I need help, but not what you might think...

[stevae]

the help i need is more in the way of information about ketosis, than about how to stay on the diet.
i am a rock. i don't have any problems staying on the diet. and i have tried the atkins diet two or three times before, with great results. however, this time i am not going into full ketosis. i eat very few carbs, and still am not going totally into ketosis.
so, if anyone else has experienced this, please share some info. thanks everybody.

[kate58]

Re: I need help, but not what you might think...

I am not sure what you mean about "full ketosis". Ketosis is something of an on-off condition - you either are or you aren't.

If you mean your sticks are not getting purple enough, don't worry about it - very purple sticks can just mean you are not drinking enough, if they are pink, you are in ketosis. Even if they are not pink, don't panic. There are a lot of people here who have followed Atkins faithfully, lost lots of weight and never had a positive stick test for ketosis.

Are you showing signs of ketosis - reduced appetite, feeling of well being, smelly breath, increased thirst?

[Brook]

Re: I need help, but not what you might think...

Yeah. What Kate said.

Ketosis is like being pregnant. You either are or you aren't. Kate is right on the money!

[stevae]

Re: I need help, but not what you might think...

although i am not trying to be unagreeable, there are actually stages of ketosis, according to the new england journal of medicine.

but what i am refering to are the signs. i am not going into full ketosis. while i am feeling a little more lethargic, i am not feeling the loss of appetite, excessive thirst or weight loss. i have always shown very quick results with this diet, but i went on it just a few months ago, and stayed in induction for an entire month, and didn't lose anything. and i don't cheat at all, and i am even more strict, limiting myself to approx ten carbs a day. so i am obviously doing something wrong. i am just not sure what it is.

being disciplined is not a problem for me. but i just want the results. is there anything, that any of you can think of that would stall my progress?

[Brook]

Re: I need help, but not what you might think...

Stevae- Yes. There are "stages" of ketosis, but it doesn't negate the fact that you're either in ketosis or you're not, so our statement stands.

That said- part of what you're doing wrong is not eating the 20 grams of carb. Lower is *not* better. Most people actually find that they lose better moving to OWL. Less isn't necessarily better.

We can make suggestions with more information.

A couple days worth of menus - detailed, please (amounts, etc).
How much water are you drinking a day?
What are you doing for exercise?
How long have you been at this this go round?
Any health issues? Medications?
Do you have an extensive diet/yo-yo history?
Age?
What supplements are you taking?

[lc_angel_08]

Re: I need help, but not what you might think...

Ok no one shoot me here but I have a couple of questions also. You said you have been on atkins a few times why are you going on and off it? What is your eating like when you are not on atkins? You said you have a goal size not a goal weight and that you wanted to reduce your waist size down to 34 what is it now? Are you working out if so what are you doing? Are you drinking enough water? Ok I guess I had more then a few questions sigh. I know that for me my body does very poorly with a lot of change. I do so much better if I pick one diet that I feel good on and stick with it. Atkins is so much more about a life style then it is about a way to drop a few pounds and go back off once you reach your goal.

[stevae]

Re: I need help, but not what you might think...

ok, sorry it took me so long to get back guys and girls, but i had a business trip down island, and didn't get any net time in.
ok brook, i think you hit it right on the button. because i have been extremely strick.
i usually eat two eggs, and two or three pieces of bacon for breakfast.
then lunch would be either the same, but using boiled eggs, as that is easier on the beach.
for dinner i would usually eat a larger piece of grilled chicken breast, steak or porklion, with a half a cup of salad.
sometimes in between meals, i would have a little bit of sugarless jello, or pork skins. that is about it. not much diversity.
my water intake was decent, but not great. i would probably drink four or five 8 oz glasses a day, with some diet cokes.
i run a couple of miles three or four times a week, depending on my schedule, and i manage approx. 50 to 150 pushups, and around 80 situps a day.
my waist had ballooned up to 42", although that is a little misleading, because i am very muscular, and wider than most people of my height. but still more belly than i prefer to have.
i am back on atkins now, and have been for just under two weeks now. and i went to the gym to weigh myself yesterday, and although it is hard for me to believe, i have lost 15 pounds. i don't know where it went, because i sure don't see it. but my roommate has been saying that she can see it. my waist has dropped from about 40.5, to 38.75. so i am now having better results. as i have changed my eating habits on this diet. i have done what brook suggested, even before i read this. but i actually started doing it with out knowing to do it. so i appreciate your information brook. that makes great sense.
as far as to why i go on and off of the diet. it mostly has to do with my schedule and which country i am in. i usually only live in one place for a year or so, and then i move to another country. so when my working out gets disrupted, then my gut suffers. and when i am able to workout in a normal fashion, i can't do atkins. the suppliments i take and the foods i have to eat, don't allow me to do atkins. so i use it as a weight loss diet only. although i try to incorporate those habits when ever i can, even when i am off the diet.
i am center obese. so when i gain weight, i only gain it in my face, and the front of my belly. so if i can't workout, it starts to creep back in. and i know you all are thinking that when i can't workout, i should be on atkins. and i agree when it is feasible. but some of the places that i have lived make it very difficult, if not impossible, to be on atkins.
the information is great, guys. i appreciate it.
i do have one more question. when in the induction phase, can you eat chocolate? i mean if you get unsweetened chocolate, use stevia or splenda and butter, is that strickly a maintenance thing, or can you have that in the early induction phase?

[hrgillespie]

Re: I need help, but not what you might think...

I am far from an expert as I am still in the learning phases as well but I can tell you one thing for sure and that you are not eating enough veggies ....... of your 20 carbs a day 15 of them should come from veggies ....... and you are only eating about 1/2 cup of salad. your not even close ........ you need to be eating 3 cups of salad a day or 2 cups of salad plus one cup of another veggie listed on the induction list ...........

Your water intake should be half your weight in ounces ........ so you should be drinking close to 100 ounces of water a day.

I don't have an answer for you on the chocolate thing I have no clue ....... sorry


I'm sure you'll get lots of answers in a few

Heidi

[Evermind]

Re: I need help, but not what you might think...

I don't think we can give you the kind of help you are looking for.

You might try a low-carb forum which isn't Atkins - those people might have more ideas for you about how to achieve what you want without following the Atkins plan.

Off the top of my head, I would guess that you aren't eating enough calories and you aren't eating enough veggies to generate the energy level you are looking for.

[Brook]

Re: I need help, but not what you might think...

Based on what you've written, you definitely need to increase your veggie and water intake. You'll feel better, have more energy and really- it's the kind of habit that will keep your waist from ballooning up when the rest of your habits are less than stellar.

That said, I will say that where there's a will, there's away. I've never been anywhere where meat and veggies weren't readily available.

Obviously we don't advocate for using Atkins as only a weight loss tool. It's not what it was designed for and it's our collective experience that using it the way you describe winds up being exactly what you describe it to be - an exercise in yo-yo dieting. - However, you're going to do what you're going to do. You're experiencing the kind of success you're looking for, so that's great.

As for the chocolate - honestly- if you're not following Atkins then I wouldn't worry too much about the Atkins rules. LOL You can have cocoa powder/dark chocolate mixed with the things you asked about in very small amounts. Inductees can get away with eating cocoa powder too in small amounts.