Could someone help me please?

[Brit]

I began the Dr. Atkins plan on March 14th. The first week I lost 5 pounds. Since then, in spite of everything I have tried, there has been no poundage lost, or inches. I was hoping that if I write down everything I am consuming, someone might be able to help me figure out where I am going wrong. I was taking HRT's when I began, but with my Doctors blessing, I have stopped taking my Hormone therapy in hopes that it will help my weightloss. I have been sticking to the plan, with no cheating, so I am at a loss :p (no pun intended!) as to why this is not working for me. A week ago I actually started Dr. Atkins Fat Fast......no loss. It really is becoming very frustrating, but I am NOT going to give up! :thup:

Breakfast: 2 hard boiled deviled eggs made with 2 teaspoons mayonnaise and salt and pepper, a cup of decaf coffee with 1 TBL heavy cream, and a packet of splenda.

Lunch: 2 oz of oil packed canned tuna with 2 teaspoons of mayonnaise and a half an avocado,

After that I have had a 2 oz. piece of brie cheese with 2 quarts of water throughout the day. If I get hungry in the evening, I have a handful of pork rinds. Nothing more has touched my lips for about a week and a half.

I am consuming no Asparame.

Please, if anyone has been through anything like this, or has any suggestions, I will be grateful for your input. I have 50 pounds to lose, and I know this can work.....I have seen it with friends......it just isn't working for me.........not at the moment anyway! :D

Thanks everyone!

[SiZzLE]

I am in the same boat as you are, in ketosis, yet not moving on the scale. I have noticed that my thighs are seeming to get slimmer, but other than that nothing else is happening. I drink almost a gallon of water a day, and other than my slip up yesterday (see the confession booth forum), I keep my carbs below 30 gm a day. My protien is always at least 100 gm a day, if not more. Maybe I am not a turtle, but there is something (or maybe nothing) going on with me.

[lesleyc]

Hi Brit,

Everything you mention is good induction food, so no problem with what you are eating....it's what you are not eating ;)

Where's those veges? It's critical to get 2-3 cps of leafy green veges, even on induction. It is exellent for the fibre and your general health. Often people make the mistake of getting carbs way down below 10 in the hope that this will help or speed things up. That's generally not the case and things often get moving once you up the carbs with good green veges. Refer to the list in the induction secion of DrA's book to know which ones to have.

Apart from that....stick at it, your body may well still be adjusting to the metabollic changes you are putting it thru and simply digging its toes in ;)

lesley

[Brit]

Dear LesleyC, thanks so much for your encouragement, I am putting my shoes on now to head to the store to get those fresh veggies you are suggesting! I have never been happier with a "diet". I am not hungry, and I do have lots of energy.......so I am determined to make this work!

Thanks again for the encouragement, as it really is quite confusing when you first get started. So grateful for this site!

Jan

[jmey100]

It does not seem like your eating enough, so your body is in starvation mode, try eating 10-12 rimes your body weight in calories, you need these calories to burn off fat.

I was not eating enough and was indeed stalled, I started eating more and the weight melted off....

Try going to fitday and keeping track of your calories, and yes include green leafy veggies...cheese, nuts, meat, and enything else you want, Pork rinds are a great snack, and see if that helps...

[Brit]

Dear JMEY 100,

Thanks so much for your reply. I appreciate your advice. I have taken Lesleys advice as well, and added those much needed vegetables, and the weight is starting to move! I have now lost 16 pounds total!

Thanks for the advice about needing 10-12 times the calories of your body weight. I had no idea. I will certainly begin counting those calories today.

Thanks again.....I am truly grateful.

Brit

[Tiggerlou]

Today is day #42 of this LC thing, and I am getting extremely discouraged with this. NO WEIGHT LOSS!!! I think I am doing everything by 'the book', no coffee, no caffeine, no AS, finally being able to stick around 1800 to 2000 cals, 20gr. or less carbs, 65-70% fat , 30-60 mins vigorous exercise ~day, 5 times a week, non-processed, fresh foods, no meal-replacement anything - I DO NOT GET IT!!!! What the heck am I doing wrong!?!?!?!?!?!?!? I do not lose, and if the cals or the carbs go just slightly higher than usual, WHAM, gained 2 pounds. This is so very frustrating and discouraging! I am beginning to feel very limited in what I can or cannot eat. Even played with the idea of going back to low cal/low fat. I NEED to get rid of these last 20 foresaken pounds!!! Been stuck at this weight since November 2002. It only took from March 2001 until November 2001 to lose 75 lbs on low fat/low cal, so what's the dead blame hold up here!!?? The start of Atkins looked very promising, but that only lasted about 2 weeks. Perhaps I should contact the center itself. I don't know what else to do.... Pleeeeeeez help, what else can I do????

Good job, Brit, in holding up your spirit. I wish I could say the same for me...

[Brit]

Dear Tiggerlou,

Wish I had an answer for you, I am so new at this, that I wouldn't dare think about offering you advice, except for this one thing......I was reading on this site, about someone's glowing review of a book called "The Secret to Low Carb Success! How to Get the Most out of your Low Carbohydrate Diet" The book was written by Laura Richard.

Well, when I read that post, I was in the same boat as you, doing everything right, but not losing anything. I thought I had nothing to lose, (excuse the pun!), so I ordered the book through Amazon.com. I will forever thank my lucky stars! I found I wasn't doing everything right, in fact I was consuming almost twice the carbohydrates that I thought I was. I began changing my diet, and taking vitamin and mineral supplements, and the weight began shifting three days later. Surely, what is in the book, I am sure that you can find here on this site, so it is probably nothing new to anyone here, but I found it so easy, as it is right there at your fingertips. I recommend the book highly.

You have nothing to be discouraged about. You have perservered when you saw no results. I have the utmost respect for your determination. Good Luck!

Brit

[sallyd]

Brit,
I read you post and just ordered that book. I have been low carbing since 1/4/02 and have only lost 4#(2 just recently). I am very anxioud to read the book.
thanks for the tip.
sallyd

[Tiggerlou]

Brit!
Thank you soooo much!!! I just got off Amazon.com and ordered the book, as well as a recipe book right along with it! It is people like you that make this forum work so well!!! Thanks again!
I did find a big culprit in my new WOL - the down fall of the scale, dreaded when moving one way, loved when moving the other... I fanataically weighed myself every single day- at least once! Now, how pathetic IS THAT!!!???
My goal is: not THIS week, until Sunday. But I had a 'not-so-good-day' today... Big fear is, I gain 5 or more pounds in the week I don't weigh myself, AND THEN WHAT!!!! P A N I C !!!! But I gotta try. The scale was going for my sanity BIG TIME!!! Euphoria when going down, depression when going up. Also, found I gave myself something like a 'free ticket' when having gone down, which, of course, caused it to go back up again the next day...vicious circle!!! So, I haven't got the slightest clue to what my exact weight is right now - hopefully by Sunday I can do the dance of joy...
How are YOU doing with this?? Let me know your progress, and thanks for the support!!
M.

[Brit]

Dear Sallyd and Tiggerlou,

You are both very welcome! I hope you enjoy it, and learn as much from the book as I have!

Did my first cheat ever........my son-in-law was visiting from Spain, and made me a wonderful Spanish dinner! Couldn't, and wouldn't turn it down.....it was divine!! :)

But the next day, back to Low Carbing, and I continue to lose, just slowly. But, the good news, or great news, is that I AM LOSING!! :thup:

Both of you let me know how you are doing, and how you like the book!

Brit

[Tiggerlou]

Sure will, Brit....tomorrow is either the day of doom or time for the dance of joy. The first time in a year and a half that I managed to NOT weigh myself for an ENTIRE week...I am really nervous. Did pretty good, especially on the carb side, cals were a bit high, but Atkins said that shouldn't matter...We'll see...
So, will update tomorrow..cross your fingers......I am terrified by the idea of having gained weight, because if I did, then I have NO IDEA what to do...But the books should be here in a couple of days, so there's hope and help on the horizon....
Congrats on your wonderful succes, Brit!!! I can't wait to get that book!!!

[sallyd]

My book will be here next week and I am anxious to get it.
I will let you know how I like it.
sallyd

[julius]

I've been and still am where you all are. I started Atkins last November, and after losing a pound, watched my weight go steadily upward. I've tried everything I could think of, but have spent the last6 months losing and gaining the same 6 pounds over and over again. I stongly resisted counting calories. One of the appealing things about low-carbing is not having to count every morsel that passes your lips. I've been tempted to go back to low-cal/low fat since that's what got 25 pounds off before i started low-carb, but I've been afraid I'll gain even more if I do. Lately, I have been counting my calories as well as carbs, and I found that I really was eating way too much for someone my weight. It seems I can only lose weight if I keep my carbs below 10, my calories around 1400-1500, my fat at a MINIMUM of 75%(it's really a modified Fat Fast), and exercise 7 days/week for 50-60 min. I can't say I like it, and I can't sustain that more than a few days at a time, but it seems to be working...for now. I've tried many other things that seem to work for a while, and then they stop. Even doing KISS (I did it as Neanderthin) didn't work for me. I, too, was obsessed with the scale, and when I started Neanderthin, I pledged I wouldn't get on the scale for a month. At the end of the month, when I weighed in, I'd gained 5 pounds! So now I monitor myself closely. Even when I feel like I can't give up something else, I find that I can and do. I just eat too much. I'm amazed at all of the threads that I read of people that have to make sure they eat enough. For me, once a compulsive eater, always a compulsive eater, I guess. I can kill a whole bag a pork rinds without drawing breath. All I can tell you is, stick with it, and find what works for you. That book by Laura Richards is great. I learned tons of stuff from it. Even after 6 months of frustration I never would have thought I was capable of enduring, I still go on. Most of the time, I feel like I'm locked in a battle with my body; it's trying to thwart every strategy I devise to lose weight. But I'm not giving up, and I hope you don't either.

[TeriDoodle]

Hey Julie!

Congratulations on your successful weight loss!! And I'm sorry to hear you're having problems getting those last few pounds off! It sounds to me like your body has chosen a new set point that it likes very much! Which isn't such a bad one....better than my set point of 168 that I'm struggling with!!

I'm concerned about your carb intake at 10g though. You can't possibly be getting enough veggies and nutrients at that level! A fat fast (modified or not) is fine for once in a blue moon...but not for long periods of time, do you think?

I'd really like to see you increase your carbs to at least 30-40/day and your protein to about 100-120g/day and maybe lower your calories just a hair....to 1250-1500. I'm sure you realize that it's going to be difficult to get down to 120 when your body seems quite happy at 125!! Have you ever evaluated your body frame size and your body fat percentage? What size clothes are you wearing? What are your measurements? I'd like to know.... just to see if perhaps you might be stuck on the "number thing" rather than the way you look and feel.

[sallyd]

Julie,
I know how you feel. I have to watch my calories as I eat to much. I love to eat. I had a bad day yesterday as I had a funeral and ate things I wasn't sure of the carb count so I ate all day. I ate a bag and half of pork rinds to finish the day off last night. Today is better. I count everything I eat everyday. I got the book by Laura Richards and read it in 2 days. There were a few things I learned. I have really been frustrated with my weight loss as i have only lost 4# since Jan. I have to keep my calories below 1500 and even then I don't lose very fast if any. I like low carbing but I do get discourage when I see so many who have to increase their calories and do lose. I have increased my carbs and that seemed to help me a little.
hang in there.
sallyd

[Tiggerlou]

Hats off to you all! I thought I had been an a long stall...It is soo awesome you're all still sticking with this new WOL!!! And I intend to do the same!! Let's stay in it together!
Well, I also got my book and read, and read until I practically needed some matches to help keep my eyes pried open. And what an insight it gave me!!! Since the book got here, my weight loss immediately resumed. I don't want to praise the day before it is over, but so far, the pounds are dropping like flies...4 more just in the past few days. I also have to monitor my cals very, very closely, and also LOVE to eat. But I went real heavy on the pure fats (olive oil, Butter, mayo) and now cut off the fat on meats instead. They say that's where all the toxins of the animals are stored anyway, like antibiotics and such. I also quit pan frying my meats and boil or nuke them instead. THEN add fats and spices. The foods feel so pure now somehow! (for lack of a better word...) Another thing I took to heart is the water. I had been drinkink 80+ oz~day and went to 130+oz!!! I do work out a lot, so I thought I'd give it a try! And WOW!!! Went into full blown Ketosis (according to the stix at least...) and I also got rid of 'the taste' in my mouth. I honestly believe that I had been mistaken thirst for hunger. It seems as though I finally got to experience what the feeling of true satiation really is. I am full, all the time...the slightest twitch, and I eat something, preferably fatty, and - bingo - twitch gone!! And with it , my obsession about food, weight, scale... is diminishing. I am also half afraid to talk about all this, because I am scared it won't last....that had happened before... But this is the 4th day in a row, so far so good! I am going to keep going just the way I am for now.
A big pat on the back for us all for being able to stick with it, even when the road gets rough at times. WE CAN DO THIS!! I hope my experiences will help one of you as well, and keep in mind - it's the turtle that will win the race in the end!!!

[sallyd]

tiggerlou.
good for you. I wish my obsession with the scale would go away!!!!!!!!!!
I enjoy reading how everyone is doing as it keeps me hanging in there
sallyd

[julius]

That's fabulous, Tiggerlou! Keep going! It sounds like you're headed right out of the Turtle Club. I know what you mean about being afraid to say that something is finally working. I've had that same experience, multiple times, of thinking I found what was causing all of my problems, only to find that four or five days later, it seemed to quit working and I was back to square one (sometimes minus one, or two or three). But you really sound like you're well on your way on the road to success. I really believe that one way or another, each of us has a way that low carbing will work for us. We just need to figure out how to tweak it to fit us individually.

Sallyd, just keep trying. Gosh, I know just what you mean about a bad day. I have many days with cravings that I can't explain since I eat nothing that should produce them. That was one of the hard lessons I learned with AS, along with a few added pounds. But even when I have no cravings that are driving me buggy, I'm still obsessed with food. I have had a few blessed moments when I felt totally liberated from food obsessions, but they've been few, far between, and short lived. I refuse to give up, though. I know that low carbing is the only way to keep myself from falling back into eating sugar like nothing else exists, and even though I don't always eat the healthiest low carb diet, it's far healthier than I was eating either as a low cal/low fat dieter or when I wasn't dieting at all.

TeriDoodle, it's been a long, rough road that's brought me to eating like this. Belive me, I know that when I cut my carbs below 10, I'm not getting enough nutrients from vegetables. I know I'm not getting enough protein, especially since I work out so much. But I just don't seem to be able to lose any other way. Like I said, I only do it for a few days, and then I add back some vegetables and protein and cut back the fat to control the calories. I do that for a few days, and then switch back again. I've only been doing this for a couple of weeks now, but it seems to be working (hope I don't jinx this like everything else). I don't know what else to do. When I tried eating the way you suggested, I gained. I don't think I have unrealistic expectations. At this time last year, when I was living the low cal/low fat life, I weighed a pretty stable 123. I think I looked great. Most of my cellulite was gone for the first time since I was probably a teenager, and my upper arms actually stopped looking like wings. Problem was, I was eating way too much low fat candy, and I was doing it at the expense of eating enough protein, and that was how I was controlling my weight. Eventually, my house of cards began to collapse, and my weight began to creep up because I couldn't keep my sugar consumption under control. At 126, I started low carbing, and I made every mistake I could have possibly made. I've gone as high as 133 (I'm 129 right now) since I started this WOE, and I've cut out more things from my diet than I ever thought I'd be able to. But every time I manage to lose a few pounds, either what I'm doing quits working, or I start having terrible food cravings and I eat too much. I always eat too much of legal foods, but too much is still too much, and I start gaining again. The truth? I think the only thing that keeps me from giving up is that I feel like I've reached the end of the line. If I gain back all of the weight I lost on low cal, I'll never be able to lose it again. If I can't take off 6 or 7 pounds just to get back where I started, and keep it off, much less the few extra I wanted to drop, I'll never be able to get rid of 25. I am so grateful that low carbing has released me from uncontrollable food cravings that drove me to eat all of the high carb foods that dominated my life. That is reason enough to stay with this WOE. I might still overeat and still want to eat "bad" foods sometimes, but I can keep myself from doing it, which I didn't used to be able to do. Wow! I sure can prattle on.

[Brit]

:wave: Well, well, well!!!!! Wow, I am reading about your results, and am SOOOOOOOO Happy for you both!!!

Wasn't the book great?!! So glad you learned from it. I was a bit scared when I recommended it, as I didn't want to go on and on, and people put out there money, and then didn't learn a thing......so I sit here with much relief!!

I've struggled for the last several days. Bless my assistant at work, she has been bringing Krispy Kreme donuts to work for everyone the past two days!! I normally are not tempted by donuts in the least..........but now.......I could just inhale the whole thing! Funny how you can do so well for so many days, then your willpower slips over something you don't even particularly care for!

Tiggerlou, glad to see you have put the scale away for awhile. I haven't been on mine for 2 weeks, and feel a bit liberated actually!

Once again, so glad you liked the book, and congratulations to you both :thup:

Brit

[jmey100]

Get off the scale, becuse our weight fluxates so much because we are women, I only check my weight once a week, and I even forgot today.....

You need to concentrate on losing inches, toning muscles and most of all, How you feel....if you feel in control and not helpless like most diets that is a good thing.

You are responsible for your feelings and changing your attitude is something you have control over.

This diet offers something I have never had before, No more hunger, no starvation and it works...stick with it and it WILL happen :wave:

[sallyd]

Julie,
I know what you mean I eat to much of the low carb food. Today I ate all low carb but why to much of it. I couldn't quit eating. I am finally full. There are days I never feel full. I always think about food but I wish I could be like others who forget to eat. I never do. I agree low carb is the best and I am going to keep working at it.
Brit
thanks for recommending the book. I read it from cover to cover.
It is really nice to have everyone to vent with or get advise from.
Thanks everyone,
sallyd

[julius]

Brit, you should never hesitate to offer up anything that helped you that might help someone else, even if they have to shell out a few bucks to buy a book. It seems to me that that's what this forum is about. It doesn't matter that you're new. There are so many people reading this that are struggling, trying to make this WOE work. If you help just one person (and you already know you did more than that), even if you don't hear from that person, you still did a great thing. Congratulations on your progress and keep with it! Don't let the Krispy Kremes get you down (or maybe up???)!

Sallyd, at least we fill up on low carb food. If I was eating high carb stuff the way I sometimes eat low carb, I'd be back where I started a couple of years ago with more on top of it. A LOT more. I consider cheating eating a low carb candy bar with AS. Now if that isn't a vast improvement over the way I used to eat, I don't know what is. When I get down on myself for overeating, I try to remember that I could be stuffing myself with sugar and starches, and so could you. Lately, I've been tracking everything I eat and calculating the protein and fat grams along with the calories and carbs. I know I could do it on fitday.com, but I prefer to keep a running tally through the day. It's obsessive, I know, and I don't have fun doing it, but it's forcing me to be aware of what I'm eating. It seems to be helping. I'm sorry to say that it's forcing me into a diet mentality, which was one of the things I was trying to get away from when I started low-carbing, but so be it. I've been controlling my eating pretty strictly, and I'm actually losing some weight fairly steadily now. I feel more positive than I have in a very long time.

[sallyd]

Julie
You are so right if I was eating all that sugar I would have gain so much. I have found you can eat a lot of low carb calories without gaining. I just have to cut down to lose what I want and then continue eating low carb forever. I went to an in-service today and passed up all the good desserts and bread they had. I took a low carb bar while everyone was eating danishes.
Brit
I appreciate all the advise and support anyone can give me.
I love this forum.
sallyd