Hello, I am 8 weeks into LCing and am currently stalled (no weight loss or loss of inches for 2 weeks). I have lost about 6 lbs. I am 5'9" and started at 163, now down to 157. I was down to 156, but my weight went up by a pound 2 weeks ago and is stubbornly sitting there ever since. I eat lots of meat (including bacon and sausage), eggs, cheese, butter, mayonnaise, coconut oil, coconut cream, blueberries, lots of veggies (not starchy ones), cream cheese, sour cream, half & half (in coffee), stevia and coffee.

I wasn't drinking regular coffee at first, but then slipped back into regular coffee for about 2 weeks (a lot of it!) since I have had a good bit of stress due to my husband and I being in the process of moving into a new home. I thought that the regular coffee might be what's stalling me, so I haven't had regular coffee for 6 days now and still no change on the scale.

I am following a low carb program that is on a website I found called biblelife.org, so I'm not doing any phases like the ones in the Adkins books.

My husband is eating the same as I am and, of course, is still losing. I'm so happy for him, but am getting frustrated with myself. I'm on this not just to lose weight, but also for the improved health, but of course I'm tired of feeling chubby! I want to get down to at least 150 before trying to get pregnant. I don't want to get huge while pregnant and then be struggling to lose all of it after delivering!

I know that persistence is key, but I am discouraged. Maybe someone can give me some pointers?!?!

Thank you!

You might try cutting back on the bacon (salt=water retention), sausage (fillers?), and cheese= known staller. The cream cheese and sour cream are high calories too even though they have lots of good fat in them so maybe stop those too for a few weeks.

Sometimes when you are over the first fat loss excitement cutting calories a bit will get you started again. Or eating more veggies could be the trick as you'll be cutting out the bacon, sausage, and cheese. How about exercise? Adding it in, or pumping it up will also get you going. Good luck! By the way, don't compare yourself to your DH as men don't have the same kinds of difficulties we do with weight loss.

Thanks for the pointers! I will definitely cut back on the cheese, in fact my DH suggested that this morning and cooked me eggs and bacon (instead of me eating a hunk of cheese like I normally do for breakfast) - he's the best! I will limit the bacon to 1 piece and go really easy on the sausage, which we only eat about once a week or every other week.

I am going to be increasing my body weight exercises (Hindu squats (currently at 80), bridging, etc.) and am going to try to walk 30 min. each day.

I appreciate your response!

Considering your height, you are not that far from a healthy weight, so slow weight loss would not be unusual. It's also hard to tell what your body composition is in regard to fat vs. muscle, which can be a factor.

I don't know exactly what "lots" means to you, but I caution you that in spite of the "hype," calories DO count on a low-carb program.

Try putting your daily menus in a diary that calculates nutrients and calories. Also consult a calculator (easy to find online) to determine approximately what your calorie requirement is, considering current weight, activity level, age, and other factors. If there's a big discrepancy, this might be another option for you to alter your approach a bit.

The benefit to me of low-carb is sustainability. In other words, I get to eat foods that taste good and provide satisfaction, which a low-cal//low-fat routine never did. I eat somewhat more calories on low-carb, but I do have to exercise portion control and keep from overeating even low-carb foods.

Best wishes.

I tend to eat almost the same portion sizes as my DH, who is 5'10" and at 209 (down from 220!), so logically that would mean I am eating too many calories!!! You're right, I should figure out how many I am taking in each day so that I can see how much I need to reduce portion sizes.

One thing that is so great about LCing is that both my DH and I find our appetites are not a big as they used to be - it's easier not to totally pig out, but I do think I am still eating a bit too much and will adjust that.

I really appreciate your input! Thanks!

And don't forget that men drop weight much faster than women, regardless of what they eat. It's not fair, but it's true. Has something to do with muscle mass or testosterone or just Garden of Eden orneriness.

It's the muscle mass. Men just have more muscle mass than women--end of story. It's a stinker but true. Just something we have to deal with. So please, do not compare your weight loss with your husbands.

And your'e right, if you are eating the same portion sizes as your 200+ pound husband--you are probably overeating in the calorie department. This forum has a wonderful tool called MY PLAN which is a food and nutritional analyzer and tracker. It's very similar to FIT DAY. I've used MY PLAN since the third week I restarted Atkins back in September. It really does keep you honest and it's a real eye opener. Also by tracking your intake, your'e able to adjust during the day or evening ,i.e. "do I really need low carb dessert tonight??? or maybe a few almonds will do "

Good luck with your journey!

Lisa

Yeah, my DH dropped more weight this weekend and guess who didn't? Well, I have to admit we went to a wedding and drank some beer and ate a little bit of cake, so I did it to myself!!! Guess I got slapped on the hand for it and DH didn't. Not fair!

I have been following what the website biblelife.org lays out as to how to eat low carb. I bought The New Diet Revolution this weekend to check out how to go into induction. I also bought the 120 day journal. I think reading a lot of the book and starting to use the journal will help a good bit. I understand the importance of induction more now. I do think I was consuming too much dairy.

All that to say I am going to work on staying in induction for the next 2 weeks to see what happens. I was definitely doing low carb before, but was more in what Adkins would probably call the OWL phase, or maybe even Pre-Maintenance and maybe never really kick started my weight loss the way I am going to do now.

Hey, really I am so happy for DH. He hasn't been able to lose the weight like this for years, despite the things we tried such as carbs and protein alternated at meals and not eating anything all day and then eating as much as we wanted at night. These sort of diets would last maybe 2 weeks to a month and then we'd be like "what are we doing?!?"

The Atkins program is one of the low-carb plans that is called "ketogenic" or fat-burning. The purpose of induction (two weeks) is to change your metabolism from burning carbohydrates (primarily) to burning fat as its first energy source. Not all low-carb plans do this, but many of us find this to be an essential and useful transition. You have to crank down the carbs way low to initiate it.

Many people do just fine reducing what would be considered "normal" carb consumption. Your husband seems to be one of them. In fact, some people do very well simply cutting out all sugar, white flour, fast food, and sodas--the Great American diet, dontcha know!

Try Atkins induction and see what you think. Remember that it isn't forever. In just a couple of weeks, you'll be reintroducing more veggies, followed by dairy, nuts, fruits, and other delicious foods you'll enjoy.

Best wishes.

This really makes sense to me now - DH does well on LC with no induction, but it looks like induction is the way for me! No two people are alike in the way thier bodies respond to change!

I'll be posting my progress in the next 2 weeks while I am in induction.