Series7

Crikey. Can I just say that you are inspirational just for sticking to a diet for so long when you have had such rubbish results.

I think your nutritionist must be wrong. Please do not go down to consuming 800 calories a day. You'll feel crap and you will find it difficult to maintain over any prolonged period.

A couple more things to think about - is it possible you have any food allergies? A friend of mine lost about 15 pounds when she discovered she had a dairy sensitivity and cut out all dairy products. That's COW products. She continued to eat goat's cheese and sheep's products. The other common allergent is wheat gluten, but you should have already eliminated that.

Are you eating organic meat and vegetables. Some people swear that once they eliminated the chemicals and added hormones from their food, they found it easier to lose.

I feel like we are all grasping at straws for you now, though I am wondering if you have followed the advice to increase your cals and carbs slightly?

Good luck. I'm really hoping you are going to come back here to report an 8 pound WHOOOSH.

Maureen

Thanks for the note, Maureen. Hmmm...I haven't cut out dairy, but then again, I've never had a problem with it. I have a cup of coffee or chai in the morning with cream, but that's the most caffeine in a day. I've also cut way back on the processed meats - just eating fish & steaks I'm cooking myself. How do you tell if you're allergic to dairy?

My friend who was allergic to dairy (and wheat) had persistent skin problems like eczema, difficulty losing weight and also had problems with addiction (sugar, alcohol and cigarettes). Her nutritionist did an elimination diet for her where each week something different was eliminated from her diet to see if her eczema cleared up at all. She also did these skin prick tests to see if your skin reacts to being pricked with lactose or whatever allergen it is. From these two tests, it was determined that she had sensitivity to wheat and dairy. Her nutritionist took her off those initially and had her stop working out, except for pilates 4 times a week. Within a month, she had lost 15 pounds and her eczema was completely cleared.

Within two months, she had quit smoking, drinking and consuming sugar. Once her body was more balanced, it was easier to give those other things up. I kind if believe that addiction results because of a physical imbalance that is already present in the body. Or, that it is easier to overcome addiction once some kind of equilibrium is beginning to be established.

One last thing - I also believe that sometimes psychological stress can make it more difficult to lose weight. Your body will find its perfect weight if it is relaxed and you are in tune with it, giving it what it needs. I know this sounds quite new-agey, but I have seen with many, many people that sometimes they actually need to let the weight go - mentally and spiritually before it will start to move physcially.

Please stay in touch with us.

Thank you for the words of encouragement, and the specific advice. I've thought about the things to which I might be addicted or allergic, thinking that those are the things I cling to most deperately when I consider giving them up, and that they, perhaps, are the source of this stall.

Thing is, I'm not an addictive personality. I've had maybe four alcoholic drinks (spirits, not beer, so I was still in ketosis) in the last month - (I live in New Orleans, so its a wonder I haven't been tossed out of my home for such a transgression), and I haven't missed it. I smoke, but not every day - if I go through a pack a week, that's a lot. I never had a problem with fast food, sugar bingeing or sodas.

I can see why Atkins works so well for addictive personalities - of COURSE the folks that live for Krispy Kremes & McDonald's are gonna lose weight once they get that shite out of their systems. But me? I've always eaten well, worked out, made salads a part of my lifestyle, and I'm not on any medications. My former healthy lifestyle seems to ensure that I stay in the 170s rather than the 130s I know I should be.

Thanks again. I don't like to bitch like this, especially since the rest of my life is WONDERFUL. (Just sold another two paintings, and a mess o' prints at the gallery today!), but the weight issure really brings out the whiner in me.