tried again with no luck

[jaks40]

hi,

my name is jacqui and i have done atkins twice. The first time i lost around 15 kilos and kept it off...then i did it about 7 months ago and lost 4 kilos in four months. then it stopped and i didnt lose for ages. I gave up.

I have so much to lose and to lose so slowly the first time around and then basically nothing the second time around is making me wonder whether its worth trying again. I need to lose weight for my diabetes and want to go on atkins but not if i cant lose any weight on the diet.

has anyone else had this problem.DOes the diet stop working every time you re try to lose weight?

jacqui

[grovemonkey]

Re: tried again with no luck

It's not normal to do the diet properly and not loose weight. Of course, some people loose inches off there weightline before seeing a drop in the weight. I find it odd that you go so long without weight loss. Something in your diet may stall you, try limiting your food to fish, eggs, meat with very low carb veggies.. for 5 days. Do you loose any weight? Cut out all the dairy and cheese, no caffiene, etc. If after 5 days you do that without loosing any weight, I would personally stop and go onto a different diet. You should, at least, loose some water weight.

Some people stall with cheeses and nuts, or adding higher carb veggies. Then again, quality of life, depending on your perspective can be an issue. I have had success on both the atkins diet and also a strict vegan diets. both work for me depending on my attitude regarding food at the time.

[blueberrylady]

Re: tried again with no luck

Are you exercising and drinking lots of water; both help a lot. If you would post a menu and give us your starting stats, we could help more. Don't give up because even a slow loss is still a loss. Good luck.

[jaks40]

Re: tried again with no luck

thank you both for your responses. I think the what hasnt helped is my meds.I am on high blood pressure tablets and antidepressants to keep my blood pressure in check.

The last time i did the diet I ate one fried egg and three slices of bacon for breakfast...an omelette with mushrooms for lunch or a salad with cheese,mayo,chicken...and dinner was vegetables and meat of some kind...i sometimes used to eat a diet jelly after dinner or maybe some brie cheese if i didnt have cheese in a salad at lunch.
I drank alot of water and had about one diet drink a day. two coffees with a dash of pouring cream..thats it.

jacqui :

[jaks40]

Re: tried again with no luck

oh and i forgot to mention...i stayed on induction the whole time. I have a lot to lose and figured the longer i stayed on it the better.


jacqui

[plsmachic]

Re: tried again with no luck

you drank coffee. Caffiene isn't allowed on induction and could be the reason you lost so painfully slowly.

When your body is in ketosis it burns your body's fat for fuel, but caffiene is a much more readily-available, and easier to burn energy source, so instead of burning off your fat, it will burn up your caffiene.

Try cutting out caffiene, and before allowing yourself any diet drinks, or diet jellies or anything of the sort, make sure your getting 64 oz. of water plus an additional 8 oz. of water for each 10 lbs. you want to lose...

when in doubt drink water.
And check your ratios.

Make sure your getting plenty of fat and healthy oils in your diet. If you are eating high protein, low carb and low fat that will slow or stop your loss also.

[jaks40]

Re: tried again with no luck

thank you for all your responses.You know the caffeine thing might just be the problem. When i think back, the first time i did atkins i was having decaff coffee, however the second time around i drank normal coffee thinking it wasnt a big deal...hmmm...I also think my meds slow things down but i couldnt work out why the first time it worked and the second it didnt...thanks again...

[redfoxglove]

Re: tried again with no luck

Heya jaks40, good for you to keep on the site and ask questions. Have you gotten yourself a copy of the 2002 version of the book? That's a real important key ingredient for success on this plan.

I was on the same kind of meds you're describing last year, and still lost weight. I'm no longer on the meds, fortunately. If you get totally right with the plan, I think you can still lose weight and be on meds, from my experience.

Here's a couple of ideas for you to toss around. Try the induction for 2 weeks, the way it says in the book. THat is, nothing that is not on the induction list. Limit your sweeteners, that includes diet drinks. Avoid aspartame as a sweetener, read up on it around these forums somewhere on the stickies. Aspartame stalls a lot of people, it may be best to avoid it until you have some consistent success and can properly evaluate how it affects you personally. Water, water, water is more important than most people can credit, for me even if I am eating p-perfectly, if I don't drink my water I don't lose weight on the scale. Measure yourself with a measuring tape. Sometimes the loss shows up on the tape but not on the scale. Keep reading on these forums, get your 2002 edition and read up, keep working it the way it says...you will have success. You will!

[jaks40]

Re: tried again with no luck

hi redfox, thanks for the info...so why is the 2002 version the right one. arent they the same one reprinted over and over?

[blueberrylady]

Re: tried again with no luck

hi redfox, thanks for the info...so why is the 2002 version the right one. arent they the same one reprinted over and over?

No, the 2002 version is completely updated and is the one we follow here on the board. It's called the Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, DANDR for short.

About induction, I stayed on it for 2 months but didn't lose any weight the 2nd month, so I moved up to rung 1 and lost 4 lbs. the first week! I can only assume that I had gone into starvation mode on induction but when I started eating more, I also started losing again. Maybe it would work for you too. It's worth a try and if you stop losing or start gaining, you could cut back again.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Elizellen]

Re: tried again with no luck

I second Nyna's suggestion of moving to the second phase of Atkins after your first 2 weeks. The first rung/level/ of the OWL carbohydrate ladder is just more veggies, which can't hinder any losses I am sure

After all it is called 'ongoing weight loss' phase, and need to be the one you spend longest on to ascertain if any foods upset your losses or wellbeing as well as find out how many carbs you can eat and still lose weight (CCLL)

If you don't want the extra food choices of the higher OWL rungs you can always stay on the lower ones - I stayed on rung 1 for several months and so know I can eat loads of induction-legal veggies and still lose!

This makes life so much easier when eating out as the 'normal' salad and veggies portion size in restaurants is often well over the max 3 cups for induction and I sometimes felt odd leaving half the salad and eating loads of meat in order not to exceed the daily limit!

[redfoxglove]

Re: tried again with no luck

hi redfox, thanks for the info...so why is the 2002 version the right one. arent they the same one reprinted over and over?

He updated and improved the program from the original one that came out in the 1970s. The basics are the same but there are a lot of refinements and an expanded understanding about why it works and how to do it for a lifetime. As Blueberrylady describes, for example, the DANDR gives a detailed explanation of how to move up on the rungs so that your menu becomes as varied as a more "typical" type of menu, eventually. After your metabolism heals from sugar and wheat addiction.

Good luck.