hit plateau, stuck, please help

[angie35016]

I have been on the Atkins diet now since 11/3/04. 14 pound weight loss to date. I have been at my current weight for 2 weeks. I have not changed my eating habits and the weight has stopped coming off. Please help with any suggestions that may help me get over this hump. Is this normal? Is there any thing I can do to restart the weight loss?

[nowonder]

This is normal. If you don't see any movement on the scale OR the tape measure for another 3 or 4 weeks, then you have an issue...

Of course, we might be able to help you identify a potential problem area if you post a couple days worth of menu's.

--nw

[MaryToU]

I second that, commonly know as the post induction stall. Your body is just taking the time to readjust to all the new changes. Many find that why the scale is staying the same at this time, the inches are dropping. An offical stall is not weight or inches loss for at least 6 weeks.

[Stephen31]

at a glance you are at normal weight loss and nuthing is wrong, some stalls happen i would suggest to start a journal or re-look at what you have eaten or if you cheated that could be the cause, but you can try to go back to strick introduction, that the key to all this, is strick low carbing and no cheating.....and drinking your WATER may help kick you back in........but usually hidden carbs are causes of stalls....be patient and it will work....

[Cissie]

Keep in mind your body has to adjust. If you loose it all at one time you will end up a bag of skin! Cheer up, this is normal and you are doing great sounds like to me. We tend to get so impatient when we are trying to loose don't we? I too am very guilty of that! So for now give yourself a break and a great big hug for what you have lost!

Keep it up!

Cissie

[Quest]

Angie,
From the posts above you should be getting the message that your current situation is normal, though frustrating. 14 pounds is a very big induction loss, so you should be excited. Losses will normally be much slower after the first few weeks, even if you stick to induction level eating.

[astrocreep]

Yeah I think i've hit a plateau as well. I've been doing this since August 9th though, so I think it's just alittle late for a post-induction stall, although I have been in induction the entire time. I'm experimenting with increased carbs though, this is Day 2 of 25g carbs. I think one of my problems could be the protein, as I've read if you eat alot of protein it turns into blood sugar. I eat 100-150g of protein per day, does anybody know at which point this begins to turn into sugar??

[Rosebud]

Yeah I think i've hit a plateau as well. I've been doing this since August 9th though, so I think it's just alittle late for a post-induction stall, although I have been in induction the entire time. I'm experimenting with increased carbs though, this is Day 2 of 25g carbs. I think one of my problems could be the protein, as I've read if you eat alot of protein it turns into blood sugar. I eat 100-150g of protein per day, does anybody know at which point this begins to turn into sugar??
Hi Astrocreep,

I've just taken a peek into your journal, and I would suggest that the last thing you'd touch is the protein. ;) I think your protein level is just right. :thup: If you were to go below 100g, you could wind up losing a bit of muscle instead of fat.

Speaking of muscle instead of fat, have you been measuring yourself? As you may know, muscle weighs more than fat, and sometimes we lose fat as we build a spot of muscle with either a slight gain or no change on the scales. And the muscle gain does not necessarily come from heavy gym work. Just eating "adequate" protein after a low protein diet (as many of us do before low carbing) can be enough for us to grow a little muscle. or two. :D

The first suggestion I would make is to have a look at the helpful suggestions on this site about plateaus: http://www.lowcarbretreat.com/plateaus.html

My second suggestion would be to cool it with the artificial sweeteners for a bit. I notice you seem to be enjoying a few low carb treats. Unfortunately, some of us (me, for example :() find this to be a bit of a problem. Not saying it is, just mentioning it as a possibility.

The other thing you could do - which ties in with cutting down AS - is try eating KISS (keep it simple, sweetie/stupid) for a while. KISS basically means, well, basic. Nothing processed, no dairy etc. Here is the link if you are interested: http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/irock/kiss_rules.html

Just a few suggestions. :)

Cheers,

Rosebud:rose:

[ZoesMom]

I'm in the very same boat. I began LCing on the 17th of November, and my scale is stuck also. But, I tell 'ya what...see if you notice if your clothes are a little loose. I can tell a big difference in my clothes and when I'm naked, but I'm still the same weight. I think Rosebud gave a very good explanation for this...along with some other great advice and links. (Thanks, Rosebud!) Hang in there....this is a new way of life, not a race to the "finish" line. You're doing great!!!

[angie35016]

Thanks so much everybody. From what you have all said, i must be normal....lol...imagine that. Your support means so much. I think I will increase my water intake also. I hate just plain water. I have been drinking the Propel water. Do you guys think this is ok??? or would it do more harm than good.

[nowonder]

Thanks so much everybody. From what you have all said, i must be normal....lol...imagine that. Your support means so much. I think I will increase my water intake also. I hate just plain water. I have been drinking the Propel water. Do you guys think this is ok??? or would it do more harm than good.


A quick search of the web shows it has 3g of carbs per 8 oz! So if you drink 64oz of this a day you are over the induction level of carbs. So I would vote not okay...

--nw

[Quest]

Nice catch, Nowonder!

[astrocreep]

Thanks rosebud, I doubt I could even go below 100g of protein a day though. Like I said i'm a BIG meat eater. I measure myself as well as weigh myself but I dont see any drastic changes in those numbers either. My clothes don't seem to be a hell of alot bigger than they were a month ago either (I measure it by how often and by how much my mom has to take in one of my skirts).

About the artificial sweeteners, I dunno about that. LoL. I was eating pretty much the same amount in the beginning as I am now, probably even more.

Thanks for the suggestions rosebud.

[Lunasphere]

If you like Propel maybe you will like Fruit2o (no carbs). I do! I haven't bought any in a while though because I have noticed when I have some in the house that is all I drink and I start thinking that plain water is nasty all over again. Right now I can drink plain water so I am trying to keep it like that. Maybe you can dilute those Propels with some plain water until you drink them up (or give them away).

[joanne42]

If the stall lasts too long have yourself a high carb day. .You will gain a pound or two back but then get right back with the program after your cheat day.. Sometimes your body just needs a shock.. After losing 74 pounds I've gone through that plateau once or twice.. The scales will eventually start moving again..

[nowonder]

If the stall lasts too long have yourself a high carb day. .You will gain a pound or two back but then get right back with the program after your cheat day.. Sometimes your body just needs a shock.. After losing 74 pounds I've gone through that plateau once or twice.. The scales will eventually start moving again..

Just a warning that this doesn't work for everyone... and the high carb day isn't an excuse to binge on all the stuff you use to eat. There are plenty of other threads on carb cycling, so I won't go into it here.

--nw

[astrocreep]

I have found that the high carb days work for me as well. I took a 4 day "atkins holiday" over thanksgiving where I ate whatever I wanted pretty much. I ate things like oatmeal, apples, sanwhiches on LC bread, oh and apple pie (LoL). I did another 3-4 day carb detox where I just ate meat and I lost 5lbs.

I think carb cycling is worth a try. Try it for a week or two. See how you feel and if you loose any weight.