Lowcarb/Atkins MiniFAQ

Frequently Addressed Issues for Lowcarbers.

Many folks lose great on Induction and then stall. This is normal and to be expected since your body is adjusting to your new weight. The stall will pass and weight loss will resume, usually (but not always) within 2-3 weeks.

Citric acid, a common ingredient in diet soda and other diet products, can stall weight loss for 40-50% of lowcarbers. If you are sensitive to this substance it can slow down your weight loss by kicking you out of ketosis.

Water is essential to weight loss, especially for lowcarbers. The minimum consumed daily should be 64 oz PLUS 8 oz for every 25 pounds overweight.

You can stay at 20 grams of carbs per day for longer than 2 weeks. If staying on 20 gm carb per day causes a stall, upping carbs to 25 or 30 grams can jumpstart weight loss.

Cheese and cream are allowed on lowcarb plans but eating too much, more than an ounce or two of cheese, or maybe a tablespoon or two of cream can slow or stall weight loss for many.

Many lowcarbers and Atkids drink/ingest caffeine and still lose weight. Atkins based his no caffeine stance on a study that did not take into account the citric acid present in caffeinated diet soda which skewed weight loss results. The caffeine was blamed instead of the citric acid. Be aware that coffee does contain carbs so count them in your carb gram total.

You may get a severe headache 2-5 days into Induction. If you have cut out all caffeine have some and then wean yourself off of it, if you care to. If the headache is not caffeine related make sure you are drinking enough water as this tends to ease discomfort. The headaches should subside as your body adapts to using ketones.

Headaches can occur if your ketosis is too deep. Up carbs by 5-10 grams to alleviate the pain. This can be achieved by the addition of a cup of lowcarb veggies, like green beans, to your diet.

Headaches can the the result of too little water. Make sure you are drinking all of your water. It is essential for so many things on lowcarb that not drinking enough is practically asking your lowcarb plan to fail.

Ketostix are not necessary to the success of your plan and DO NOT go for the purple. Anything past moderate indicates that you are not drinking enough water.

The absolutely essential supplements are a good multi-vitamin, calcium/magnesium in a 1500mg/750mg ratio and potassium from Morton's lite salt or other source. Every other supplement mentioned by Atkins is optional.

If you get night time leg cramps not attributable to restless leg syndrome you are not taking enough calcium/magnesium or potassium, see above.

If you experience dizziness or lightheadedness and you are drinking plenty of water the symptoms can be alleviated by the ingestion of potassium and sodium. This dizziness can occur because of the diuretic action of the lowcarb diet and the necessary ingestion of 3 quarts of water a day. 1/4 tsp of potassium chloride (from Morton's Lite Salt) and 1/4 tsp sodium (from table salt) mixed in 8 oz of water and then ingested should quickly help solve the problem. If symptoms persist see your health care practioner.

Protein powder shakes that are also lowcarb can be used as meal replacements. The tastiest ones seem to be egg or milk protein based. Caution should be used, however, as some lowcarbers have stalled in their weight loss efforts when too many shakes were used or too many ingredients, like artificial sweetener, cocoa powder and nut butters were added.

Artificial sweetener packets contain 0.96 carbs per packet so count each packet as one carb. When added to shakes, beverages and recipes those packets add up fast.

A combination of sweeteners seems to work the best at reproducing an acceptible sugar-like flavor, with a minimum of after taste. Using half saccharine and half aspartame in a shake or beverage gives a better taste than using either one alone.

Many women experience a weight gain of 2-5 pounds the week before their Aunt Flo comes to visit. This water weight gain is temporary. Additionally lowcarbing women have found that tuna with extra mayo helps alleviate carb cravings during Aunt Flo's visit, so reach for that tuna instead of that chocolate!

And, finally, not everyone should be an Atkid. If your problems are more serious than those touched on here you might want to consider another plan.