Please help.....very dissapointed

[Readyforchange]

Hello, so I am new to this woe. Today marks a week. I got on the scale mid week and had lost 5 lbs. I got on the scale last night and had gained 2.5. So I lost 2.5. I think I should have lost ay more than that. I was eating 2 salads a day with homeade ranch (hidden valley) and bacon/eggs or just eggs for breakfast. Meats of some sort with the salads. Pepperonis and cheese sometimes for snacks. I am very discouraged for 1st week. What am I doing wrong. Too much lettuce, nitrates? PLEASE PLEASE help. Of course I went and got a biscuit this morning out of pure disappointment! Thanks!

[Sunny_0ne]

Re: Please help.....very dissapointed

RFC, anytime you gain 2.5 pounds overnight, it is water weight. And probably from the salt and nitrates in the bacon. It will go away just as quickly as it comes if you drink plenty of water to flush your system.

Are you drinking at LEAST 8 glasses of water a day? (And it should be more.)

Are you measuring your vegetables -- 3 cups of salad veggies like lettuce, cucumber and peppers OR 2 cups of salad veggies and one cup of vegetables from the "other" list like green beans and pumpkin?

Does your pepperoni contain dextrose or sugar in the ingredients list?

The biscuit didn't help, and will skew your two week results which is how you gauge your degree of metabolic resistance.

BUT if you get back on track, stay off the scales until the two week period is over, and drink plenty of water, you should see good results.

Please keep us posted. And please don't let this setback discourage you.

You need to be determined to stay into this for the long haul... and you'll end up being one of those people who post those wonderful "during" and "after" photos that we all are so proud of.

Hang in there!!!

[Readyforchange]

Re: Please help.....very dissapointed

The pep. did have dextrose but no carbs and I wasnt measuring the lettuce. I was eating big salads. I realize that this was wrong. I read some of the book last night and realized that i messed up. he 2.5 gain was over 4 days time, at which point i ate the pepperoni. What so nitrates do and what do you think was my biggest setback besides the biscuit??!!!! Thank you sooo much

[Sunny_0ne]

Re: Please help.....very dissapointed

RFC, the pepperoni may have listed 0 carbs per serving. But, according to law, if the carbs in a "serving" are under 1, they can say it has 0 carbs. But if you have several servings, you will get the hidden carbs.

Quite honestly, I am not sure what nitrates have to do with weight gain. I know they are carcinogenic. I think it is probably the salt in the bacon and pepperoni that is the culprit in water weight gain.

If you are having huge salads, you are getting a LOT more carbs than you are allowed on induction. And that makes a big difference.

You may have gained some actual weight back, but just look at it as a learning experience. You know what you were doing wrong, and now you know how to correct that.

I'd suggest at this point that you restart a clean induction. Do it by the book. You won't have the big weight loss the second time around, but you will be off on a good start that should produce a long-term steady weight loss.

Do be aware that you will have stalls. That's the way our bodies work. Just stay on track and don't cheat, and you will probably get a nice "whoosh" at the end of the stall.

Hugs and good luck!

[Slapshot]

Re: Please help.....very dissapointed

"Quite honestly, I am not sure what nitrates have to do with weight gain. I know they are carcinogenic."

You're thinking of sodium nitrite. Not the same thing as sodium nitrate.

Just a friendly correction as I've seen many folks swapping the "i" and the "a."

[Sunny_0ne]

Re: Please help.....very dissapointed

Guilty, Slapshot! Thanks!

[sadie147]

Re: Please help.....very dissapointed

you always have to weight yourself at the same time of the day..preferably first thing in the a.m. befor eyou have eaten or drank anything.

i can easily gain 5lbs between breakfast and lunch!

it's not likely 2.5lbs of actual fat, just water weight..

[Slapshot]

Re: Please help.....very dissapointed

Guilty, Slapshot! Thanks!

No prob. I threw away about $50 worth of food in our house after reading up on nitrites.

[Readyforchange]

Re: Please help.....very dissapointed

SO basically i just need to watch sodium, watch nitrites consume no more than 3 cups of vegs. on the approved list. Any other suggestions?

[imagood1]

Re: Please help.....very dissapointed

read the book completely -- start at the beginning and read through so you understand the principles of this way of eating, make a copy of the acceptable food list and keep it with you when you go to the store, tape one to your fridge so you know when you stand there what is legal and what isn't. The way I learned was "if it's not on the list, it doesn't go in your mouth."

You need to drink at least 64 ounces of plain water a day - nothing added to the water. Exercise will help you get in good form and will also help you loose pounds. There are lots of challenges here that you can join that will help keep you accountable to yourself.

Good luck

[Georgiana]

Re: Please help.....very dissapointed

consume no more than 3 cups of vegs. on the approved list

Actually, you should consume 3 cups of vegetables, not "no more than 3 cups".

Any other suggestions?

As it was said, you have to read the DANDR yourself. There are also some sticky threads in the "Atkins Diet 14-Day Induction" forum, so you might want to take a look over those as well.

[Kathi22]

Re: Please help.....very dissapointed

RFC - read the book carefully like it is your "bible." Drink at least 64 oz. of water each day. Add an additional 8 oz to that for every 25 pounds to lose. 2 cups of salad per day and 1 cup of other veggies as listed on the approved list. Lots of fat, less processed meats. I love pepperoni, so I know this one is hard. Maybe try www.fitday.com to journal your foods and keep track of where your percentages are.

Only weigh once per week, on your anniversary day. 2.5 pounds was most likely water retention. Good luck!!!

[Tampaman]

Re: Please help.....very dissapointed

Ready,
Don't give up. My weight fluctuates throughout the week. It goes up by as much as 5 pounds sometimes. I stick to the diet and drink plenty of water and over time it steadily goes down and stays off. For example last night before I went to bed I weighed 3 pounds heaver than I did that morning. When I got up I was this morning the 3 pounds were gone. I even went two weeks with out losing anything. The trick is to stay on the diet and drink water. I was drinking around 70 ounces a day then I read in here about water and realized for someone at my weight that I needed to be drinking much more. So I started drinking about 112 ounces a day and since them my weight has been coming off more steadily. Hang in there and use this bb to your advantage there are plenty of people here willing and hoping for you to succeed and they will help you. All you have to do is ask.
Regards,
Herb