Not an ounce. Now what? :-(

[gracenote]

Hello. I am new to this forum. I began Atkins on Wed. Oct. 26, so actually, I should be almost finished with induction, but I haven't lost any weight. Not an ounce. Literally.

I am trying to think what could have gone wrong. Here are some possibilities I had a couple of AA bars during the first week before I completely understodod that we couldn't have any. But I haven't had a bar 6 days now. I had some substitute eggs , like EggBeaters(R), for a few days before I realized that maybe I shouldn't have them (the box said 0 carbs I think?) Additionally, the bacon I ate had sugar until a few days ago when I finally some that didn't have any sugar added. (Also, the chicken I ate on day one had sugar on the outside, I didn't notice 'til I ate it, but that can't explain the entire two weeks). Additionally, there were some days that I had canned tuna... then one day I noticed that the tuna had vegetable broth with it, so I eliminated that, too. But could that really explain this??? The can said "0 carbs".

Also, the Acceptable Foods List says "spices" without specifying. Is marjoram a spice? Is dried parsely a spice or an herb? Neither of these are listed in the herb sections... I assumed it was okay to eat them, but maybe I was wrong. (I only had parsley today, so that cannot explain the failure over the entire period, but maybe the marjoram?)

Also I have begun an exercise program of 5 days a week. Yet nothing. :-( I HAVE NOT LOST AN OUNCE. I am about to completely go off Atkins, but if I do that I don't know what I will do because it is my last hope.

Plus you state in this site: "There isn't any way to redo your induction because the opportunity is already used up. "
So I guess I've just blown this? I should just give up?

I am upset because I feel like I am eating all this meat which is so unhealthy for me and not enough veggies and now it's all for nothing. I am really craving bread and fruit, too, by the way, but I haven't eaten any.

Down & out,
g.

[Laurenfra]

Re: Not an ounce. Now what? :-(

Please dont give up. I would not count a full induction if you had those illegals. I would make sure you had 2 cheat free weeks.
Are you drinking enough water. Atkins relys on using water to flush the fat out.
Did you measure, many of us loose inches with out loosing pounds. How are your clothes fitting.
I would post over at review my menu, and see what you find out.
The spices and tuna should have been ok.
If you are still craving bread you may not be in Ketosis
Give it time and let us help you.

[slimndown]

Re: Not an ounce. Now what? :-(

I can understand where you're coming from! If you are craving starches and sweets, you need to eat more fats, if you can. Limiting your carbs is one thing but to have less of a fight with your body, you need to feed it more fat than it's used to taking in so that your metabolism will get used to the idea of burning fat for fuel. Give it a couple more weeks - it'll happen! Can you post your menus? That will help us a little more....

[2big4mysize]

Re: Not an ounce. Now what? :-(

well without having see what you have been eating and what you have been doing we can't help you much. It is very possible since you said you ate all this meat you may have overeatten your Atkins. You also didn't say how many pounds you needed to lose those that need to lose the most like the super heavyweights in our CC forums lost more total pounds during induction then do our fly weights even though the flyweights 2 pounds out of 20 needed to lose is twice the loss in percent of body mass 10 pounds whould be for someone needing to lose 100 pounds.

When you start a new to you exercise program your muscle will super hydrate as they from genetic conditioning believe you were in some horrible danger to put them under such a high load of work and they want to be sure they are ready to save you again should this danger return. As your muscle learn the new exercise workout is their normal load they will release thsi extra fluid they stored.

Hasve you checked your inches lost to see if you have lost fat mass while adding lean body mass? Atkins is all about inches of fat lost as we morph our bodies adding lean body muscle mass and burn off fat mass.

And lastly one of our former ADMins who is now a goalie lost 0 pounds for her induction time. She kept going healing her metabolism by eating her Atkins and exercising and in less then a yr arrived at goal and has been there for over a yr now.

Happy low carbing.

[Ailinn]

Re: Not an ounce. Now what? :-(

I agree with what everyone else has said so far, and want to suggest that you use http://www.fitday.com religiously, since that can help so much in tracking your ratios. It also helps keep you accountable since every bite you put in your mouth, you know that you'll be recording (herbs, spices, *everything*), and that helps you avoid foods that may have hidden sugars.

But don't get discouraged! You don't have to eat tons of meat, since you feel it isn't good for you. I'm not that big on "meat" myself, so my induction included a ton of salmon (which is very very good for you) and other seafoods. Also, I'm hoping you're eating enough vegetables/fats, since you say you don't feel like you're getting enough veggies. Try mixing the types of veggies you eat up a bit. I felt like I was lacking when I'd have 2 cups of green salad a day, so some days I'd skip the leafy greens in favor of a cup of peppers and a cup of cucumber dipped in curry mayonnaise. They just seemed more filling to me at the time. Then later with dinner, I'd tend toward a cup of kale steamed with olive oil and salmon, which is so filling and satisfying.

Lastly, make sure you measure. I didn't do this and seriously regret it now. I know the inches are going away because my sizes are changing even when the scale seems slow, but knowing exactly how much they're changing would be a huge comfort, you know?

If you need any help, I'm here a lot. Just PM me and I'd be happy to do whatever it takes to help make you feel like you're making progress.

[BabyDreamer]

Re: Not an ounce. Now what? :-(

Grace,

You didn't do a clean induction so you need to start over and give it two more weeks. It sounds like you fell victim to the "a bite of this and a bite of that can't hurt demon". You have to be very strick the first two weeks with yourself. Also, you really need to read the book because it also mentions a fat fast for those who are terribly resistant to weight loss (but do another two week clean first).

Before you do that, you need to measure yourself at your chest, your hips, waist, biceps and thighs so you can track inches lost as well. You should also take before pictures for yourself.

The exercise will keep fluid in the muscles and will cause the scale to be wrong. For example, I have been at 260 for almost almost three weeks, but my inches have gone down because I have been exercising.

If you are still craving the sweets, then my guess you were not in ketosis during your first try. You have to eat only induction legal foods.

Everyone is right though, without some stats from you and the meals you have been eating it is hard to really tell what is going on. For example, diet cokes and stuff like that can get ya too.

Give it another two weeks-- get the book and read it cover to cover and then I bet you will see results. Good luck!

Deb

Hello. I am new to this forum. I began Atkins on Wed. Oct. 26, so actually, I should be almost finished with induction, but I haven't lost any weight. Not an ounce. Literally.

I am trying to think what could have gone wrong. Here are some possibilities I had a couple of AA bars during the first week before I completely understodod that we couldn't have any. But I haven't had a bar 6 days now. I had some substitute eggs , like EggBeaters(R), for a few days before I realized that maybe I shouldn't have them (the box said 0 carbs I think?) Additionally, the bacon I ate had sugar until a few days ago when I finally some that didn't have any sugar added. (Also, the chicken I ate on day one had sugar on the outside, I didn't notice 'til I ate it, but that can't explain the entire two weeks). Additionally, there were some days that I had canned tuna... then one day I noticed that the tuna had vegetable broth with it, so I eliminated that, too. But could that really explain this??? The can said "0 carbs".

Also, the Acceptable Foods List says "spices" without specifying. Is marjoram a spice? Is dried parsely a spice or an herb? Neither of these are listed in the herb sections... I assumed it was okay to eat them, but maybe I was wrong. (I only had parsley today, so that cannot explain the failure over the entire period, but maybe the marjoram?)

Also I have begun an exercise program of 5 days a week. Yet nothing. :-( I HAVE NOT LOST AN OUNCE. I am about to completely go off Atkins, but if I do that I don't know what I will do because it is my last hope.

Plus you state in this site: "There isn't any way to redo your induction because the opportunity is already used up. "
So I guess I've just blown this? I should just give up?

I am upset because I feel like I am eating all this meat which is so unhealthy for me and not enough veggies and now it's all for nothing. I am really craving bread and fruit, too, by the way, but I haven't eaten any.

Down & out,
g.

[brenda615]

Re: Not an ounce. Now what? :-(

Grace,

I did Atkins for 3 months and didn't lose anything until I started using fitday. I fought the fitday solution for a long time. Now, I actually enjoy it! I wish I wouldn't have waited so long to start using it.

[gracenote]

Re: Not an ounce. Now what? :-(

OKay... So let me get this straight... these are all illegal during induction??
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY & explain it to me like I'm a six-yr-old. Thanks. http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...=0&forumid=73#

* Atkins Advantage bars -- why?? It has no sugar

* water-packed tuna -- because it has vegetable broth even though it adds no carbs ?? <-- This is the one buggin' me

* egg substitute -- even tho' it's made from egg whites & has no carbs ??

* bacon w/ sugar -- even tho' it's really hard to find bacon w/o sugar & the package says it has no carbs???

* Hot dogs -- just checked 'em..they have no sugar but "celery juice" is listed as an ingredient (these are organic)

Just need to know which of the above are illegal.

- g.

[Moochiecat]

Re: Not an ounce. Now what? :-(

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5235
That is a link to help you understand Fitday, what it can do to help you and what to look for.

I'd like to see you posting some of your menu's on the Review My Menu Forum as suggested so we can really see what you are eating. Take a moment and read the sticky in there that tells how to post a menu so we have the info we need to review it properly.

There are some folks who are very metabolically resistant, they can benefit from Atkins, it just takes longer....but I hesitate to think that about you just yet.

What you can do now is pledge to do a proper clean induction for two more weeks, and see how it goes. Make sure you are drinking the required amounts of water (64 ounces, plus 8 ounces for each 25 pounds you want to lose)
Weigh yourself and take full body measurements (measure everything!! Of all things, I lost a lot off my arms and wrists! I never thought to measure wrists!) and record them somewhere. Your weight loss may not show up on the scale, but your body can be shrinking.

We'll get to the bottom of this!!!

[gracenote]

Re: Not an ounce. Now what? :-(

OMG I have to start over? This isn't gonna work. Thanksgiving is coming up.

It's not that I thought "a bite" woudlnt' hurt... I didn't even think to check & see if a can of tuna had anything other than tuna in it. :-(( At least the salmon doesn't. And 'egg subsitutes' are just egg whites in a carton... how is that cheating?? And bacon is allowed!!!!! It's right there on the list!!!

I'm 5'3, weigh 185 lbs, want to lose 45 lbs. 10% is 4.5 -- was expecting to lose about that much.

OKay, as far as diet soda... I comprehended the part about no aspartame, so i've only been drinking this local brand here called "Waist Watcher" that is made with Splenda. ANd I've been drinking green tea and herbal tea, which are allowed, too, right? (Hmm... I just checked... my green tea may not be decaff... does that really matter?)

I mean if I'm gonna cheat I would rather have a peanut butter 'n' jelly sandwich.

And I am definitely craving carbs... so I must not be in ketosis.

grace.

Grace,

You didn't do a clean induction so you need to start over and give it two more weeks. It sounds like you fell victim to the "a bite of this and a bite of that can't hurt demon". You have to be very strick the first two weeks with yourself. Also, you really need to read the book because it also mentions a fat fast for those who are terribly resistant to weight loss (but do another two week clean first).

Before you do that, you need to measure yourself at your chest, your hips, waist, biceps and thighs so you can track inches lost as well. You should also take before pictures for yourself.

The exercise will keep fluid in the muscles and will cause the scale to be wrong. For example, I have been at 260 for almost almost three weeks, but my inches have gone down because I have been exercising.

If you are still craving the sweets, then my guess you were not in ketosis during your first try. You have to eat only induction legal foods.

Everyone is right though, without some stats from you and the meals you have been eating it is hard to really tell what is going on. For example, diet cokes and stuff like that can get ya too.

Give it another two weeks-- get the book and read it cover to cover and then I bet you will see results. Good luck!

Deb

[ttdriver]

Re: Not an ounce. Now what? :-(

OKay... So let me get this straight... these are all illegal during induction??
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY & explain it to me like I'm a six-yr-old. Thanks. http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...=0&forumid=73#

* Atkins Advantage bars -- why?? It has no sugar Its not only sugar that you need to avoid. The bars contain processed ingredients, including glycerin which can and does stall people. EAT CLEAN. No bars.

* water-packed tuna -- because it has vegetable broth even though it adds no carbs ?? <-- This is the one buggin' me Well there's a ton of sodium in tuna which causes water retention. Personally, I would strictly limit all sodium intake for 2 full weeks. Combine that restriction with double your water.

* egg substitute -- even tho' it's made from egg whites & has no carbs ?? Not sure why you're using egg substitutes? Egg yolks are a TERRIFIC source of vitamins and minerals and FAT.

* bacon w/ sugar -- even tho' it's really hard to find bacon w/o sugar & the package says it has no carbs??? How much bacon are you eating? Again, think RESTRICTED SODIUM .. bacon has ALOT of salt.

* Hot dogs -- just checked 'em..they have no sugar but "celery juice" is listed as an ingredient (these are organic) SODIUM packed and processed food. EAT CLEAN UNPROCESSED FOODS. Avoiding deli-type meats is important. That includes hotdogs.

Just need to know which of the above are illegal.

Legal: non-starchy veggies .. there are tons of them that you can eat. Snack on broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, cucumbers, celery, etc. Severely limit ALL cheese. Cheese is a known staller. Eat foods in their unadulterated form. Raw veggies are best! And of course 1/2 your weight in ounces of plain water everyday. No artificial sweeteners ... no caffeine, no alcohol and no nuts.

YOU CAN DO IT!

Betty

[slimndown]

Re: Not an ounce. Now what? :-(

Grace - you're right, those foods are legal and just fine on Atkins. Even the diet soda. However, using sweetener has been known to stall weight loss. The reason is that your pancreas releases insulin based upon what your tongue says you are eating. The taste of something sweet is sometimes enough to trigger insulin production EVEN IF it isn't sugar. It's good to cut out the sweetener, it will help. You don't have to start your induction over - just continue and you will lose. Even Dr. A says in his book that some need to stay on induction a little longer for the metabolism to correct itself and start processing fat. This eating is a way of life - something we all do through the holidays, so stay strong through Thanksgiving. Hope this helps!

[gracenote]

Re: Not an ounce. Now what? :-(

You asked about meals I was eating. HEre's an example.

I'm a student, on Friday I have no classes, so I slept in (actually by mistake) Yesterday I had eggs & bacon for brunch.

For a snack late-afternoon, I had three hard-boiled eggs.

For dinner I had
* veal that I cooked in canola oil & lemon juice (2 teaspoons)
w/ garlic, marjoram, sage, thyme, & parsley. (about 8 oz. before cooking)
* broccoli, steamed, 1 cup (measured before cooking)
* hollondaise sauce on the veal & the broccoli (home-made from egg yolks, lemon juice (1 T.), & non-hydrog. margarine) <-- legal ingredients
* salad of romaine & greenleaf lettuces (2 cups)

For another snack I had some leftover cooked chicken from another day. The chicken had been sauted in canola oil & garlic. I didn't measure the chicken.

By the way, this is first time I had had lemon juice.

-g.

[Brook]

Re: Not an ounce. Now what? :-(

OKay... So let me get this straight... these are all illegal during induction??
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY & explain it to me like I'm a six-yr-old. Thanks. http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...=0&forumid=73#

* Atkins Advantage bars -- why?? It has no sugar

No sugar, but sugar alcohols, glycerine, and a host of ingredients that require a degree in chemical engineering to pronounce. Low carb junk food is *still* junk food. Eat REAL food.

Do some reading on sugar alcohols. I believe there's an FAQ on them here and if there's not, do a search on them here.

Sugar alcohols don't absorb nearly as quickly as sugar, but they *do* absorb.

* water-packed tuna -- because it has vegetable broth even though it adds no carbs ?? <-- This is the one buggin' me

Water packed tuna is just fine

* egg substitute -- even tho' it's made from egg whites & has no carbs ??

Egg Beaters are also just fine although low in fat. If you're eating Egg Beaters because you have a preference for them over regular eggs, great. If you're eating them because they're low fat- stop it and eat regular eggs. This isn't a low fat plan

* bacon w/ sugar -- even tho' it's really hard to find bacon w/o sugar & the package says it has no carbs???

Bacon is just fine - but processed meats should really be limited to 2-3 a week. They're very high in sodium. Bacon is cured in sugar and its "used up" - if you will- during the curing process. - I'll explain the labeling laws at the end of this post.

* Hot dogs -- just checked 'em..they have no sugar but "celery juice" is listed as an ingredient (these are organic)

They're just fine, but again, a processed meat. I'm always leery of processed foods and Dr. Atkins said to use them, but use them occasionally.

Just need to know which of the above are illegal.

- g.

I'd be really interested to know several things. They will all help us help you.

-How tall are you?
-Male or female?
-How much weight are you looking to lose? (start weight/goal weight)
-Two days worth of menus, and I mean *everything* you put in your mouth. Not only what, but how much. Include condiments, beverages, water, everything.
-Are you on any medications or do you have any health issues?
-Are you taking supplements? If so, what?
-Are you exercising? If you are, what are you doing, how often and how long? If you're not - GET STARTED!
-Have you taken your measurements?

And lastly, do you have that Fitday account open yet?

With the above information we can be of some real help.

I wish you success.
~Brook

[slimndown]

Re: Not an ounce. Now what? :-(

PS - Caffeine actually stalls my own weight loss....so you might consider that, too.