Not losing!

[Nynk]

Hi guys,
I'm 22 and s/w 170
I have been 'trying' to do Atkins for 4 weeks now and I am disappointed!
I really stuck to induction for 2 weeks and didn't lose any weight at all!!
I took up more exercise in the third week and still nothing! This week I have had a few slip ups, as I have lost faith in the program! I'm really disappointed, as my sister has lost a lot of weight on Atkins but she seems to think I am not eating enough! will this make a difference?
I am going to start afresh this week and really follow induction, which is why I registered to this forum as I think I am going to need some help!

[EverLosing]

Re: Not losing!

Post a typical daily menu with quantities listed for us. Your sister might be correct. There have been weeks I have had to feel stuffed to get all my veggies in and you know what? I lost more weight then, especially with working out. You have to figure out what your body needs and MAKE a way to make sure it gets it, no matter what! Post a menu, though, and people will be able to tell you what's most likely the culprit. What's your height, start weight, current weight and goal weight? Water intake? How much exercise?

[Nynk]

Re: Not losing!

a typical day would be a couple of eggs for breakfast, salad (about a cup or 2 of salad leaves, cucumber, celery) with chicken or tuna for lunch, then meat and veg or salad (about a cupful) for dinner. sometimes celery and cream cheese for a snack. (though this week I have given in a couple of times and had icecream since I was adamant there was no point in continuing as i wasnt losing!) i admit i dont think i am drinking enough water but i do drink herbal tea (rooibos) as well. i usually do about 30 mins cardio at the gym three times a week, last week i went five times.

height- 5"7
cw (which is same as start weight!!)- 70 kilos (i typed in 170 in my last post, oops!)
gw- about 64 kilos

thanks for your help!

[momtomany1]

Re: Not losing!

So using pounds, you weigh 154 and want to lose 13 pounds. And 154 is within a normal weight range for a woman of your height, albeit the range for a 'large frame' person.

You CAN lose weight on Atkins. Being that you aren't very heavy to begin with, it will come off rather slower than for a person who starts out larger.

The key to Atkins is ketosis. Have you reached this state? Do you have funky breath, or need to urinate a great deal? Are you eating enough FAT in your diet to put you in ketosis?

Ketosis is created by the ratio of high fat to low carb in the diet. You don't seem to emphasize your fat sources, this is why I am asking. You won't get enough from just your eggs, meat, cream cheese, you need to be cooking the eggs with butter, adding olive oil to salads, butter to vegetables. Liberal fats, that is the key to making this work.

Good start on the exercise!

[imagood1]

Re: Not losing!

you should be drinking AT LEAST 64 ounces of pure water daily -- nothing added (except ice) - tea doesn't count, neither does crystal light, kool-aid, soda -- pure water only! This is from the "Read before you start" post

Be sure to drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water each day, including:
Filtered water
Mineral water
Spring water
Tap water

Additionally (after your 64 ounces daily), you can have the following:

Clear broth/bouillon (not all brands; read the label)
Club soda
Cream, heavy or light (limit to two to three tablespoons a day; note carb content)
Decaffeinated coffee or tea*
Diet soda made with sucralose (Splenda); be sure to count the carbs (may cause a stall in weight loss)
Essence-flavored seltzer (must say "no calories" and should not contain aspartame)
Herb tea (without barley or any fruit sugar added)
Lemon juice or lime juice (note that each contains 2.8 grams carbohydrate per ounce); limit to two to three tablespoons

*Excessive caffeine may cause unstable blood sugar and should be avoided by those who suspect they are caffeine dependent. Everyone should try to avoid caffeine. Grain beverages (coffee substitutes) are not allowed. Alcoholic beverages are also not permitted during Induction; those low in carbohydrates are an option, in moderation, in later phases.

[blueberrylady]

Re: Not losing!

Welcome to the board, Nynk!

Sometimes it just takes a little tweaking of your menu to make it all work, so hang in there!

[Nynk]

Re: Not losing!

thanks for your comments guys!
i don't think i've been eating enough fats - no butter, and i've not been using dressing or oil on salads. i'm going to try and drink 2 litres water a day. so if i continue with what i'm eating (i'll try and add more oil and butter) i should see results?? i just can't believe nothing has happened yet! it's hard to know if i am eating more or less than i should be! my sister weighed less than me when she started atkins and she saw results quite soon. she has always been smaller than me but eaten more. is this to do with metabolism??
thanks!

[chinadoll]

Re: Not losing!

The fat is important as is the water. And yes, it is very possible that your sister's metabolism is very different from yours.

When I was young, my brother was a walking garbage can. His typical day was 4 eggs, 4 slices bacon and three slices toast for breakfast, 3 sandwiches a large bag of chips and two giant cokes, for lunch, 8 ounces of meat double helpings of mashed potatoes and a veggie for dinner, then out on a date where he would typically have a Whopper and fries with a shake. After arriving home he would easily polish off a pint of ice cream. And this doesn't even take into account the beer he might ingest. The guy is 6'2" and weight about 190. He did not exercise at all. He still has an infuriatingly high metabolism.

Meanwhile, I was exercising daily and eating one egg and a slice of toast for brekkie. A chef salad for lunch. Six ounces of meat and two green veggies for dinner. Maybe a piece of fruit or two each day. You know, a pretty healthy average diet. Couldn't lose a pound.

Moral of the story: Cannot make comparisons to anyone else's weight loss journey. Your body is unique and has its own story to tell, for good or bad.