Hello! I am hoping someone can offer some advice! I started atkins on Jan 1st. I thought I was doing well, but when I found fitday I realized I was going way over on vegatable carbs (and ranch dressing!) Even though my eating was WAY better then before I lost only 5 lbs, put 2 back on and then nothing. The last week I have done so well, staying at or under 20 carbs and no cheating whatsoever. I am burning moderate ketones according to the stix. I drink lots of water. This morning I was up 2 lbs, (it's not TOM) making my total weight loss as 1 pound in 24 days! I don't eat bars or anything like that. I do eat 5 grams of carbs each day in either peanut butter or the last 2 days dry roasted almonds. I'm going to cut that out today but I am so frustrated that I have worked so hard for nothing! I am not losing inches at all, clothes don't fit better....and I am gaining! I had wonderful results the first time I did Atkins and in the last 5 years I have done a half a** job at low carb, very inconsistent. I think maybe I made myself metabolically resistant? What can I do to get my body to let go of this weight it's holding on to for dear life? Thanks for listening! 160 when I started, 159 today!

just a thought...have you had your thyroid levels checked? My thyroid was "bad" and I had no idea.

I just read bowtieboy's success story and printed out his eating plan...I might try that for a couple of weeks to "kick start" this myself. I'm a turtle too.

Stay focused and keep plugging away.

Stay off the peanut butter - and all nuts - during Induction.

Eat more fat, less carbs. Thos hidden carbs in salad dressings will spell doom. Use oil and vinegar.

Thanks for the responses- JoeyBeGoey I have been on thyroid meds for many many years and just recently retested-It's good. I'm just wondering if there is something I can do to jump start and get my body rolling!

tmatrocks- I didn't have any nuts during the 1st two weeks, but now I'm cutting those too. Staying low on carbs and no more ranch dressing and still...NADA! I'm not giving up though. Last time on Atkins if I was stalling I would eat a McDonald's cheeseburger and fries and that would get me going again.....I'm tempted to try that!

I'm a sad, sad turtle, too! I was doing really well until last June ('06), and then it was like I hit a brick wall! I lost nothing until the first week of Dec., and I've lost nothing since. I switched from my own plan to Atkins on 1-16-07, thinking the more rigid guidelines might help me. But I've followed the book to the letter, with no weight loss to show for it. Not even half a pound!

I just don't know what more I can do, except keep on following the plan. I certainly don't want to go back to high-carb and regain all I've lost.

I feel for you as I am a fellow turtle.
I was surprise when I started LCing to realise that a lot of the products that I would get on the continent (europe) were truly sugar-free whereas here in the UK they add a lot of hidden sugar. I am talking about mustard. mayonaise, bread, deli meat, all sorts of savoury sauces, some vinegars... to name but a few.
It is very frustrating!

Iph.

I've been reading on here about the meat and egg plan to jump start the diet. I've been considering it.

Look in the Triple Digits Club for the thread (at least I think that's where it is) and see if it's something you might be interested in.
Also...be sure to get your actual numbers for you thyroid levels. I fell into the "normal" range at a TSH of 3.88 (for some lab standards) and for me personally that's too high (calling my endo Monday for an increase in meds).

Also reaaaaaaaaaaally push that water down...I know for me when I drink 64 oz I see a difference.

Hope you bust through and see some progress.

Joey

Well, atleast I'm not alone! Kisal, maybe your body is pulling a Mrs. Butterworth-Taking it's own sweet time!
Iphigenie- It sucks, there is sugar in everything it seems!
JoeyBegoey, I have been contemplating doing the meat/egg fast too! It doesn't sound too bad and if it will jump start me then I may give it a try! I had high hopes yesterday when my weight was down one pound. Then this morning it went right back up. I was thinking of trying a day of heavy duty cardio to see if that gets me started. But it's so cold outside.......

I know you don't want to hear this- but maybe you're eating too many calories. If you aren't losing any weight- (and most definitely, if you are gaining-) it could quite possibly be the calories.

I've done the M&E Fast twice. It worked the first time (back around April), but not the last time (end of Dec.)

I counted both carbs and calories from March of 2005 through November of last year, while I was on my own plan. I just started counting calories again today. I hope it makes a difference. I'm really getting tired of not losing weight! I'm not asking for miracles. Just a couple of pounds a month would thrill me!

I hear ya, Kisal!

Lilli, according to my BMR, if I did it correctly- for me to maintain a 135 weight I should be having something like 1893 calories a day. I have been averaging 1869- so it seems in the calorie department I'm doing o.k.?

Well, I seem to have lost 3 pounds this week, according to my old scale, that is. It registered me at 211 this morning. But my new scale arrived today, and it tells me I'm 6 pounds heavier than I thought I was. Bummer!

Oh, well. I asked folks for their opinions over on the General forum, and the responses indicated I probably ought to go by the new scale, so I upped my stats again. One person commented that I'd "lose that 6 pounds in no time." <heavy sigh> I know they meant to encourage me, but they don't know how hard I've struggled over the past 7 months to lose anything at all! One thing's for sure, though: Going back to high-carb won't solve anything, so I'll just keep on plodding along.

Nursfam, I've seen a lot of posts saying that the easiest way to determine your calories is to just multiply your goal weight by 10. That would mean around 1350 calories for you at maintenance. Because LC allows most people to eat a somewhat higher number of calories and still lose weight, you might lose well at 1500 or 1600 calories/day. Just something to consider.

Kisal, I thought I was doing good too! I dropped 2 pounds one day, then another pound the next day. Then gained back 3/4 of a pound, and today another full pound! It's so frustrating!

are you familiar with BMR? Basic metabolic rate? I used this calculation to figure I should be having 1890 calories a day for a weight of 135 lbs. I had never heard of it before, but here is a link: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-c...bmr-formula.php

I hope it's more accurate because I would be hard pressed to stay at 1300 calories a day! I am not eating a lot at all and I am getting up to 1890 a day, or atleast for the past couple of days WAY over that! What do you think? Danette

Yes, I understand BMR quite well. I've yet to find a BMR Calculator online that is anywhere near accurate -- for myself, at least. Even when I show my activity level as very sedentary (which it is), the calculators always show that I should have around 1800, some even show over 2000, calories/day to maintain my goal weight of 140 lbs.

I know for a fact that I gain weight if I eat more than 1300 calories/day. At 1200 calories/day, I maintain my current weight. But even just slightly under 1200, I begin to lose weight -- not a lot, but at least some.

I discussed this with 3 of my doctors, all of whom support the LC wol, and each of them told me the same thing: "Don't go below 1000 calories/day, but don't go over 1200." So, that's what I try to do. But, sheesh! I get so hungry sometimes! I'm just going to have to sit down and examine everything I eat, so I can find places to cut calories (that'll probably most easily be done by reducing fats a bit), but still get enough volume of food so that I don't feel hungry. It's hard to do!