Encouragement please

[conqueso]

Okay, so my starting weight was 146 pounds at the beginning of induction. At the end of the first week I was 139 pounds, yeah me! But then TOM decided to show up during my 2nd week of induction, and I am back at 146 pounds. Yes, I know to stay away from the scales, but how can I put on that much water weight?? Or am I gaining weight back? I did start incorporating flax meal muffins to help with constipation three days ago. I eat two small muffins a day. (net carbs is 1.5 per muffin) And it has really worked to keep me regular! My diet is the same. Eggs, meat, butter, 3 cups of salad, 4 oz of cream cheese, etc. I drink 120 ozs. of water a day. So someone please reassure me that it is the evil TOM that made me gain weight!!!! I put on my fave pair of jeans yesterday and they were tight! ARGH!!! Oh, and I run at least 5 miles 5 days a week. (But I've been doing this for years!) Ladies, I need a pat on the back and want to know everything will be alright.

[Brook]

Re: Encouragement please

conqueso- You've gotta be more logical and less reactionary when it comes to those darn numbers.

You lost 7lbs the first week and then after a week of induction + TOM, you put on 6lbs.

The answer is YES, you can put on that much water weight. It's physically impossible that the 7lbs you lost in the first week was all fat. It wasn't even mostly fat! You may have lost 2-3lbs of fat in that..maybe, but the rest was all water. During TOM most of us retain additional water. It shouldn't surprise you that'd you see it when TOM comes!

You're having problems with constipation - and you know logically that'll weigh you down too.


So, pat on the back for a continued job well done!

A thwap for being a slave to the numbers!

[not2late]

Re: Encouragement please

I 'gain' 3-7 pounds of water weight during my TOM. So I don't even bother measuring/weighing etc. during that time.

[pgmr_64804]

Re: Encouragement please

It could be the flax meal. I think I would find a zero calorie way to "go".

Last summer I read south beach and got down to 140 and then started reading other books about weight, women, menopause and mistakenly took that adivce and started taking flaxmeal.

It started me on my way to gaining about 7 pounds that lasted until now. I am getting down now by really watching the carbs and sugar but I still am not at 140 yet.

I get these herb pills at the health food store called "swiss kriss" they are mild and help a lot.

As far as the muffins being 1.5 net carbs...I seen others post and I agree that there is no such thing as a net carb. You have to cound the total carbs.

Plus the flax has phytoestrogenes or something in them and we all know that estrogene makes you gain weight.

This is all just my opinion, but I would ditch the flax and start back on induction.

[conqueso]

Re: Encouragement please

Are flax muffins really that bad? I looked up recipes and other sites that said they were okay for induction!!! Have I been sabotaging my induction???? This is the recipe I've been using:
1 cup flax
1/2 tsp. of baking soda
1/2 tsp. of baking powder
1/2 tsp. of salt
1 packet of splenda

Mix three eggs and 6 tbsp. of oil ( I never use the oil) and add flax mixture. Add a dash of cinammon and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Makes 6 muffins.

So these are a "no-no" for induction? I need some input so I know whether or not to stop eating them immediately! ARGH! I have to do induction all over again?

[boonie stomper]

Re: Encouragement please

The scales are normally going to fluctuate, especially with TOM. Scales do not distinguish between water, muscle, fat or anything else. I've seen fluctuations of as much as 10-15 pounds over 1-2 days. I now try NOT to weigh (or at least take the number "with a grain of salt" if I do) during pre-TOM & TOM, after eating a lot of extra salt, or when I know there's a lot of weight stuck in my system - I wait for it to pass.

Net carbs IS what you count on Atkins; humans cannot digest all forms of carbohydrate, so the fiber should be subtracted. Using higher fiber veggies instead of the muffins, however, might solve your regularity difficulties with a bonus of more nutrition.

[Brook]

Re: Encouragement please

Net carbs are total carb count minus fiber. It is true that fiber does not digest.

Flax seed is just fine for induction, but Dr. Atkins says to limit it to 2tbsp a day. 1 cup of flax meal is about 800 calories, but if you're only getting about 270 calories a day from your muffins and they're 9 grams of fat, 8 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of protein, the muffins aren't an issue and 2 a day is just a bit over the induction limit of 2. Make that batch into 8 muffins and 2 muffins a day hits it nicely.




ETA: I think higher fiber veggies, like Boonie says, in addition to your muffins is a great idea. If you can or want to drop the muffins, that'd be the way to go about it. Fewer calories to boot, too- but I still don't think you have an issue that you need to start tweaking for! You're doing just fine!

[conqueso]

Re: Encouragement please

thank you so much!!! Keep the advice coming!!

[julirama723]

Re: Encouragement please

conqueso--
Just to repeat what others have said...TOM sucks! I gain about 5-8 pounds each TOM, but the good news is that the next week it's gone--because it's water retention caused by hormones, etc.

One thing I've found that REALLY helps with TOM is an evening primrose oil supplement. Usually during TOM I'm sad, moody, tired, bloated, and I look like a sausage in all of my pants, but this time around, I took evening primrose oil and had NONE of these symptoms. Start taking it about 3 days before your period, and all during--you should see dramatic improvements in how you feel, both physically and emotionally.

Just keep drinking your water, avoid salty foods, be careful of cravings (usually I go crazy and want chocolate during TOM and it's a struggle some days) and eat good, healthy meals. I also found that exercise during TOM really helps shorten the length of my period and helps to relieve muscle cramps and bloating.

[conqueso]

Re: Encouragement please

I'll definitely try the primrose! Anything to stop feeling so icky!