Not Happy with induction results

[eeyorefanatic]

Did anyone else finish induction with only a small loss (pounds or inches)? I am on day 14 today and only lost 4 pounds despite sticking to the plan pretty faithfully. I know I need to exercise more but according to fitday I am eating less calories that I am burning so I should be loosing right?

I have been in ketosis since day 3 and havn't lost an inch! Since I can't or don't eat many of the foods on induction (no cheese, eggs,seafood,mayo) this has been a real struggle for me and I don't know if it is worth it! I don't have the energy that everyone talks about and I am hungry most of the day. I am trying to not to eat then because some people mentioned that I am getting TOO much protein :sigh: Since that is pretty much all I eat I don't know what to do.

Should I stay at induction for another 2 weeks to see how it goes? Or should I accept that this may not be the best WOL for me I was so hopefull too. Please help!

 

[BethR]

Oh Mara, I sure can identify with you. I lost 3.5 pounds in my first 4 days of induction and STAYED THERE for another 2 1/2 weeks!!! So I lost a grand total of 3.5 for my first 2 weeks of induction.
I was so discouraged on the weigh in day at the end of my second week. But there was SOMETHING in me that told me that this program DOES work and I had to stick it out.
So I stayed on Induction for another week and lo and behold - I lost another 1.5 pounds for a total of 5 pounds. And it is looking like I am losing more this week. Yeh!!!
A week ago Monday when I was not losing I wrote to Atkins and asked for some help.

They sent a rather lengthy e-mail talking about many reasons why a person may not be losing. You mentioned that you have stayed on program "pretty well." Well perhaps this e-mail may address a reason or 2 why you are not losing. I will send it to you if you PM me your e-mail address.

My advice is to read the e-mail. Make adjustments to what you are doing if you need to, and see what happens.

Good Luck Mara! Hang in there.

 

[TigH]

Hang in there, Mara!

I'd say give it another week if you aren't going bonkers! Everyone is built differently and everyone will lose at a different pace. Even with Weight Watchers, I noticed I would loose a little here and there and then one week have a nice big loss!

You can do it!!!

 

[Kabuli1]

Yeah, there are some others of us who have not lost signifcantly while on induction. In fact in 4 weeks of induction I lost zero lbs. We are all different. I'm still with Atkins. And have been pretty much faithful to the program (other than a trip to WDW) and continue to lose very very slowly. For me there are other benefits to Atkins besides the change on the scales - tho it gets discouraging from time to time. I think I've lost a total of about 8 lbs since I started Atkins in May.

It really isn't a "quick" plan. After the initial loss, many people experience Atkins as a very slow process. If you want to talk to me about my experience feel free to pm me.

Karyn

 

[MelanieC]

Hi Mara,

Hang in there, from reading your post, it sounds like you may not be eating enough. If you are hungry all the time.........eat more. The number one thing I have learned from WW's is that you can actually gain weight if you don't eat enough. Your body's metabolism says.........wait a second, your depriving me and it goes into a slow down mode. It tries to save your fat for these "leaner" days it thinks you are having. Try using fit day and enter what you are eating. Make sure you are getting enough calories. Maybe you can read some of the journals in the journal section of the people who have been successful. I know it doesn't help when you can't eat some of the foods that are listed.

Just a thought, and I don't do Atkins, so I am not an expert. You said you have been in ketosis since day 3. Why don't you try going out of induction and adding some carbs in. Monitor yourself and see how you do. You can always go back into induction in 2 weeks if you still don't see an improvement. Maybe by adding in a little more food (so your not hungry) will kick your metabolism into high gear. Or you could also stay in induction, but try to get more food.

I just took a look at the list on the atkins site for induction and I would think you are mostly going to have to eat meats in order to stay full. By not having the cheese and egg, it takes away a lot of your choices during inductions for things other than the meat and the veggies listed.

Maybe because of the things you can't eat, you may do better with another WOL. The thing about a WOL is that it must be something that you can live with for life. I know that South Beach is low carb also, but gives you a much greater range of things to eat. During Phase 1, you can eat some legumes. Legumes are high in protien, fiber and are really filling. That would certainly fill you up more. South Beach talks more about lower fat meats and eating your more complex carbs that give you the most nutrients without empty calories/refined carbs. I do Weight Watchers, and I also TRY to watch my carbs (but I do eat them when I want them). Weight Watcher gives you a little more freedom because you can eat pretty much any food. It's up to you to make sure you make the right choices so that the food you eat packs the most health benefits within your points. You can also practice low carb eating on WW's.

Like I said, I don't do Atkins...........so your best advise will come from someone who does. I just wanted to emphasize that you must eat enough in order to loose weight. This applies no matter what program you are on.

Good luck, and I hope it gets better. Remember that no matter what, you are getting healthier and loosing a little is LOOSING. Onwards and downwards as they say.

Melanie

 

[Mickey527]

Mara,
I can sympathize with you. I lost 6 lbs really quickly within the first 5 days, then nothing. I tested my ketones and the stick turned light pink only once, most of the time it said I was not in ketosis. I ate only meats, and eggs, and had cheese about 3 times a week. I am not a water lover so I had crystal light, alot of crystal light, sometimes 4 quarts a day.
On my 2nd week I got on the scale and gained 2 lbs back. I did have a few tiny bites of 2 gm carb chocolates (1/10th of a bar each day for 5 days) I also added 2 tsp of heavy cream to my tea on the 2nd week.
So this is the start of my 3rd week and I am going to try induction again. This time I am going to stick to the diet, meats, eggs, going to skip the cheese, drinking water only (yuck, can't they flavor it a little it's so bland) and salad with dinner.
I will let you know how I do, and you keep us all updated too. Peggie

 

[LuvTigger]

eeyorefanatic,

If you don't mind my asking, how much weight (total) are you hoping to lose? I know that in general, those who need to lose more will probably lose more than someone who say only needs to lose 10-15 pounds. I am also thinking that you might not be eating enough, if you're still hungry. Like MelanieC said, your body can go into starvation mode and will actually store more.

Also, beware of things like beverages that claim to have no carbs. If it has under 1 carb, say, .9, it can be listed as 0, but if you have 10 things in one day, that's 9 grams right there.

Did you choose Atkins because you were hoping to lose weight fast? If you're not really happy with it, you might want to consider another program (again, like MelanieC said!). You should choose a program that will cause a lifestyle change, not short term weight loss.

Please keep us updated on what you're doing, and don't lose hope! You always have the WISH to come to for encouragement and support!

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Need to know how much you have to lose- this makes a big difference on how much you will lose in induction. Personally I think that 4lbs is GREAT for 2wks. It's really not good to lose too fast. But I could see that being disappointing if you had like 100lbs or more to lose or something like that- because then induction should be more of a weightloss.
The "average" is around 10% of the weight you need to lose. So 4lbs is around 40lbs needed to lose.... even if you needed to lose up to about 60lbs- that's still within the range. More than that, you probably should have lost more.

You said "pretty faithfully"- and it really makes a difference if you don't do it totally how induction should be. That means eating NOTHING that isn't on the induction foods list. Atkins said even a bite is the kiss of death (a bite of a nonlegal food) on induction.


Are you drinking plenty of water? If so, are you also drinking other things like crystal light or other splenda diet drinks? Those can stall some people.

I notice you have some allergy issues that are making it where you can't eat some things- but then you also said that protein is pretty much all you eat. Are you not eating the amount of veggies you should be every day? And also not eating them all in one meal and spreading them out atleast in lunch & dinner? Veggies is where your carbs should come from- and many will stall or not lose as well if they eat TOO low on the carbs. Have seen many have this problem. Also if the veggies (ie: the carbs) are all in one meal, particuarly if it's dinner, that can cause insulin spikes and all sorts of problems- including slower weightloss.

Also you are NOT supposed to go hungry -especially on induction. Atkins says if you are hungry- eat. If you are not hungry, still eat something small and low carb every 6 waking hours (not going longer than that). He also said that if you are hungry with tummy grumbling/etc- you should have eaten an hour ago. So he definitely does not suggest anyone ever be hungry, especially in induction. This may be why you are still feeling the way you do- not energized yet/etc. This is not a starvation diet. If you are hungry- eat... just don't overeat. Which means if you are hungry, eat but only eat enough to satisfy you- not full/not stuffed/etc. Even if that means you are snacking all day instead of 3 meals or whatever- atleast in induction. Then when you get into ketosis, you'll lose a lot of that appetite and you might even have to start forcing yourself to eat atleast something small every 6hrs even if not hungry!

And one last thing- I have read on the boards that SOME people don't get through the "induction yuckies" (on how they feel during induction) longer than the 2wks. It's not the norm for the majority of people- but some have mentioned they didn't start feeling better till after 3wks and such. So you might feel a lot better if you just hang in there just a little longer! You've gone this far.... and you've lost 4lbs which is nothing to sneeze at... you can go a little longer until you get the reward of all your hard work by feeling better, more energy, etc!! You can do it!!

Also Atkins does say that exercise is important. I didn't really exercise the first few months at all- but then I also have 3 young children and with the extra energy I eventually started feeling after about 2wks- I did a lot more with them and got some exercise that way without technically doing "exercises". For some people they are even more important than others- so they have to exercise where some might get away with not exercising. Everyone's body's, metabolism, etc. are different. It doesn't always work to just eat less than what you THINK your basal calories amount should be-your body is not the same as everyone elses and really no one can tell you what that amount of calories would be for you to eat under that to lose weight- yanno? Not based on height, age, gender, nor activity level. Your body is your body- and everyone is different.

I'm so sorry you are discouraged, I hope maybe some of my questions (with your answers) will help us to figure out why you aren't feeling good yet and why you didn't lose more.... IF you should have lost more during induction. Really depends on how much you have to lose.

{{hugs}}

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

One last question- where are you measuring? You mentioned not any inch loss at all- so I'm curious what areas you are measuring on your body?
I ask because I think you should have lost SOMEWHERE on your body when losing 4lbs- especially if not exercising. Because that means you didn't add muscle to make the inches not go down.
You may not lose exactly where you want to- like say for instance you are only measuring a few places or something- in the beginning- but it will even itself out more in the long run.

Here's the places I measure- pretty much every place I can possibly measure LOL:
neck
chest
just under chest/ribcage area (like where they measure for bra size- not cup size though)
waist
abdomen
hips
each thigh
each arm/bicep
each calf

Now I know I have lost in other places, particularly my face, around the lower neckline area/collarbone area, etc. but I can't measure there. LOL

 

[RaySharpton]

I tought that I would lose a lot of weight on induction, too. Onthe first week, I lost 6-lbs. and the second week I gained 1-lb. and the third week, I gave up caffeine and aspartine I lost 2-lbs.

On the 4th week after one month I went on WebmasterAlex's one week of zero carbs per day and I gained 1-lb..

And I weigh a whole bunch.

I learned a few things along the way. Like the Worstershire steak liquid has 1-carb per teaspoon. That can add up.

So I had to be real careful about everything in the food and make sure whether one serving is one teaspoon or one tablespoon.

Also if one serving said zero carbs then I considered that two servings equaled one carb. They say that they can post zero carbs on the label even though it may have 0.9 to 0.1 carbs.

I also stay away from those Atkin's candy bars, etc. I may eventually try them, but I try to get all my carbs from just salads and vegtables.

I am by no means an expert on Atkin's Diet or low-carb eating,but this is what I think that started helping me.

No cheating at all. And if I did, I make sure that I got back on the wagon...lol. It's around here somewhere.

I also make sure to count all my carbs, whether they are hidden, zero, and obvious.

I make sure that I eat the highest percentage of fat that I can and several times a day. I think that this helped me to start losing weight. I discovered a great, satisfying snack, for me, with up to 80% fat, one gram of net carbs for 1/4 ounce. I think that the fat, any fat helped me lose weight faster and kept me from feeling hungry. I also chose ribeye steaks and chuck hamburger because they had more fat.

And lastly, the meat, is for muscle. So I eat meat so that I don't lose muscle weight loss.

But you need the fat.

As a matter of fact, Atkin's suggests using the Fat Fast (~80% fat) to help lose weight if the induction fails.

That's what made me think that I must include more fat in my meals. Just eating protein with low carbs was not enough.

I base my meals on these three criteria:
1. Lowest carbs.
2. Highest possible fat content.
3. Protein to keep from losing muscle.

I repeat...I am not an expert. This is just my experience.

And everybodies "body" reacts differently.

The reason that I didn't give up was that I felt better and I wasn't hungry.

You can do it. Onward and downward.

God bless you, best wishes, and encouragement, RaySharpton

 

[DaisyLou2]

I too am feeling discouraged.

I lost nine pounds during the first week of induction. I'm currently finishing up week three and I've gained almost four pounds! I'm still in Ketosis and I've been exercising.
I went back and looked at what I was eating week two and I decided to cut out the Atkin's snack bars. Even though I was only eating half of one each day I think they were just throwing me off.
I figure I just need to stick with induction for a couple of more weeks. That's what I'm doing and I'm very hopeful!
I feel great and I do have a ton of energy these days.

It's true that everyone's body is different so I hope you can figure out what it is that is holding you up. Good luck!

 

[Beanie]

Originally posted by RaySharpton
I also stay away from those Atkin's candy bars, etc. I may eventually try them, but I try to get all my carbs from just salads and vegtables.

No cheating at all. And if I did, I make sure that I got back on the wagon...lol. It's around here somewhere.

I also make sure to count all my carbs, whether they are hidden, zero, and obvious.

Ray has some excellent points here and I am exactly the same! I always try to get all of my carbs from salads and veggies! I like meat and seafood, but I LOVE Salad!!

Absolutely no cheating! Trust me on this one, one taste IS going to do damage! I learned my lesson the hard way when I had one tiny sugar cookie and it knocked me out of ketosis for almost 5 days!!! So when that little voice is saying, "Oh, one bite won't hurt you"...IT WILL!

I also agree with counting ALL carbs, no matter what...Those little "one carb" here and there, they add up after awhile and you will be surprised by how much!

Good luck to you...everyone is different on Atkins! We are all here for you though!!

 

[eeyorefanatic]

wow! Thanks everyone for your words of support and encouragement! I also got a bit of good news as I went to the Dr and I am actually down 6.5 pounds since I started Definatley time to get a new scale at home. LOL.

When I say I followed it pretty faithfully I should of clarified. What I ment was that on 3 of the days I didn't eat all of my veggies (only 2 cups on 4 of the days) and didn't get all of my pure water on about 5 of the days scattered throughout.

I haven't eaten a single thing that was not on the acceptible foods list till last night when I had to rescue mu DH with a flat tire and all I had available was an Atkins bar. (Still in Ketsois today)

I think on 90% of the days I am between 10-15 Carbs (not net but total) for the day.

I need to loose about 65 pounds so I guess with the news from the Dr I am right on Track! It just wasn't as dramatic as I had hoped. But frankly if I lost 3 pounds a week all year there would be almost nothing left of me.

I am measuring neck, triceps, chest, waist, hips, thigh and calf. I am going to order the WATP dvd that I have heard such good things about to get me moving more (and to shape up for my honeymoon in Sept at the Poly!

I just wanted to thank you all again for your support and encouragement. IT means a WHOLE lot to me! Y'all are the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Wow- look at you! You obviously did a great job, even with the hardships you have with your allergies, because you are right! 6.5lbs with 65lbs to lose is EXACTLY on track... and the good news is that it means you are probably low insulin resistant- so your weightloss shouldn't be a hard road ahead of you (where as high would be. Atkins is usually right on with how you lose in induction shows how resistent you are).

Woohoo!!!

I think you did good- when you are in a tight spot like that and you have an Atkins bar instead of something totally "off plan" (ie: like high carb fast food meal or something like that)- then you are doing GREAT! You have to just do the best you can in situations like that- and even for myself.. one who lots of things stall me- if only in rare occasions- they don't. I mean lots of things stall me if I have them regularly- but like you did..... if I have to have an atkins breakfast bar for breakfast OCCASSIONALLY because I'm in a hurry or something- it doesn't hurt my weightloss and it's sure better than a lot of other choices out there!

WATP are really good. I have them- I admit I haven't done them much especially recently. But I'll get back on track when I have a bit more time when the kids start school again soon. Fortunately I do get SOME exercise whether I like it or not- because of the kids. LOL

Just a few more notes- not to criticize so please don't take it that way- just comments/thinking out loud that MIGHT help should you choose to do them.... etc.
Try your hardest to drink good on the water every day. Even one day of not drinking enough might cause you to retain water which will affect your weightloss atleast for a little while. Well it's just water retention- but sometimes that's hard not to let it get you down when the scale isn't moving because of that or moving up even! And since one day can do that.... if you do that a day here and a day there- you might be constantly retaining a little water. Yanno? I know it's hard- it was for me for quite some time in the beginning. I had to work up to drinking enough water- but it DOES get easier, I promise!

Also if you find your weightloss slowing down- you might want to raise your carbs a little..... maybe even without really raising calories. By that I mean make sure it's good carbs- veggies. Not other stuff. 10-15 TOTAL carbs (not net) is pretty low and if that works for you -great. But if your weightloss slows down- you might want to raise it. In fact Atkins doesn't really recommend that low in carbs nor do you have to do that past induction even at 20 carbs. You can stay on induction safely up to 6mo (per Atkins) if you want or need to- but if you slow down on weightloss you might want to start raising them like he explains in OWL. I was on induction level carbs for 3 months-but then I started losing slower and raised my carbs and started losing better again.
I can't do it EXACTLY like Atkins says- raising 5 more carbs per week until not losing and then go back down 5 carbs and stay there until at goal or close to goal. When I tried that- I slowed weightloss completely. But I can eat more carbs than before (18-25 carbs usually) and I also go higher than that on some days. I have found I lose better if I bounce my carbs around a bit- higher some days, lower some days.... if I stay the same for any length of time (even a few days of exactly the same carbs- no matter the amount... be it 15-20 net carbs or higher) my body gets used to it and gets stuck on weight and inches lost! But every body is different- you might not have to do that.

I'm so proud of you! and so glad you are feeling better about your weightloss so far. I have NO DOUBT that the day will come when you let us know you have reached goal. No doubts at all.

 

[plutosmyfav]

Wow this thread is great!

I'm glad to hear you are losing right on schedule. I had never heard the 10% weight loss during induction theory. But it turns out I was right on schedule too. I lost 6 lbs the first week, then 2 more the second (I need to lose about 80). Then I stalled. I started drinking the Atkins RTD shakes (I LOVE them) and eating the bars and Endulge chocolates. It makes me so mad, but I have to admit I just can't seem to handle all those "fake" sweet low carb treats. I went to NYC with my daughter last week and after 5 days of falling WAY off the wagon I gained my 8 lbs back. But now I am trying to plan a Fall trip to WDW and so excited to find a group of people that love WDW and LC WOE I'm psyched again! I started induction again yesterday. Will I go through the induction yuckies again (sigh). I really hate the headache and lethargy. Hopefully, I learned my lesson

PlutosMyFav

PS, do you all stay legit at WDW? I'm stressing over that decision already! I know it is the best way to go, but I feel so weak!

****** GOAL: 30 lb by December 3rd (possible trip time)

 

[disneydork]

Eeyorefanatic-
Are you on any medications that could slow down your weight loss? I know there are several types that can. My poor Mom tried it for 7 weeks and didn't lose a pound! But she didn't gain either, surprisingly enough. You might ask your doctor if there are any alternative medications you could try if that applies. Don't give up! I've lost 7 pounds in my first 2 weeks!

 

[webray]

In the atkins books where it explains how you follow the plan, there is a section that explains that some people do not have the significant weight loss at first and how you over come that.

Go back and read to get yourself started so you don't get depressed.

good luck.

 

[*Flower*]

Slightly OT.....

What is WATP???
I see this acronym bandied about WISH, and have absolutely NO CLUE as to what it is...

TIA!!

 

[WebmasterAlex]

I think there were a LOT of interesting points here.
First off there is NOTHING wrong with a 2 pound per week weight loss!!! NOTHING....that is good healthy and safe. Heck look at it as 104 pounds a year!!!!
You didn't put the weight on in a month, why think you will take it off that fast?
Atkins is a weird diet... someone said earlier a little cheating will hurt you and that is a fact. It is an on or off diet. If you are not going to do it 100% don't waste your time, you will gain weight.
Ketosis... I have mixed feelings about dipsticks. Truthfully I have barely ever been able to get a ketostick to turn colors but I lost over a 100 pounds. I stopped using them because they just frustrated me. I know they work for some people.
I will swear to my dying day that all this "effective carb" nonsense is just baloney designed to sell very high priced snacks. We ran an experiment on these boards where atikins folks cut those out and the results were amazing. Some people thank that experiment for their staying on atkins.
I have heard an argument that you can do atkins with more veggies and I know that has worked for some people so I can buy that a little bit.
I guess the other point I love to make when I am on my pedastal is please don't get fixated on a particular diet. I know a lot of people come to these boards and see Atkins Atkins Atkins, WW, WW,WW.
There is no best diet. What works for someone else may not work for you. If something doesn't work for you don't fight it. Try something else and sooner or later you will find the right diet for you. Dr. George Sheehan said everyone is an experiment of one......

 

[mum4jenn]

Flower: WATP is "Walk Away The Pounds"