Diario de bamabowhunter, 22 nov. 10

Daniel, you're basically whipsawing your body with the low-carb/high-carb routine, so it's no wonder if your body is complaining. I'm in my office and not at home, now, but when I get a chance, I'll send you some info on the science behind the Atkins WOE so you better understand what your body is going through. But in a nutshell, it takes your body about 3 days to burn through its carb stores so that you get into ketosis, where your body burns fat for fuel, instead of carbs. When you binge on sweets and go high on carbs, your body goes out of ketosis and back to carb-burning mode again. So, if you're on a clean Induction diet, it'll take you Mon, Tues and Wed just to get back into ketosis; you'll be in ketosis for 2 days on Thurs, Fri. Then you binge on sweets and drop out again. No wonder your body is feeling weird. 

Here's what's available online, which is not nearly as detailed as what's in the books. The link is http://www.atkins.com/Program/ProgramOverview/HowandWhyAtkinsWorks.aspx HOW AND WHY ATKINS WORKS Atkins turns your body into a fat-burning machine. Metabolism is the process that converts food into either energy or your body’s building blocks. Eating the right foods can improve your body’s metabolism, particularly how it handles fat. When you eat fewer carb foods—relying mostly on vegetables rich in fiber—your body switches to burning fat (including your own body fat) instead of carbs as its primary fuel source. Get an exit pass off the blood sugar roller coaster. When you digest carb foods, they convert to glucose (sugar), which your bloodstream transports throughout your body. A rise in blood glucose level triggers the release of the hormone insulin, which moderates your glucose level. (For more information, see The Role of Insulin in Managing Blood Sugar.) So carb intake is largely responsible for blood sugar fluctuations. Food need not taste sweet—think mashed potatoes and white bread—to convert rapidly to glucose. Because your body can store no more than half a day’s energy supply of glucose—unlike our ability to store almost limitless amounts of fat—it makes sense that we burn as much carbohydrate as we can as soon as it’s digested and absorbed. After each carb-heavy meal or snack, your body stops burning off fat as your insulin level escalates to deal with the rising tide of blood sugar. Fat calories are always pushed to the back of the line—where more than likely they’re stored. That’s why insulin is called the “fat hormone.” As long as you keep making glucose into fat, you’re doomed to being heavy. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way. That’s why cutting your carb intake and eating mostly whole food carbohydrates is the core premise of the Atkins Diet. By changing the balance of carbs, fats and protein in your diet, you boost your energy level and keep it on an even keel. When you eat foods composed primarily of protein, fat and fiber, your body produces far less insulin. And when the carbs you do eat are in the form of high-fiber whole foods, which convert to glucose relatively slowly, your blood sugar level holds steady, along with your energy level. You don’t crave a fast-fix energy booster in the form of sugary, starchy food. And you’re less hungry at meals. This perfectly normal process of burning primarily fat for energy has a welcome side effect: weight loss. There’s nothing strange or risky about a primarily fat metabolism. In fact, fat is your body’s back-up energy source. The ability to carry a “fanny pack” of energy in the form of fat actually helped our distant ancestors survive in times of famine and when hunters returned home empty handed. Just to be clear, eating fats doesn’t make you fat as long as you give your body permission to burn them. Place the blame where it belongs: overeating and overreacting to carbs. And herein lies the not-so-secret secret of the Atkins Diet and the key to weight loss—and later weight maintenance—without cravings or undue hunger.  

Thanks. Wendy has told me all this as well but as someone who has never done anything like this before it can be hard and intimidating. I just needed to get it on here so I can't hide from it or make excuses. I am an adult and this was my doing. I have to dust myself off and try again.  

Bama, we have all been there! Just like you said, dust yourself off and start again! 

Hi Daniel: It took me a bit, but I found what I was looking for in Dr. Atkin's New Diet Revolution (2002 ed.), at pp. 224-25: Misconception: You can do Induction during the week and binge on weekends and still lose or maintain weight. Reality: When you do Atkins during the week and then cheat on the weekends, for several days after your binge you are no longer burning fat. At most, you could be in the fat-burning state for only three days each week. In addition, you may have overstimulated your insulin response, increasing the metabolic risk factors underlying your weight problem. Remember that when you burn fat, dietary fat is also being burned. However, if you combine high carbs with high fat -- the typical American diet -- you can be increasing your cardiovascular risks." Also, at p. 216: While this behavior pattern [following Atkins during the week but cheating on the weekends] may work for the short term, it will probably backfire in more ways than one. It's likely that your metabolism will adapt at a certain point -- in a sense, developing a tolerance. .... Going back and forth [between Induction and high carbs] becomes a form of yo-yo dieting." Hope this is helpful. Helen  

Hi Bama. You are doing just fine. You are right... it is hard. You are shifting to a new way of eating after your body is so accustomed to things a different way. Something to think about is the fact that the one single thing each of us have absolute control over is what we decide to consume. The rest of our day is not so very controllable. So why is it so hard then? Probably because the mind, hunger and old habits are getting in the way of your self-control. I too am having a problem recently staying on track. I am giving into my own temptations. Just remember these key things (and I will practice this too!) .... always track everything, always introduce variety in your meal plans (there are a lot of great low-carb recipes all over the web) so you don't get bored and lose focus, and don't forget to celebrate your losses... even if just a little weight drops now and then. This is a journey, a lifestyle, a life change and it does not happen overnight. But you are making the choice to do this, so that puts you halfway to the finish line already. Wishing you all the best. :) 

I agree with Stef (ctlss) and Red Holly. I certainly don't mean to suggest, in my responses, that shifting to Atkins is easy. But for me, it's helpful to understand the science behind the Atkins approach so you know exactly what you're doing when you fall off the wagon. In your case, you said that you tend to "veg" on the weekends; hence my responses re the effects of "being good" during the week but falling off the wagon on weekends. Wishing you the best on keeping on track. helen 

I agree with Helen, the more I read about the science, the more it became more black and white for me and easier to follow a clean induction. Good luck, keep trying, don't give up, once you get going into a clean induction and work through the Atkins flu, you will feel a great surge in energy and clear thinking. I started sleeping better, feeling better and I have little to no cravings. YOU CAN DO IT!  

Thank you everyone for all the support and info.