I'm about to quit after 15 days Carb-Free...

[gillart]

Hi all. I really enjoy the board and everyone has helped me religiously stay on this diet for 15 days straight.

I have tried to be completely carb-free over the past two weeks - I figure the most carbs I've taken in on any day has been 4 or 5. All I have eaten is meat (steaks, pork chops, chicken breast, coldcuts), cheese, and eggs. I read the labels of all the cheeses I buy. No nuts. No veggies. No fruit. Zero sweets. Zero sugar. Zero caffeine. Everything I have eaten I have prepared myself so I'm sure nothing "snuck in" to my diet. I am a label freak and have eaten nothing whose label says anything more than 1g carb per serving.

I also play in a men's hockey league twice a week which is quite demanding and draining, but as I try to catch my breath on the bench after each shift, I think of the fat I am burning. After all, I have taken in almost no carbs and demand a lot of energy from myself to compete in these hockey games. I take a multi-vitamin every day and 4 metamucil psyllium husk tablets to stay regular. I've read the Atkins book up to the point where I am at now - the end of my 14-day induction.

All that said, I've lost 3 lbs. in 15 days. Needless to say I was expecting so much more and was so proud of myself for not cheating even once and for going to all of my hockey games. And no, my belt hasn't gotten looser either. I don't feel thinner, and I don't feel better or more energized.

I am so disheartened but I know if I go back to my bagels and sweets every day I will just continue to gain, but eating protien only for 3lbs. in 15 days just does not seem worth it. Are some people just not wired for Atkins success? Do some see better results AFTER week 2?

Thanks everbody. I'm still on the diet 100% as of this posting.

[Mommy2LittleMissBellaBre]

Re: I'm about to quit after 15 days Carb-Free...

what aboput veggies.. in the first two weeks your supposed to have 3 cups of interduction friendly vegies 2 cups of which are suppose to be salad veggies.. not to mention there is a part of atkins for the ones who has a very low metebolisim to bust it up i dont no much about it .. im sure one of the more Knowledgeable atkins dieters can give you info on that but it is in the book 2002 edition

[kac1]

Re: I'm about to quit after 15 days Carb-Free...

Yes-- make sure you eat your 20 carbs a day!! This only works if you follow it to a T. Men tend to lose weight faster than women... so I have no idea what could be the problem... at least hang in there until someone here more educated on the subject can shed light on this.

Good luck and stick with it!!!

[mitzimarie]

Re: I'm about to quit after 15 days Carb-Free...

Hi, gillart

I have a suggestion... why don't you stop the carb-free nonsense, and start doing Atkins the way Dr. Atkins outlined it? Yes... I'm a little touchy over this subject.

You see, I grow weary of defending my way of eating to others. So many people attack the Atkins WOE as unhealthy. Nothing could be further from the truth! They are basing their judgement upon rumors and misinformation. They think that all we eat is meat, cheese, and eggs. If they would take the time to educate themselves about the plan, they would understand that the Atkins eating plan emphasizes the benefits of protein and natural fats - AND nutrient-rich carbohydrates. Although Dr. Atkins was one of the first to draw attention to the dangers of too many carbs - and the wrong ones - the Atkins WOE (way of eating) is NOT anti-carb. The crux of the matter is in limiting carbohydrates and in selecting the right carbohydrates, those most full of nutrients and fiber and those with the lowest impact on your blood sugar. So, not only is it important to choose foods with low carb counts, it is also crucial to select the most nutrient-dense carbohydrate foods.

The goal is to eat as many "good" carbohydrates as your body can tolerate without interfering with weight loss or getting your blood sugar out of whack. You will control carbohydrates, not eliminate them. And you will choose healthy, satisfying whole foods, ones that provide nutrients and fiber.

Vegetables, in general, contain "good" carbohydrates, although some are very high in carbs and not as high in nutrient value, and some are the reverse. Most vegetables provide fiber and many healthy phytonutrients (phyto means "plant"), those magical substances found in plants that help us ward off disease. Fortunately, the vegetables that are most dense in nutrients happen also to be those lowest in carbs.

Please give doing Atkins correctly a try. It is not good for you to be eating the way that you are, and this is why people think doing Atkins is unhealthy. They don't realize that Atkins is NOT carb-free.

Hang in there! You CAN do this!!

[Chef Kevin]

Re: I'm about to quit after 15 days Carb-Free...

As a fellow male on the board, I can tell you that you can lose very quickly.

Here's part of the thing. You need those veggies in the induction to help your body. Maybe it's the vitamins, or the fiber, but you need them. All meat is not the way to do it.
Remember, too much protein and your body converts some of the protien to glucose. This is more of a fat diet than a protein diet.

Then you also might want to think about some other possible causes of not losing such as too much yeast in the gut. Yes, men can have yeast infections and not even know it. When I started induction I had to take some caprylic acid to clean out my guts to get the whole process working.

There could be several things going on, but since your energy hasn't increased, and there is no weight loss, I would look at yeast. Think about everything that has yeast in it that we eat. All the breads, beer, pastries, etc. No wonder is goes out of control. And if you are gassy, then that really could be a clue about too much yeast.

Just a thought. Good luck, best wishes!

[billbazz]

Re: I'm about to quit after 15 days Carb-Free...

Thanks for not giving in and reaching out!

I realize we are all different.

I started an exercise routine a week before induction--followed the plan to the letter (eating all my veggies, eating 4-5 times a day, not even a sniff of anything not induction friendly)
I had all my suppliments in place and I have to admit, I felt like **** the whole 2 weeks......
Now comes weigh in..after 2 weeks..I gained 6 pounds!!!! ???????
not water weight! just gained???

I was at a crossroads too---give this up and start the "Fad diet" search,
or believe in the knowledge gained from this board, and in DR. A

I continued the induction....The third week I finally lost a few...
I continued reading, asking questions and working out...
Loss of inch's and/or weight has been steady. Slooooooooooooooooow
at times (.5 to 1 lb a week) but once the body adjusts it continues.
for me these rules applied:
don't over eat protein.
Eat you veggie's
Watch your salt (any proteins in a package and/or processed are loaded)
take your suppliments
exercise
As I went up the rungs I added some new rules too.

Best of Luck and P/M me anytime

[OzLover]

Re: I'm about to quit after 15 days Carb-Free...

Eat some veggies as Dr. Atkins outlined in the DANDR. Also maybe reread the book so you can understand that this is a low carb approach not a "carb free" approach to weight loss. Further reading of the book will show you this is a process of gradually adding more carbs to your diet.

Good luck & I honestly hope you will give this another try & eat your veggies!!

[Labarum]

Re: I'm about to quit after 15 days Carb-Free...

I must echo what the ladies say. You must have those greens, but in the short term I would be surprised if the presence of them would make much difference. You must drinks lots of water.

You don't say how tall you are, how overweight you are, or how active you are. All of this has a bearing on your weight of loss. And do note my signature: Atkins didn't say calories don't count, he said don't count calories. If you are eating a 20 oz steak, a whole chicken and a six egg omelette in a day you won't loose much.

I am not saying you are, but do note Atkins requirement to eat till you are satisfied, not full to bursting. Ketosis should suppress you appetite, but until that kicks in . . .

In spite of what Atkins said, I did, and many do, count both carbs and calories using Fitday

FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal

read the FAQ about Atkins and Fitday

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-low-carb-dieting-faqs/6727-why-do-i-need-use-fitday.html

indeed, look at the page of FAQ

Atkins Low Carb Dieting - FAQ's - Atkins Diet

Note also the need to set for calorific intake at or just above you Basal Metabolic rate, depending on you height and present weight that could be between 1800 and 2500 cals a day.

With all deference to the ladies, the way Atkins can work for large and relatively active males can be subtly different to the approach taken by a 5ft3in female.

Don't throw in the towel yet. Try Fitday (as the FAQ says you have to reconfigure to register carbs). Count cals and carbs.

Let us know your height weight and typical daily diet, and we will try to help. There is a lot of experience on this board.

[gillart]

Re: I'm about to quit after 15 days Carb-Free...

Thanks all, but what really attracted me to this diet was NOT having to count calories. I knew Dr. A called for 20g a day but I thought I would do even better by having none. Vegetables don't come with nutrition labels so I'm never confident that the veggies I may eat are one of the "bad" ones - so avoided them. Is there some sort of cheat sheet that shows me not just how many carbs are in a serving of something, but whether they are GOOD or BAD carbs? How am I supposed to know?

5'10", 215 trying to get to 199. According to BMI I am obese.

[Desihue]

Re: I'm about to quit after 15 days Carb-Free...

I am seeing some great advice to your post and I agree with it all. I guess I have to ask- have you read the book? It doesn’t seem like you have because there are chapters that do speak to the common questions of “what can I eat and how much”. Please read the DANDR and I’m sure you’ll get a better feel for the best veggies depending on what phases of Atkins you are following. It’s not really hard and trust me, it’s pretty hard to eat too much veggies for the most part; well outside of salads.
All the best to you!

[Skeptika23]

Re: I'm about to quit after 15 days Carb-Free...

Thanks all, but what really attracted me to this diet was NOT having to count calories. I knew Dr. A called for 20g a day but I thought I would do even better by having none. Vegetables don't come with nutrition labels so I'm never confident that the veggies I may eat are one of the "bad" ones - so avoided them. Is there some sort of cheat sheet that shows me not just how many carbs are in a serving of something, but whether they are GOOD or BAD carbs? How am I supposed to know?

5'10", 215 trying to get to 199. According to BMI I am obese.

Yes, there is such a list, in DANDR, and on this site in various places - stick with induction veggies as you learn for now and it's hard to go wrong.

I love using Fitday - I find it helps enormously and tracks things for me - I just enter in what I eat and blammo, there's the calcs all nice and neat.

Another tactic is to buy frozen veggies when you can - they DO have nutritional info on them and you can measure them easily (and you won't have to worry about eating up the fresh ones before they go bad).

In the beginning, it helps a lot to track this stuff - measuring and whatnot - as you learn what works for you. I understand over time the old hands at eating this way don't have to measure so much, because they've learned how to eyeball it.

[Labarum]

Re: I'm about to quit after 15 days Carb-Free...

It can be useful to monitor your calorie intake in the beginning and from time to time, just to see you are in the right area.

[kac1]

Re: I'm about to quit after 15 days Carb-Free...

I must say that the FitDay site has been an amazing tool for me to figure out planning meals and where I am carb wise.

So yes, eat the veggies, read the book and do fitday. do NOT get discouraged.

[mitzimarie]

Re: I'm about to quit after 15 days Carb-Free...

Is there some sort of cheat sheet that shows me not just how many carbs are in a serving of something, but whether they are GOOD or BAD carbs? How am I supposed to know?

Gillart, there is an awesome spreadsheet on this board that you can use to help with carb counts. It even states in which phase each food can be eaten. Here is the link: http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...CARB_COUNT.pdf I printed out this list and use it all of the time.

I must state again, that reading Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution will answer many of your questions. If you just can't bring yourself to read the book, at least check out the links that Labarum provided. The book (in addition to those links) are your best bet, though.

Good luck!

[mitzimarie]

Re: I'm about to quit after 15 days Carb-Free...

With all deference to the ladies, the way Atkins can work for large and relatively active males can be subtly different to the approach taken by a 5ft3in female.

Enlighten us, Labarum... how would the advice this 5ft 3in female gave apply differently to men, than to women?

Just curious.