or endocrinologist.

Best wishes!!!

Sorry I appear to have sent this thread twice folks... problems with my computer (crashed when I submitted first time and I thought it had been lost in the ether!!)

(feeling very stupid!)

Hilary

Some people are so alergic to artificial sweeteners that it stops wait loss. Do you drink caffein. We nned more details tpo be sure what you are eating. If you want, send me a detailed list of what you have eaten and drank for 2 days and I will calculate your calories and carbs. Then we should know what is going on.

The diet works. Usually we have hidden carbs somewhere. By the way, mayonaise has vinegar which may be agravating your skin problem. Stay away froma nything that is fermented. Youc an make mayonaise with lemon juice.

Hilary have you started a journal yet?

If not please do so and list out all foods and drinks you consume during the day. Then we can get a trend going and find out what it is you are eating that could be causing the stall.

I do know bacon is high in salt and nitrates that causes BAD water retention. Aspertame could also be a cause of you not losing.

Those would be the first in my book to drop out and replace with lower salt content and cut out all "sweeteners" for a couple of weeks.

You should be eating 10 to 12 times your body weight in calories and drinking a minimum of 64 oz of water a day. That is above any sodas, tea or coffee you drink.

Thanks

I've been trying to avoid Caffeine (I've cut out all tea/ diet coke ) and now I drink only sparkling water really, I do sometimes break and have a diet soda of some sort though if I'm out in pub and have just about drowned in water!

I think I could cut down/ out the Jelly, that has Aspartame in it and I had a feeling that some one might suggest cutting out the Mayonnaise as well!

My menu is:

Breakfast: 55g pre-packed bacon strips (0.22g carb/ 267 cals)

Lunch: Chicken & bacon salad - bought at a shop so I'm not sure but I think it includes about 1/2 cup of salad leaves, 1 small chopped chicken breast with about 1.5 tablespoons of crispy bacon bits sprinkled on top with a small pot of mayonnaise (about 1 tblspoon)
Dinner: Omelette (just one egg whisked and fried) with either some chicken, a tin of plain tuna or 3-4 rashers of bacon (I vary these day to day). Followed by a portion of jelly.

Over the course of the day if I snack I tend to have some jelly.

I changed the breakfast to a 113g pot of clotted cream, about (2.5g of carbs but I'm not sure about the fat/ calories) because I thought the extra fat would stimulate ketosis. (Which it did the stix turn quite dark purple). But I'm a bit worried about eating so much cream so at the moment I'm back on the bacon!

I am not fussy about food and don't mind eating the same things regularly if it works!

I could try cutting out bacon/ finding a low-salt alternative. I don't know what else I can do...

I will start a journal today, though as I say I tend to find something and stick to it so the day listed above is typical. I do sometimes snack on chicken legs, mainly at weekends if I'm around the house.

One thing the diet has done is beaten any cravings which is brilliant, I just used to snack constantly before!

Many thanks

Hilary

Ok Id like to see your journal when you get a day or 2 done. One thing I see is never buy chicken salad at a store. Most stores put in sugar and many put in thickeners which are corn or wheat. That could be your answer. Try eating plain chicken or other meat for lunch. I think it willmake a big difference.

Hilary, just as a reminder...you are an adult now...you don't have to stick to bacon and eggs for breakfast

You can have anything on the induction list your little heart desires for breakfast. Leftover steak, chicken anything.

Hilary, I would definitely replace the bacon with something whole and containing more protein - both for breafast and in the evenings. The suggestion to watch out for the prepackaged chicken salad is a good one - often there will be sugar in there. Try returning to a more whole food version of Atkins - chicken, beef, steak, fish. Also, I don't see too many vegetalbes in your menu - you should be eating the required amount every day.

Keeping carbs too low, or getting them from the wrong place, can slow loss down.

You must also take into consideration that being so close to goal ( ) means the journey will seem longer to you. Typically those last few lbs are the toughest to lose - percentagewise it works out to be about the same though.

Hang in there and enjoy the many other benefits that LC offers; if you accept this as a WOL those lbs will come off eventually.

Cheers,
Nat

Right that's it then... the bacon's going!!

For breakfast tomorrow I will have.........well I'll think about it tonight and come up with something!!

I'll also get some variety for dinner as well, though the problem is that I'm not a huge fan of steak and similar meats (but maybe that's just a habit....!)

It is true, there is not much in the way of vegetables in my diet, I'll try that aswell.

Thanks everyone for your support... this morning I was seriously considering giving up, I feel like I've put on weight, particularly my thighs (tighter in my trousers) and that is very very depressing....now I think I'll give it another go.

Hilary.

if you have candida, cream is going to feed it...so the bacon is better.

Another possibility is that your goal weight may be too low. Think about lifting weights, which will build muscle. At the end of a year of weight lifting, it's quite possible you'd still weigh 140, but be two dress sizes smaller!

. Best of luck to you!

Further down in this forum is a thread titled 'Are you Really a Turtle?' It condenses most of the information that you've heard here already. It's nice to have it all in one place.

Karen