Okay its been two weeks. So I havn't followed a particular low carb diet, except to have ZERO carbs. (Well to treat myself I had popcorn last Sat. night)...that has been it!!

So after 7 days I caught the cold of all colds....I always get sick when I try to diet....and now after 14 days I way 190 pounds...I started out at 186.

I am doomed never to be small! When I eat salad, I bloat up like a balloon, and when I eat low carb I gain weight. When I eat regular, varied meals, I stay healthy and do not gain weight as long as I do not "over eat"!

Now how am I supposed to lose the gluteneous pounds and live a regular heathy life???

Hi Ferdinand,

The initial period of any plan is meant to be followed strictly, with commitment so your body can adjust, and then you can evaluate if it works for you or not.

From what you said so far, you are not following any plan correctly, and expect results at the same time. You have listed several books that you have read. Was this long time ago? My advice would be to stop zero-carbing, and under-eating, spend some time re-educating yourself with the plan you like, and then follow it correctly for at least two weeks.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Wa'il

With the outline you provided and without knowing exactly what you are consuming it is hard to tell what is going on.

However let me say that these diets are NOT zero carbs, low fat, nor starvation diet plans. They are NOT fast weight loss either.

Some questions for you:

Are you drinking 64oz of water a day plus 8oz for every 25 pounds you wish to lose?

Are you eating 10 to 12 times your body weight in calories to maintain the basic BMR?

Are you exercising on a regular basis?


I would highly recommend you re-read your book, because cutting down to zero carbs is telling me right off you missed some pages of basic information.

And when you have a virus (cold or flu) the body holds on to water so the scales show a rise. But you could be losing fat IF you eat the right number of GOOD LC carbs for whichever plan you choose. When the cold is gone, the water weight will leave too.

But you must be drinking the daily quarts of water or else your body WON"T let go of the extra water. The water also lets your kidneys do their job in flushing out the residue of the burned fat. If one doesn't drink enough water, the liver has to take over part of the job of the kidneys and that means that the liver won't be burning fat until you get enough water into your system.

There's excellent advice above - please do some reading and really stick with one plan. All the best.

BarB

I hate HATE water, but when I don't see results I start drinking it like suggested in adkins and on all these forums and BAMM I lose a couple pounds in a week.
You really do need to pick a program, such as adkins, and stick with it. I tried it off and on and gained wt...sigh. And listen to the wonderful people that have been here for awhile, they will give good
advice and encourage you! You can do it!! Hugs Kelly

I am so very sad...really... I think this is the first time I have really been ready to loose weight...I mean really ready to work hard at it.

Thank you for helping...agonycat...etc. alas I have not lost anything worth talking about!...

I keep reading about people who lost 10 pounds in their first week....okay, i made mistakes but I REALLY tried to follow the diet properly.

I got so constipated - I thought that was why the scale showed nothing....
I was sick with bad cold ...maybe that was why...but alas NOTHING!!!

SO AM I DESTINED...?? I am afraid I am going to give up!!!

I will try more water, I wanted to wait to exercise, until I lost 10 pounds because I am afraid for my heart...

I am just so discouraged!!!

I should also mention...I thought my scale might be wrong so I bought a new one...lucky me...I GAINED...15 POUNDS JUST LIKE THAT...now I will try to change my profile.

Hi Ferdinand! I'd like to comment on something that you said:

"I always get sick when I try to diet...."

It appears your immune system is somewhat compromised and your going to the extreme of ZERO CARBS is being perceived by your body as STRESS. It is really impossible to lose weight when under stress as the adrenal hormones secreted will oppose weight loss.

Besides, when we are overweight we tend to look at it as simply an excess of pounds when the reality is that we are really not completely healthy. The longer we have been eating improperly the more damage we have done to our bodies and we need to look at our change of eating not as a "quick fix" but as a way to aid our body to HEAL the damage that years of incorrect eating have caused. My advice to you, as a nutrition "buff" and future student, is that you only eat foods as close to their natural state as possible, avoid processed, chemical-laden ones, stimulants, damaged fats (as in fried, packaged foods, margarine, etc.), drink plenty of purified water, and get yourself some good supplements as the ones suggested by Dr. Atkins in his book.

Insofar as exercise is concerned, you can start by walking a couple of blocks if that's all you can handle, it will actually benefit your heart, and gradually just add a bit more distance. When you have sufficient energy then you can move on to weight lifting, which you can start with very light weights and still benefit greatly from it without straining yourself.

And finally, NO, YOU'RE NOT DESTINED TO BE FAT, just be patient, you're not alone. I'm stuck right now myself, but I'm not quitting!

Best wishes,
Raquel

you gotta change your attitude dude. Sounds to me like you are just sitting there, feeling pathetic, wondering what to do. The answer is simple. go to the book store and actually read one of the books. Find inspiration from somewhere. for me it was having a brand new baby to take care of. I want to live long enough to enjoy retirement. I want to live long enough to enjoy my grandchildren in 25 years. If there is one thing in your life that deserves 100% effort, this is it. Cut the crap, stop trying to do things your own way as it obviously does not work. spend the 10 bucks it costs for the book, and read it. I personally recommend Atkins, just because that one seems to be the easiest. You can do this, but only if you focus your efforts. right now you are not helping yourself at all. Read a book.

Thanks for your replies....Mcavana and Rachel.

Yes it makes sense to me that my body is really rebelling against this diet. This rings true to me because I did see a nutritionist a while back (when I could still afford it prior to 9/11) and he had me taking adrenal support medication. That may tell all. I sure do hope so. I will try to stick to it!

and Mcavan...you probably said it like it is....dude....I do have this problem of what my psychie seems to control....I have trouble conforming to strick regimentation - even to the point of following a diet....yes or no I seem to try to "do it my way".....alas....I thought that I was being as good as possible this past week at least!

The ketostix measure at one down from purple, so I must be doing something right and hopefully it will show up soon. I am so trying not to get discouraged and this forum is helping me oh so much.

I have a querie now.... (I have read so many books really)....

At one time I bought the book "Eat Right For Your Blood Type". The Nutrionist suggested I follow that plan. It is almost diabolically opposite to the Low Carb Atkins type approach. Now who is right? I figure if meat etc. is so bad for me, being fat is also, so I might as well go for the plan that I prefer, and risk my health (maybe yes? maybe no?) and try to loose weight. Being fat is just as bad as you said!

(Feeling a bit better today....thanks for your responses!)

Hi Raquel:

Thanks for taking the time to respond to me.

Yes I can see that you are an ardent reader. You may be right on the compatibility of both programs, yet I find that it would be nearly impossible for me to try to incorporate them.

I see that you have lost a lot of pounds in a short while and compared to me you do not have as much to loose....I am envious and a pessimist - me thinks!

Funny thing. I did it...my daughter showed up with my grandchildren and hot chocolate chip cookies. They stary for lunch and I made toasted tomatoe sandwiches for hubby, son, et al and I succombed again - I had a toasted tomatoe sandwich too!

So I broke the diet. I have lost one single pound anyway, so perhaps the shock will change my weight loss (wishful thinking probably). So here's the funny thing - opposed to what Dr. Adamo says, I have been burping tomatoe and the 7 grain bread for the past few hours now. I do NOT get indigestion "at all" with the high fat, high protein, red meat menue.

Yes I am an "A" but my body does not act like one. I am going to re-read and see if I can do some of the plan and like to say - gear towards healthy, which is my ultimate goal.

I read somewhere that I may be short on the potassium, magnesium, and calcium minerals...which is why I am also so tired. Maybe my body needs to be much healthier before it is willing to let go of some of my fat!

I am back to "being good" as of right now....lots of water to flush my system, and caesar salad for dinner.

Actually I fell smaller and I am surely not as bloated as I first was. I think the constipation and fresh greens really shocked my system.

So - thanks - friend, I appreciate you answer. Do keep in touch, I am finding this forum, this site has helped me stay with it much better than anything I have ever tried before - especially the Weight Watcher type thing. I feel so exposed and angry there. After all I am not as bad as they are, Ha Ha Ha
- jokes on me right?

HI RAQUEL ET AL:

THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY. I HAVE TO APOLOGIZE FOR MY "ATTITUDE". I AM SORRY TO NEGATE YOUR WEIGHT CHALLENGE.

I DO REALIZE THAT NO MATTER HOW MUCH ONE HAS TO LOSE, IT IS STILL HARD, AND IF YOU ARE A CARB ADDICT IT IS STILL HARDER. AN ADDICT IS JUST THAT...SO I AM SORRY FOR MY COMPLACENCY.

I HAVE BEEN TRYING REAL HARD TO FOLLOW ATKINS. I HAVE MADE SOME MISTAKES WHICH HAVE PROBABLY "DONE ME IN". I WAS HAPPILY EATING BACK BACON...THEN SUDDENLY MY BRAIN KICKED IN AND I SAW THE CORNMEAL ON THE OUTSIDE. NOW I TAKE IT OFF!.

I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION...EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT THE "INDUCTION"...I HAVE THE BOOK " DR. ATKINS' DIET REVOLUTION". I CANNOT FIND ANYTHING IN THERE ABOUT AN INDUCTION DIET. I FOLLOWED THE 1ST LEVEL. INSTEAD. AM I MISSING IT?

BYE THE WAY..I HAVE DECIDED TO HAVE A WEIGH IN DAY (LIKE YOU). JUMPING ON AND OFF EVERYDAY WOULD AFFECT MY MOOD WAY TOO MUCH.

IT HAS BEEN SNOWING LIKE CRAZY HERE AND I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET OUT TO WALK..SO WE ARE BUYING A TREADMILL REALLY SOON. I WILL START THE EXERCISING WITH THAT.

I AM PROUD TO TELL YOU THAT I AM DRINKING WATER LIKE A FISH!!

You probably should beg, borrow or steal the latest version of the book - DANDR - Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution. There are some significant changes reflecting a lot more experience with a lot more patients.

I haven't read the prior books, so I am going off what a lot of others have said. I wouldn't be surprised to find that your "Level One" is now called "Induction" with some tweaks - but my understanding is that the tweaks are important.

Happy reading.