Second Time Around

[Katie_1985]

Hello! My name is Katie!

This is my first time posting on the forum. I have been on Atkins before (when I was in highschool) and lost 40 to 50 pounds in a mere 3.5 months! It was wonderful and I was able to keep it off until I went to university and gained the typical freshman 15. My weight fluctuated all throughout my undergrad. In my fourth year I gained quite a bit. So, here I am a newly graduate and ready to start life outside of university…a thinner and healthier me. I have about 70 pounds to lose now! I am very excited at the thought of being in smaller sizes for the summer.



I certainly loved Atkins when I was on it before and I experienced many of the “whooshes” where I would drop 3 pounds almost every other day. It was incredible and I loved it.



I am very excited to get back on track!!



I am actually in my fourth day of induction and am very very pleased. I know that I will be doing an extended induction.



My start weight was 247 and I have yet to weight in again!!!!



Good luck with everyone else’s journey too!

[Jace]

Re: Second Time Around

Welcome to Katie.

Best of luck on your weight loss journey and if you need anything please feel free to give a shout!

~Far la bella figura!

[hopejoy]

Re: Second Time Around

Good luck, you should join up in the secon time around club daily check in! Very fun and motivating! Welcome back and keep up the good work!
liz

[Katie_1985]

Re: Second Time Around

Thanks so much for both of your warm welcomes! I will check out that thread! Thanks!

[Adena]

Re: Second Time Around

Welcome back, Katie. Now that you are starting out your new life, post-university, it's great that you are doing so with Atkins. I wish had done so at your age -- if you can decide to make this a permanent way of eating for you rather than a diet, you'll reap the benefits for the rest of your life.

Hopefully you'll have the same quick success you did last time, but if it's a little slower (3 pounds every other day is darn fast!), I hope you won't lose your enthusiasm. Keep doing the program, and you'll be successful!

Welcome, and best of luck to you!

[Katie_1985]

Re: Second Time Around

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement!!!! I cannot wait to step on that scale!

[sallyseachange]

Re: Second Time Around

Hello there Katie and welcome aboard! You're in the absolute right place for support and inspiration!
You did really well on Atkins last time and I'm sure you'll do well this time around too.
It doesn't sound like you are very metabolically resistent to weight loss, so I'd think carefully about extending induction for too long.
Extended induction isn't really a true "phase" of Atkins. It's merely a prolonging of induction which is advised for people who are very resistent to weight loss. Many actually lose better in OWL (ongoing weight loss) than in induction, particularly the first rungs.
Of course it's a personal choice, but I just thought I'd throw that out.

Have fun on the board and join any of the activities you fancy. We're all behind you 100%!

[OzLover]

Re: Second Time Around

Welcome to !!! Come on over to the Second Time Around Club & check it out.

Good luck on your journey!

[Katie_1985]

Re: Second Time Around

Thanks so much!!! I about to head on to the STAC but I just had to share that I stepped on the scale today and last Wednesday I was 247 and today I'm 243.5!! YAY! I mean in four days...that's just incredible!! Needless to say I'm very excited!!

Thanks Sally! I will definiltely explore the other phases! I just have a ton to lose that I do like a long kickstart. What do you mean that many people find the weight loss better...as in faster? I didn't think you could get much faster than the many whooshes I was having!!

Thanks!

[mitzimarie]

Re: Second Time Around

Thanks Sally! I will definiltely explore the other phases! I just have a ton to lose that I do like a long kickstart. What do you mean that many people find the weight loss better...as in faster? I didn't think you could get much faster than the many whooshes I was having!!

Thanks!

Welcome, Katie

I am a proud STACer, myself.

I think that it is unrealistic to expect that you will continue to lose weight at the rate that you do at first, even if you do extend induction. Many people experience PISS (Post Induction Stall Syndrome). That's when you can continue eating the exact same things as you did in Induction, but the weight loss stalls anyway. I experienced this, and jumpstarted my losses again by moving to Rung 1 and adding more veggies. While I will be the first one to admit that some of the upper rungs can be tricky, Induction veggies are safe, and rung 1 means adding more Induction veggies. They are good for you in many ways, and are nothing to fear.

And please don't fall into the trap that "better weight loss" = "faster weight loss." Atkins is a WOE for life... we are to be learning about our bodies, how many carbs we able to handle, and what kind of carbs we can handle. It is a learning process, and an ongoing process. It's best not to make it a race.

Best wishes to you!

[Katie_1985]

Re: Second Time Around

Thanks so much! You're right! I am not going to rush but I do have an August goal! It would be a fluke if I lost as much as I did as quickly as I did the first time but I am quite excited to see where it will lead. I will explore rung 1 but I think I will do induction for about a month. I never experienced stalls the first time but I always did really intense cardio when I did it.

I might stall this time as I haven't been AS active! I appreicate your input!

[sallyseachange]

Re: Second Time Around

Congrats on your terrific start!
Mitzi answered your question better than I could (ty Mitzi ).
I remember staying in induction five or six months. When I finally made the move, I regretted not having done so much sooner. Rung one is awesome, and you can stay there a long time if you choose to.

[Katie_1985]

Re: Second Time Around

Just so I understand...what is the difference in your body did you find between induction and rung 1? Greater weight loss?

Just curious! I am so thankful for all of this helpful information guys!!

[mitzimarie]

Re: Second Time Around

Just so I understand...what is the difference in your body did you find between induction and rung 1? Greater weight loss?

Just curious! I am so thankful for all of this helpful information guys!!

LOL... I love talking about this topic, so get ready.

I had gotten to where I was not losing any weight, even though I was still eating my Induction menu. I decided to move to Rung 1, and upped my Induction veggies to practice for the first board-wide veggie challenge that was coming up. I lost 3 pounds that week.

As you can see from my stats, this is my second go-around with Atkins. I was never a veggie eater prior to Atkins, and on my first time around, I didn't bother to broaden my horizon with them. The only veggies I got were from salads. I didn't progress up the rungs properly, and basically never learned my CCLL or CCLM. I stayed on Induction for a long time, then just picked things from the various rungs (avoiding the veggie one), and lived off of that. After losing 60 pounds, I stalled out at 155 for months, and gradually lost focus and motivation. I floundered, going back up to 187. When I restarted last Feb. 25th, I vowed that I was going to follow Atkins by the book, and do everything right. That meant opening my mind to veggies. Since I had never tasted about 99% of all veggies (no kidding), I spent a couple of months on Rung 1, trying all sorts of new veggies. And I found out that not only could I tolerate veggies, I actually LOVED them! And since most Induction veggies are so safe, on the weeks that I didn't add a new food, I upped my carbs to begin the search for my CCLL. That way, you have more carbs to "spend" when moving further up the rungs, without sacrificing veggies to do it.

Dr. A states that in any given phase of Atkins, most of our carbs should be from vegetables. They are so good for nutrition and fiber. They help you feel full, and help you go *potty*. Lots of people are under the impression that staying on Induction for months will help you lose faster. More often than not, this is just not necessary. Through experimentation, I found that I could lose just as easily at 35 net carbs, as I could at 20. Each of us is so unique, and OWL takes time and effort. That's why I like to encourage people to at least move to Rung 1 after their 2 week Induction. You don't have to be in a hurry to go to the higher rungs, but I found Rung 1 a safe place to up your carbs.

It is CRUCIAL to view this as a WOE and not a way to lose weight. I didn't bother to LEARN my first time around. And while I was able to lose 60 pounds then, I never reached my goal, and I didn't know how to maintain for life.

I learned this time around, and I WILL maintain for life.

Thanks for your interest, Katie. Good luck!

[Katie_1985]

Re: Second Time Around

Thanks Mitzie!!

That's great information!! I think I am going to stay on induction for 2 to 4 weeks but rung 1 does sound amazing. I certainly eat a lot of veggies anyways!!! Your journey sounds amazing and I do view this as a WOE and a huge health change for me! Thanks so much for helping me even further!