My refeed usually made me gain more like 4 pounds and I would only get to my old weight about 5 or 6 days later. And I still havent budged from here! If anyone has any suggestions about what I did wrong or right. I tried to eat low fat, high carb...basically I ate party foods, it was a party. And I feel like this SHOULD work!

Well Im fairly new two months on Atkins and I hit a stall big time . Gave up the artif sweetners, protein shakes, upped the water, The only thing that worked after talking to a fitness specialist was increase the intensity of my exercise. Not the amount of time but the intensity. I also took a 30 minute work out and break it up 15 in AM and 15 in PM. Your heart rate up keeps burning calories even sleeping. I did hear from a friend that a small bite of cheesecake will break her plateau. So now, I have Sarah Lee Cheesecake bites in my freezer but count the Carbs. The sugar seems to kick the plateau but be careful with the falling off the band wagon. Im the worst about OH well now I blew it so I make sure I plan for those carbs in that cheesecake bite. Once I increase my intensity of exercise and added weight resistance the scale moved immediately. Just a thought

I will give it a try, thanks for the info. I don't have extra time in the morning so that may just be the ticket (upping the intensity)

I was stuck at 215.5 for awhile. Got very upset. I actually cheated a bit for about a week and a half, gained about 5 pounds. However, re-inducted and lost the five pounds plus 6 more pounds in a week. I think it may be different for everyone. Me finding out that this would work for me was purely by chance.

It does not work for everyone. It's a risk you take. If you feel you can handle it not working, by all means, go for it.

Just a little FYI for those thinking of the refeed. I'm sure it does not work for everyone, but it always worked for me when I did Atkin's previously. The thing is refeeding is not an excuse to go overboard and it does not necessarily have to be for 3 days or a week or anything like that. When I would get in a stall before, I'd go to Wendys and order a spicy chiken sandwich meal. Becuase I was unused to the carbs I'd eat about 5 fries, the chicken and 1/2 the bun (made the sandwich so dry!!!??) and 1/4 of my small frosty.....and then right back onto Atkins. Something about it causes some kind of chemical reaction in your body that makes it let go of the weight it's been holding onto (bad description, but the only way I can think of it). It's almost like it kind of tricks it and your body says....oh, okay, I'm gonna get plenty of that, I can let this fat I'm storing go. I cheated all the time previously (no chemically altered lc foods) but in great moderation. I would eat 1 scoop of Bryers strawberry ice cream with some low cal choc sauce or 3 pirroulle (sp) cookes........things like that and every once in a while I'd do the Wendys or something along those lines and I never had the stall issues and see saw weight that I've been having this time around since I've been so good, not cheating and eating too much lc foods. Last weekend to break my vicous cycle I went off for 2 and 1/2 days........made sure to consume a good amount of carbs and even sugar (in the form of like pizza sauce) and my weight fluctuation has stopped........I feel much better and I really believe I'm going to start seeing the difference in my clothes and on the scale. I've renounced lc foods and am going to stick to what works for me.

Remember though, what works is different for everyone.

hmmmm and i thought i was lucky???? I stalled too, then binged for a few days and lost 8lbs last week alone!!!! BUT so far 8 days later nothing. Should i eat carbs again????

I've binged on sweets like cookies and ice cream before and ended up llosing more weight more rapidly over those next few days... I'd say try it Butterball and see if it works, if not you can go straight back onto whatever LC plan your doing.

I think that the short-term carb-fests are a positive tool for me. I have heard that this is a regular part of the South Beach diet, one free-day pass type thing. Does anyone know if this is true?

I stalled too, then binged for a few days and lost 8lbs last week alone!!!! BUT so far 8 days later nothing. Should i eat carbs again????

was your 8lbs of loss from your start weight before the binge?

Did a very simple refeed this weekend with some friends, just a few glasses of beer and things really started picking up this week. But, we'll see how this goes.

i have low thyroid have been on induction for 4 weeks first 2 weeks lost 4lb now i lose lb and gain 1lb should i refeed and should it be just one meal or should i eat low carb breads and pasta or eat the real stuff like french fries and do you keep your meat portions lower and leaner when you refeed gosh im confused lol someone tell me what to go and eat lol

The way I understand it you should probably start with only one meal, lunch or dinner and foucs on the real foods, not low carb, but keep the meal low protein and low fat but high in carbs.

After the first 2 weeks I would do induction for 5 days and eat, sensibly, what I wanted for 2 days. I would have a balti with naan bread, or baked potatoes, chips, pasta etc. The only thing I couldn't have was pizza as I would throw up within 20 minutes.

I can now eat pasta, potatoes or bread most nights and still lose weight, although obviously not as fast as I used to, which is fine. I'm strict in the day - banana for breakfast, 4 crispbreads with butter and either pate, egg mayo, cheese/onion/mayo or garlic cream cheese. I have a controlled sugar (5g carb) fromage frais as a treat. In the evening I'll have potatoes, pasta, bread or rice and lots of protein.

I'm experimenting at the moment so my weight over the last few weeks has gone up and down although never by more than 4lbs. I haven't counted how many carbs I can have before I put on a couple of lbs but I 'know' how much I can eat.

If you want to refeed, don't eat sugary, sweet, things. I had a full sugar coke by mistake and an ice cream and I put on 4lbs overnight. So as long as you're sensible and don't eat a mound of spuds or a plateful of pasta you can still enjoy your food and not put weight on. It'll kick start you back into weight loss, although don't expect more than about 2-4lbs per week (which is safe and sensible anyway).

Majjic, it would seem you are eating low-calorie, not low-carb. Daily banana, bread, potatoe, pasta, or rice is not a low-carb diet.

Refeeds are not something to do daily unless you are a body builder with under 8% body fat. You should expect to gain weight on a refeed, several pounds that will take a few days to disappear.

I have an experience to share.....

A few weeks back I came across this thread...it had put the idea in my head but ultimately I maybe was just looking for an excuse to eat....

I had been on a very strict induction for about 3 weeks and only lost 2 lbs-prior to that I was eating LC-but not Atkins. I was very frustrated!

Anyways, I basically binged all weekend...I ate chinese, we had a festival at my church, baklava and mousaka, etc, etc... I also started TOM that Monday.

Well I was so upset from my binge and the 7lbs that the scale said I had gained-that I did the fat fast that Atkins talks about in the book. In the next week not only did I lose the 7 but I also lost 2 more.....

It's been a week and a half and yesterday I sort of did a refeed...I didn't eat any sugar just a lot of carbs at one meal (tamale, pupusa, and fried banana thingys) I'm keeping my fingers crossed and am right back on induction today. I'll keep everyone posted.

I've been Lcing since February and believe me, I'm not on a low calorie diet! full fat Pate, full fat egg mayo, full fat cream cheese etc are hardly low calorie If you could see how much butter I put on my crispbread and how much butter and olive oil I use to cook food, you'd probably keel over. I fry everything, leave the skin on chicken - the lot.

I eat huge amounts of protein with small amounts of carbohydrates, hence the crispbread in the daytime. I can go up to 60g carb per day now, including spuds, pasta and bread, and still lose weight. I just don't eat huge amounts of spuds, pasta and bread. I don't and never have counted calories - I count carbs.