Bump in the Road

jmarton1977

Hi all,

I've been a lurker for a while on this board. I've been doing Atkins for about 6 months, and am down almost 30 pounds. I had tiny tiny setbacks over the holidays, but this weekend we had a wedding and I experienced a 4 pound gain which is my biggest setback so far. I'm worried about plateaus since I haven't really hit one yet, and I am fully aware that I've been letting some bad habits creep in (eating out too much, not drinking enough water). Was hoping for any reassurance that I can get my act together and refocus - and that my weight loss won't stall completely.

Also - I know that sometimes people have had to readjust things as they've lost weight - please share any stories or strategies that were successful for you. Help!!!

nancytyc

Well, if you ate what you should not have, at the wedding, then I would guess that a lot of your weight gain is from water. When we eat carbs, our body holds water molecules with those carbs, as a way of utilizing them. So, fear not. Unless you ate 3500 x 4 = 14000 calories at that wedding, you did not truly gain 4 pounds. But, if bad habits are sneaking in, and you are on Atkins, then you are NOT really on Atkins. It can take as little as one mouthful of high sugar or carbs, to take you out of Ketosis, and right back to square one (for some people, at least).

Plateaus are a part of the bargain. It is your body readjusting to the new weight, the new needs for energy (or lack thereof...as we get lighter, we burn less) and should not be dreaded. Just keep doing what you are doing (providing you are doing, and not getting into old habits), and the weight will take care of itself.

Eat healthy (greens leafy veggies), eat clean (as natural and organic as possible), and stay away from sugar and carb sources. Move, move, move, move, and eat more. Resist the urge to sit on the bum and reduce your calories. Imagine setting your body up to eat only 1200 calories per day for the rest of your life (we are NOT dieting, we are creating a permanent lifestyle here). I could not eat just 1200 calories a day for the rest of my life. I would eventually give up and gain all the weight right back (and, this is what most people who crunch calories end up doing). But, imagine learning to incorporate exercise into your daily routine and then eating 1600 - 2000 calories a day for the rest of your life. Now, that is something most people can do and maintain.
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Good luck and God Bless.