Why am I gaining 4 weeks into the induction of Atkins. I've done Atkins three times previously (1. 16lbs 2. 32lbs 3. 11lbs) but never in my opinion took it seriously enough. Now when I am finally taking it seriously as a WOL I'm finding it nearly impossible to lose weight. I've only lost 8.5lbs in the last 4 weeks and that's my FIRST 4 WEEKS. What the hell. By now I've usually lost about 16lbs and haven't worked even half as hard as I am this time. I don't cheat, I drink nothing but water (at least 3-4 liters a day), one cup of coffee and I walk the stairs at work (haven't taken the elevator for 3 and 1/2 weeks now) and go for a 30-40 minute walk at lunch. So......what the hell is going on? For a minute there I was actually even gaining weight......went slowly from 197 to 201 f***cking b**tch. It's gotten me really down and my fiancee in his well meaning way makes it worse sometimes by saying I'm being too hard on myself and that just irritates and frustrates me more 'cause I know I'm not and I know I should be seeing better results. To resolve the issue I went over what I've done differently this time than the others.......

1. been eating a lot of sugar free candy (so I cut that out)

2. been drinking nothin but water

3. been eating a lot of pepperoni (in the process of cutting that down)

4. been walking the stairs and at lunch time and moving a lot more period (could account for some of the slow weightloss.....lose fat, gain muscle and muscle weighs more)

5. haven't been cheating "at all" mother effer!!!

So, I've laid it out.............hellllllllllllllllllp!! What am I doing wrong? Right now I'm averaging per day about 103g of fat a day, 20g of carbs and about 1572 calories. Is it too much fat? I need to look back in my last year food record to see what I really did differently as far as numbers. If you have any suggestion, please provide I'm all ears. I'm so into it now and determined to get the real me out in the open that I can't even think of giving up. I'm so gung ho I've suprised myself. Last night I was so depressed that I ate about 1/2 a cup of Ivy's leftover lo mein noodles and about 1/2 cup of strawberry ice cream with hershey's syrup. The reason I only ate 1/2 cup of the noodles was because after 2 bites they started tasting really crappy and the ice cream just wasn't doing anything for me. In other words I found that even if I did want to stop the diet (which I don't) I can't because that food is just not doing anything for me anymore. That makes me feel good and gives me hope for the future. I'm praying that I'm just in some kind of a rut and I'll soon break free and really start losing weight. I feel like I'm stuck in someone else's body these days and I can't wait to get out. It's just not me anymore, this body isn't mine it's some other messed up girl's that's not me anymore. Can anyone help me get out?



On top of all of that I finally got down to 197 only to get on the scale this am and weigh 197.......ten minutes later 198.....20 minutes later 200. At this point I don't know if my scale is broken or if I'm broken and it's got me simply brokenhearted. How does someone gain 3 lbs in 30 minutes???


My Fitday info is below for anyone who wants to take a peep.

http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=Poisinivy

Any loss is great and nothing to be upset about! If you're gaining now, it could be close to your TOM or ovulation. I know I gain around both of those times. Also, it's impossible to gain 3 pounds in 30 minutes unless you ate something. It sounds like there could be something very wrong with your scale and I'd highly suggest picking up a new one.

Also, if you've been on this WOE before, I've heard that the next time around.. or after several times, your body doesn't respond to it as quickly. What I suggest is adding more exercise. That will make all of the difference. Also, there is a supplement you can buy called L-Carnitine which is known for helping your body metabolize fat quicker. It works for a lot of people and you may want to give it a try.

Repeated weighings is a way to drive yourself nuts! It would be better to throw the scale out the window.

The ONLY time you should weigh yourself is
1. in the morning
2. after going to the bathroom
3. stark naked

And not again until the next morning.

YOu can gain a pound just from being up and having a coffee. Food and drink weigh something, so you 'gain'.

The most important thing to remember is the most scales are SO INACCURATE that they are stamped "not legal for trade". Which means "not to be believed" except in the most general way. You probably paid less than $30 for the stupid thing, so you are getting what you paid for. Those big scales in the doctor's office cost hundreds of dollars so they are somewhat more accurate.

Day to day weighing can also drive you nuts. It's best to look at the number you get on Friday morning and compare it to the number of the last Friday. Then you'll be able to get a better idea of what is going on.

Of course, the best measure is a measuring tape. Or a piece of tight clothing that you can observe becoming looser.

Good point, tape measures help A TON. When the scale isn't being as friendly, the tape measure always is! However, my scale is always very accurate with the big expensive scale down at my gym. That's why I like it. I got it at Wal-Mart for $25.

I have been there and I am there again right now. It get worse with menopause and also certain medications make it hard to keep losing. Remember how long it took you to put on the weight. Give it a chance. From what I can see you are taking in too many calories and too many carbs. Induction on Atkins is way below 20 carbs. Actually it's very very low only salad and some sugar free jello with heavy whipping cream. You have to watch the calories even when something is low carb. You can eat low carb bread (3 net grams) but it has 140 calories a slice! Like me you have to watch very carefully. Watch the sugar content in any food you eat; it's a definite no-no. I am extremely sensitive to sugar and most sugar free products except something with Splenda in it. Other sugar free products can actually make you gain weight. Atkins explains it in his books. Stay away from any sweetner unless it's Splenda and watch the Sugar Free candies for the same problem. Get the ones that are basically hard candy with Splenda and low calories. It should help. You can also do what Atkins recommended when your metabolism is stubborn. Eat cream cheese and macodamene nuts(excuse the horrible spelling). That will help a bit but don't overdo it with the macs and cream cheese. Very high in calories. Keep in touch. I'm 55 and in very good shape, very muscular but I would be considered overweight since I'm 5'3 and 163 now. People say I don't look it b/c I carry myself well. But I need to get back to 143 and I'm on my way. Good luck.

Forget the scale. Mine is digital. When I first get on in the morning I am let's say 161.5. I get off go on again. I'm 163.5. Again, 164. Again 163. All in a matter of one minute. Don't fret. Dump the scale.

Thanks so much everyone for your feedback. I've decided to chill out 'cause I was really stressing for a minute there. I am not at all metabolliclly resistant........unlike my overweight friends I've been a constant nibbler throughout the day, lacking the ability to consume large quantities of food at a time. This has resulted in a great ability to lose weight. I've heard a lot of people say it is harder on Atkins the 2nd and 3rd time around. The thing is this is probably the 4th time and the other 3 I had the same results as the first. I think my real downfall is the lc/sugar free foods. When I was eating those for that week or so, I was so bloated up (does not give me diarreah, just bloating) and full feeling. I read in an article that the "chemicals" like maltilol and the like hold onto the water molecules in your body.......causing yes, water retention. I believe I was retaining a great deal of water. The thing is, once I stopped with the candy my system seemed to be totally out of wack and my weight was flucuating all over the place. So I made a decision.........this past weekend for 3 days I went off the diet. I made sure to consume a number of carbohydrates and even sugar (as in spagetti sauce) to help reset my system. I figured when you're trying to resolve an issue in science and you just can't figure what went wrong and you've already made too many changes...........best to go back to the begining with a clean slate and start over again. So that's what I did and I think it worked. My weight has no longer been fluctuating at all. I've been holding steady and yesterday I started back on induction. I also began taking One-A-Day Carb Smart vitamins and L-Carnitine. I feel confident that this is a good start and I should begin to see improvements in my weightloss again. It appears as though the lc/sugar free foods cause a chemical reaction in my system and has very negative effects. When I lost before they didn't have all the lc foods and if I wanted something sweet I ate naturally lc foods like a scoop of Bryers strawberry ice cream and my weightloss was more continuos. So, I'm sticking with the regular salad dresssings.........and am just abstaining from any kinds of sweets for the moment because my system obviously cannot handle them.

Let me know if anyone else has found that they have this problem and what they've done (successfully) to overcome it.

Thanks again guys.............you give me the will to forge ahead when all I want to do is run and hide.

My suggestion would be to eat only fresh foods you have to cook/ prepare yourself. Looks like your fit day shows a lot of carbs before today. If you haven't read the book for a while, re read it

Where did you hear this from? I'm interested in that specific point...

I also heard or read it too. About it being harder the second or third time around. It has been harder for me and this is my second serious time around. The first time back in the 90's I lost 35 pounds in 5 months and kept it off until my first full year in menopause. Then it slowly crept back. I have lost 12 pounds in the last two months but it has been more of a struggle now than the first time. This time the slightest drop of sugar in something (like cheese cake, etc) can upset my balance. I have to be extremely careful.