AAArrrrrggggg!!

[dragonfly123]

Hi, I am very new to this and I think I am doing everything correct but, I haven't lost an ounce.
I am on day 8 of induction, I am in ketosis, my ratio's are good 65 fat/30 prot/5 carb, and I am eating between 1300-1500 calories a day.
I am working out on an eliptical machine 3 times a wk for 20min at a time.
I am 48yrs old, 5'8", and I weigh 179lbs. I take a blood pressure pill and a diuretic for my hypertension.
Please help....I can't figure it out.

[Georgiana]

Re: AAArrrrrggggg!!

You must be doing something right if you are in ketosis! Yet, it would be very helpful if you could post a typical menu.

You might be retaining water (too much sodium, TOM, exercise). I'm not sure if the medication you're on has an effect on the weight loss.

[dragonfly123]

Re: AAArrrrrggggg!!

A typical menu for me would be:
Breakfast: 2 egg omelet with spinach, mushroom, & 2oz feta.
Snack: Atkins Advantage bar
Lunch: 6 plain chicken wings, cauliflower fried in oil with green onion and 1 egg
(mock fried rice)
Dinner: Lg spinach salad (4 cups spinach) with 1 boiled egg, 2oz bacon bits,
mushrooms, olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dressing
Small steak or chicken breast
Snach: Atkins Advantage bar or sugar free jello cup

[Georgiana]

Re: AAArrrrrggggg!!

The Atkins bars have ingredients that are not allowed on induction and they stall many people. I would advise you to ditch them.

The SF jello is most probably sweetened with aspartame. Aspartame is not one of the sweeteners allowed on Atkins.

The balsamic vinegar is made with sugar!

During induction, you should be eating only 3 cups of veggies -- 2 cups from the very low-carb veggie list and 1 cup from the "higher" low-carb veggie list OR 3 cups from the former. If you have the book, read pages 124-126... otherwise, you can find the lists here:

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-low-carb-dieting-faqs/6781-what-foods-can-eaten-induction.html

If you don't have the book, you should get it and read it from cover to cover! It's extremely cheap, so you have no excuse...

[dragonfly123]

Re: AAArrrrrggggg!!

Wow, thank you so much for the tips. I have been using the atkins web site as a resource, but, obviously I missed valuable intell!!! I will buy the book tomorrow. I will axe the bars...they are just so easy, as I work on the road sometimes. Any ideas for "travelling snacks"? Oh, and one more thing....balsamic vinegar??? It has only 3 carbs but, I see now on the label that they come from 3g of sugar. So I should avoid anything where sugar is listed under carbs on the label??? What do you put on your salads??
My ketosis comes and goes ( I am a lab tech so I have LOTS of stix, lol)....could I be throwing it off just from the bars???

Thanks again for your help, I really am motivated but, the scale thing is discouraging!!!

[Georgiana]

Re: AAArrrrrggggg!!

Wow, thank you so much for the tips. I have been using the atkins web site as a resource, but, obviously I missed valuable intell!!!

You didn't necessarily missed it. The Atkins website is made to bring money to the company. It's a business, so money are above people's weight loss success. What you need is the book -- DANDR 2002. Going through the stickies on this board is also extremely helpful!

Any ideas for "travelling snacks"?

You can find a lot of snacks recipes (and not only) on Linda's website:
Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes - Home

Oh, and one more thing....balsamic vinegar??? It has only 3 carbs but, I see now on the label that they come from 3g of sugar. So I should avoid anything where sugar is listed under carbs on the label???

No, you don't have to avoid anything that has sugar listed under carbs. There is sugar naturally occurring in foods (e.g. cheese), those are fine if you are on the right rung. You should only avoid foods with *added* sugar. Balsamic vinegar is one of them.

What do you put on your salads??

You can use vinegar, but not balsamic. Dressings without added sugar and with less than 2 net carbs per tablespoon are also fine. My favorite is olive oil & red wine vinegar. I don't really trust dressings, but it's just me... I like keeping things simple, not having to worry about whatever ingredients (some of which I can't even read) dressings have. You could also make your own dressings. Again, there are a lot of recipes on Linda's website.

My ketosis comes and goes ( I am a lab tech so I have LOTS of stix, lol)....could I be throwing it off just from the bars???

It could be the bars. On the other hand, the color of the ketostix depends on a lot of things... water intake, exercise, etc. Here's something you might want to read:

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-low-carb-dieting-faqs/6725-questions-about-ketostix-color.html

Thanks again for your help, I really am motivated but, the scale thing is discouraging!!!

Don't weigh daily. Read the stickies, read the book, do everything correctly and only weigh at the end of induction. You should be pleasantly surprised with the results. While it's discouraging to see 0.5 lbs loss in 1-2 days, in 14 days this adds up to over 7 lbs! 7 lbs is not discouraging. It's also good to take measurements. The scale is a b-itch and often doesn't say the whole truth:

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-low-carb-dieting-faqs/6737-why-scales-can-lie.html

[dragonfly123]

Re: AAArrrrrggggg!!

Thanks!