day 5 and already upset with Atkins, please help

[bluecatlady]

Hey all, I wonder if anyone can help with my having a tough time on Atkins.

I'm day 5 of Atkins Induction now and though I have stuck to the diet to the letter, even leaving out sweetners and caffeen, I have lost no weight, am still exhausted and feel ill. I am also showing no signs of ketosis. I'm hungry even though I am eating plenty of meat with fats and veg at meals and snacking on protein.

Question is when am I going to stop feeling awfull? Has anyone else taken over 5 days to start feeling better?

Also my cravings for sweet things are driving me completly mad and I'm not even a big fan of sweets! Also I could literally push people out of the way over a glass of milk I'm craving it so badly and the craving is only getting stronger and harder to resist! I thought it was supposed to go away after a 'few' days!

Help! I really don't want to go back to slimmers world as I am a fan of primal style eating being better for us as humans but I just can't handle these side affects.

 

[4isnotenough]

Bluecatlady

Im sorry you feel so bad, it sucks. Atkins can take a few days to kick in with the ole Ketosis. I find usually it's 5 days for me and sometimes I get the shakes and feel crap. The cravings will go, they are all signs that you are withdrawing from carbs. Like coming off any addiction you will get cravings, smokers say the same, people who drink crave alcohol ... And us we crave the very food that makes us overweight. The big bad carbs, they are playing with your mind.

It might help to keep a diary (on the diary page here) and note down what you have been eating. I bet a few members will give you a few pointers, hints and tips. I learn new stuff every time I visit here. Sometimes it's a case of just living from meal to meal, each meal is another success and one step closer to goal.

Stick at it, the worst is over .... you will see the light at the end of the tunnel very soon.

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[elle_moon]

Hi, keep going and I'm sure in a day or two you'll start to feel better x
I found drinking lots of water helps. I also use myfitnesspal to record the food I'm having, just to make sure I'm getting the right %s of carbs / protein / fat, as difficult for me to keep track otherwise

 

[TahjmansMum]

Get yourself a multi vit without iron, calcium, magnesium and chromium picolinate tabs. That is what I take anyway. Drink LOTS of water. Presume you know you will taste the ketosis when it starts - a sweetener taste in your mouth.

 

[elle_moon]

Get yourself a multi vit without iron, calcium, magnesium and chromium picolinate tabs. That is what I take anyway. Drink LOTS of water. Presume you know you will taste the ketosis when it starts - a sweetener taste in your mouth.

Hi, probably a silly question, but why does it need to be without iron?

 

[bluecatlady]

Thanks ladies (I presume), I know ketosis will come as I'm following the diet correctly, I just wish it were a bit faster. Still being hungry day 5 and exhausted with no energy is a right kicker. I feel better after eating but only for a small amount of time which suggests to me my glycogen stores are depleating so fingers crossed for any signs of keto soon!!

I've just read so many posts on here about people feeling like magic all of a sudden day 3 or never being hungry form day 1 and me, still plodding along at day 5 is giving me the hump!! lol. Lucky other people!! Probably to do with my stupid underactive thyroid, Atkins does say it can slow things down. Bah. BAH I say!!

Still, dinner was lovely so that helped lift my mood a little. Steak with french style cream mustard sauce, brocolli and thin green beans (all at the right quantaties of course) Super yum!!

Thank you again. I'll come back on here and read again tomorrow when I'm on yet another day of no ketosis...

 

[Phoenyx]

Because you get a lot of iron from a high meat diet. I find chromium supplements really help reduce sugar cravings

 

[Scrumbles]

It's as dangerous to have too much iron as it is to have too little. Over time a build up can occur in your body causing organ damage, a condition called Hemochromatosis.

If you're following Atkins faithfully and eating plenty of red meat and dark green veg you will more than likely be fulfilling your body's need for iron, so supplementation could be giving you a potentially harmful overload.

If in doubt though, always consult your doctor and get a blood test done.

 

[hollander7]

It might help to keep a diary and note down what you have been eating

 

[boggins]

Hey bluecatlady,

Please don't be disheartened. I felt AWFUL when I first went low carb. Headaches, fatigue, leg cramps, insomnia, and this weird neurological thing, like tingling, in my arm. You want the truth? I cheated a bit. When I felt really terrible, I mean unbearably bad, I would eat a small amount of carbs. Nothing excessive, just enough to relieve the symptoms, and then got right back on track. I may have lost a little less than I could have, but I did eventually feel better and kept losing. If you can't power through it, don't feel bad about a small indulgence- baby steps!

You and I are high-weight starters, and it is probably harder on us than someone with less to lose, as we are probably more metabolically damaged, more insulin resistant, and deeper into carb addiction. For people like us, it's really going to suck for a while. It's also likely to take longer for the weight to come off, as our bodies have a lot of healing to go through. Give yourself a while to get back to normal.

3 weeks ago I went on holiday and ate rice and bread- not a lot, only on 2 occasions- but it totally threw me. I've been struggling with hunger ever since and went through a few days of craving sweet things. So I do understand how you feel, and still experience it myself. Like you I am convinced that a low(ish) carb, primal way of eating is the right way for me and for many people, so I just soldier on. I'm afraid I know of no other answer! Sorry I don't have happier news, but at least you're not alone, eh?

 

[triage999]

What Boggins said!!! All I know is definitely works for me....it's the most stable weight I've been in years!!

I was 12.12 back in November and now I'm 10.5, so that speaks for itself! I've had a couple of slip ups, mainly of the Chinese nature but enjoyed each one and got straight back on track....if I be honest I always find I lose more the week I had a higher carb meal and I always shift some after drinking wine!

I have no idea why.......

I too get the restless legs at night and insomnia, and the occasional bout of constipation but it's getting better, I've started taking lots of supplements now that I've found along the way that relieves the symptoms!

Stick with it if you can as it's early days and what your experiencing is the typical Atkins flu and carb withdrawal! It does get better!

J x

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[elle_moon]

Because you get a lot of iron from a high meat diet. I find chromium supplements really help reduce sugar cravings

Ah thanks, thought it was probably meat-related. I'm vegetarian so have taken iron supplements for ages, before I started Low carbing - just wondered if what I was taking would scupper the Atkins but sounds like prob not.

 

[bluecatlady]

Hey bluecatlady,

Please don't be disheartened. I felt AWFUL when I first went low carb. .... at least you're not alone, eh?

Thank you Boggins, and everyone else too;

I am determined to give it at LEAST the full two weeks of induction!! I know my body is damaged and I've read and taken on board what Atkins says about insulin resistance and metablic damage but the positive comments of others about how easy low carb is actually made me fell worse as I feel so bad! Thankfully I don't have all the side effetcs and the headaches I can stave off with water, but if I'm honest I just didn't expect to feel so bad for so long, and I can't believe how powerfull the craving for milk is.

Day six now and STILL showing no signs of ketosis, breath is fine, nothing weird elsewhere, I'm still exhausted and getting quite emotional about it, had a little cry at the futility of dieting...blaughblaughblaugh.

I weighed myself today, yes I know it's naughty not to wait the week but I seem to be two pounds down from monday which is certianly not the 6-8lbs other have reported and I was foolishly hoping for. Since I am very heavy on SW I'll drop 8lbs the first and second weeks and I was hoping for the same here, though I have read the book and Atkins says not to expect that especially if your metabolically damaged (which I am with the AI and all).

I brought an emergency Atkins choc bar at 1.8carbs which is living in the fridge in case the craving get fall off the wagon bad lol

Thank you for your kind support all, I'll just keep on trucking and hopefull at some point in the next few days I'l be able to report any signs of ketosis, I just wonder if I'll ever get there even at under 15g of carbs per day (intollerent to onions and pepeprs the higher carb vegs so I'm a bit low, maybe that why I feel naff, still, cant get my carbs up AND stick to the diet). Maybe I'll make chicken base pizza for dinner with tasty lambs lettuice salad... Atkins food porn here I come!

 

[bluecatlady]

Triage999, just noticed your weigth loss, so close!! and Boggins, well, BRAVO!

 

[triage999]

Have milk!!! You can have semi to up your carbs!! Don't deny yourself!! Or water down some cream...! x

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[moonlights]

Yes absolutely. I usually have a dash of milk now and then on Atkins, just count the carbs! 100ml has about 4.5 carbs I think.

 

[TahjmansMum]

I have stuck to it rigidly (apart from one slip yesterday). I havent lost anything in about a week. Dont beat yourself up, this is a long haul process. Keep drinking lots of water, the weight WILL come off eventually if you are not eating the rubbish you used to - it has to doesnt it!

 

[bluecatlady]

Thanks again all. Tbh I can't have milk in the house I'm so damm addicted to it. It's partly to do with my tummy; I have ibs and my tum like a lot of people on here is highly affected by stress. The only thing that ever calmed it down over the last 15years was milk, but recently having cut down I've found I can do without it as it does not actually help it turns out but it's such a psychologically calming habit to reach for a whole pint... I think I'll battle through the addiction. It was not so bad yesterday, down to pushing only bad people under a bus bad lol. So I think I'm almost withdrawn from it. Phew that was hard work! I must say I'm never risking cereal and milk again!

Still not showing any ketosis signs, maybe I'm just not going to get bad breath or other symptoms. Hooray!

Wish the energy would turn up thou. I'm really drained still.

 

[bluecatlady]

I have stuck to it rigidly (apart from one slip yesterday). I havent lost anything in about a week. Dont beat yourself up, this is a long haul process. Keep drinking lots of water, the weight WILL come off eventually if you are not eating the rubbish you used to - it has to doesnt it!

Thanks for the vote of confidence
I'm sure one slip won't do much since your body takes a few days to adapt and I've read measuring yourself is important for no weight loss weeks.

I think I'm slow to start as I was not eating rubbish before I started. I've been following slimmers world so already very healthy just carb heavy. Silly carbs!

 

[bluecatlady]

Yes absolutely. I usually have a dash of milk now and then on Atkins, just count the carbs! 100ml has about 4.5 carbs I think.

Lovely idea but I can't do a dash. I measured my dash on sw out of interest one day and it was about 80ML. Four times the sw dash. Lol I think I'll just have to avoid the lovely carb heavy stuff.

Out of interest The milk I checked in Tesco was 4.7 for whole and 4.8 for semi skimmed. Even gold top was no better than whole milk which surprised me. Thought the fat content would have replaced some of the carbs.