Low carb not working

I have been on the low carb diet now for 3 weeks. The first week I lost 4 pounds, and the second week I lost .5. I am supposed to weigh myself tomorrow morning, but I gotta tell you that I am afraid too.

I feel like I have gained weight. I can just tell...that I have. My pants arent getting any looser, and I actually feel like they are getting tighter on me.

I have been on weight watchers, and that worked for me, but I just hated counting all the points for everything that I ate.

I wish i could just eat what ever I wanted, whenever I wanted, but I know I cannot.

I am sure excersizing has a big part in me not losing any weight, and I am trying to get into excersizing now. I was sick this week, so I couldnt go walking, or go on the treadmill, but starting tomorrow I am going to start excersizing again.

Do you think that this has something to do with why I am not losing anything, and why I feel like I am gaining weight?

I dont know what to do....
Scott

Well, thing is, from what I've heard there's Low Carb and then there's Low Carb.

Are you still eating vegetables? Are you getting in the RIGHT proteins (lean meats and nuts)? Or are you going to McDonald's and ordering a cheeseburger without the bun?

Also, are you eating ANY grains? You need Whole Grains to properly metabolize the protein.

Sometimes I still lose weight even without the excercise. In fact, my biggest week ever was the week I was sick and couldn't eat much, let alone excercise.

Good luck, I hope you can take the weight off.

Are you following a specific plan? I remember a previous post where you said you were eating highly glycemic vegetables (carrots, etc)... on the Atkins plan this is a big nono.

I wonder if you are sabatoging yourself with vegetables!

Also, an addition to the other great suggestions so far... don't eat the low carb foods. Eat normal foods. The manufactured low carb foods are processed preservative filled fake food. If you can eat the real thing or do without, you'll be much better off!

Are you drinking water???

Remember, normal weight loss is 1 to 2 pounds per week. You lost almost 4x that the first week. Your body just might need time to adjust. Don't give up!

Check out this site: http://www.lowcarbeating.com/ There are great articles, recipies and forums there with plenty of people there to help. You can post a sample menu and I'm sure they'd critique it.

Good Luck!

I probably have been sabotaging myself. I just weighed myself and I stayed the same, thankgod. I thought I gained weight.

This is a normal day of eating for me, tell me what I should cut out.

Breakfast:
3 Egg Whites with Turkey, tomatoes, and cheese.

Snack
Banana or Apple or sometimes both.

Lunch
Salad with cucumbers, lettuce, peppers, carrots, cheese, and dressing.

or

Boars head Honey roasted Turkey, and Cheese (no Bread)

Grapes

Snack
Tea from 7-11 with half and half and splenda.
Sometimes I will have Peanuts.

Dinner
Lean Meats, Chicken, Fish, Eggplant Parm, Chicken Parm, Chinese food with no rice.
And i usually eat salad with walnuts, and bluecheese, oil and vinegar. Danielles mom makes it. As for veggies we usually have carrots or string beans.

Dessert
Low carb Ice Cream
or
Low Carb Chocolate
or
Low Carb Peanut Butter
or
Reddi Whip
or
Apple

I think my problem is the late night snacking.

As for drinks, I usually drink 5 to 10 glasses of water a day. Then I have one glass of diet soda, daily or every other day.

Please tell me what foods I shouldnt be eating, and tell me what foods i should replace them with. I am losing it here.
Thanks so much for your advice you already posted, and future advice you will post. It means so much to me.
Scott

My advice is to cut out the tomatoes (including sauce) and carrots. If you want fruit, try low-glycemic fruit as in melon or berries.

Also, cut down as much as you can on the ice cream and chocolate. Its ok for a once in a while treat, but when you eat it all the time you most likely will not lose. Been there! LOL!

Bananas and grapes are both pretty high in carbs...One small banana is approximately 22 carbs, and a 1/2 cup of grapes is 14.

Try cantelope, watermelon, raspberries, or strawberries, all under 7 carbs per 1/2 cup.

---

Posted by LisaW

Bananas and grapes are both pretty high in carbs...One small banana is approximately 22 carbs, and a 1/2 cup of grapes is 14.

Try cantelope, watermelon, raspberries, or strawberries, all under 7 carbs per 1/2 cup.

---

WOW I had no idea.

What other foods should I be eating, and avoiding?

I think I am going to do the induction period on Atkins. I was just doing some reading on the site, and I think I can do it.

Anyone do the Induction period, and what are your thoughts, and reviews of this.
Thanks again,
Scott

Scott,

Look at the Atkins site.. they have a pretty good description on how to do the plan. Nothing of course can substitute for reading the book, but this will give you a very good start.

Induction is not as hard as it seems. The first 2 or 3 days the worst, but since you have a good headstart on lowcarbing, you probably wont be effected much. Don't worry about eating too many salad veggies that are on the induction list. The other veggies follow the guidelines that they give. Don't eat any fruit or veggies that are not on the induction list! I see a lot of carrots,bananas,apples,tomatoes on your food list. (I believe 1 small apple has as many carbs as a slice of bread.) On Atkins, those are not allowed. Berries and Melons are allowed after induction, as someone said in a previous post.

I would stay away from the lowcarb snacks that you list, instead have a few slices of cheese listed one the list (I dont think indulging once or twice a week would hurt, but everyday could be detrimental). Stay away from Asparteme (Sweet and Low, Equal). Splenda is the only sweetner that is OK.
Be careful of 'nitrates' which are preservatives in 'nonfresh' meats; ie bacon, pepperoni, etc. Those too can sometimes cause stalls, so you dont want to eat lots of it.


Remember that you can't go with eating NO carbs. You need carbs; sometimes people will stall because they are eating not enough of them!

My typical menu is something like this:

Breakfast: Atkins banana nut muffin or bacon/eggs

Lunch: Grilled Chicken on a Salad with cheese, cucumbers, other acceptable salad veggies... or subway wrap (not suitable for induction) or if times are really bad, the cheese and toppings off of a couple of slices of pizza

Dinner: Steak, chicken, or sausage with 2 sides of veggies

Snack: Cheese (off of acceptable list) pepperoni, olives, and then after induction i'll make homemade whipped cream with splenda and strawberries, or some nuts.

If you're a fish eater, you have many more options than I do, so thats easier.

For drinks.. premixed crystal light (powdered version has asparteme, premixed version does not) and water.


Good Luck!

Thanks for the info. I am on day 3 of Induction. I started saturday morning. So far I am doing really well. I went shopping yesterday, and I got a whole bunch of green veggies, salad stuff, and cheeses. I also got Pickles. I can eat Pickles right? There are no carbs or sugar in it. I looked.

Another question, Can I eat Reddi Whip whipped cream now, or do i have to wait till after induction?
Thanks,
Scott

Hi Scott,

Glad to hear that you're doing better :)

I'm not sure about the reddi whip. I looked at the nutritional facts, and even though it says that there is 1g of carb per 2 tablespoon; it still lists corn syrup and sugar near the top of the ingredient list.

What I usually do is take heavy cream and whip it with 2 teaspoons of splenda. If you buy normal heavy cream that has no carbs in it (be careful, some do... sunnyside farms does not I believe...). That is 2 carbs for the splenda and the cream.. and it is a whole lot of cream, not just 4 tablespoons.

If you keep to 2 tablespoons, im sure the premixed would not hurt too much.. just make sure you keep up on the ketosticks to make sure you arent getting out of ketosis from it.

What are you putting whipped cream on? Remember, no berries until after induction!

Im not putting it on anything...It is just good plain. I guess I just wont eat it at all for these 14 days. I have 11 days to go on induction, and so far things are going well. I already feel alot more energized than I did last week.

When I do finish induction, how much Heavy cream do i mix with the splenda?
Thanks

I use the little container... sorry I'm not good with measurements of what its actually called.

Maybe a pint? It's the smallest container it comes in; its like a cup of cream unwhipped, but then when you whip it, it is alot! Add in 2 teaspoons of splenda while whipping, and you have a whole bowl of whipped cream for 2 carbs instead of the fake stuff for 2 tablespoons. (Plus I think it tastes a lot better too)

Its hard to avoid eating Cold Cuts. For lunch, i cannot just have a salad, I find myself starving 1 hour later. Here is my menu for this week, tell me what you think:

Breakfast:
2 Hamburger Patties and Water

Snack:
Tea with splenda, and Half and Half

Lunch:
Turkey, Ham, Bolognia, and cheese roll ups. ( I know about Nitrates being bad, but this fills me up. I dont have much choice.)

Snack:
Cheese (Provolone, Mozzerela)

Dinner:
Poultry or Meat, or fish, Green Veggies and Salad. Tonight I am making Fresh Broccoli, or maybe Asparagus.

After dinner, I dont eat anything...I will maybe have a cup of decaf tea with splenda and half and half.

Today is my 6th day in Induction, and I feel like I have lost some inches in my stomach area. I'm not sure about how much weight I have lost, because I am going to weigh myself on saturday morning.
Scott

Sounds good!

My only suggestion would be to try to spread your veggies through the day instead of eating them all at dinner. Add a small salad to lunch, or at least add some lettuce to your roll-ups. Add some sauteed mushrooms to your burgers, etc.
It's very important to eat your 3 cups of veggies a day. Also make sure you are eating enough fat.
I believe, and Blaze can correct me if I'm wrong, the induction breakdown should be 65% fat, 30% protein, and 5% carbs. If you eat too much protein it can metabolize into sugar (I think??).
Your body will be going into ketosis where it will be burning fat instead of carbs.

So what other suggestions of Fatty foods should I be eating during induction? It is hard to make mushrooms and then eat them at work. I bring the burgers to work and eat them there.

I will get a small salad to go along with my rollups today. Sometimes I do that.

Thanks for the advice.
Scott

The veggies don't have to be at every meal. Two out of three ain't bad

Eat your roll ups with some mayo. Sautee your veggies in butter or olive oil, etc. Blue cheese or caesar salad dressing (Marie's is good!) works too.

Yes I love blue cheese and ceaser dressing....

Danielle's mother makes the best dressing. She makes a salad of lettuce, and fresh spinach. Then she adds Crushed Walnuts, crumbled blue cheese, oil and vinegar.

I eat it but I give Danielle my Walnut pieces, and I only have it with oil, becausr there is sugar in balasamic vinegar.

I usually put oil, and pepper on my salad. OOOH I can go for a salad now lol.