Help!!

[wifeylamar]

Hi Everyone...I just joined today. I started Atkins on 1/5/10 at 260lbs. I am down to 219 as of today. Im over half way to my goal of losing 80lbs. I just wanted to know if i am the only CRAZY person out there who has remained on the Induction Diet throughout? I cannot lose if I add more carbs and frankly, it irritates me a little, but I am who I am. The diet has gotten easy for me, but I often check my blood sugar and it is 50-60 range. Is that healthy and OK?

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Help!!

Welcome to ADBB!

>>Is that healthy and OK?>>

Are you asking if staying on Induction the whole time healthy and OK?

It's not unhealthy really, but it's not what Atkins is about.

Many people who do what you're doing end up failing ... simply because they didn't go through the phases. You never find your carb tolerance if you don't move forward.

Also, a danger of staying on Induction too long is that you have no place to go when that dreaded plateau comes around as you get closer to your goal weight. You need not worry about health risks, but you eventually need to work on moving up the ladder and finding your carb tolerance. It may be only 30 or 50 or 60 grams daily, but it needs to be found.

Most individuals who lose all of their weight on Induction tend to gain weight back over time because they never found their carb tolerance.

[LateNiteDiner]

Re: Help!!

Welcome Wifey. If you've lost 41 pounds since early January, i would say your weight loss efforts are coming along nicely. Great work and dedication to your goal!

I also encourage you to move on to the OWL phase to continue your journey. No offense to anyone here, but limiting my foods to just the Induction friendly foods for months on end would lead me to cheat at some point. Don't get me wrong; there are lots of ways to use what's available to keep things different, but ultimately I would like to increase my options without losing control again.

When you say that you can't lose weight if you go beyond your Induction carbs, have you kept a journal of every bite you eat over a week's time? I'm wrapping up my first week of induction (not my first time on this WOE though) and from using fitday.com, I see that there have been a couple days where I have gone way beyond the 20 carb limit. We're talking a couple days where I hit close to 40 net carbs. Even at that level, without exercise, I am seeing pounds dropping and waistlines changing. That doesn't mean that I encourage going overboard during Induction, but just that without the journal, I never would have guessed that my carbs were that high -- they were coming from things like cheese, cream, sauces, etc.

You may find that you are actually eating more than 20 carbs a day once you see the hidden fractions of carbs you are eating which would allow you to re-analyze how to mix those extra carbs up to include berries, nuts, and whole grains. (The thought of never eating a strawberry is just too depressing for me to think of not moving on to OWL when the time comes.)

Keep up the great work and let us know how you're progressing. Posting a menu or two here will allow us to point out some ideas for getting the weight dropping again if you plateau. Some people have issues with otherwise legal foods (I already know from past experience that I may as well skip the nut rung if I don't want to stall) and knowing to experiment with removing them from your menu may be just the help you need.

Good luck!

[wifeylamar]

Re: Help!!

Ok guys, heres the thing. I did do the Ongoing Maintenance and it did not allow me to add carbs. I found that I was gaining weight from stupid stuff like spiniach, like a little salad. I have low, low metabolic resistance, which is why I started taking L-Carnitine and it really, really HELPS. It pushed through that block and I burn 3-5 in a week. I also go to Curves, which obviously also is helping. I have no problems as far as staying under or close to 20 carbs AT ALL. Its just I was worried if it was okay for my blood sugars being so low. I dont feel tired my energy is through the roof!!! So, thanks for the advice, but adding carbs hasnt worked for me.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Help!!

>>I did do the Ongoing Maintenance and it did not allow me to add carbs. I>>

How long did you give it.

>>Its just I was worried if it was okay for my blood sugars being so low. >>

Can't give you medical advice ... you need to ask your doctor.

[imagood1]

Re: Help!!

I've never heard of anyone gaining weight eating spinach but I haven't heard every story out there ..... you need to find foods that will allow you to move on to Ongoing Weight Loss because only eating induction food isn't how the plan is suppose to work over a lifetime. If spinach bothers you try something else -- 5 net carbs every other day for the first week - keep trying foods until you find something that doesn't upset your loss.

How much water are you drinking daily? Exercise..what are you doing? Good luck finding what works for you.

[chinadoll]

Re: Help!!

Carole is correct. It may not be the five grams of carbs but instead the foods you ate in particular. If you truly do need to stay at Induction levels you are not alone, although you are part of a small group. How long did you give it? DO you use fitday to track yourself? Do you measure or estimate?

[poobears1972]

Re: Help!!

How much L-Carnitine do you take?

[wifeylamar]

Re: Help!!

Im taking 1000mg pills, one before every meal. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Help!!

>>5 net carbs every other day for the first week>>

Actually, it's an extra 5 net carbs every day ... you add a new food three times a week.

[goin2befit]

Re: Help!!

I found that I was gaining weight from stupid stuff like spiniach, like a little salad.

Great job on the weight loss thus far... just curious are you eating any veggies? Where are your 20 carbs a day coming from?