what do you do when you get hungry and you are on atkins or stillman's?

I started atkins over two months ago and dropped 10 pounds quickly, probably mostly fluid.

But since that the scale doesn't move, or goes down a little and then goes back up.

I thought if Atkins induction didn't work I would try atkins meat and egg on zero carbs. No change on the scale. So I decided to try Stillman's. No luck either so I decided to eat less while on stillman's after I read a post from Someone who posted on one of the forums here that he would eat two eggs three times a day and that worked well for weight loss.

I tried it. Well, I was so hungry at the end of the day, that I ended up eating more, no carbs, but a bit of cheese and more meat, as well as four cups of vegetable soup, on top of my two litres of water and two cups of green tea with a sweetner each I had earlier in the day.

I drink plenty of water and take the supplements and vitamins.

I go to the gym and get on the treadmill a couple of times a week. I need to work out more, that's work in progress.

I am 37, had one child, and take antidepressants (effexor xr) and thyroid medication for hashimoto's and Jasmine to treat endomitriosis.

I feel that if I don't loose these 35 pounds in the near future, it will just be so much harder to do later on.

But I don't want to go hungry. Cravings I hardly have any since starting on atkins. However when I tried to make a big change like going on stillman's and eating very little, boom, things didn't go well.

so do other people get hungry on these diets?
what do you do to avoid hunger?
what do you do if you get hungry but want to stick to your portion control?
what do you do if the scale just doesn't move?

I dropped ten pounds from 175, but now I can't see the scale going down from 165 even I have tried for about six weeks now. With the exception of exercise, this the only thing that I can think of that I need to really get on that treadmill daily every week day and rest up on the weekends.

So it would be nice to hear what others think, how to avoid this hunger on stillman's, or loose weight on atkins meat and egg, and how to get my portion size under control.

thank you

Some drugs, perhaps your antidepressants, can cause a bit of weight gain, or at least prevent loss. This may or may not be true of what you are taking.

You mention portion control: If you think you probably need to get it under control, then that may be your problem: Portion distortion! I'd say to get it under control, measure what you plan to eat, put it on smaller plates so it visually looks like more, eat slowly, and don't go get seconds.

Exercise certainly helps, but you lose weight through adjustments to your eating, not so much through exercise. I've read this over and over and over.

I'm no expert, but it doesn't sound like you're giving these plans enough time. It sounds like you have changed plans 3 times in 6 weeks after your initial period on Atkins where you lost. I'd suggest sticking with them a bit longer. In DANDR, Dr. Atkins doesn't consider it a plateau until you've been stuck for at least a month with no loss of weight or inches. Have you been taking measurements? Perhaps you are losing inches but not weight. I was stuck for a week and a half (this finally ended Saturday, but it seemed like ages) and then a big whoosh came and I lost 6 lbs.

You might want to look into whether you're actually at an optimal dose of thyroid meds. The lab range is WAY too wide and if you're at the high end of the range, it just might not be enough thyroid meds. Beware the word "normal" because normal is not always optimal. Get your lab test results and go research them on the internet. Or ask here for help, lots of knowledgeable thyroid people here.

I agree with the above - your meds could be making it harder to drop the weight and switching plans without giving any of them time isn't a great idea. Pick whatever plan you think will fit your lifestyle the best and stick to it. There is no quick fix, but you can do it. As far as being hungry - if you are on Atkins, then eat when you are hungry. That is part of the beauty of this wol. Since you had success with Atkins, why not read or reread the book and follow it through the stages. Do a strict induction of 2 weeks (you can stay on iduction longer without any negatives - I did) then transition into OWL until you get closer to goal. You can do it and there are many helpful people on this board to lend a hand along the way. Good luck.

Thank you everyone for your encouragement! :-)

And thanks for your wisdom!

I do intend to stay on atkins because I can not live with the idea of putting those ten pounds back on and then some more.

But between Atkins induction, Atkins meat & egg ZC, or stillman's, yes I am changing between these three and not sure which one to stick with.

I often think of those people who I have known in the past who were/are skinny to see what they do differently from me. They all have one thing in common: they eat little and they eat small portions, they eat like a mouse. Except for two, one who ate normal amounts of food, with lots of grains and brown rice, pasta and bread, but he wouldn't use a drop of butter, oil, or fat of any kind, and he was super slim. The other ate lean meats, some vegetables and was a very strong runner.

Today I started working with the physical trainer at my community centre and she taught me how to use the spin cycle machine today. I think that will help a little. But I just haven't had any improvements in the last few weeks, on the scale or measurements.

The thyroid is a huge thing. I thank the advice about this. I have to get my prescription filled out soon, so I will ask the doctor for a thyroid blood test. Lately my energy fluctuates, some days I have a decent level of energy, yet other days I have been tired. My energy levels are not consistant. I will post my thyroid results when they come back to see what the others in the forum think so that I don't have to go just with the doctor's opinion as I know that doctors don't always get it totally right.

CMCM: 'portion distortion'? what is this about? I have never heard this term before, do you have some information that you can send me about it? I am going to write down what you wrote about how to get it under control and post it on my fridge. Because this is a problem for me. I get very hungry, and once I get to this, I eat too much, and then I feel so guilty. I only eat from the things I am allowed to, but not in the smaller quantities I should eat.

Thank you thank you all :-)

personally i think that eating until you are not yet full from a plate that is too small IS portion distortion. many people lose a lot of weight on atkins and other LC plans without any "portion-control" whatsoever. Heck, if you want to go with the portion control route you can lose weight on any diet whatsoever. And you can be really hungry too.

My daughter has hashis and endo as well. She has a great endocrinologist who makes sure to test her Free T3 and Free T4 as well as the TSH every time she sees him. More importantly, he told her that he listens to his patients symptoms and bases the meds on those, as well as looking at the numbers (she is on cytomel). If you don't have a good endocrinologist, make sure and try to find one - you have enough on your plate w/out having to battle doctors too! My daughter also received some great support from a blog called Dearthyroid.org (I think that's the name....). Lots of good tips on weight and energy management.

Good luck and hang in there!!

I eat. I would never do Stillman's, it's too much like a "diet"



What makes you think that it is all fluid??
Most likely 3-4 pounds was fluid due to the amount of water that is attached to your glycogen stores. But I doubt very much at your starting weight was it all fluid.



What exactly is your goal here?
Is it your expectation that induction is a quick weight loss tool??
If this is the expectation, then you have pretty much set yourself up for failure. Atkins is a FOUR phase plan. The point of induction is to convert your body from a glucose burning engine to a fat burning engine. Induction is also used to eliminate cravings.

I agree with the other poster who pointed out that you are jumping from plan to plan---3 plans in 6 weeks. Sounds like you are looking for a quick fix and when you are not getting it you are swtiching plans. Not very conducive in the long run for success in my opinion.



These are probably your biggest challenges. It's imperative that you are optimizing your thyroid medication.



I don't know if "other" people get hungry, but when I'm hungry, I eat. I also practice intermittent fasting--I eat 2 meals a day--not skimpy meals, nice generous meals. I do not snack in-between meals. My average calories intake in ~1600-1700/day. Some days I will eat as little as 1200 other days I will eat as much as 2300. I eat to physiologic hunger, NOT psychologic hunger.


Same answer, I eat. I do not snack.



I guess I'd need a better definition of "portion" control. I control my portions by measuring--I don't guesstimate. I measure dairy, nuts, salad dressings, protein portions etc. But.....my portions are fairly large they are not skimpy little Weight Watcher portions (sorry if I offended someone on WW)



The first thing I do is make sure that I'm following my chosen plan correctly. I make sure that I'm not eating hiden carbs etc. The second thing is to make sure your hormones/health issues are optimized. The third thing is that I take a breath--I don't expect to lose weight every single day. I know that weight loss is not linear. Weight loss comes in fits and spurts. In instances when I have had more than a month long stall, I review what I've been doing, make sure my health is optimized, cut out the alcohol and know with some smidge of patience, the scale will start moving again.




Please do not freak out or become discouraged because you are working out and your weight loss is slow. Working out isn't to "lose weight" in fact there are many studies that show the people who work out really do not lose any more weight or have faster weight loss than those who do (guys--where are those threads??) Where working out benefits you is that you become stronger cardiovascularly, you build muscle mass which takes up less area than fat so that will look smaller and wear a smaller size at a heavier weight.
The way I think of it is that I LC to look good in my clothes. I work out to look good naked (or as good as I can look at 49 )



Excellent advice.
I could never continue a WOE that left me hungry. Who wants to go around the rest of their life hungry. Do you want to go around the rest of your life hungry? Jeez, I'd rather get root canal.

Pick a plan. Follow the plan. Work thru ALL the phases of the plan.
This doesn't happen overnight.

Patience Grasshopper.
Progress not perfection.

Lisa

I will tell you very rarely do I have tummy growling experiences. (EVEN with a wacked out thyroid and taking Birth Control!). I know I am hungry when I begin "dreaming" of yucky stuff ~ like candy/cookies/ screw it lets' have starbucks. When I eat something VLC or at least pretty high fat/ mod protein... those thoughts go away.

My suggestion is start a jounal and track everything you eat. For your height, your not that overweight, so no matter what plan you are on, it's going to come off slow. Stick with a plan that you can honestly stick with FOREVER. M&E works great for some people, but not so good for others. I know a lot of people who can eat just meat and eggs or zero carbs forever, and love it. I personally cannot. Its' a personal choice.

So I guess what I am saying is go back to Induction, journal everything that goes into your mouth. And - track your measurements. Track how you feel. Some people stay on this low carb way of life just for the great feeling it gives us. Keep it consistant for at least a month. If you see no results, talk to your doctor.

Also, don't look at what other people are eating - you say skinny people eat like a mouse, not always. Calories are not always equal - it really depends on what body their going into. A small muscular person will burn more calories than a small flabby person - so the latter will need to eat less. If you want to eat more, build more muscle. But then you also should throw away the scale. Losing weight is very tricky.

thank you to each and all of you who responded, all the answers have added a lot of information that I needed.

Things have gotten better in the last couple of days after my initial post.

I did 45 minutes of spin cycle with a trainer at the local swimming pool and had amazing results from that.

I sticked to the M&E but not to Stillman's.

I agree Stillman's is so much like a diet.

But even on the M&E I am cutting back on fats/oils/mayo as I am not sure that these ingredients are helping my weight loss.

The scale has moved closer to 160, although I am not at 160 or under. I will let you know when it happens!

Yes I very much enjoy the benefits of atkins, such as loosing the cravings. I crave vegetables now, instead of sugary foods, amazing.

Getting too hungry was my own mistake because I ate too little. Two eggs three times a day, I just couldn't do it. So I am now back to 3 meals a day such as a chicken breast or fish roll filled with shrimps, or even a regular size (not small) can of tuna in water, with a little mayo for some flavor, maybe with half a tomatoes in cubes to make it even tastier.

My treat is half a tea spoon of almond butter once, maybe twice a day. Something I would have never considered for a second in my life prior to atkins.

I used to consider myself a semi vegetarian before (I ate fish or seafood once or twice a week but no other meat, I did eat eggs), but my diet consisted mostly of pizza, loads of vegetables when I ate them, tonnes of sweets, fish burgers, arrrggghhh just not a healthy diet at all.

Again, thank you to each of you who posted. Thank you very much

Sounds quite a bit like me except for the medical problems. I started at 175, went on Atkins, lost about 7 lbs, went to zero carb lost another 4 or 5 and then I actually started to gain again ... very frustrating

More exercise is NOT the answer. It's great, don't get me wrong, but exercise won't help you lose weight - it will get you in better shape for your size though. I know this well ... this entire period of low carb I've been training for an Ironman and work out 8 - 10 hours a week of cardio, sometimes more. Definitely makes my bum smaller, but doesn't make the scale any happier.

My bf also does atkins although he has a harder time sticking to it and he's a perfectly normal body weight we both know it's a healthly way to eat. For the last month he's been really trying to stick with the plan, but he usually carb's up for our long runs on Sundays because we've both bonked hard by doing too much in ketosis. He's lost about 10 lbs in the last month doing this carb cycling. So, I decided to give it a go. It's only been a week and a half, but I'm down 3 lbs after being stuck for well over a month. I have no idea why this is working, but it seems to be.

Might be worth a try ... good luck!

Perhaps adding some weight training will help you. The general rule is that weightlifting (muscle building) will cause you to lose weight than cardiovascular exercise.