A question about weight gain...
 

I just have a question that i have been wondering about for awhile. I notice that a lot of people cheat, or fall off the wagon, and gain a lot of weight back, in a very short amount of time. My question is, is this healthy? If following a low calorie, and you 'fell off the wagon', it would take a fair amount of time/calories to put back on the 13lbs that you lost. I am just concerned about the nature of the weight that is lost. I do understand that a certain amount of those lbs are water, it frightens me when people say that they gained back 13lbs of the 16lbs that they lost in a 2 week period... Theroretically, wouldn't you need to eat 3500 calories above and beyond what your body is burning? I am confused. I know that Atkins is a different ideology, but I get scared about how easily people can gain the weight back. I guess that i know i will be doing a version of low carb for the rest of my life, but i don't know if Atkins is the best plan for me. I am terrified of gaining this weight back if i switch to a different low carb plan, and potentially getting into a worse cycle of yo-yoing... I am still far from my goal (and losing quite slowly) so it isn't something i am too worried about right this second, but the question crosses my mind, anytime i see someone talk about gaining weight...

Most of the quick weight "re-gain" that people experience when they fall off the wagon or "cheat" is bloat/water weight. Carbs will make you hold onto water, and if you've been in a cycle of being fairly restrictive with your carbs, binging or splurging on them will often cause a water weight gain.

For many people it's true that over time--unless you're willing to up your exercise and/or lower your calories--the higher carbs will probably make you gain actual "fat" weight. But the quick initial gains are usually just water.

Most of the weight is water. I can gain or lose 5 pounds in a day, depending on my water intake, time of month, etc.

I've gone off twice - gained about 5 pounds the first week (I'm guessing it was all water) and maybe a pound a week thereafter. I eat like a pig when I'm off Atkins, though, so I'm always suprised it's only a pound or so a week.

Be sure to pick a weight-loss plan that you think you can live with FOREVER. I can't do the low fat or low cal thing at all. Since in maintenance we can have quite a few carbs, I think I'll be able to stick with this forever. Any weight-loss regimen needs a lifetime of maintenance, unfortunately!

Yeah, i totally agree with you. When i first started Atkins, i thought of it as a diet. Now i DO look at lowcarbing as a way of life, and i think it is good that i am teaching myself disapline. I eat like a pig as well when i eat carbs, and that is why i know that they aren't for me!! But when i started reading about the yo-yoing that can happen when people go off Atkins, i was quite shocked, and realized just how much this wasn't like the 'typical' diet. Ultimately, I think that i might to try to adopt more of a plan that involves whole grains and more fruits, a bit less fat. I like atkins, but i find it hard for me to get all my veggies in (i was always a fruit girl, not a veggies girl) so i don't feel like this plan is absolutely perfect for me. I guess it is all about finding what works for you, and being able to stick with it.

You may want to consider Protein Power Plan as it includes more fruit, even in the early levels. You don't have a lot of pounds left to get to your goal so it will probably be slower loss from here on in anyway. You have a good idea in that you should try to find the plan you can STICK to, rather than the fastest one. Low carbing is for life, especially as high carbing got most of us here in the first place. ;)

:wave: