Taking the Plunge! (again) & Questions

[hopper116]

Hi All,
Long story short, back in 2004, I did Atkins for 8 months (until I got pregnant) and I lost 114lbs. I was pretty hardcore, no cheating, etc. This past year I did Atkins from about March-May (Mother's Day weekend) without much success. I really don't understand why my second attempt was so disappointing. What could be the cause? I'm ready to start again, and I really believe in Atkins and the low-carb WOE, but my difficulties with my second attempt this past year are scaring me. Are there any tips for people doing Atkins as a repeat? Is it common to have less successful results a second time? I just want to know what to expect. I was so frustrated this past year that I threw in the towel after only 2 1/2 months, and I don't want a repeat.
Thanks!
Stephanie

[ValidRouge]

Re: Taking the Plunge! (again) & Questions

Stephanie, while we are ALL different, I can only speak for my own experiences. With that said, I am celebrating my 1 year Atkins-versary tomorrow. That is, this 2nd time around. The first time I did it, I "fell off the wagon" after really good success but only a few months. It took a few years for me to get back to it...and a good 50 lbs of weight gain. This second time I've actually stuck to it, done it *mostly* right, actually EXERCISE...and I've lost about 75 lbs.

So, I'd have to say that my second attempt is FAR more successful the second time around. Yet, I also have to say that it's had it's challenges too. I probably didn't lose quite as much during induction my second time around. It also took a long time and many many many mornings telling myself that today was the day I was going back on Atkins. The carbohydrate addict in me threw obstacle after obstacle and EXCUSE AFTER EXCUSE at me every time I decided to do it. I can't really tell you what gave me the strength January 2, 2006 to actually DO it, but I did and I REFUSE to look back except to remind myself how far i've come.

I hope you do too. If you don't do it today, 3 weeks, 3 months, a year from now you'll only have a bunch of excuses and a bunch of "should haves" to show for it instead of health and vitality.

[Kate113]

Re: Taking the Plunge! (again) & Questions

Hi there! From everything I've read here at adbb, each time we restart, it may be a little more difficult for us because we're basically confusing our bodies. I know that others can explain it much better than I can, but I get the impression that each time we restart, we have to work that much harder to get the same results. When I first started Atkins, I lost 17 pounds on induction. The second time I restarted, I lost 14 pounds on induction. The third time, I lost 10 pounds on induction. The funny thing is that my third time around, I exercised and pushed myself more than the first two times. I think we need to be consistant and not try to push our bodies to both extremes (Atkins one day and carb blowout the next day). We have to be strong and stick with this and we will succeed, whether it is quick or slow going. Good luck to you and let us know how you're doing.

[Sarah1341]

Re: Taking the Plunge! (again) & Questions

Welcome back Stephanie!

It does seem to go a little slower for some of us the second time around, myself included. I have had a difficult time staying the course.

For me personally, I think part of the problem is that I have done this before and felt like I could just jump in and eat the foods I ate before. Well when I actually started counting the carbs of what I was eating, I was going over the 20 per day. So it helped me to start measuring everything and counting those carbs.

I hope this time is the *last* time for us both

[MelissaF_07]

Re: Taking the Plunge! (again) & Questions

Losing weight after a baby is harder than before as well. Just the act of getting pregnant increases your insulin resistance and it can take years to get back to normal levels. If you are one of those people who do NOT lose weight while nursing, it's a safe bet you are high IR. Also - did you put back on some or all of the 114 you lost the first time? If you have less to lose this time around the weight loss will probably be slower. You can do it, you'll just have to be ultra-strict to whip your body back into line. Good luck! I'm right there with you. My son is 14 months tomorrow. I lost nothing while nursing him, even doing low-carb. I'm diabetic, so I know I'm IR, but it's worse after the pregnancy for me as well. My Endocrinologist says my IR is bad enough now that he wants me on Metformin, whereas before I got pregnant I didn't need it - diet and exercise were enough. It's amazing how pregnancy changes your body.

[LuckyD]

Re: Taking the Plunge! (again) & Questions

Getting older is also a factor. Once I hit 40 dropping weight became much harder. My body seems to want to hang on to the fat. Last year I tried Weight Watchers (which I had done many years ago with success) and I stuck to the program and worked out almost daily for over an hour. I was really into it and I did feel pretty good. But after two months I had only lost a little over 5 lbs. I thought to myself I cannot sustain this type of lifestyle without a bigger reward. So I went off and gained weight. Here I am again because I know this is the type of lifestyle I can sustain if I try and I will be rewarded.

[ShannonK]

Re: Taking the Plunge! (again) & Questions

From my experience, I have found that it is harder the second time around, also. However, I think that it is because we do not necessarily return to the same induction rules. After doing atkins for awhile, we let carb creep back into our way of eating. When we "return" to atkins for a second time around (or third or fourth) we "remember" atkins with the carb creep included. I highly recommend that you go back and re-read the book. Make sure that you are following careful induction rules, drink ALL your water, and exercise.

Good luck to you. We can do this together!