Just what the **** am I doing wrong? Totally confused!

[Skyhawk747]

Hi all I am seriously confused here can anyone help me?

I started the Atkins diet 2 weeks ago and to keep it down to literally NO carbs I started on this

Morning
American Omlette (Cheese, garlic, onion and Sausage)

lunch
2 eggs with Ham and 2 Cheese slices

late lunch (Small portion)
Chicken breast with Veg (brocolli)

dinner (small portion)
Chicken breast and Veg

In between I drink tea (earl grey and Peppermint) with sweetner and approx 2-3 ltrs of water a day?

If I feel hungry in the middle of this all I will eat Almond nuts.

I have stuck to this for 2 weeks and here is my result!

Ketosis - NO! No red on any strips - all nuetral!
Weight at start 134 lbs
Weight now 138lbs

I have also been training down the gym 4 days a week - running for 30 - 45 mins and weight training for 45 - 60 mins 4 times a week! I have a Polar heart rate monitor which is pretty accurate and I am burning approx 1000 cals a day down the gym.

My body fat at the start was 18.1%
Now my body fat is 19.0%
My muscles mass has increased by 0.2kgs
and may fat mass has increased

Anyone have ANY cluse as to what I am doing wrong? I am eating like ZERO carbs

Many thanks

Phil

[spirittalker]

First have you read the book? Reading the book may help you to answer your own questions. How much weight would you like to lose. You are not exactly that overweight now. How much cheese are you eating? Cheese is a known staller, you may want to cut back or eliminate your use of cheese. Check to make sure your sausage and ham do not have added sugar. Make sure you count your sweettener in your tea as 1 carb per servering. What kind of sweetener are you using? Aspartame is known to stall people. Almonds or any nuts are not allowed on induction. Your sticks may not be turning color because you are actually burning all those ketones. It is not something to worry about.


You should log your foods. http://fitday.com has a great tool for doing this. You may surprise yourself by how many carbs you are actually eating.

[NulloModo]

Well, I'm seeing a couple things.

First of all, the Almonds aren't allowed during the induction phase. What sweetener are you using for your tea, and is it caffeinated?

Finally, and perhaps the biggest issue, you aren't eating nearly enough, and could do with putting more fat into your diet. You have to eat fat to burn fat, and you won't trip into ketosis if your body is teetering along the starvation line, which it looks like it might be if you are exercising that much and eating that little.

[Skyhawk747]

Well, I'm seeing a couple things.

First of all, the Almonds aren't allowed during the induction phase. What sweetener are you using for your tea, and is it caffeinated?

Finally, and perhaps the biggest issue, you aren't eating nearly enough, and could do with putting more fat into your diet. You have to eat fat to burn fat, and you won't trip into ketosis if your body is teetering along the starvation line, which it looks like it might be if you are exercising that much and eating that little.

Thanks for your comments... I thought the cheese was adding the fat - Maybe I could add cream as the fat adder. I am not sure what else I can add?
The sweetner is Splenda which contains Sucralose

Thing is if I eat more I gain more weight I mean I am eating 4 times a day and still gaining weight - I stopped going to the gym for 4 days not so long ago and that led to weight gain.

This is just not working and I am so depressed, its really frustrating me

Thanks for your help

Phil

[2big4mysize]

I think you really really need to read the book cause you are not 0 carb at all nor are you doing Atkins induction. all things from plants like your onion veg nuts and brocoli have carbs, cheese has carbs, eggs have carbs, ham and sausage has carbs and even sweetner packs have carbs.

If you are going to invest this time and effort in yourself them spend the $7 and buy yourself the instruction manual. It will be one of the best investments you make!

Then read it and reread it.
You don't give portion size for any of your foods so it is very easy for you to have over eatten your food totals and gained the weight. Atkins isn't an all you can eat blow out like is protrayed in the reports. It is calorie concrol through carb control and appetite suppression. We feed only our hunger and stop when our hunger is satisfied no matter how much food is on the plate, room is left in our belly or carbs in our budget. We put it away for later if and when we get hungry again.

you might also be if you just started an increased workout program at the gym retaining some fluids in your muscles rigfht now accounting for a weight gain also.

And of course you had nuts wheich are not an induction food ad are Allowed in OWL in a 1 ounce serving!

So please buy and read your book then do a proper Atkins inducxtion and let us knowe what those results were.

Happy low carbing.

[mere150]

Am I reading your signature stats correctly? You are 5'4" and 138 pounds. I understand wanting to do Atkins for the health benefits but if this information is correct and you do exercise on a regular basis then why are you worried about 4lbs? I know that BMI is not the most accurate measurement of health but your BMI is within the normal range.

[teena]

I am eating like ZERO carbs

With veggies like onions (a big no-no during induction, due to natural sugars) and almonds, I can assure you that you're eating much more than "0" carbs.

Keep in mind that you don't have much to lose at all, so your results will NOT be as dramatic as many of the members here.

Try nixing the almonds and onions and READ THE BOOK.

[spazzyhilo]

also keep in mind that Atkins isn't a NO carb diet, its a LOW carb diet. The majority of carbs should be coming from the veggies that you should be eating every day. Either 3 cups salad veggie or 2 cups salad veggie and 1 cup other veggie. I know the induction forum has a Sticky of a pocket-sized list of induction friendly foods - use this guide!

[sadie147]

With veggies like onions (a big no-no during induction, due to natural sugars

Onions are an allowed 1 cup veggie during induction, you just need to watch how many you have due to the higher carbs (like pumpkin).

Am I reading your signature stats correctly? You are 5'4" and 138 pounds.

I"m wondering this as well? You're a 5'4" male at 138 lbs lifting weights an hour a day 4x a week? I know everyone has a different build etc but this doesn't seem right...

[Skyhawk747]

I think you really really need to read the book cause you are not 0 carb at all nor are you doing Atkins induction. all things from plants like your onion veg nuts and brocoli have carbs, cheese has carbs, eggs have carbs, ham and sausage has carbs and even sweetner packs have carbs.

Thanks for all the swift replies but NOW i am REALLY confused? The induction program is cool with Brocoli, egg and your telling me eggs have carbs? I have looked on the induction link here

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/viewtopic.php?t=66739

It tells you ALL eggs are allowed, 2-3 oz's of cheese and even brocoli so sorry to sound I am not being grateful (Cos I am) but your confusing me so much!

I have looked at the packets on the main things I am eating and here is what the labels say..

Ham per 100g
104cals
Protein 17.0g
Carb 1.1g of which sugar 1.1g
Fat 3.5g
Sat 1.2g

Cheese per 100g
410cals
Protein 25.0g
Carb 0.1g
Fat 34.4g
Sat 22.7g

Splenda sweetner
per teaspoon 2 cals
carb 0.5g

These dont seem to be flooded with carbs to me? I should imagine my daily intake of carbs with this stuff is less than 10g a day However thanks for pointing out about the nuts. I shall drop that off the diet immediately!

so basically if I have an omlette for breakfast and substitute onion for mushroom and cut the cheese in it and then just eat chicken and lettuce for the reast of the time and veg in the evening, I dont think I could eat less carbs?

On reading the book I am of the understanding that in order to go into ketosis you have to burn your carbs and the less carbs you take in at the start, then the better the starter for ketosis

Yes I am 5ft 4 and 138lbs and I train min 4 times a week and do 1.5 - 2 hours a time in the gym of which 60 mins is cardio and I burn 1000 cals and yes still no loss - I have been doing this for about 18 months now.

See why I am so frustrated? LOL

thanks anyway

(A very frustrated) Phil

[AllieCat0817]

On reading the book I am of the understanding that in order to go into ketosis you have to burn your carbs and the less carbs you take in at the start, then the better the starter for ketosis

The GOOD carbs which are allowed on Induction are necessary and required to burn fat. Your body needs carbs. Too many folk believe the myth that Atkins is no carb. It absolutely is not. It's the KIND of carbs that is critical. And indeed if you hadn't read DANDR from cover to cover, please please do. I still have mine on my nightstand...

[AllieCat0817]

and you REALLY need those good Induction carbs if you are exercising the way you are. Your body will hold onto that weight if you are exercising and not getting enough carbs. I didn't lose well until I increased my carbs by adding nuts and berries (which are OWL foods).. but that's just me.

[Elizellen]

Thanks for all the swift replies but NOW i am REALLY confused? The induction program is cool with Brocoli, egg and your telling me eggs have carbs?

Yes - a large egg has about .6 carbs.
If you use a site like www.fitday.com you can log all you eat and see the totals, which can be surprising if you have not been counting egg carbs :yikes and eat a lot of eggs.

I should imagine my daily intake of carbs with this stuff is less than 10g a day

You are allowed up to 20 'net' carbs, over half of which should be from veggies. A 'net' carb is calculated by deducting any fibre from the total carb count if your labels include fibre in that count (UK and some other countries list fibre seperately so have already deducted them from the carb count)
so you may actually not be eating enough food for ketosis to kick in.
Our bodies will get very economical if they think there is a famine due to not getting much food and will hold on to as much fat as they can to keep us alive!!!

[spirittalker]

Can I ask why you are so concerned about losing weight. For a male at 5'4" I should think the 140's would be a good weight for you to maintain. I am just wondering because your body may be telling you it does not wish to lose any more.

[teena]

At your weight and height and with all the working out you've been doing, maybe you don't have any fat to lose? You could be gaining weight due to building muscle mass...

Have you calculated your BMI?