Question:
I've been on the Atkins induction phase for 10 days. I lost 4 lbs in
the first day and then nothing and I have not lost inches. The
ketostix tests show no sign of turning at all. I have over 80 lbs to
lose.
My calculation is 5.6 gms Carb x 2 = 11.2 per day, well under the
15/20 recommended.
Before I cut out the salads as stated in DANDR page 103, may I ask for
any criticisms of my diet or any other help?
Breakfast
2 fried eggs, 4 rashers Canadian bacon
Lunch
5 - 6 oz tuna or pilchards or meat/fowl
2 medium lettuce leaves
2 radishes
2 1/8" rings of red/green/yellow pepper
3 1/8" slices cucumber
4" celery
5 green olives
1 tbsp Real Mayonnaise
Dinner
8 - 9 oz Meat/fish/fowl
same salad as above
One snack at 6 pm
3 oz meat
1 oz Edam cheese
Supplements - half in the morning, half in the evening
1 general multi-vitamin
1 tbsp flax seed oil
2000 mg Vit C
800 IU Vit E
250 mg Magnesium
50 mg Zinc
500 ug Chromium Picolinate
Medicines
Becloforte 2 puffs x 2 per day
I would be most grateful for any replies.
Answer:
Your menu looks fine, but the quantities look a little skimpy to me. You may
want to add some zero-carb snacks to keep yourself from getting hungry, if
hunger has been a problem. No starving yourself allowed on this WOE, really!
If I were you, for the first two weeks, I'd eat more fat in order to up my
calories. I'm not a scientist, but it's possible that you've already convinced
your body that it's starving, and it may be trying to hold on to the weight.
I "think" your asthma medicine (if I'm wrong, correct me, it might be for
something else), would cause you to need a good bit of water, too. (Just from
what little I remember about my son's asthma experience a few years ago, I'm
not a medical person.) So it's EXTRA important for you to get plenty of water.
You didn't mention beverages, but make sure you're drinking LOTS of plain, old
H20. Keep other beverages to a bare minimum, or eliminate them altogether if
you can. They can really slow some people's loss down. If you aren't getting
plenty of water, your liver may be taking over some of the detox work of your
kidneys, and you won't show ketones in your urine. (It's still early or I'd try
to explain it better, please just trust me for now. )
Don't be afraid to eat as much zero-carb meat as you want. You don't have to
restrict the number of eggs you're eating, either. In other words, don't let
yourself get hungry. The Induction phase isn't about calories, it's about
keeping yourself satisfied with zero-carb protein. Take everything you've
learned about portion-control and throw it out the window, at least for now.
I'm glad to see that you're restricting the cheese a little, so you've
eliminated one possible cause of slow weight loss. Also no sf sweets, another
problem area for some people. But please don't think that restricting veggies
will automatically result in a faster loss. For 90% of people, that's not true.
LATER, if you do find that you aren't losing (like weeks from now!), you can
consider cutting them out. Right now, eat them!
And please keep in mind that 4 pounds in 10 days is a very good amount to lose.
I'm certain you were hoping for more (doesn't everyone?), but everyone is
different, and that may be exactly what you were supposed to lose. Look at your
average, it's still good for ANY diet plan, including low-carb.
