Thank you Turtles!

[Melcht]

Thank you to everyone that posts messages. I was ready to throw in the towel this morning until I read all of your messages. Now I don't feel so discouraged or alone!

I have started and stopped the induction diet 4 times in the past 3 months. During the first week I usually start out by loosing 2-3lbs within a few days then later in the week I gain .5lb to 1lb and stay there for the next week. I eat mostly eggs, meat, cheese (lots of cheese), and 1-2 small salads everyday. Once in a while I will have a tablespoon or two of peanut butter or 1oz of nuts to break up the monotony.

I got serveral ideas on what I can change to hopefully produce results. The biggest I think is giving up the cheese for a couple of weeks to see what happens. I actually brought cheese as part of my lunch today and just threw it in the trash. :) It feels good to have a new strategy!

Thanks again!

[Atriana]

Cutting out the cheese will probably help. Since you don't have a lot of weight to lose, you will probably never see that dramatic "10 pounds in a week" type of loss that other people have. My entire weight loss in the last month totalled 1 pound - but in that month I also dropped another pants size. The entire key to being a successful turtle is consistancy. Keep your carbs at a reasonable level and try not to deviate too much from day to day. Keep a list of benefits ( other than weight loss) that you have noticed since you started low carb. This is really helpful when you are bummed about the slow weight loss and are ready to drown yourself in chocolate. Remember always that you are not alone.

[razzle]

Melcht, I know what you mean about just having other turtles helping. And it does also help our optimism, often, to have something new to try to budge the pounds.

Do you exercise? Aerobic exercise can speed weight loss--weight training can speed FAT loss but slow scale loss, as we are building muscle by doing it.

Think about staying off the scale all but once a month. Since you have so little to lose, and you know you'll lose it slowly, this will help you see the bigger picture of steady loss without that frustration of seeing the daily fluctuations.

HTH!

[Melcht]

Thanks for the suggestion to stay off the scale except for once per month. I have often thought about trying this but have been fearful of gaining and not realizing it. I may try it though.

I do work out a least 4 times per week at Curves, which is a combination of aerobic exercise and weight resistance. When I started at Curves 8 months ago I thought I might gain a couple of pounds in muscle, but also shrink in inches. I have actually gained 10 pounds and shrank a few inches, but I am also up a size in clothing. My assumption is the weight is shifting around. I am hoping to loose that extra 10lbs through a LC diet to get back into my smaller size. I realzie now that it will take time a patience.

Thanks for your support!