Hello all, I thought I'd introduce myself in the UK forum. I've been doing Akins for the last 4 weeks in a bid to shed the pounds I've gained in the last year (PhD, disasterous ex.., don't ask!)
So, it's all been going well, and I've been lurking around here for the last couple of weeks and have picked up some excellent tips etc. I'm really enjoying this WOE.
BUT - I seem to have hit a few glitches recently..,
I've been very constipated in the last week, and have ended up having to use a laxative, not something I've ever had to do before. I've been eating as many veggies as induction allows and have added psyillium husks into my daily diet, but it's still a bit of a problem. Any more suggestions? I'm not keen on using laxative again... (and yes, I'm drinking loads of water, 2+ litres a day)
Secondly, I have't lost much in the last week or so. Is this normal? I seem to be fluctating around the same 2 pounds. I've started walking to and from work (2 miles each way) in a bid to up my exercise - is there anything else I can do?

Hi Neffette

Welcome to low carbing and congrats on your loss so far.

For constipation, are you making sure you are getting plenty of fresh natural fat sources in your diet - butter, double cream, mayonnaise etc? Fat in the stomach has a gastro colic effect on the gut and helps to move everything on through! Many low carb experts even believe that it is better and healthier than lots of veg in that regard.

As for your weight loss stall, it's quite normal for weight loss to slow down after the first few weeks. It's a myth that the Atkins Diet means that you can have extremely fast weight loss. Like any diet it will slow down after you have lost the water in the first few weeks. It's much more healthy (and it will stay off better!) to lose slowly. Stick with it - despite what well meaning health professionals have told us, it is the healthiest way to eat!

Hi there, I take fiber supplements as well, and one important thing to remember is that in order for them to work you have to drink a lot of water!

I try to drink 8 glasses of water a day.

I am following Charles Clark's New High Protein diet, which allows for unlimited low-starch veggies, which adds to my fiber intake.

I am from the States and had to order his books through amazon.com u.k. I really enjoy his style of writing - so plain and friendly! I wish more books were written that way!

Hi Neffette

Welcome. Congratulations on the weight loss so far. After my first few weeks low carbing I stayed the same weight for 4 weeks even though I Knew I was doing it right, it helped me to look at average weight loss over those weeks as I lost 12lbin the first 2 weeks so 2lb a week over 6 weeks still looked ok and kept me going then suddenly I lost 3lb the next week although nothing had changed. I've found the same since returning after Christmas, I lost the 7 lbs I put on then stuck for a couple of weeks now I seem to be loosing again.

For the constipation more fat less protein does it for me, buttered mange tout or cabbage are my favourite remedy.

Hi Neffette

Welcome to the UK forum.

You have been doing well so far. Re the constipation issue you have already been given lots of useful advice, so won't add more.

On the stalling front, this is quite normal. You may be losing inches. Have you measured yourself? Over the last 2 months I only lost 1 pound, but did lose 7 inches, more than I would usually lose for a higher weight loss!

Make sure you are eating enough. You need to eat around 2,000 calories a day. Too few is not good for you and neither are to many. I can not lose weight if I now eat 2,000 a day for several days.

Do keep up the exercise. This really helps and builds muscle which weighs heavier than fat.

From a personal point of view what did you do your PhD in? Are you using it at work? I did mine in Chemistry.

Continued success.

Wow - thanks for all the encouragment and advice! I am being a bit impatient- I know. I think induction knocks the pounds off so fast you feel a bit cheated afterwards.
The psyllium husks seem to be doing the trick now, which is a relief
Anne - I did my PhD. in biochemistry - and I working as a medical writer now, so yes, I'm still using it! How about you?

I haven't read Atkins so can't comment on the wisdom of doing so, but reading on other low-carb message boards I've seen that some people do longer stretches (someone even commented about being on permanently) on induction to keep the weight coming off.

Any thoughts on that, anyone?

Hi Neffette

One of the reasons why induction loses the pounds so fast is that you are changing how your body reacts and also losing a lot of water that is stored in your body with the carbohydrates in your muscles "glycogen". Removing the excess sugars from your body results in a large water loss and therefore a big drop in weight. Once this has all gone then you really start to work on the fat side of things which is slower. One pound of fat is equivalent to 3,500 kcal and so you can see that you need to be in deficit quite a lot to lose just one pound. That of course is only part of the story. If it was as simple as that then we would all lose weight a lot easier than we do.

I stayed at induction levels for a long time, but found my weight loss increased when I upped my levels to 30g a day. Your body does need some insulin released as it helps to balance out the other hormones in your body and so keeps things ticking over better. Cutting back too much on one hormone can have detrimental effects on others. Something to think about.

I don't directly use my PhD at the moment as I am a scientific civil servant, but the work I do has a scientific angle to it and so the approach is maintained.