Im stuck

[EMSOfficer]

Ok people one night I went a little crazy and ate a whole can of cashews which was like 90 carbs. Ever since then when I do a ketostix i have been in the small range. I have changed ketostix because they were bought at Walgreens and not Walmart but I am using Walgreens and have noticed I have not went above a small since then and I have cut my carbs back down to 10 to 20 a day.

Stuck at 417

Lt. Derrick

[pennink]

You're back on track, that's the important thing. (Guess you've learned your lesson!) Oh, and they would have been the ones that are salted too? Evil cashews...

Some people have luck with intermittent fasting... check it out!
And, ketostix aren't always reliable. I ONLY use the ones made by Bayer as they are always reliable.

And what do you bet me that you have the huge woosh like you had before?

Aren't nuts a pain? I have to count out my almonds then put away bag before I dive my fist right in and grab handfuls!


Pat yourself on the back that you got back on track. We are all waiting for another 'holy crap' thread!:thup:

[kathleen24]

may I be the pita that posts this (gentle) reminder?

begin quote:
Hello all

Just wanted to give some info on me and why I am here. I weigh in at around 475 pounds. I am 6 foot 4. On May 28 I decided enough was enough. I can't do my current job effectively with my weight. I had to leave a fire department I was on because I couldn't do fire academy. I decided to change my eating habits for me and for no particular reason except to be healthier. end quote

So on May 28 (one month ago + change) did you think that you would be noting that you were "stuck at 417"? Where do you think you'll be a month from now?

most of us discover nuts hell the hard way. I can't just eat a few--so if I'm keeping my nose clean, I stay away from them. It's that simple.

One more thing--very few of us fall off the wagon from a clean program to a major whumphf!--we meander--a few nuts here, and a few more, and a little bit too much of that, and hitting the strawberries and cream pretty hard--and wouldn't some sugar-free chocolate be good--after all, I deserve it--and so it goes--slippery slope.

YMMV--but you are doing great--life lies ahead of you, beckoning. Someday you're going to save someone's life because you took the time to first save your own--and you will look back and think, "If I hadn't done that, I couldn't be here doing this today. . . "

What do you want more than anything? Work towards that.

BTW, I fall into the never-use-ketostix-they-drive-me-nuts camp. Again, YMMV . . .

[suze_c]

As far as ketostix...way back when... someone had posted on here about getting ketostix at the vet- because they were cheaper. I haven't bought any yet- not totally into the lc as much as i want to be... just moving (and 4th time since May '06) kinda put a little upheaval into one's lives.Anyhow, when I did buy them- I cut mine in half- goes much farther that way!

[drywall]

don't worry about the stix. If you want to see if you are in ketosis, eat a piece of cheddar. Then ask someone to smell your breath. Chances are you will smell it too. :lol: Just keep on sticking to the 10-20 carbs and you'll be fine. Good luck.
P.S. try to stay away from the nuts, they make me crave different food.

[foxgluvs]

At your weight there's no reason in the world why you should be stuck - in fact, I am guessing that it is just a set point and you'll start dropping on the scale very soon! :)

Our bodies have this knack of trying to conserve the fat, they get all possessive of it, if you shock your body into thinking something's changing it'll hang on to its resources. You have to just keep on trucking along and eventually your scale will start dropping again.

Have faith in yourself that you can do this! I know you can. In a few more months you'll be lighter and more experienced in leaving those dreaded nuts alone ;) Nuts are sneaky too - they make themselves so delicious that you simply can't NOT eat them! Bah!! They are nothing more than temptresses!!! Step away from the nuts LOL

Oh and the sticks - throw them in the trash!!! I started off obsessing over them till I realised that cortisone (the stress hormone) can stop you losing weight too!

[foxgluvs]

Also I just found this, look at what the second poster told you :)

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=337974

[diemde]

Ok, sounds like you really want a way to measure whether what you are doing is working. Is that right? I mean, that's the intent of the ketosticks, right... to know if you are really losing the fat? There are better ways... and I agree with the others - ditch the sticks.

Simply tracking your carb counts should work quite well. You'll have to play around a bit to confirm the highest number that still works for you to lose weight. Mine was 70 net carbs. Track your carbs each day for 7 days, then compare the amount of weight lost against the average carb count per day. If you are continuing to lose, then you know your carb count is good. If you continue to do this week after week, then when you stop losing for a week, you know you need to reduce carbs a bit more. By the time you get to maintenance mode, you'll probably be around 40-50 carbs (that's what I've read is the most common range).

I also highly recommend you consider buying a body fat monitor. I have an older version of this one from Omron (http://www.omronhealthcare.com/enTouchCMS/app/viewDocument?docID=45). Note that these do not measure if you are over 50% BF, so you'll want to try it at the store before you buy. The best thing about using a BF monitor is that it lets you really see how much fat you have vs lean mass. When you lose overall scale weight, you can really see whether you are losing fat or muscle. If you do this once a week or twice a month, you can spot when you are starting to slow down on the fat loss. And then you can worry about cutting back.

Or you could just not worry about tracking with any specific tools other than the scale. In order to maintain any weight you lose now, you are going to be eating lowered carbs for the rest of your life. If you take the mind set now that this is the way you will eat, then just keep eating this way. If you go overboard once in awhile (i.e. let the inner brat out) then just get back on track the next meal or the next day. The longer you eat this way, the more you'll feel comfortable and you'll know when there is a problem.

And just a bit of tough love here... you knew that eating a whole can of nuts was not a good idea, right? But the food addict took control for a little bit. That's ok, I bet most of us have done that a time or 2. I know I have done it. I just can't buy SF cookies or candy if I want to keep that little inner brat, the food addict, from taking control. So I suggest you don't buy the nuts. If they are not on hand, you can't eat 'em.

[Scented1]

hang in there, just keep going. You can do it, look how far you have come so far. Rome wasn't built in a day!

HUGS

Rach

[Kandra]

Hi Lt,
Boy do I know about being stuck. It seems like the body has a mind of its own when it comes to ditching the fat. I did very low carbs and was still stalled for over a month. At one point I was averaging under 10g per day! The ketosticks never went to heavy, but I drink a lot of water and that can skew the reading. Hang in there. It may take a while but if you stay with it you'll drop down to the weight that you're wanting! You can do it!

[Kisal]

It doesn't really matter how dark the ketostix turn for you. You are either in ketosis, or you are not. I suggest that you do a week of clean Induction to get back on track.

[molmerlin]

YMMV--but you are doing great--life lies ahead of you, beckoning. Someday you're going to save someone's life because you took the time to first save your own--and you will look back and think, "If I hadn't done that, I couldn't be here doing this today. . . "

What do you want more than anything? Work towards that.

. . .

do you really need anything more than that? You have a calling, not everyone can do what you do, work toward that. You will have stalls. You will fall off the wagon. Get back on and move forward.
I have never used the stix. What really is the point? You know what you are eating and drinking, so you should know how you are doing

good luck

[pennink]

do you really need anything more than that? You have a calling, not everyone can do what you do, work toward that. You will have stalls. You will fall off the wagon. Get back on and move forward.
I have never used the stix. What really is the point? You know what you are eating and drinking, so you should know how you are doing

good luck

Because Atkins wanted a gradual increase of carbs, the stix are an excellent way to see what one's critical carb level is. Additionally, these days, there are more additives than when Atkins started his revolution, and the stix, at least for me, show me that there's something lurking in something I ate that isn't on the label. (Or I missed when I bought the crap)

[molmerlin]

Because Atkins wanted a gradual increase of carbs, the stix are an excellent way to see what one's critical carb level is. Additionally, these days, there are more additives than when Atkins started his revolution, and the stix, at least for me, show me that there's something lurking in something I ate that isn't on the label. (Or I missed when I bought the crap)

I understand all that, I guess I am just saying that sometimes people fixate on those stix. They do everything they should be, and the stix don't show them the color they think they should see, and they get bogged down wondering what they are doing wrong. When in actuality, they are doing everything right. I try to stay away from as much processed as I can. And I think after a while, we just know by heart what we can and can't eat. If the stix help you, great. Just don't get fixated. Same thing with scales. In a past life I would weigh every time I came out of the bathroom, and that is just asking for disappointment. I have weaned myself to one time a day, and that is too often,

[EMSOfficer]

ok weighed today down to 415

[tmatrocks]

Easy to fixate on the stix, just as it is easy to fixate on the scale every day.

I suggest you toss the stix and weigh yourself less often.

Keep with it - and focus on the BIG JOURNEY!

[suze_c]

When the scale isn't moving as I would like- I will measure myself, and most times the measuring tape will show results faster than the scale. There are so many factors that can influence weight, as we all know.

[LakeSimcoe]

Great news on the 415. I am one of those who weighs daily, sometimes there is no change but at least I know where I am and there is no surprises after 3-4 days. If it holds for a few days that can be OK because then there is usually a drop. We just keep on track. All the best on your journey.

[molmerlin]

good to see you are still here! You need to get a journal going, put in it everytihing you eat, every day. It really will help you!!! How cool is it going to be when you get below 400? Just seeing a 3 instead of a 4 will so motivate you!!!
come on, post more!!

[ValerieL]

See, it's moving!

Just keep at it. You will have ups and downs, the scale is notorious for that. I've had weeks, more than a couple in a row, where I was doing everything exactly right, and still gained two pounds. Your body & the scale will try to trick you into giving up. Don't let them win!

Val