Weight loss is not a steady downward trip, your weight fluctuates a pound or
two up and down from water retention which can be caused be more salt intake
than usual.  If you get freaked out by rises just weigh yourself once a
week.  If not, weigh every day and get a feel for the normal fluctuations
you will have.  I do this and my graphic is up and down, up and down, but
overall the trend is downward.  Keep low carbing and you will lose.

The one thing I see on your list of foods that might not be a good thing is
the salad dressing, Lite dressings usually have more sugar in them and
Balsamic vinegar also is high in carbs so check out the carbs on the label.
Best dressings have no more than 1 gram of carb per serving.

The most important thing is BE PATIENT.

In news:bUmKb.41694$C87.9088@twister.socal.rr.com,
dot <dot@spam.com> stated

First, use plain text when posting.

Second, gaining a measle pound is no big deal.  You simply could be retaining fluid due to extra salt intake....so don't freak out of 1/132 = 0.8 % increase in bodyweight -- else you'll be a nutcase before long.

Since this got you freaked out, I suggest you only weigh yourself weekly, or maybe even don't weigh -- just take measurements and note how your clothes fit.

People report this kind of thing all the time, so it is no biggie.  Just stick to the program and work in some exercise.

Oh, you might want to avoid the LC ice cream for now...there is stuff in there that might work against your weight loss -- at least temporarily.

 okay here is my story.  I am 55  5'4'' and weighed 134.  2 of those pounds were gained over the holidays so my normal consistent weight has been 132.  Now before you all hate me let me explain.  I am very very very small boned.  Did I say very?  My wrists are so small that I cannot buy regular people watches.  They don't put enough take out links in them to make the band small enough.  I have small feet and have to go to the boys dept. to buy socks or they bunch up in my shoes.  In high school when I reached 5'4'' I weighed 95 lbs.  I stayed that way through my young adult years.  When I reached late 20's and after two children I let myself get to 118 and stayed there until late 30's early 40's.  Around mid 40's I let myself get up to 122 I still looked good at that weight but it showed a little.  We went on a vacation and I gained 3 lbs and I never took it off.  Then at age 50 I had several problems and went in and out of depression and I didn't care what I ate or what I looked like.  I gained weight and was currently at 132.  At 132 it SHOWS!  My legs and arms are still skinny buy I carry all my weight in the mid section.  I have a pot belly and when I wear a tight blouse the flap shows on my back from where my bra is.  I have midriff bulge and a double chin.  Everyone notices my weight gain.  So even though there still is the occasional depression, I decided to do something about it.  Hubby too.  We heard about South Beach got the book and were ready to start Jan 5.  I made a list and went out and bought a lot of low carb food.  Then I had an unexpected event which is requiring me to go out of town for a few days so hubby and I decided to wait until I get back to start.  Since I had already bought all this food, I decided to just sorta mini start and cut out the white stuff, bread, sugars all the no no's.  Well to my surprise I lost 3 pounds in 4 days.  I WAS ECSTATIC!  Sure it was probably just water weight  but on the 5th day I went out and bought those Ketosis testing strips and I was in the PINK! Even more ECSTATIC!  So I wanted to keep going and I really watched the carbs the next day.  For breakfast I had 2 egg omelet with 2 slices Canadian bacon, green peppers and mushrooms.  2 sticks of skim mozzarella for a snack.  10 almonds.  I skipped lunch...I just wasn't hungry.  For dinner I had baby greens salad with bacon bits and Paul Newman's Lite Balsamic Vinegrette, three slices of deli roast beef , some cubed low fat Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese, and 1/2 of a green pepper.  I couldn't finish it all and threw some of it away.  Later that evening I had some bryer's low carb Ice Cream a little more than half a cup.  I expected to get up this morning and weigh even less and to my surprise I GAINED a pound!  How could that be?  What happened?  Is that normal?  I did a test strip this morning and it was a very pale pink but still.  How did I gain?  I can see maybe not losing...but gaining???!!! THIS STINKS!  Today I am watching everything I stick in my mouth to see what happens tomorrow.  Granted I didn't get much exercise but from what the book says, that is an added plus but not necessary.  I didn't drink a gallon of water but at least a half gallon which about twice what I normally drink.  any ideas?
 dot

It is entirely possible that your scales are not accurate enough. If your
scales are 99.3% accurate (which would be pretty darned good) then that
pound may not be real.

Track your weight over a week or so and see the trend. It will be downward
if you keep to the WOE, it really will.
Weigh yourself at the same time every day (first thing in the morning is
usually considered best)

Depending on what you eat and drink (and lets face it, on what you excrete!)
you weight will vary by a pound or so during the day. Don't worry about it,
it will happen. This is a way of life, not a short term diet.

A

It was the ice cream.  The scales show a gain everytime I eat it.  Water weight!
 okay here is my story.  I am 55  5'4'' and weighed 134.  2 of those pounds were gained over the holidays so my normal consistent weight has been 132.  Now before you all hate me let me explain.  I am very very very small boned.  Did I say very?  My wrists are so small that I cannot buy regular people watches.  They don't put enough take out links in them to make the band small enough.  I have small feet and have to go to the boys dept. to buy socks or they bunch up in my shoes.  In high school when I reached 5'4'' I weighed 95 lbs.  I stayed that way through my young adult years.  When I reached late 20's and after two children I let myself get to 118 and stayed there until late 30's early 40's.  Around mid 40's I let myself get up to 122 I still looked good at that weight but it showed a little.  We went on a vacation and I gained 3 lbs and I never took it off.  Then at age 50 I had several problems and went in and out of depression and I didn't care what I ate or what I looked like.  I gained weight and was currently at 132.  At 132 it SHOWS!  My legs and arms are still skinny buy I carry all my weight in the mid section.  I have a pot belly and when I wear a tight blouse the flap shows on my back from where my bra is.  I have midriff bulge and a double chin.  Everyone notices my weight gain.  So even though there still is the occasional depression, I decided to do something about it.  Hubby too.  We heard about South Beach got the book and were ready to start Jan 5.  I made a list and went out and bought a lot of low carb food.  Then I had an unexpected event which is requiring me to go out of town for a few days so hubby and I decided to wait until I get back to start.  Since I had already bought all this food, I decided to just sorta mini start and cut out the white stuff, bread, sugars all the no no's.  Well to my surprise I lost 3 pounds in 4 days.  I WAS ECSTATIC!  Sure it was probably just water weight  but on the 5th day I went out and bought those Ketosis testing strips and I was in the PINK! Even more ECSTATIC!  So I wanted to keep going and I really watched the carbs the next day.  For breakfast I had 2 egg omelet with 2 slices Canadian bacon, green peppers and mushrooms.  2 sticks of skim mozzarella for a snack.  10 almonds.  I skipped lunch...I just wasn't hungry.  For dinner I had baby greens salad with bacon bits and Paul Newman's Lite Balsamic Vinegrette, three slices of deli roast beef , some cubed low fat Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese, and 1/2 of a green pepper.  I couldn't finish it all and threw some of it away.  Later that evening I had some bryer's low carb Ice Cream a little more than half a cup.  I expected to get up this morning and weigh even less and to my surprise I GAINED a pound!  How could that be?  What happened?  Is that normal?  I did a test strip this morning and it was a very pale pink but still.  How did I gain?  I can see maybe not losing...but gaining???!!! THIS STINKS!  Today I am watching everything I stick in my mouth to see what happens tomorrow.  Granted I didn't get much exercise but from what the book says, that is an added plus but not necessary.  I didn't drink a gallon of water but at least a half gallon which about twice what I normally drink.  any ideas?
 dot

You're a f.cking idiot.

 okay here is my story.  I am 55  5'4'' and weighed 134.  2 of those pounds were gained over the holidays so my normal consistent weight has been 132.  Now before you all hate me let me explain.  I am very very very small boned.  Did I say very?  My wrists are so small that I cannot buy regular people watches.  They don't put enough take out links in them to make the band small enough.  I have small feet and have to go to the boys dept. to buy socks or they bunch up in my shoes.  In high school when I reached 5'4'' I weighed 95 lbs.  I stayed that way through my young adult years.  When I reached late 20's and after two children I let myself get to 118 and stayed there until late 30's early 40's.  Around mid 40's I let myself get up to 122 I still looked good at that weight but it showed a little.  We went on a vacation and I gained 3 lbs and I never took it off.  Then at age 50 I had several problems and went in and out of depression and I didn't care what I ate or what I looked like.  I gained weight and was currently at 132.  At 132 it SHOWS!  My legs and arms are still skinny buy I carry all my weight in the mid section.  I have a pot belly and when I wear a tight blouse the flap shows on my back from where my bra is.  I have midriff bulge and a double chin.  Everyone notices my weight gain.  So even though there still is the occasional depression, I decided to do something about it.  Hubby too.  We heard about South Beach got the book and were ready to start Jan 5.  I made a list and went out and bought a lot of low carb food.  Then I had an unexpected event which is requiring me to go out of town for a few days so hubby and I decided to wait until I get back to start.  Since I had already bought all this food, I decided to just sorta mini start and cut out the white stuff, bread, sugars all the no no's.  Well to my surprise I lost 3 pounds in 4 days.  I WAS ECSTATIC!  Sure it was probably just water weight  but on the 5th day I went out and bought those Ketosis testing strips and I was in the PINK! Even more ECSTATIC!  So I wanted to keep going and I really watched the carbs the next day.  For breakfast I had 2 egg omelet with 2 slices Canadian bacon, green peppers and mushrooms.  2 sticks of skim mozzarella for a snack.  10 almonds.  I skipped lunch...I just wasn't hungry.  For dinner I had baby greens salad with bacon bits and Paul Newman's Lite Balsamic Vinegrette, three slices of deli roast beef , some cubed low fat Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese, and 1/2 of a green pepper.  I couldn't finish it all and threw some of it away.  Later that evening I had some bryer's low carb Ice Cream a little more than half a cup.  I expected to get up this morning and weigh even less and to my surprise I GAINED a pound!  How could that be?  What happened?  Is that normal?  I did a test strip this morning and it was a very pale pink but still.  How did I gain?  I can see maybe not losing...but gaining???!!! THIS STINKS!  Today I am watching everything I stick in my mouth to see what happens tomorrow.  Granted I didn't get much exercise but from what the book says, that is an added plus but not necessary.  I didn't drink a gallon of water but at least a half gallon which about twice what I normally drink.  any ideas?
 dot

A) Looks like a lot of sodium that day, which will make you retain water
for a couple of days.  (I once gained six pounds of water retention after
overdoing bacon at a breakfast buffet).  Drink plenty of water to flush
out the sodium.

B) Where are you in your cycle?  Water retention is always a factor
there.

C) At your low starting weight, total calories are going to be much
more of a factor than for someone looking to lose more than 50 pounds.
Watch the dairy products in particular -- at roughly 100 calories per
cubic inch for cheese, or ounce of heavy cream, they can add up quickly
to too many excess calories.  Treat cheese as more of a condiment than
a snack food.

168/125/125  LC since 2/18/97 maintaining since 3/17/99

<snip>
How did I gain?  I can see maybe not

Hi Dot, welcome to ASDLC.  And congratulations on  your initial weight loss!
What you did was a *great* way to start -- simply cutting out the sugars,
starches and other carby foods.  In fact, eating low-carb really isn't much
more complicated than that when you get down to the basics.

I'm afraid that you made one of the mistakes, though,  that is common in
low-carb beginners.  For at least the first couple of weeks -- probably
longer -- try stick to "real" food (meat, vegetables), exactly as you did
the first couple of days when you were so successful.  You were so satiated
that you weren't hungry; even skipped a meal, remember?  Then you ate
"low-carb" ice cream and BAM!  A 1-pound weight gain.  Don't despair; read
on.

Many of us avoid the "artificial" foods altogether.  They can cause
weight-loss stalls and often contain ingredients that are not healthy.  This
includes "protein bars," "low-carb ice cream," "low-carb breads," Low-carb
muffins," etc.  The labeling can be deceptive and these items can contain
hidden carbs or sweeteners that either cause immediate weight gain or water
retention, or can trigger an insulin roller coaster response and re-start
carb cravings again.  Most items you can buy in a grocery store today that
say "low-carb" aren't really low-carb at all -- just slightly lower than the
non-low-carb, and full of nasty things.

You see, a low-carb eating plan is more than just a "diet," it's a whole new
lifelong way of eating.  Some of things that we used to crave and long for
(such as ice cream) really are just habits that are surprisingly easily
broken; you may be find that you actually lose your desire to eat it after a
short while.

Oh, and before I write a recipe for you I just wanted to mention something.
When you write a long post, please break it up into paragraphs grouped by
thoughts.    It makes it much, much easier to read
------------------
Here's a suggestion for a delicious satisfying "sweet" treat that may help
with the cravings until you get past that stage:

Easy low-carb Mousse:

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (3.3g carbs)
1 small package of sugar-free jello (lime,cherry, orange etc.)* (3g carbs)

Beat the whipping cream in a chilled bowl until stiff peaks begin to form.
Sprinkle in the lemon jello mix; beat a few more seconds until blended.
Serve and enjoy.  About 6.3 carbs for the entire recipe; makes quite a bit.
Delicious!  Creamy, a bit tart, and satisfies that sweet tooth!

* Please note:  Some people claim that aspartame (Equal) stalls their weight
loss; it does not seem to affect others.  If you happen to be one of these
people this may not be for you since SF Jello contains aspartame.  But you
won't know until you try.

Good luck, Dot, and I wish you all the success in the world with your new
way of eating.
--
Peter
website:  http://users.thelink.net/marengo