It probably wouldn't work for everyone, but it worked for me.  When I
started attempting to lose weight, I drew up a chart with weekly goal
weights, and with some of them highlighted: the no-longer-obese day, the
no-longer-overweight day, the 100-pounds-lost day, and the
half-my-bodyweight-lost day.  It was a little discouraging at first because
the chart went out a little over two years into the future.  But tracking
it was fun, especially when I beat my date targets for the first two main
ones.  And I amazed myself by hitting the 100-pound and the half-bodyweight
goals on the exact dates that I had targeted for them so long before.

Em

For some people, even (or sometimes because of ) staying on Induction their
lows slows down significantly. Some others are lucky and lose quickly and
reach their goals within the first few months. It has to do with so many
factors that there's no "safe" prediction.

Weight loss is absolutely not linear. It doesn't make sense that it
would be. Just by reading the posts here or looking at the low-carb
challenger data you can see that those with less to lose loss less per
week. . The heavier you are the more you lose, the closer to your
optimal weight the much slower. Weight loss will look like a curve.

Here a chart showing an estimated trend. My actual weight (in yellow)
is closely following it so far. I will adjust my calculation to better
follwo the trend over time.

http://members.aol.com/digitalvinyl66/EstimatedTrend.gif

The graphs shows almost two and a half years to go from 350 to 190.
The formula that is working for me is 2.3% of overweight a week.
Overwieght being the difference between current weight and a healthy
minimum(something your body would be very, very resitant to sink below
without illness forcing it). I guesstimated my minimum at 180(6'3",
large frame, male)

(current weight - minimum)  * 0.023 = a week's loss.

I imagine that 0.023 is probably a personal number, unless there is
some universal maximum. I'm far from being an active, exercising
adult. Theory is if I exercised, I would increase this(greater than
3.35 lbs per week!).

If it drops faster than that, wonderful. But my mind just doesn't see
that as realistic. Otherwise people would drop holiday weight in a
week or two and be done with it.

Also, Sseaott, Induction is not necessarily the best way to lose
weight. You are thinking like a person trained on low-fat, eat less
fat means I'm less fat. Less carbs does not mean less fat. Carbs are
controlling blood sugars and appetite. Hopefully the appetite
suppression and retraining yourself to look for danger foods will get
you through to a point where you consume a more reasonable amount of
food, naturally-thereby causing weight loss without starvation. BUt
your body may shed pounds best at 30,40,50,60 carbs a day. Until you
ride out OWL you won't know. I'm spending two weeks at each 5-gram
level because I find the first week seems to rollercoaster a bit. At
25 and 30 grams I lost just as much weight as I did at 20gms. Heavily
resitant people may be forced to stay at induction or lower levels,
but until you spends weeks in OWL you won't know that about your body.
Also YOU may find the diet is more sustainable a 1.5 lbs/week at
50carbs than 2.5lbs/week at 20carbs. And if you can't reasonably stick
with the diet then the diet you are following has failed. (and
Induction is not an official diet, merely the first few weeks of one)

While it may be discouraging to realize you won't always lose weight
super fast, it should not be used as excuse to quit. By the time your
weight loss slows, you will already be much healthier than you were.

I've lost 30 lbs, less than 20% of what I should actually lose. I know
my weight loss will slow, but I'm already wearing clothing that
stopped fitting two years ago. I'm seeing inches disappear (and from
other threads I should see an inch gain someplaces ;-). These are the
things that matter most. Some people keep saying "you're still on that
diet?" Simply because everyone has been taught that dietary changes
are temporary. Diet for a little while and your weight problems will
all go away. Atkins/LC isn't temporary. If you do have a lot of
success LCing, I imagine that means carbs are an issue for you and if
you return to 200-300carbs a day all the "issues" will come back.

DiGiTAL_ViNYL (no email)
350/321/Mar-315/200
Atkins since Jan 12, 2004

Because less carbs does not mean more loss.  Does not matter if you can
quote from the book to claim otherwise.  It isn't true in the actual
world of what actually works.  C's doing great.

S, you haven't listened to anything anyone has said to you here have you?  I
remember the threads when you first started and I also remember that people
gave you some really good advice.

Most of all, you have to remember that most people here are not as young as
you.  If I recall correctly, I believe you said you were 19 or so?  I'll
also assume that your friend who lost a whack of weight in 6months on
Induction is close to your age.  People in their 30's 40's and plus do NOT
lose weight at the same rate as opposed to younger people around your age.
Please keep that in mind before you post, as you have a couple of times
already, and tell people they must not be doing something right because they
don't lose as quickly as you or your friend do.
Peace,
Monica