I took a look too - and it sure looks like flawless Atkins to me. You've tried really hard to get this thing down pat, and I'm impressed!

The only thing nagging at me is that while you're likely meeting your minimum protein intake (something you'd find in The Protein Power Life Plan, by Drs. Michaeal and Mary Dan Eades) - I can't help but think that someone who exercises as much as you do might need *more* protein, especially with weight training. I don't have my Protein Power Life Plan book handy - it's got these good charts in there for determining one's minimum protein intake, so I'm sort of 'guessing' that you're likely meeting the minimum, or even a wee bit over.

That's all well and good - but I think someone who exercises as much as you do might need more.

One other little thing that's occurred to me - and this is something I'm just starting to learn about from a bit of reading here and there, so forgive me for not articulating this too well - there is something called the 'thermal effect of feeding' - meaning, you can increase your metabolism with eating more often, and weight training in general seems to increase this TEF thing that I'm starting to learn about.

Where am I going with this? Well, chicken is very high in protein - so that's good, but I'm wondering if you're maybe trying too hard to get 'percentages' exactly right on Atkins, without considering your exercise level. If you're eating chicken and trying to keep protein consumption reined in to some idealized "Atkins" standard - it's possible that you're not getting enough food. I'm not talking about calories here, but how much and how often you get to eat. It's possible that with the extra work you do with the exercising, in conjunction with the way you're following the Atkins plan is putting you into a bit of a starvation mode, so to speak. I know this sounds really weird - because we're not looking at a super-low calorie intake - but if the body's thinking, "I've got all this work to do..." and you're not eating a whole lot or all that often - it might want to try and 'conserve', if you get my drift.

With respect to the protein - it's ok to go 'over' on protein (imo), especially for someone who exercises a lot. In fact, I think it's important to do so.

I realize this isn't the usual 'up your fats' thing that you'd expect to hear. I'm suggesting maybe increasing your protein intake a wee bit, and increasing the amount of food you get - choose some meats/foods that aren't quite as high as chicken (for protein I mean) so that you get to eat more, and more often.

And believe it or not - you probably need more carbs, and not less.

Have you had a chance to move along the 'carb ladder' much yet?

Also - I agree with Judy in the sense that processed meats can be a bit of a problem sometimes. Deli meats and bacon, that kind of thing. They're good in a pinch, but maybe not all the time.

This is very interesting - what I'm seeing is a great Atkins plan, plus tons of exercise - and a big stall. Something's not right. I'm guessing your body is 'conserving' - thinks it's not getting enough to handle the workload or something. Just my nagging thought. I'm actually thinking, "Eat more food" - that's the general idea that's popped into my head after thinking about what you're experiencing.