Biological/Physiological factors of induction

[shelly808]

Hi All,
So Sunday was my 14th day of induction. I was extremely pleased with week one but no lb movement really at all in week 2. I have lost between 6-8 lbs. Not bad. But I was hoping for a solid 10lb loss. Oh well...I'll take the 7ish!

My gall bladder has been making itself known (can happen to me time to time when I eat rich and fatty foods), but because the diet is mainly rich foods, its been kind-of sore all the time, I find myself constantly rubbing my gall bladder area. Can suddenly changing your diet with adding so much fat and meat cause gall stones?

Also I am really wondering how in the world everyone keeps regular with out the fiber? I ended up taking laxatives today...I notice that I am also rubbing my entire belly quite often cuz it just feels wrong, congested and uncomfortable.

How can this way of eating be right for the digestive tract? I am used to very health BM's morning and night. Does the digestive system get used to this? I do not want to have to rely on laxatives....or is that just a normal downside of the atkins induction?

I have about 80 lbs to lose and am wondering if my body can do this. The parts of this diet that I love are the ease, taste factor and how some of my weird sugar/glucose/insulin symptoms have pretty much gone away. On the flip side, my gall bladder & intestines do not like this one bit. I would love to be able to stick with induction but wonder if I can. I am positive my doctor would just say, eat some brown rice daily....but I know that would kill any chance of lipolysis! AHhhhhhhh.

Any comments suggestions or ideas by anyone would be great appreciated!!

Thank you!
Shelly

[shelly808]

Re: Biological/Physiological factors of induction

P.S. Have been drinking lots of water, tried the flax and bran powder for a few days.

I also did calms magnesium which of course is just like taking a laxative when you take more that a Tablespoon.

[Georgiana]

Re: Biological/Physiological factors of induction

Can suddenly changing your diet with adding so much fat and meat cause gall stones?

No, a high fat intake does not cause gallstones. In fact, studies have shown that people who follow a diet low in fat are more likely to develop gallstones. See, for example, Chung-Jyi Tsai et al., "The Effect of Long-Term Intake of cis Unsaturated Fats on the Risk for Gallstone Disease in Men", Annals of Internal Medicine, 141, 2004, p. 514 and Spirt B. A. et al., "Gallstone Formation in Obese Women Treated by a Low-Calorie Diet", International Journal of Obesity, 19, 1995, p.595.

Dr. Atkins wrote:

Remember, gallstones are not formed overnight. So anyone who tells you they started doing Atkins and two weeks later developed gallstones doesn't fully understand the medical situation.

Also I am really wondering how in the world everyone keeps regular with out the fiber? I ended up taking laxatives today...I notice that I am also rubbing my entire belly quite often cuz it just feels wrong, congested and uncomfortable.

Some people have more problems than others with constipation. I never had to take a fiber supplement for example, not even during Induction. Are you exercising? You might also consider moving to OWL and adding more vegetables (i.e. fiber).

How can this way of eating be right for the digestive tract?

Why wouldn't it be? For constipation problems, there is a solution. Besides, most people stop experiencing these problems once they move to OWL.

I am used to very health BM's morning and night. Does the digestive system get used to this?

Having BMs less often is common on Atkins. As long as they are not painful/hard, I wouldn't worry.

I would love to be able to stick with induction but wonder if I can.

Why do you want to stick with Induction? Why not move to OWL?

I am positive my doctor would just say, eat some brown rice daily....but I know that would kill any chance of lipolysis! AHhhhhhhh.

You can stay in ketosis by eating rice, just introduce it in the appropriate OWL rung so that you don't trigger a sugar spike.

[J.R.]

Re: Biological/Physiological factors of induction

Maybe a redefinition of "regular" is necessary. Less than 2 months in, I say I am in extended induction but it's probably more like OWL rung 1, and I'm "regular". That means that I go every other day or at most every 3 days. I don't like the interval, but there really isn't too much waste in the system.

That's why I swear by the daily salad -- I'm sure that's what's keeping things moving (albeit slowly)

[kibskix]

Re: Biological/Physiological factors of induction

i agree with jr on redefining regular. much more of your food is going to energy than eating a bunch of useless carbs and sugar, so bm's are fewer for some people. for me personally its not uncommon to go without for a couple days. If you want to know whats helped me in the past though, the biggest one is exercise. i also figured out quite by accident the first time i did atkins (and this probably doesnt work for everyone like this) but if I drink 2 diet rites in a row (doesnt work with just one, interestingly enough), It has a major laxitive effect on me all frigging day the next day. But like they said, if it isn't painful, don't get too worried.

[planetclaire]

Re: Biological/Physiological factors of induction

Fat doesn't cause gall stones. I was nutrisystem weight loss back in 1993 for 6 weeks and developed gall stones because of the super low fat diet. Never again did I do low fat!

I agree with everyone else, *regular* doesn't mean the same thing for everyone. As long as you are not experiencing abdominal pain and constipation, you're okay. Make sure you are eating your veggies and drinking lots of water...more than minimum 64oz. And regular exercise helps too.

Move on to Owl! More veggies = more fiber!

[rajenki]

Re: Biological/Physiological factors of induction

Eat lots of veggies...try to include some squash...that makes things "fluffy" and moves things along for me. I consider Atkins a veggie diet...since I don't bother with them when I'm not eating low carb. In my atkins world I try to include them in almost every meal.

Too much cheese can cause things to back up a little...so be careful there. Drink lots of water as well. I also go every other day or so, as others have noted..pre-atkins it was 1-2 times daily. I like thinking about it as "body is getting more use out of what I'm eating, therefor has less to discard".

As for stones, I believe it's true that you create them when your eating low fat because in essence, the "machine" get's shut down so things start to calicify. When you start eating fat again with Atkins, the machine starts back up and revs into high gear but the calcifications become noticable now that things are running again. I think I read that everyone has stones....the problems occur when they start trying to get into your ducts...thats what causes pain. I had an ultrasound on my gb years ago when trying to understand another pain I was having. I had two very clear large stones in there. They have never given me an ounce of trouble. (incidently...the chest pain was related to cartlidge in my rib cage...not my gb)

[shelly808]

Re: Biological/Physiological factors of induction

Hello, thanks for the responses.

I was just thinking after I posted my questions, Why would I have these big bms anymore? I am not eating all the 3-4 peices of whole grain toast, brown rice etc, any more...nothing really to "heft up" the stool.

I am thinking it is probably the cheese...but I am loving the cheese!!

Hey Georgianna! ....the reason I would like to stay on induction is because I read in the book that you can stay on it for up to 6 months or more. And that if you have a lot of poundage to melt, this is the quickest way to do it. I have 80 lbs, with lots of aches and pains here and there especially in my feet that I know is weight related. I just want to be me again as soon as possible. It's like this, I finally quit my lifes biggest obstacles "smoking and drinking"....yet I've still felt pretty crappy these past 16 months. But now I am starting to get my hormones straightened out and see a light the end of the tunnel with my new weightloss diet. I am excited and feel the need to get there at a jogging pace rather than walking! You know?

I did not know about gall stones and a low fat diet, thanks everyone!

I do exercise. I teach a low impact cardio/strength training/stretch class on m/w/f and I have been either hiking one day or riding bike 1 or 2 of the other days....the other day I did 8.5 miles...woo hoo! (for me) As biking is really not my thing...I was just going to ride around the marsh but kept going after truly because of my new calorie counter/hr monitor/distance/time gadget!!! What a little motivator that thing is.

I don't think I am getting all the water I am supposed to. I think most days I am getting between 60-80oz but probably should be consuming 140 if my calculations are correct (used a sticky for that one Georgianna!)

I did spaghetti squash the other day, it was good. I will try to eat more of it...but that sucker is expensive!

Thanks everyone for you replies! I really appreciate the support here! I really only have one good friend I confide in who is 11 years older than me and is sort of my "health buddy"...I can totally relate to her, she and I are going through the same hormonal balancing act and she is the one who pushed me to atkins...I realize I am lucky to have this friendship, as many people have no one. I welcome all suggestion, comments and opinions!

Shelly

[planetclaire]

Re: Biological/Physiological factors of induction

I love spaghetti squash now, but yes, yikes, its expensive! I looked at my bill last week and it was almost 6 bux :/

[shelly808]

Re: Biological/Physiological factors of induction

Oh BTW I got on the scale this morning, and wa-la 2nd day in a row at 206! And I just started my period, so there is some water weight there. So I think its offical, I have lost 8 lbs so far! YIPPIE!!

[shelly808]

Re: Biological/Physiological factors of induction

Hi Laurie,
Which other squashes do you like to eat???

[tink11302]

Re: Biological/Physiological factors of induction

Hubs and I take a stool softener every other day and this helps a great deal.

[Diver Down]

Re: Biological/Physiological factors of induction

Hey Georgianna! ....the reason I would like to stay on induction is because I read in the book that you can stay on it for up to 6 months or more. And that if you have a lot of poundage to melt, this is the quickest way to do it

Absolutely. If you're happy and can tolerate induction-level carb intake then by all means keep at it. Ketosis is the real engine of fat burning and induction provides you the method to get there (and stay there, if so desired). Keep in mind, for it to be most effective, you must keep your caloric intake very low. Your goal is to have the body turning to stored fat for its energy, not getting by on just its daily intake of food. That's why exercise is always recommended because it increases your body's demand for energy. The greater the demand for energy, the less able food intake will be able to do the job (unless you're eating tons of food, of course). If you're not exercising, you can still lose weight, just be aware your energy needs will be quite low so the restrictions on caloric intake will have to be much more severe; it's all a balancing act. The choice is yours where to find a happy medium.

[imagood1]

Re: Biological/Physiological factors of induction

I hope you do redefine your defination of "regular" and stop taking things that are suppose to help your system. I am reading so many people are taking supplements to make them go, or too much flax, ex-lax, enema's, milk of magnesia, etc. because they aren't going to the bathroom. We don't have as much to discard so we have fewer times to rid our bodies of waste. When you take supplements to "make" yourself go you aren't doing your system any good....especially when you take them back to back. Let your body decide when it needs to rid itself of waste and as long as you aren't having pain I wouldn't let it bother me much.

Make sure you drink enough water, especially if you are taking stool softeners. You say you teach an exercise class so you should be getting enough exercise so let the food and your body do it's job. Good luck

[shelly808]

Re: Biological/Physiological factors of induction

Hi Carole,
Na, I am not using a bunch of stuff....I took 2 dulcolax pills just the one day. Have not been doing the flax or bran all week! Pretty happy about how things are going...I really think I was eating too much cheese. After reading Divers post, the exercise must be the reason that I have reached my 1st mini goal, because I sometimes eat quite a lot!!! Thanks for your input! I appreciate it Carole.

Diver!!! For some reason, I was sort of thinking I could pretty much eat however much I wanted and there have been quite a few days that I did exactly that! For the past, well I don't know how many years now, I eat at night.... a really bad habit. Since I have been doing Atkins, I have been doing the exact same thing (except of course with induction food) .... guesstimating maybe 1/2 the time, and quite often consuming a lot between 8 and 9:30 pm. Thank you so much for this information! You pointing out the calorie thing will totally keep me aware and am now determined to break the night time eating habit.

Much Aloha Guys
Shelly