Atkins Support Group

cobylea

Most important to me is carbs and that I keep the carb, fat and protein ratio accurate as far as atkin's goes (5%, 30%, 65%, respectively)

Is this ratio for induction as well? I have pretty much quit tracking my food on here and just keep track of my net carbs with a pen and paper.

SueInAz

I am thinking about, to try Atkins again. I did it years ago and lost about 20 pounds, so I know it works. The only problem was, that I was constipated in the first 2 weeks, while I only ate protein and not even veggies. Are you guys having problems like this and what naturally do you do against it (no pills)? I did drink a lot but didn't help much.

During induction, most of your 20 grams of carbs each day should be coming from veggies. The fiber in them will help you, too. Also, try the Muffin in Minute mentioned earlier in this thread. It's about 3 net carbs and flax meal works great as a way to keep your digestive system moving.

SueInAz

Question about goals on MFP:

I'm really only keeping track of carbs, fat and protein and alternately fiber, potassium and sodium. Most important to me is carbs and that I keep the carb, fat and protein ratio accurate as far as atkin's goes (5%, 30%, 65%, respectively) My problem is that now I'm allowed 30 carbs per day (OWL 2nd rung) but when I adjust the amount of carbs to 30 in my goals, the calorie amount shoots up to like 2400 calories per day.

Odd. I've been able to play around with the percentage of carbs and it didn't change my calorie goals at all, it just changed the percentage of the other macronutrients to compensate. I adjusted it to fit the grams of carbs I was shooting for at the time and while it wasn't always a perfect fit, I just watched the actual number of carbs - fiber and didn't worry so much about the rest.

kittrelle

Question about goals on MFP:

I'm really only keeping track of carbs, fat and protein and alternately fiber, potassium and sodium. Most important to me is carbs and that I keep the carb, fat and protein ratio accurate as far as atkin's goes (5%, 30%, 65%, respectively) My problem is that now I'm allowed 30 carbs per day (OWL 2nd rung) but when I adjust the amount of carbs to 30 in my goals, the calorie amount shoots up to like 2400 calories per day.

Odd. I've been able to play around with the percentage of carbs and it didn't change my calorie goals at all, it just changed the percentage of the other macronutrients to compensate. I adjusted it to fit the grams of carbs I was shooting for at the time and while it wasn't always a perfect fit, I just watched the actual number of carbs - fiber and didn't worry so much about the rest.

...but I didn't want to change the ratio of the carbs....it's supposed to be just 5%...I was changing the #of grams of carbs....

kittrelle

Most important to me is carbs and that I keep the carb, fat and protein ratio accurate as far as atkin's goes (5%, 30%, 65%, respectively)

Is this ratio for induction as well? I have pretty much quit tracking my food on here and just keep track of my net carbs with a pen and paper.

I believe that's still the ratio, but carbs of couse is paramount. The ratios are to make sure you're not ingesting too (!) much protein. Fat should be a significant amount of your calories.

kittrelle

I am thinking about, to try Atkins again. I did it years ago and lost about 20 pounds, so I know it works. The only problem was, that I was constipated in the first 2 weeks, while I only ate protein and not even veggies. Are you guys having problems like this and what naturally do you do against it (no pills)? I did drink a lot but didn't help much.

If you are serious about giving it a whirl, I suggest you grab the book for it to make sure you're doing it 'right' and not just someone's adopted version....that way you can know all the ends and outs, suggestions for if you get stuck, etc. Instructions are very important, and of course we'd all be here to help as much as possible. It just scares me that you tried it without any veggies, which is the total opposite of what you should do...

Qarol

Most important to me is carbs and that I keep the carb, fat and protein ratio accurate as far as atkin's goes (5%, 30%, 65%, respectively)

If this ratio is working for you, perfect. Don't change a thing. But for some, too much protein can knock us out of ketosis because the body processes the excess protein like carbs. For people like that, it's recommended not to go above 40% protein.

SueInAz

...but I didn't want to change the ratio of the carbs....it's supposed to be just 5%...I was changing the #of grams of carbs....

That's probably the issue. If you leave the percentage the same, but change the number of carbs, MFP is going to change the calories so that the number you enter for carbs is 5% of the total calories. You're better off just using the percentage as a guideline. You can see exactly how many grams of carbs each day you ate, and how many grams of fiber and subtract them to get your net carbs. Besides, I know I eat a different amount of fiber every day, there's no way I'm going to ever be able to get that number of carbs to match exactly when the fiber factors in, too.

kittrelle

Most important to me is carbs and that I keep the carb, fat and protein ratio accurate as far as atkin's goes (5%, 30%, 65%, respectively)

If this ratio is working for you, perfect. Don't change a thing. But for some, too much protein can knock us out of ketosis because the body processes the excess protein like carbs. For people like that, it's recommended not to go above 40% protein.

Oops, I flip flopped it. The 30% IS for protein, 65% fat.... sorry.

cobylea

If I'm still in induction and have an off day where I eat more than 20g of carbs and or foods with sugar am I going to be out of ketosis and have to start all over again? It hasn't happened yet but I want to have my information before hand, just be sure.

hbmcracer

If I'm still in induction and have an off day where I eat more than 20g of carbs and or foods with sugar am I going to be out of ketosis and have to start all over again? It hasn't happened yet but I want to have my information before hand, just be sure.

I think you shoul be ok. I think I read somewhere that ketosis happens all the way up to 50 to 100g depending on your body. The Atkins diet has the induction phase to jumpstart the weightloss and motivate people.

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

hbmcracer

If I'm still in induction and have an off day where I eat more than 20g of carbs and or foods with sugar am I going to be out of ketosis and have to start all over again? It hasn't happened yet but I want to have my information before hand, just be sure.

I just started on the 25th of July and usually try to stay below 50 but have had at least one day with well over100g and still lost 7 pounds in less than 2 weeks.

dittiepe

If I'm still in induction and have an off day where I eat more than 20g of carbs and or foods with sugar am I going to be out of ketosis and have to start all over again? It hasn't happened yet but I want to have my information before hand, just be sure.

Well, you will probably bump yourself out of ketosis. Remember that, if you are in OWL and you have a carb-heavy day, they say to jump back into induction for a couple of days to kickstart the ketosis again. So I would think that happens while still in induction as well.

dino1147

Yay for this group! I'm Dana and I started Atkins Monday 8/1 at 220lbs, today is Friday 8/5 and I'm at 212lbs. My brother has been living the Atkins lifestyle for almost 4 years now and has been on me to start! I am very, very excited. My mother was recently diagnosed with type II diabetes and I DO NOT want to follow in her footsteps!

To boot, I had 4 other friends start the diet recently so we are kind of a mini support group about what we can have and what we can't! Glad ya'll are here!

beernutz

Yay for this group! I'm Dana and I started Atkins Monday 8/1 at 220lbs, today is Friday 8/5 and I'm at 212lbs. My brother has been living the Atkins lifestyle for almost 4 years now and has been on me to start! I am very, very excited. My mother was recently diagnosed with type II diabetes and I DO NOT want to follow in her footsteps!

To boot, I had 4 other friends start the diet recently so we are kind of a mini support group about what we can have and what we can't! Glad ya'll are here!

Go Dana. I am a low carber too and there are many more here. I think if you friend any of us you'll end up with a mfp support group too.

snikrepa2003

Ugh hubby and I are so frustrated!!! This week we haven't lost a darn thing!!! we are still in induction phase we stay under 20 net carbs a day and eat aroun 4-6 oz of protien per meal. I haven't been as regular as I would like but could that really be throing me off that bad? It has been almost a month and we have both lost like 16lbs. I guess I expectd it to come off faster? Does anybody else stall this long. I hardly have artificial sweetners or caffine...what is up? My husband want to quit but I don't ecause my health has improved 10 fold. Any advice?

katberz

Ugh hubby and I are so frustrated!!! This week we haven't lost a darn thing!!! we are still in induction phase we stay under 20 net carbs a day and eat aroun 4-6 oz of protien per meal. I haven't been as regular as I would like but could that really be throing me off that bad? It has been almost a month and we have both lost like 16lbs. I guess I expectd it to come off faster? Does anybody else stall this long. I hardly have artificial sweetners or caffine...what is up? My husband want to quit but I don't ecause my health has improved 10 fold. Any advice?

Don't quit! This is very common, the weight loss typically goes: big losses for weeks 1 and 2, then small or even no losses for weeks 3 and 4. Oftentimes a stall is your body holding onto water weight, and when it finally goes, you'll lose a load at once. Just stick with it - you know it works since you've already lost 16 lbs (which is fantastic btw, well done you!). If you're still stalled after 8 weeks then I think there's some suggestions in the book for breaking it.

Susanxxxx

I once stalled for a whole month but broke the cycle by upping my carbs a tad to 30g. I did continue to lose inches during this time though. You have lost a lot already and sometimes it just takes a week or two to show on your scales. Take your measurements instead this week as they are a much better guideline on Atkins,

beernutz

Ugh hubby and I are so frustrated!!! This week we haven't lost a darn thing!!! we are still in induction phase we stay under 20 net carbs a day and eat aroun 4-6 oz of protien per meal. I haven't been as regular as I would like but could that really be throing me off that bad? It has been almost a month and we have both lost like 16lbs. I guess I expectd it to come off faster? Does anybody else stall this long. I hardly have artificial sweetners or caffine...what is up? My husband want to quit but I don't ecause my health has improved 10 fold. Any advice?

He's lost 4 pounds a week and wants to quit? What kind of miracle was he expecting?
A week is not a stall, plus you can't always go by weight alone. If you are doing strength building exercises you could be putting on muscle AND dropping fat so that the scale won't reflect the change in your body composition.

kittrelle

Ugh hubby and I are so frustrated!!! This week we haven't lost a darn thing!!! we are still in induction phase we stay under 20 net carbs a day and eat aroun 4-6 oz of protien per meal. I haven't been as regular as I would like but could that really be throing me off that bad? It has been almost a month and we have both lost like 16lbs. I guess I expectd it to come off faster? Does anybody else stall this long. I hardly have artificial sweetners or caffine...what is up? My husband want to quit but I don't ecause my health has improved 10 fold. Any advice?

Oh honey- this is not a stall! A stall is several months with no pounds lost or inches...! You guys are doing great. When I get frustrated I break my losses down per week. Remember 'typical' weight loss jargon is that you only lose two pounds per week MAXIMUM, you are well exceeding that! Even if you don't lose for 2 more weeks you are still exceeding that! Follow the plan; drink your water, eat your veggies, take care of the constipation and enjoy what you are eating. Focus on the fact that you are not hungry; you have awesome energy and you kicked those nasty cravings to the side! The weight loss will come! It's scientifically impossible for it not to!

dittiepe

I'm with everyone else. Don't quit! You're not stalled. Your body is changing. 16lb in a month is AWESOME! You're also exercising right? So you're switching over to the heavier muscle as well as losing the fat. You will see more scale results in time. But if you really want to see those results, measure yourself and check measurements every 2 weeks. It's there

snikrepa2003

Thanks guys for he encouraging words I needed them. I love MFP and everyone on this thread, It's nice to know we are in this together!

bron_89

Do you guys only count net carbs for induction? Like minus the fiber count from the carb count to get the net carbs? So say if I ate a cup of broccoli at 4 grams carbs and 2 grams fiber that would make it 2 net carbs? And I would still have 18 g left for the day? Sorry for this haha, I am still quite new to Atkins... And clearly quite bad at working out numbers

pork_belly

Yes, always count net carbs regardless of what phase.

bron_89

Thanks! I hadn't been doing that before today! This means moreee vegetables

bjstru

Good morning all!!!
this is my first post to the boards ever!!!
I started atkins on May 5,2011
I did a 3 month induction period.
August 1st I started owl.....
Just wanted to say hello
SW:227.4lbs
CW:205.4lbs
GW:160lbs

Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

Susanxxxx

Good morning all!!!
this is my first post to the boards ever!!!
I started atkins on May 5,2011
I did a 3 month induction period.
August 1st I started owl.....
Just wanted to say hello
SW:227.4lbs
CW:205.4lbs
GW:160lbs

Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

Hiya and a big welcome and the very best of luck on the rest of your journey

beernutz

Good morning all!!!
this is my first post to the boards ever!!!
I started atkins on May 5,2011
I did a 3 month induction period.
August 1st I started owl.....
Just wanted to say hello
SW:227.4lbs
CW:205.4lbs
GW:160lbs

Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

22 pounds lost since May is impressive! Hang in there and remember if you want to make low carb work, you have to make it a lifetime lifestyle change. Good luck to you!

snikrepa2003

OKay so I am sorry for being the needy one on this thread..but my husband and I had a bad week as far as losing any weight or inches. The question I pose for you ll is if anyone has ever gained any weight on this diet? My husband consistantly gained about a pound every other day, not like the usual fluctuation with water weight, what could this mean? I know he isn't cheating and he eats everything I eat, probably the same amounts too. You can check his diary and see what is up if you would like. His user name is jknowswhatsup. Thanks guys!

beernutz

OKay so I am sorry for being the needy one on this thread..but my husband and I had a bad week as far as losing any weight or inches. The question I pose for you ll is if anyone has ever gained any weight on this diet? My husband consistantly gained about a pound every other day, not like the usual fluctuation with water weight, what could this mean? I know he isn't cheating and he eats everything I eat, probably the same amounts too. You can check his diary and see what is up if you would like. His user name is jknowswhatsup. Thanks guys!

I took a quick look at the last week of his food diary and it looks like he's consistently eating 400-600 calories under his 1800 calorie goal. I only weigh 175 and my calorie goal to lose a half pound a week is 1960. I can't see Jay's current weight but eating the calories he's been doing recently for someone trying to lose 100 plus pounds is a really too small of a number in my opinion.

I can't see his exercise history but if he's doing any cardio or strength at all he's got to have an even smaller number of net calories. While I don't think 'starvation mode' is a myth, I think people's bodies do try and hold on to stores of fat when you feed them too few calories.

Personally I think that his caloric intake is too low on this type of diet. Why isn't he eating 1800 calories at least?

While I love corned beef myself, I'd be a little worried about all the sodium he's taking in by eating it. Is chicken with mayo an option for him? They make all types of flavored mayo now so its not as boring as it sounds.

Another option might be the grilled chicken Ceasar salad with Caesar dressing at McDonalds. It is a very good low carb meal in my opinion in that Its 580 total calories, 394 from fat (67%), 60 from carbs (10%), and 136 from protein (23%). Its actually pretty tasty with that Newman's Own salad dressing they use. You can make it even more low carb by not eating the 4 cherry tomatoes they put in it (I don't like them myself) which cuts about 11 carb calories. Just my $.02.