Does St. John's Wort affect Atkins?
 

Hi, I'm new here. I've been doing Atkins for 3 wks. now. In the first 2 wks. I lost 8 lbs!. I then started taking St. John's Wort, a b-complex vitamin and L-cartinine for depression. I haven't lost an ounce in the past week and I've been very good on this diet. Does anyone know if any of these have an effect on the Atkin's diet? My strips are not even turning purple anymore. I'm confused. Please respond if you have any ideas. Thanks! Sandy

Hi, I've just noticed your thread. Losing 8 pounds in the first two weeks and then none in the next is a very common pattern.
I can't see anything in the stuff you're taking that should affect your weight loss. I take St John's Wort for SAD, am just about to re-start it.
If you look in the general section, you'll see loads of posts about weight loss patterns, but basically you lose very fast in the first couple of weeks and then much more slowly after that - and not in a regular pattern, your body seems to need rests while it sorts itself out - sometimes it even goes back up a bit, then down again. My own graph is really 'jagged' but the basic overall pattern is down, which is what matters.
Take care, Jay :wave:

Also not loosing weight
 

Hi

I have been on Atkins now for over a week. I have also been on the diet on previous occasions. Previously I lost weight over the first two weeks of the diet, then gradually lost more. This time I am taking St Johns Wort and Fish Oil Supplements. I am putting weight on. I am sticking to the Diet Religuosly, so I can only assume it is the St Johns Wort. I have even tried to reduce the amount of Calories as well as no carbs, however this has had little effect. In the light of this, can you still say that St Johns Wort has no effect on the diet?

Hi and welcome. :wave:

Just over a week is nowhere near enough time to assess whether or not something is working or not working. Your body is never the same compared to last time, simply because of aging. There are too many factors working in combination. Maybe log your food carefully and see what happens in a few weeks?

That said, based on my experience on St John's Wort, it wouldn't surprise me if it slowed one's metabolism. It seemed to make me seriously mellow. Seeing as my problem was the lack-of-energy form of depression, I stopped taking it.

Interesting article claims that St. John's Wort could actually help healthy athletes reduce fat, but have the opposite effect if you are dealing with any degree of insulin resistance:
http://www.ergo-log.com/stjohnswortfatcell.html

Thanks MizKitty's Avatar. that artical was of great interest. Though a bit heavy on the technical. I got a good bit of info off it.
I am thinking that I might have a few insulin problems. As I have found when I cut carbs from my diet, I do not get tired like I used to.
Therefore, maybe my body does not handle the blood sugar levels as good as others might. This might be why I am not loosing weight with the St Johns Wort.

Thanks again.

Your depression issues might have been caused by "carb poisoning" in the first place.

If safe to do so, try dropping the St John's Wort and supplementing with Vitamin D instead. I took 10k a day for a couple of months, and then wound up with a BOOST in my mood which is still with me.