hi there

i'm new here, and also new to low carb eating. i have been on the induction plan of the atkins diet for nearly 3 weeks now, and have not lost any weight

i bought ketostix last week to see if i was in ketosis, and yes, it shows moderate/high levels of ketones. however i have not experienced any weight loss.

i have been sticking to the eating plan 100%. the only thing i have done that is a bit naughty is had a few drinks on the weekends, as there were two parties to attend. but i've only had vodka mixed with soda water... so i thought i was being ok.

for the first 10 days or so i was drinking diet soft drinks with aspartame and caffeine, however i have restricted those for the last week or so incase they were preventing me from losing anything. still no results..

i guess the next thing for me is to totally give up drinking any alcohol for a few weeks to see what happens, and to possibly get into more exercise.. but it just feels frustrating that i've been trying so hard for 3 weeks, and absolutely no result.

actually, i do feel a bit slimmer or less bloated, but the scales so no signs of improvement..

any ideas, or reassuring words from anyone would be of great assistance!

sarahm

Hi Sarah, welcome to the forum!

Let me first give you the same suggestions I gave to Louise - check my post in her thread, "Newie." [What can I say, I'm feeling a bit lazy today! ]

Sarah, the only way to really tell what's going on with your non weight loss is for you to write out what you've been eating. Hence the usefulness of a journal.
The alcohol might have something to do with it - it pretty much depends how much of it you're having.

Spirits have no carbs at all, but unfortunately, the body prefers to take its fuel from alcohol in preference to other sources, such as fat.

I think that's the main reason Dr A says to avoid alcohol during Induction. I know that for me, I stop losing when I have a drink, so my alcohol consumption has dropped dramatically compared with my former 1 or two glasses of wine most nights.

I feel for you with your frustration, but hang in there, you'll get there! Have you measured yourself? It's amazing how often people find the scales don't move but the tape measure does.

All the best to you, matey.

Rosebud

Are you in ketosis yet, if so you should have at least lost some water weight!?

also bump on what rosebud said, quite often people drop fat and put on muscle with this diet, meaning your scale weight remains constant but you appearance really changes. Check the mirror and how you feel over your scale weight.

The other thing may be to count calories to make sure you're not consuming to many. Also do you exercise at all???

A bit more, Sarah!

About the ketostix, I truly think they are a waste of money. You can be spilling ketones simply from eating a very fatty meal, or from drinking alcohol. The other thing is that anybody, low carber or not, who is dehydrated will spill some ketones into their wee. Doesn't necessarily mean you are burning fat.

So, are you drinking lots and lots of water? On this site, the suggestion is 2 litres + 250mL for every extra 25lbs (about 10 kg) you want to lose.

I think it's a pity that Dr A stresses them (the stix) so much. In the months I've been on this board, I've seen many people get all stressed about them. Often they are losing weight, but get worried because the damn stix aren't the right colour!

I also agree with Big Daddy about the calories. Not too many and not too few. On this site, we suggest 10 to 12 times your weight in pounds. I personally won't lose if consistently have more than 12X. And many, many people find their losing stops if they eat too little. The metabolism just slows.

Well, that's a fair bit for you think about, Sarah! I hope we have been of some help.

Rosebud

thanks to everyone for their support...

i have actually been keeping track of my diet using fitday for the last 10 days or so and am definitely not eating too much of anything according to what i've read.

i am just worried since most people seem to experience significant weight loss in their first few weeks of atkins, and then it levels out a bit... i just wonder if perhaps this diet isn't going to work for me at all since i haven't noticed any real change in the first 3 weeks.

my plan is to avoid alcohol totally for a few weeks and see what happens, as well as increasing my exercise routine.. fingers crossed i'll start to see results!

sarah