Second time around is hard!

[DennisF]

Hi There,

I did Atkins about 8 years ago and was amazed by the quick weight loss at the start. After a few months and 28lbs weight loss I got bored by the dietary restriction and gave up, and the weight slowly crept back on despite trying other diets such as WeightWatchers, Slimming World etc.

I started Atkins again on New Years Day, and boy it has been different this time! Huge headaches for first 5 days, but fine since. My weight loss, however has only been 6 lbs over the 3 weeks. I'm staying on Induction for the forseeable future as I guess I must have high metabolic resistance now with the passage of time.

I'd be grateful for any words of advice from others who may have been in this situation.

Cheers,

Dennis

[Shrew2u]

Re: Second time around is hard!

Hello and welcome!

Did you stay on Induction until you got bored and quit Atkins the first time around? If so, why repeat that cycle by continuing on with Induction this time around? By going to Ongoing Weight Loss 1, all you would do is add 5g net carb of Induction List vegetables...in other words, all you would be doing is adding vital nutrients to your diet. Please consider it.

Also, if you post a menu, with amounts and net carbs listed for each item, we could take a look and see where you might be having some trouble. Are you drinking a minimum of 64oz of water each day and exercising?

[blueberrylady]

Re: Second time around is hard!

Welcome to the ADBB, Dennis!

You can't go by what happened 8 years ago because you are older and your body has changed. It usually goes slower the second time around.

By the way, there is a forum here for people who have done Atkins before and it's called, believe it or not, the Second Time Around Club. They have a daily roll call that's helps to get your day started with a little encouragement.

Are you getting any exercise? It always helps to get things moving and we have a lot of different exercise challenges here so maybe take a look. You might find one you like.

[DennisF]

Re: Second time around is hard!

Hi there,

Thanks for the tip on the second time around forum - I'll have a look at it. I am exercising (walk/run program for 30 mins 3-4 times per week). Looking back through my food diary I have been using quite a few refined products like sausage and pepperami during the induction and not drinking as much pure water as I should (and having some diet lemonade) so I will work on those for the next few weeks and see how it goes.

[liv]

Re: Second time around is hard!

I think one reason it is hard is that people do not double check the rules - they remember all the shortcuts from the last time they did it but the thing is that nothing works better than a clean and chemical free induction without frankenfoods. But with plenty of water. You can do it. Just find your groove.

[Georgiana]

Re: Second time around is hard!

Welcome, Dennis!

As Shrew wrote, if you want us to make some suggestions, a complete menu would be really useful.

[DennisF]

Re: Second time around is hard!

OK, here is what I ate today, which is fairly typical:

Breakfast: Bacon (3 rashers) and 2 eggs scrambled
Lunch: 3 sausages (total net carbs 3g) and salad (Lettuce, rocket, peppers, celery) with Newman's own Italian dressing (olive oil, herbs, vinegar)
Snack: Celery (1 stick, sometimes 2) with peanut butter
Dinner: Lamb Jalfrezi (Lamb cooked with chilli peppers, onion and tomato in curried spices) with spinach
Drinks: decaf coffee with cream (During induction did forget and have several cups of regular coffee) and 1 glass diet lemonade (contains splenda). Water approx 3 pints

[SouLThinKing]

Re: Second time around is hard!

I think one reason it is hard is that people do not double check the rules - they remember all the shortcuts from the last time they did it but the thing is that nothing works better than a clean and chemical free induction without frankenfoods. But with plenty of water. You can do it. Just find your groove.

wow so true! That is why this time I committed to doing the rungs and moving on to OWL. I had a clean induction and have been getting in my veggies and i know it's making a difference. I am trying to tell myself that I am relearning it all so I don't act like I know something and mess it up again.

Nichole

[Georgiana]

Re: Second time around is hard!

3 sausages (total net carbs 3g)

How many oz is a sausage and what are the ingredients?

salad (Lettuce, rocket, peppers, celery)

How many net carbs of it?

peanut butter

When did you start eating this?

Lamb Jalfrezi (Lamb cooked with chilli peppers, onion and tomato in curried spices) with spinach

How many net carbs do you get from the veggies in this?

Water approx 3 pints

As you already know, this is not enough. The minimum is 64 oz. Many people do well drinking half their body weight in ounces. So for someone weighing 200 lbs, that's 100 oz of water.

[Georgiana]

Re: Second time around is hard!

How many net carbs are you consuming per day, on average?

Are over half of your net carbs coming from vegetables?

How many calories are you consuming?

[Georgiana]

Re: Second time around is hard!

with peanut butter

How much peanut butter?

[DennisF]

Re: Second time around is hard!

The Atkins Carb Counter (iPhone app) and packet labels report the sausages (Frankfurters) as being 35g each, having 0.7g carb each (Total 2.1g), the tomato 3g, onion 6g, lettuce & Rocket 1g, pepper 2.4g.

Peanut butter probably about 3 teaspoons - don't really measure it that accurately, just fill the celery with it.

No idea about calories - Atkins didn't really mention having to count calories.

[DennisF]

Re: Second time around is hard!

D'Oh! It's probably the peanut butter isn't it? I started eating it after about a week of induction after seeing it recommended as a snack, but forgot NO nuts allowed during Induction....

[Georgiana]

Re: Second time around is hard!

The processed meats you're eating might cause you to retain water. Especially if you're using extra salt in cooking.

I started eating it after about a week of induction

That's too early for nuts.

And many people have an intolerance to them.

I wouldn't add them before OWL Rung 3.

No idea about calories - Atkins didn't really mention having to count calories.

You don't "have to" count calories... but, when troubleshooting, it's a good idea to know how many you're consuming.

Eating too much can slow down your weight loss and even lead to weight gain.

Eating too little can interfere with weight loss as well.

I would suggest you use FitDay to enter your daily menus.

FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal

[Georgiana]

Re: Second time around is hard!

Also, you should measure all the foods, so that you know how much you're eating of each.

I read in another thread that you'll go look for the book today. If you can't find it, you could also order it online.

In the meantime, you might want to read through these FAQs:

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-low-carb-dieting-faqs/6782-what-rules-induction.html

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-low-carb-dieting-faqs/6781-what-foods-can-eaten-induction.html

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-diet-14-day-induction/77558-atkins-diet-induction-faqs.html