If you're in a stall, and getting discouraged, read this!

I was in a stall for over 5 weeks, losing ZERO lbs. - how did I get out of it?

Let me back up for just a sec and tell you that I had successfully done lc-ing 2 yrs ago - a sort of Atkins/CAD combo, and the weight literally fell off painlessly, and I thought I had found "the key" to finally becoming slim.

At that time however, I was using lc-ing as a quick fix, rather than a way of life, and so of course, I gained it all back. Serves me right, I guess.

Anyhow, I went back to lc-ing Jan 1st, and once again, grinned like an idiot while 10 lbs just "fell off" within the first week or so. I was elated, and
already envisioning all the new clothes I would buy, and how gooood I'd look in them.

Then, it stopped.

Totally.

No matter what I tried, the weight would not budge.

So what got me back on track? Ya know, I'm not exactly sure, as several eating and lifestyle adjustments came in to play pretty much at the same time. But here's what I did:

First, I tried to get more sleep. There is some sort of a biological factor involving cortisol that will work against you. And it's not uncommon for insulin resistance people to have insomnia. So, if you're in a stall SLEEP MORE!

Second: Get up off your butt, in earnest. Now I loathe exercise, or at least conventional exercise. So, although not a "western" type person, I tried taking Line Dancing Lessons. It was a blast, while still being as much exercise as 3 aerobic classes rolled in to one. In a stall? Find something FUN to do that will get you MOVING.

Third: Consider if you have a yeast infection, as described in Atkins. I used Oil of Oregano for 2 weeks or so (see book for details), and noticed that some misc syptoms that I had seemed to slowly disappear. Maybe I did have a yeast infection - who knows. Oil of Oregano is a painless way to treat it (apparently), and although you walk around smelling a bit like you work in a pizza factory, it beats the heck out of "ketosis breath" <grin>. So, carefully consider that you may have a yeast infection that needs a little extra help (beside the lc diet) to clear up. According to Atkins, a yeast infection will make losing weight nearly impossible. You must also avoid foods that aggravate yeast infections, also (see Atkins).

Fourth: Watch the fake foods. All those great fake foods may make it seem much easier to lc, but they may hinder you a bit, as well. Be especially watchful about consuming artificially sweetened fake foods throughout the day (even if sweetened with Splenda or Stevia). Some people are Soooo insulin resistance that just the taste of sweet, whether real sugar or not, will make your body act as though it is encountering sweets, and slow or prevent weight lose. Do ya have to give it up entirely? Not necessarily. Try to limit sweet tasting things to once during a day. If this is your prob, at least you won't be reacting all DAY to the sweetness.


Fifth: Limit or avoid the foods suspicioned as causing stalls in others. For me, this meant nuts and cheese (I must have been a rat or squirrel in a previous life!) Once I limited or eliminated them, my cravings for them pretty much disappeared. And as we've all read, the curse of lc-ing is the fact that the very foods you crave often are the ones you have an intolerance for, and need to avoid. Don't whine - just do it. You'll be glad you did.


Sixth: Be sure to take your vitamins. You may want to check out suggested additional supplements, too, lik EFA's, etc.

Seventh: Drink lots of pure H2O. We've all heard that preached like the gospel on the forum. Time to be believer and DO it.

Eighth: Don't hover over your Ketostix readouts. Dark readings can be achieved when you're a little dehydrated, and they certainly don't mean you are necessarily losing weight. My readings have actually become LIGHTER (more water?) at the same time my weight loss has finally begun to move again.

By incoporating these changes in my lifestyle, I have lost 4 lbs this week - plenty for healthful weight loss.

Ninth: Most importantly, don't give up! Keep searching until you find what gets your weight moving again.

I hope this helps some of your who are discouraged and stalled to HANG ON. Keep trying. Something WILL work. Good luck to everyone!!!

Thank you so much for sharing all of this wisdom with us!
I, too, have stalled after losing 8 lbs for what seems like forever and had basically given up and returned to carb binging to ease the glaring eyes of failure. I know that yeast is part of my problem as I have had three rounds of antibiotics since December and currently have Diflucon, acidopholis (sp?) and Monistat, but haven't figured out which remedy or which combination to try as of yet. I don't remember the Atkins book being specific enough as to how much of what to take for yeast, but I'll look again.

You also hit the nail on the head as to not getting enough sleep, exercise -- you're spirit has made me want to try again, a little smarter this time. Thanks again. I wanted to send you a PM, but I don't think I've posted enough yet to have that priviledge -- just don't really have advise for anyone since I haven't gotten the hang of this yet myself! I hope your success continues -- let the melting begin! :-)

You can contact me directly at susan~123webservices.com, if you like. (when I checked the preview the "at" symbol turned into a squiggle - it should be the "at" symbol).

Thanks for your warm response! After I nearly threw in the towel, I just had to let others know to hang on - there WAS a reason for their stall, and that they could get around it.

But at the time I felt it was such an irony - never had I been SO DETERMINED to lose weight, and never had I (seemed to) fail so miserably. To put it mildly, I was "bummed", and ready to quit.

Continuing to "Hang On" and try to stay positive and find out "why" is the key.

Look forward to hearing from you-
Susan

I will ditto the previous gal who replied and say thanks for such an uplifting post!! We have had almost simular experiences! Two and a 1/2 years ago I lost 100 pounds in thirteen months, couldn't believe I had gone my whole life without knowing this magic, wol. Then like an idiot for a variety of reasons (none of them good) I gained back 60 pounds . The day after Christmas I realized I had to stop and began what I now call the rest of my life - lc. The first week a couple of pounds fell off and I was back in business. But after the first month of losing 7 pounds, I then went a month of losing nothing! I saw 265 on the scale for 29 days! But last week I lost 2 pounds, and never have I been more excited. I think those of us who have done this before and are now doing it again, are incredibly determined, and if it is slow it is frustrating beyond belief ! I also have been hitting the treadmill for the past month, but will take to heart some of your other ideas, thanks!

Great going! You're on your way! I KNOW how excited you must be - I certainly was when my weight finally started to move again.

I'm really glad I could give you a boost. I posted my observations regarding MAJOR stalls to help those who have suddenly encountered them without apparent reason, and because I think sometimes that others on the forum who have enjoyed a steadier weight loss may assume that those who are stalled are cheating a bit, or something (as well meaning as they may be) .

Or, they think we're being impatient, and wanting a quick fix. And unless you've been as good as gold (dietwise), and STILL HAVE TO look at the same weight day after day on your bathroom scale for a month, you really haven't experienced true dieting frustration.

It's the lowest of lows, the bluest of blues! You just wanna scream. Or cry.

Congratulations on not giving up. We're a tribute to perseverance!

Keep it going.....

Best,
Susan

I'm currently stalling here for about 3 weeks. I'll try all of what you suggested and let you know how it works. I tend to hover over the ketostix...do they really turn purple when you dehydrated? In the moring I'm thirty and they're usually pretty dark...I was just hoping I was losing weight while sleeping. This diet can be so confusing, but we're all getting better at it!

suredid, great post! some people stall because they forget the basics--taking in real food and water--or because they think they can snack endlessly on nuts or cheese or splenda-laced cream cheese. (sorry, but ain't no such thing as a free ride, not even in LC!) And since we're all different, we all have to learn different tweaks to keep us on track. cutting out dairy works for you, cutting out eggs worked for another LCer I knew, processed meats for a third, and one finally figured out she couldn't eat pork! Some undereating people need to raise their calories a bit and some overeaters need to lower them a bit. As you say, keep working at tweaking when you're stalling until it ends!

You've learned everything a person needs to know, so in my mind, you're already a success story! Applying exactly the same principles for the rest of your life should keep you slim and healthy and energetic.

Thanks for the positive affirmations! One more thing I might have added (but forgot to) was to remember as long as someone is moving toward their goal, they WILL get there!

If you're using LC as a quick fix (as I did the first time I tried it), you're in for a short-lived ride that will end right back where you started. Been there, done that. Don't wanna do it again!

A LCer really needs to make peace with the fact that this is their new way of eating, and figure out how to ease it into your life for good. When I think of how much BETTER I feel on LC vs not, it makes it an even easier choice to make.

Knowing this is the way I'll eat from now on, I'm not in such a huge hurry to peel the pounds - I know it'll come if I just pay attention to what my body seems to respond to. Treat your body with the respect it deserves.

Sound too slow? It's exciting to me to think that every month, I will weigh less and less.

On the other hand, if I don't LC, I am guaranteed to weigh more and more each month.

Now THAT's an easy choice to make!

Cheater's Corner: And since I've accepted the fact that this is the way I'll eat from now on, I've ALSO found if I really, REALLY need to "cheat" (birthdays, etc) , I CAN if I follow the CAD diet for that meal. Just don't fall off the wagon entirely!

Like they say, life is a journey, full of hills and valleys. And sometimes the hills and/or valleys seem to stop right beside Ye Olde Chocolate Shop for me! Using the CAD meal at that point allows me to take a temporary indulgence without getting on the Carbo Carousel!

Remember to be good to yourself! All the conscious choices you seem to have to think about now will soon become second nature, and not a big deal. It already has for me, and I know it will for you, too!

Best,
Susan

I've been playing with this type of diet for over a month now, and found some interesting results. I basically monitored what I ate and used testing strips to verify my levels of ketosis I am the next morning. I shockingly discovered that fish and chicken gave me a practically ineffective result when trying to lose the weight, it slowed to 0 to 2lbs a week, But a diet high in fat..hamburger, roasts, steaks...yielded the greatest results for me. I have to keep eating fish and chicken because I workout 6 days a week, and desperately need the protein to fuel them.

Of course ya might get sick, of eating certain types of food for days to prove the experiment...but to me that is the part of the diet I like, experimentation and discovering what works for you is something everybody should go through...

The other Key.....Excercise.....not as much as me maybe. But that's I personal choice

I excersiced 6 times a week before this diet...no results..actually gained weight........With LC'ing I now see the results I didn't get before.

I really needed to read that others have stalled too and that I'm not a failure!! I have been true to LC and haven't budged for 3 wks. I will try to eliminate cheese and see if that could be the culprit. I've also raised my water intake and hope this helps too.

3 years ago I gave up meat, dairy and sugar for a year. I lost a considerable amount of weight and felt great. Don't know how I got back into the bad stuff, but I did and continually gained. I'm in my late 40's and it just doesn't come off as easy anymore.

This diet has made me look at eating a whole new way. It should be enjoyed. Cutting out breads and sugar has been surprisingly easy for me. Some days I get into a rut though, does anyone have a daily menu they could share with me? I've started a journal but I'm not very good at counting calories, proteins or fat intake, just my carbs. Any suggestions?

Thanks for any input. I'm off to the gym!!

I know what you mean - that's how I felt, too, when I hit my stall! It really does help to know that it hasn't only happened to YOU.

As far as new recipes go, why don't you check out http://atkinscenter.com/dev/food/index.html . They've got a pretty good selection.

Keep up the good work!
Susan

For some quick "non-recipe" menu ideas, check out Karen's article Jazz Up Your Induction. Lots of great ideas for fast meals. Just click on Low Carb Tips from the orange menu bar near the top of the page ... it's near the bottom of the list of articles.

Enjoy!

Doreen