Help please. desperate for expert opinion

[rimaha]

Hello,

This is my 10th day of atkins induction. I have not cheated at all, and have been in ketosis since day 2. I have experienced the headaches (day 1 and 2), the nausea (day 3), and the loss of appetite.

The first week I noticed that I had lost a lot of weight, my clothes are much looser, however, i had only dropped 1 kg on the scales.

For the last 4 days, there has been no weight loss at all. No inches, no kgs, nothing!!!

I'm following atkins to the letter, with the exception of caffeine.

What am I doing wrong? People all say that they lose enormous amounts of weight in the first 2 weeks. Why not me?

Please help. I could cry right now :-(

Please note that im 32 female, 160 cm (5'4), started off with 59 kg and weigh 58 kg now....

Any help/suggestions/words of encouragements would be appreciated.

Please note that in the last 3 days, my appetite seems to have returned, but im only eating atkins-induction-approved food. Today, i had some serious chocolate cravings but i soldiered on.

[rweeks]

Re: Help please. desperate for expert opinion

First of all congratulations on your new way of eating. Second, if you are following the plan you will be fine. I started off almost 400 lbs, and lost about 6 lbs during the 2 week induction. now I am 19 weeks in and down 70 lbs. Just relax and enjoy the ride. Drink lots of water, exercise regularly, track your food with Fitday, and stay true to the plan. THe best is yet to come. Good luck!

[SunnySmile501]

Re: Help please. desperate for expert opinion

Hello,

This is my 10th day of atkins induction. I have not cheated at all, and have been in ketosis since day 2. I have experienced the headaches (day 1 and 2), the nausea (day 3), and the loss of appetite.

The first week I noticed that I had lost a lot of weight, my clothes are much looser, however, i had only dropped 1 kg on the scales.

For the last 4 days, there has been no weight loss at all. No inches, no kgs, nothing!!!

I'm following atkins to the letter, with the exception of caffeine.

What am I doing wrong? People all say that they lose enormous amounts of weight in the first 2 weeks. Why not me?

Please help. I could cry right now :-(

Please note that im 32 female, 160 cm (5'4), started off with 59 kg and weigh 58 kg now....

Any help/suggestions/words of encouragements would be appreciated.

Please note that in the last 3 days, my appetite seems to have returned, but im only eating atkins-induction-approved food. Today, i had some serious chocolate cravings but i soldiered on.

The only people that lose "enormous" amounts of weight on induction are the people that weigh an enormous amount to start with. I weighed 296 pounds to start with and lost 12 pounds on induction. I had a total of 150 pounds to lose. Since you only weighed 130 pounds (59kg) to start with, losing to 127 right now on your 10th day of induction is really great!

You were already a healthy weight at 130 pounds (59kg) and 127 (58kg) is close to underweight. You can't expect to lose a lot when you are already a healthy weight.

You don't say how much you intend to lose, but if you try to go too low, your body will fight you. It's your body's job to try to keep you from starving.

Sunny!

[rimaha]

Re: Help please. desperate for expert opinion

Rweeks, thank you for the post. It really helped! Congratulations on your progress. You're truly an inspiration.

SunnySmile, I have not posted in forums in a while because whenever I do, I am confronted with people who treat me like an anorexic. Truth of the matter is, I am very small boned. According to medical charts, I could get down to 50 kg and still be in the healthy weight range, remember I am only 160 cm tall. Forgetting the BMI, which is misleading, I do have 27% body fat (which is far from starving), and would like to bring that down to 20%. Weight wise, I would like to go down to 52 kg. It may not seem like much, but as you said, due to the fact that i don't have much to lose, it is (and will continue to be) quite difficult. I am hoping for some encouragement and support.

I would like to know the scientific explanation behind the fact that i seem to have lost a lot of inches (havent measured myself but my jeans are loose) without losing many kgs....I stopped working out on purpose, because i did not want the high protein, combined with exercise to cause muscle density, which would eventually de-motivate me. Only worked out once with my personal trainer in the last 10 days, whereas i used to work out 3 times a week. Can anyone explain this to me please? i need to keep going and its getting harder to stay motivated when the scales won't budge. What's the scientific explanation?

[ShannonM]

Re: Help please. desperate for expert opinion

I think you're asking the wrong question. You can already fit into smaller clothing sizes - who cares what the scale says? That number won't tell you what your bf% is anyway. Sounds like your body is catabolizing fat, which is exactly what should happen. You are reaping the benefits by shrinking out of your old clothes. So again, what's the big deal with the number on the scale? If it's really fat loss you're after, have your bf% rechecked and stop focusing on the scale.

Just a thought - it's probably fixations like this that lead people to think you're anorexic. I'm not saying you are, just that it's easy for someone to get that impression from reading your comments.

[Adena]

Re: Help please. desperate for expert opinion

Rimaha -- just to clarify, Atkins isn't a "high protien" diet. Only 35% of your diet should come from protein. I believe the typical recommended amount is 30%?

I'm not sure I understand why you are more concerned about numbers on the scale - which people can't see -- than inches, which people CAN see. I mean, to stop working out just to not gain (or because you're worried about not showing a loss) -- I just don't understand.

I can't give you the scientific explanation you're looking for, but this photo might help you see how you could be losing inches but not pounds -- 5 lbs of fat takes up a lot more room than 5 lbs of muscle:
.

As Sunny said, you have a lot less weight to lose than many here. That's your choice, of course, but you have to accept that it will be slow-going...

Good luck to you.

Edited to add: If you want your body fat percentage to go down, STOPPING working out is NOT the way to do it. Your body fat could go down without the scale moving... I think you should talk to your trainer about your goals. I guarantee he wouldn't recommend relying on diet alone to help your body fat go down, especially at your currrent size.

[not2late]

Re: Help please. desperate for expert opinion

I would like to know the scientific explanation behind the fact that i seem to have lost a lot of inches (havent measured myself but my jeans are loose) without losing many kgs?

The scale only measures weight. It doesn't differentiate between the weight of muscle, weight of bone, weight of fat or the weight of water our bodies contain.

If you lose 1 pound of muscle and maintain your bone, fat and water weights, the scale will show you lost 1 pound.

If you gain 1 pound of muscle and lose 1 pound of fat, the scale will only show you haven't lost any weight.

If you gain 1 pound of muscle, lose 1 pound of fat and retain 1 pound of water, the scale will show you "gained" 1 pound of weight.

That's why everyone is telling you that the scale isn't the best indicator of fat loss because it doesn't specifically tell you that you lost fat. You could be losing muscle. You could be losing water.

Dr. Atkins wrote that the loss of inches more accurately represents the loss of fat because it shows the fat emptying from our bodies.

So, don't focus so much on what the scale says. Your clothes are looser. Who cares what the scale says? Unless you walk around carrying a sign that says "Hello. Today I weigh ______." No one will know how much you weigh, but everyone including you will see that you look trimmer and fit into your clothes better.

[misplaced southerner]

Re: Help please. desperate for expert opinion

please don't misunderstand what i am about to say. i am NOT making a judgement statement here. it seems as though you have much less to lose than many of us. that being said, just know it will go much slower. my last 7 pounds is taking an eternity.

atkins is not a quick fix weight loss program. it is a lifestyle, that is designed to help you build healthy muscle mass and lose fat. it is also a lifestyle designed to stablize blood sugars and regulate metabolism. DANDR says that exercise is not an option. there is a reason for that. it is not high protein, rather a combination of protein, fats and healthy carbs. the rungs are designed the way they are to reintroduce healthy carbs in a way that the body will use them effectively.

i know there are others here who are far more scientific than i am. i guess my point is this.......if you know the weight left to lose is not all that much, then just know it will take time. focus on the inches and the way your body feels and OPERATES and use THAT as your measure for success in the meantime. most of us who are pretty religious about atkins are in it for the long haul. it is a way of eating that is not going to change once we reach goal...because of all the benefits other than loss.

it sounds to me like you are serious about losing the rest of your weight and working on building a strong and healthy body. talk to your trainer. ask some of the old timers here their advice too. i am pretty sure they will advise you to eat using the proper ratios, exercise and follow DANDR. it will happen. just be patient. rome was not built in a day, or something like that.

[rimaha]

Re: Help please. desperate for expert opinion

Thanks to all of you for all responses. I am grateful and overwhelmed for your support. I guess I have fallen in the trap of 'measuring' success through the scales, the morning ritual. You have now taught me not to rely on scales, not to weigh myself daily, and to trust that it will happen ...with time.

Thank you, I wish i could give all of you one BIG hug. You all will be my inspiration, through my journey.

I am, however, a very analytical, curious person. I operate at my best when I know EXACTLY what's going on. I drive myself mad sometimes, and hope I will not drive you all mad with me. I still would like to know the scientific reason of why my weight loss is not registering properly on the scales. I'm clearly not gaining muscles, as I havent been working out much. Does Atkins encourage the retention of water? Could it be due to constipation? (Im only having bowel movement once every 2-3 days, instead of daily , which I used to, pre-atkins). Or is it that Im eating too many calories, even though im sticking to less than 20 g of carbs a day?

[not2late]

Re: Help please. desperate for expert opinion

Ketosis is a natural diuretic. That being said, it's possible to retain water. For example, if you eat a high salt diet---plenty of processed meats and/or some cheeses, you may retain water. Or if you are a female and still menstruating, you may retain water during your menses. And as you pointed out---constipation.

Heck, even drinking or eating before you weigh yourself can increase the numbers on the scale! If you drink a pint of water then weigh yourself, you'll see you've "gained" a pound.

Also, you might want to read a "sticky" thread in the 14 Day Induction Forum called "Weight Loss Is Linear" Don't unnecessarily add stress and anxiety to yourself, because you aren't losing weight/inches everyday or every hour. We all would like to get rid of this extra poundage "fast" but it didn't take us 2 weeks to gain our weight. It's unreasonable to expect to lose all our weight in 2 weeks.

[SunnySmile501]

Re: Help please. desperate for expert opinion

Thanks to all of you for all responses. I am grateful and overwhelmed for your support. I guess I have fallen in the trap of 'measuring' success through the scales, the morning ritual. You have now taught me not to rely on scales, not to weigh myself daily, and to trust that it will happen ...with time.

Thank you, I wish i could give all of you one BIG hug. You all will be my inspiration, through my journey.

I am, however, a very analytical, curious person. I operate at my best when I know EXACTLY what's going on. I drive myself mad sometimes, and hope I will not drive you all mad with me. I still would like to know the scientific reason of why my weight loss is not registering properly on the scales. I'm clearly not gaining muscles, as I havent been working out much. Does Atkins encourage the retention of water? Could it be due to constipation? (Im only having bowel movement once every 2-3 days, instead of daily , which I used to, pre-atkins). Or is it that Im eating too many calories, even though im sticking to less than 20 g of carbs a day?

I'm extremely analytical, as well. We won't let you drive us mad. Most of us have been where you are right now. I feel most in control by reading the book often and staying off the scale. I re-affirm in my mind how Atkins works and why it works, then just relax and "let" it work.

Why don't you measure yourself and then have a friend you trust hide the scale from you for a certain length of time. With Atkins, you can be losing inches and size, even while showing a gain on the scale.

We had a clothing challenge last spring (Spring Into Summer) where we take and post pictures in a pair of trousers that are way too tight. For 90 days we do Atkins, drink our water and exercise so that hopefully, the pants will fit at the end of the challenge. The rule is that you are not allowed to try on the pants again until the end of the challenge.

Some people were doing everything by the book, but some had not lost any weight and a couple of people had gained 2 to 3 pounds. They were worried and disappointed that their effort was for naught. . .Until they tried on the pants and they fit without being too tight. Even the person that gained fit nicely in the pants.

Atkins is better at burning fat while preserving muscle. Muscle burns far more calories, so you want as much muscle as you can build.

Stress will definitely stall fat loss, so relax and let Atkins do the job as it was meant to--not overnight, but slow and steady.

Sunny!

[Kaper]

Re: Help please. desperate for expert opinion

I think the picture of the fat and muscle is the best explanation of the scale reading. You don't need to worry about bulging muscles from a daily exercise routine. When I was at my lowest weight (after losing 55 lbs) my skin was sagging on my inner thighs and upper arms. I was not keeping a consistent exercise routine. When I did some treadmill walking and 5lb weight lifting, I actually gained 8 lbs, while losing another jeans size. My skin tightened up and arms got firmer. Toned muscles weigh more than loose fat, but take up less space in the clothing!!

[rimaha]

Re: Help please. desperate for expert opinion

Thank you NotSoLate. Your advice has is spot-on.
I have a confession to make. I have been following the 70's version of the Atkins diet. High fat, low carbs, instead of the revised version which advises lean meat and more vegetables.

I have now ordered the 'New Atkins' book.

I have also realised that carbs or not, if you eat a whole block of cheese, you will input too many calories and the weight loss will stall. I'm reducing my calories by choosing wisely, I'm still eating full-fat cheese but limiting the amounts, and replacing salami and sausages with lean turkey and red meat. And guess what? The inches are dropping again. I haven't measured myself, but my jeans have gotten even looser. I also haven't weighed myself, because as you all advised, it's an unecessary de-motivator.
I'll go for a bf% assessment in a month's time. That should be my only measure

[sallyann]

Re: Help please. desperate for expert opinion

Hi honey

I am pleased to read that you have re evaluated your food and identified a few areas of improvement, it does make a difference to 'tweak' these areas you mention.

Like you, I am actually very small framed, 5'6" and started at 126lbs, 4 weeks later I am at 110 lbs. This is my normal weight for me but it is deemed as underweight. I have never carried more than 14lbs over this weight as I have always stuck to low carb (time to time in slip into peanut butter mode).

I did not think for a moment I would rid this few pounds off quickly as my body does resist any loss. Stick to the WOE 100% and it works without fail. Don't look at the scales daily. I have looked twice in the past 4 weeks, as I knew my body was getting leaner - when I did look it was only to confirm what I knew.

S
x

[not2late]

Re: Help please. desperate for expert opinion

High fat, low carbs, instead of the revised version which advises lean meat and more vegetables.

We follow the 2002 edition here. It's still high fat with vegetables. The newer diet touted on the Atkins.com site is the one that is higher protein,higher carb and lower fat.....

The only real differences between the 1972 version and the 2002 version is the concept of "net carbs" and the arrangement of the Diet's weeks. The 72 version you eating "two small salads" daily for the first week of the diet only. During week 2 you eat more vegetables from the list that looks similar to the current vegetable list.

Dr. Atkins also limited cheese in the 2002 Diet, because he noticed what you have---if you eat a pound of cheese, you may gain or not lose any weight.