First post here
I lost 30 pounds with Atkins 5 years ago and then stopped paying any attention to carbs because of my job (I'm a chef. The kitchen is a brutal place). The 30 pounds stayed off, but after a time I decided that I could manage to start Atkins again even surrounded by the temptation of a professional kitchen, and even with the sampling requirements. I took two weeks off work so I could have a clean induction.
Induction was by-the-book (yes, I have The Book), under 20 grams, no nuts or seeds, no starchy veg, no artificial sweetner, 2 cups salad greens and 1 cup veggies, no processed foods, a good fat balance, all the supplements, plenty of water. 1 hour cardio at the gym every day (to take the place of the excercise I usually get at work). Within 2 days I was testing the darkest color on the test strips and stayed that way. I was on induction for 2 weeks.
After induction was over and I was back at work I had to add a few things back in the wrong order (half an ounce of wine daily, food/wine pairings are part of my job). Still, I kept my carb intake around 25 grams a day, and my test strips show that I have remained in ketosis. On one occasion I ate chicken with a sauce that was thickend with flour instead of egg yolk (the kitchen got chewed out) but that wasn't quite enough to pull me out. It was a near miss, though.
It's been 6 weeks. Total weight loss? 1.5 pounds. No change in inches. Nada. this worked so well for me before, what could be up? Is that half an ounce of wine really sabotaging me? (I didn't lose any on induction either, and that was totally clean). Could my metabolism have simply decided that I'm the right size? And, most confusing, doesn't a positive test strip mean fat is being burned? Where is that fat coming from?
I'm frustrated, but I keep telling myself that I'm just priming the pump and it will start working if I wait long enough. How long should I wait before I give up?
I lost 30 pounds with Atkins 5 years ago and then stopped paying any attention to carbs because of my job (I'm a chef. The kitchen is a brutal place). The 30 pounds stayed off, but after a time I decided that I could manage to start Atkins again even surrounded by the temptation of a professional kitchen, and even with the sampling requirements. I took two weeks off work so I could have a clean induction.
Induction was by-the-book (yes, I have The Book), under 20 grams, no nuts or seeds, no starchy veg, no artificial sweetner, 2 cups salad greens and 1 cup veggies, no processed foods, a good fat balance, all the supplements, plenty of water. 1 hour cardio at the gym every day (to take the place of the excercise I usually get at work). Within 2 days I was testing the darkest color on the test strips and stayed that way. I was on induction for 2 weeks.
After induction was over and I was back at work I had to add a few things back in the wrong order (half an ounce of wine daily, food/wine pairings are part of my job). Still, I kept my carb intake around 25 grams a day, and my test strips show that I have remained in ketosis. On one occasion I ate chicken with a sauce that was thickend with flour instead of egg yolk (the kitchen got chewed out) but that wasn't quite enough to pull me out. It was a near miss, though.
It's been 6 weeks. Total weight loss? 1.5 pounds. No change in inches. Nada. this worked so well for me before, what could be up? Is that half an ounce of wine really sabotaging me? (I didn't lose any on induction either, and that was totally clean). Could my metabolism have simply decided that I'm the right size? And, most confusing, doesn't a positive test strip mean fat is being burned? Where is that fat coming from?
I'm frustrated, but I keep telling myself that I'm just priming the pump and it will start working if I wait long enough. How long should I wait before I give up?

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