I have been on Atkins for about 6 days HARDCORE. My carbs stay at about 15 a day not including fiber. My calories stay around 1500 and never go past 1800. I am following all the rules. I dont eat any cheese to stall me. As you can see I follow the rules of Neanderthin so I absolutely do not touch "frankenfoods" or artificial sweeteners. There is no logical reason why this diet is not working except that my body is not responding. I have always suspected that certain ethnic groups can tolerate more carbs in the form of fruits and veggies than other groups. I am Southern Italian and my boyfriend is Belorussian. He is thriving on an all meat diet, and I am gaining weight and feeling nauseas all the time. I think it might be time for me to call it quits. I have steadily gained about 43lbs over the last 2 years and in this time I keep trying atkins as so many people here are having such good results. Each time I gain. I always think maybe I did something wrong so i try again a few months later after gaining another 5 lbs. This is crazy! I have lost weight before by counting calories religiously but i notice my skin and hair usually gets dry when i do this because it tends to be low-fat.
I am thinking of switching to the zone. I like the sound of it because it forces you to eat a lot of fruits and veggies because of the high carb percentage (i don't eat any grains or dairy so all my carbs would be fruits and veggies). I am a little afraid to switch though as i have heard that adding so many carbs back so fast could cause really bad rapid weight gain.
Has anyone else gone through something similar and what did you do to finally find weight loss success?

Aimee

Weight gain and your dry skin may need looking at. Sorry to be boring but have you had your thyroid tested? It could be why you're not losing.
Also, Atkins just doesn't suit some people... and some need a higher rate of carbs.
If you're worried about adding in fruits why not try South Beach and see how you go? You add fruits in slowly after a couple of weeks, but the veg is unlimited. I switched from aTkins because I wasn't losing anything. I have a thyroid condition which prevents me losing on low carb... so higher carb is much better for me.
Hope that helps

Annabel33

yes I remeber I asked you a question on a different thread (the one about fitday, totally unrelated i know) about thyroid problems and atkins not working for those who have it. I have for a long time suspected that I have a sluggish thyroid. I had it tested in college and it came back normal. Still I know i have a way harder time losing than most people and also 2 family members have thyroid issues. The thing is I don't care to go to the dr's to have it checked out because I won't take the medicine anyway and that is all drs want to do for you. I know it probably would help but i would rather not add any medication to my life. I don't feel it is necessary. If you lead a natural life your body will go back to its natural state (hopefully) . I try to live and eat as naturally as I can and prescription medication does not fit in anywhere to that plan.
What is the scientific reason Atkins wont work for people with thyroid problems? Did you read something about this somewhere or has this just been your experience. I only get dry skin and hair when i eat low fat. My skin and hair have been gleaming since starting atkins. Its really my weight that is bothering me.

Thanks,

Aimee

6 days?

That might not be long enough to determine whether or not Atkins will work for you.

The reason I mention this is because when I started Atkins induction, I didn't lose any weight at all in the first week, went on to lose 9 pounds late in my second week and then 7 pounds in my third week.

It was very hard, because I was suffering from all the carb withdrawals and had the so-called "induction flu" and to make matters worse, I was jumping on the scale every day....and seeing no change

At one point, I was complaining about it so much that my husband finally said, "Well maybe you should go off it then"...and somehow this sounded like giving up too soon, so I hung in there.

If you stick with the plan for at least another couple of weeks, I think you'll be extremely pleased with your weight loss.

If after four whole weeks you're still not losing, then it might be a good time to try something else - but give your plan a chance first.

Hang in there

The carbs are too low on Atkins to let your T3 convert in your cells so you lack energy and your body holds onto the available weight. Very annoying! South Beach has higher carbs so allows the T3 conversion and I lose weight.
I used to believe that I too was a totally 'natural' person. I never took medication. But an untreated low thyroid is a life threatening condition. It must be taken seriously. It doesn't get better on its' own or by eating right. It declines. And if you end up feeling half dead and know that there's a little bit of hormone that will make you get your life back, then the choice of living a half life or living one full of energy is made for you. I don't want to have a heart attack from an untreated thyroid... I have stuff to live for!

If you were truly ill from thyroid, you'd know it. Yours may well be sluggish, and if that's the case, keep it getting checked. A normal result means nothing... your TSH can be normal and you can be incredibly ill. One person's normal is another person's deaths door!
You need to keep getting it checked if you've got it in the family. Also it's recommended that thyroid people eat a gluten free diet. The theory goes that thyroid problems are generated and are the end result of untreated gut problems. Candida, gluten etc.
HTH

I agree with Citruskiss that 6 days isn't long enough to see if the plan will suit you or not.

I also agree, 6 days is not long enough. You at least need to stick out the 2 week minimum induction. Good luck !

6 days isnt enough, no fruits or nuts on induction. Going too low in carbs can be harmful. I dont believe that Atkins subscribes to the net carb thing so count every carb.

TAKE MEASURMENTS!!! I have not lost a pound but I just tried on a pair of pants and they fit me now

I measure myself every day ( I know its a bit compulsive) and kind of ignore the scale. Atkins can cause body recomposition so don't get too hung up on the scale. I know, I know its hard.

Thanks everyone for the replies. I wasn't eating fruits and nuts on induction. What I meant was those were the only carbs I was eating before starting induction. Anyway, in my opinion, i felt 6 days was enough. I know what your body feels like when you are losing weight, even if the scale doesnt say it. I was taking measurements and there was no change. I was feeling sick and heavy everyday. I have come to the conclusion that I don't think Atkins is for everyone, sorry if this offends people. I know about the eskimos only eating meat and all the other studies that have been done and I do agree that it is the most beneficial for some people, however, I am of mediterranean descent and I feel maybe my genetic makeup is accustomed to more fruits and veggies year round. Another thing about Atkins is that I think it might play into a tendency to overeat because there are no strict portion sizes. Even though I was eating 1500-1800 cals a day I feel I ate more than I needed to at times just because I didnt know when to stop. I have always eaten as a form of entertainment.
So I have switched to The Zone with a Neanderthin twist. I follow zone rules but only eat neanderthin foods. This is working very well. I have lost 1 lb so far and I am eating just the right amounts of food (way less than I would think would be the right amount for me, but I am not hungry) and it feels better. I know everyone on this forum loves Atkins and truly believes it is good for everyone but my personal experience had led me to doubt this. I believe it is GREAT for some people and bad for others. My boyfriend is doing wonderful on it and he has tons more energy and his mood has improved (by the way he is of Russian and German descent, neither place would have much fruits and veggies year round) So I just hope the Atkins people can be understanding when the diet doesn't work for some people and logically consider the idea that it may not be for eveyone. Everytime I try it I feel it isnt right for me but everyone makes me feel like I am not doing it right or it is okay to feel yucky for awhile. Well the truth is, I was doing it perfectly, I read the book a few times through, I didn't count net carbs, ate only real foods, didn't eat too many cals or too little, and it STILL didn't work. I personally think 6 days is enough to know you are not responding to something you are doing. But now I feel good and I thank everyone for their ideas.

Aimee

Atkins was the magic for me. I was going to try Weight Watchers, and I saw a interview with Dr. Atkins that day. I asked my Doctor (who had lost weight on the diet himself), and he agreed. That was back in the beginning of 1999. It was not as well known. It is the most extreme....that is why you have the Zone, South Beach, Sommersize, just variations on the same theme. With South Beach even better, it has the word beach in. Just think of it...strutting around the beach in a bikini. They will all work one way or the other..even Weight Watchers. That diet has not been around for the last 60 some years for nothing. Sorry, I'm from the old school...the caleries you consume ratio with what you burn. Just juggling food around.

Atkins was working for me, but I'm impatient and so switched to PSMF to force the weight off a little quicker.

Check out the "Low-Cal/Low-Carb November 2005" thread in this forum for more info on the diet.

I would try to find a plan that allows you do consume foods that you enjoy which will keep you on the program longer, and hopefully keep the weight off. For me the zone was too complicated, but I am using Protein Power, Insulin Resistance, and CAD on weekends sometimes. This combination allows me to eat the foods that I enjoy and keep my carb count at around 80-90 day... This really helps me to fight the cravings because I can enjoy the fruit that I love, since I am a sugarholic, and get in yogurt, high fiber cereals, and the occasional higher fat food items... I use CAD when I am going out ont the weekends occasionally, especially when I am sharing a dessert...

For me personally, I lose more if I eat more veggies. You might want to try South Beach....see if you like it!

6 days isn't enough. Give any dietary change a good 4 weeks and be sure to take measurements as well as weighing! If cutting back on the calories doesn't work, get your thyroid levels checked. Get a TSH, Free T4 and Free T3 test done and post the results in the thyroid forum. What your doctor might take as "normal" might not really be.

Oh my, I played with so many plans. I did Atkins for a long time but it wasn’t the best for me. I don’t do well with all the fats and calories. I feel best when I keep the macronutrients balanced.