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I just finished 14 days of Induction and weighed in this morning to discover NO LOSS (in fact, up about 1/2 pound since two weeks ago). I need some advice from the experienced members of the board about what to do next:
1. Continue on Induction another week to see what happens.
2. Go to OWL and add in more veggies.
3. Admit that perhaps Atkins is not the right plan for my body.
This is my first time ever trying Atkins. I've done a completely clean Induction. I weigh all my food and have stayed between 15 and 20 net carbs every day of Induction. Veggies account for the vast majority of my net carb allowance. I log my food into Fitday and typically am at around 65% of calories from fat. Fat grams range between 100-120 per day. Calories are around 1400-1500, some days more if I'm exercising a lot. I don't drink caffeine and don't use any artificial sweeteners. In fact I eat very little that comes in a package so there's not much trouble with hidden ingredients. I drink plenty of water every day. I'm taking a fiber supplement (psyllium husks) which provides 8 g soluble fiber per day.
I exercise most days, but this is no change from my routine prior to starting Atkins so I don't believe there's been any change in muscle mass. I haven't had any change in measurements. For what it's worth, I've been using the ketone test strips once per day and ever since Day 2 they've been registering dark pink/light purple every time (~40-50 mg/dL).
I didn't expect a big loss on Induction, but should certainly have seen something other than a half pound gain. Prior to starting Atkins I had a clean diet and had previously eliminated wheat, dairy, and sugar. So I didn't expect the large water loss that many people see when cutting out those foods. Additionally I only have about 20 pounds to lose and I realize it comes off more slowly at that point. Believe me though, I definitely have excess adipose fat that I need to lose...I promise you I'm not one of those people who's already where she needs to be but has an unrealistic goal.
According to Atkins I would be considered extremely metabolically resistant. However I don't think the "fat fast" is something that I should consider at this point. One possibility that occurred to me is that there could be something I'm eating more of on Atkins which my body doesn't do well with. For example I rarely ate eggs before, and now I'm eating two per day--28 eggs in two weeks!! Or maybe for some reason my body doesn't do well on so much protein.
In the past I've been able to lose weight, albeit slowly, using calorie restriction (Weight Watchers) but I find that in order to be successful I need to be hungry nearly all the time. I had hoped that Atkins might be the solution I was looking for to lose those excess pounds without the hunger. And that's one thing I have definitely enjoyed, is the fact that the hunger and food cravings are pretty much nonexistent with the carbs gone from my diet. I used to be crazy with carb cravings. That's one reason I thought Atkins might be the right diet for my body.
I've been very diligent with adhering to all the Rules of Induction because I really wanted this to work for me. I'd hate to think that I just threw away two weeks doing the hardest part of Atkins, only to find out it's one more plan that doesn't work for me. I did understand going into this that Atkins isn't the right plan for everyone, just really hoped I was not one of the exceptions.
I could sure use some advice on whether to continue, and if so, whether to change something. I'm not looking for cheerleading...just help figuring out what to do now. Thanks in advance.
Heidi
1. Continue on Induction another week to see what happens.
2. Go to OWL and add in more veggies.
3. Admit that perhaps Atkins is not the right plan for my body.
This is my first time ever trying Atkins. I've done a completely clean Induction. I weigh all my food and have stayed between 15 and 20 net carbs every day of Induction. Veggies account for the vast majority of my net carb allowance. I log my food into Fitday and typically am at around 65% of calories from fat. Fat grams range between 100-120 per day. Calories are around 1400-1500, some days more if I'm exercising a lot. I don't drink caffeine and don't use any artificial sweeteners. In fact I eat very little that comes in a package so there's not much trouble with hidden ingredients. I drink plenty of water every day. I'm taking a fiber supplement (psyllium husks) which provides 8 g soluble fiber per day.
I exercise most days, but this is no change from my routine prior to starting Atkins so I don't believe there's been any change in muscle mass. I haven't had any change in measurements. For what it's worth, I've been using the ketone test strips once per day and ever since Day 2 they've been registering dark pink/light purple every time (~40-50 mg/dL).
I didn't expect a big loss on Induction, but should certainly have seen something other than a half pound gain. Prior to starting Atkins I had a clean diet and had previously eliminated wheat, dairy, and sugar. So I didn't expect the large water loss that many people see when cutting out those foods. Additionally I only have about 20 pounds to lose and I realize it comes off more slowly at that point. Believe me though, I definitely have excess adipose fat that I need to lose...I promise you I'm not one of those people who's already where she needs to be but has an unrealistic goal.
According to Atkins I would be considered extremely metabolically resistant. However I don't think the "fat fast" is something that I should consider at this point. One possibility that occurred to me is that there could be something I'm eating more of on Atkins which my body doesn't do well with. For example I rarely ate eggs before, and now I'm eating two per day--28 eggs in two weeks!! Or maybe for some reason my body doesn't do well on so much protein.
In the past I've been able to lose weight, albeit slowly, using calorie restriction (Weight Watchers) but I find that in order to be successful I need to be hungry nearly all the time. I had hoped that Atkins might be the solution I was looking for to lose those excess pounds without the hunger. And that's one thing I have definitely enjoyed, is the fact that the hunger and food cravings are pretty much nonexistent with the carbs gone from my diet. I used to be crazy with carb cravings. That's one reason I thought Atkins might be the right diet for my body.
I've been very diligent with adhering to all the Rules of Induction because I really wanted this to work for me. I'd hate to think that I just threw away two weeks doing the hardest part of Atkins, only to find out it's one more plan that doesn't work for me. I did understand going into this that Atkins isn't the right plan for everyone, just really hoped I was not one of the exceptions.
I could sure use some advice on whether to continue, and if so, whether to change something. I'm not looking for cheerleading...just help figuring out what to do now. Thanks in advance.
Heidi
)
...Was in HEAVEN -got to 150, for awhile, then got too busy, and gave in too much... and... OK holding pattern "keep it together..." 
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