I have been on the diet faithfully for 11 days. I have not lost any weight. I withdrew from caffeine and from my HRT. But I am still not losing. I felt awful for the first week. I am definitley not cheating at all....what could be the problem? My ketostix range from the small to large scale in purple. HELP!!

if the stix are purple, you're probably losing fat...but if they're dark purple, you're probably dehydrated, so your body is simultaneously hanging onto extra water cuz it thinks there's a drought out there. Drink lots of water--nothing but water--and be patient. Scale weight does not equal fat--the scale is an imprecise way to tell if we're losing fat or not.

Menopausal women don't lose weight very quickly. I've lost only 30 pounds in 19 months. But what's my alternative? Getting fatter, that's what... So I'd rather lose slowly than keep gaining, as I was before I found low carb eating

HTH

Thanks for the encouragement! The stix are not the darkest purple, but they are definitely purple! I am not going to give up. I am wondering if it takes a while for the hormones to get out of my system, i stopped them only last Thursday. Today for example, I had a two egg omelet with two slices of cheese for breakfast. Tuna and mayo and a piece of leftover steak for lunch and one ounce of cheddar. I had an Atkins breakfast bar for a snack. For dinner, another omelet, with swiss and some bacon. Do you think I am eating too much? The cheese was not over three ounces total. Cheryl

nope, I think you may be eating too little! Go to fitday.com, register, and run your food through for calories. Most mentors here would tell you to eat 1800-2000...I think you can get by with 1500, but no less than that. If you're a veteran dieter, eating too few calories will put your body into starvation mode, and it'll conserve fat because it knows the routine.

Atkins bars are full of hidden sugars--eat nothing like that to optimize your loss. For the best loss, eat only real food--meat, eggs, cheese, veggies, dressings, butter...and when you're off induction, berries and canteloupe in small amounts.

Congratulations on getting off caffeine--that's a killer! You're probably right about the HRT taking awhile to pass out of your system.
If at the end of a month, you still haven't loss, don't despair. There's a slight possibility something you're eating is a food you're sensitive (like allergic) to and is stalling you. An elimination diet, where you remove eggs for a week or two, then cheese for a week or two, then pork for a week, etc,... that'll ferret out any hidden allergies, cuz you'll suddenly drop weight once you're free of the bad-for-you food.

Hang in there. Patience is so easy to advise, and so hard to do! But it's worth it. Also, take note of the ways in which you feel better--when we are slow losers, that can really help keep us behaviorally on track.

Now I am really upset. I have gained back the pound I lost. I have been religiously faitlful to the induction plan, stopped caffeine and HRT. My ketostix were purple for days and then yesterday and today, only pink once in a while, mostly tan. I am getting very discouraged. It will be two weeks tomorrow. I have been off the hormones for over a week and off caffeine for a week. HELP Cheryl

Those scale are annoying when they don't play ball. However, like Razzle I would say have patience. You did not put all that weight on overnight and it will not come off that way either.

Interested to hear that you've just stopped taking your HRT. I've just started taking it this week. I am looking for a better life. My own weight loss is very slow, especially over the last 3 months.

Glad your ketostix are less purple, thats a positive sign. You are burning fat and therefore you are proberly exchanging fat for muscle which weighs heavier. Have you taken your measurements? Have you tried the pant-o-meter test? Are clothes looser on you than before. This is the real test.

Don't give up. You might like to drop in to see Plum. She is having major problems and she has been low carbing for many months.

I hope that the whoosh fairy comes soon.

Hi Cheryl......

The good news is that you cannot possibly gain a pound of fat overnight! You'd have to have eaten 3500 excess calories to have accomplished that and I suspect that you have not done that. What you have most likely gained is water weight. Our hydration levels can and do change and fluctuate. Try not to worry too much about it.

Start looking for other benefits that you are getting from eating this way, besides the reading of the scale. I know that the point of this is to lose weight, but often there are so many other good things happening that will help us to have patience. Are you feeling better? Do you have more energy? Are you less hungry that you have been in the past?

I know how frustrating it can be at the beginning when we have high hopes for a dramatic change. I began with a good initial loss, but then the scale bounced back up six pounds. I thought that this was just yet another diet that wasn't working for me. The first several months were tough, but I kept on keeping on and eventually began to see results.

Don't give up. Keep working at it and consider starting a journal so that you'll have a place for us to visit you and offer information and encouragement!

Marlaine

I am not sure what to do next. I was on Atkins for six weeks, and did not lose any weight. I did not cheat, not even once. I have been doing everything you guys told me to do. I gave up and went back to the weight watchers diet five days ago. I lost a couple of pounds right off the bat, but I am cheating and craving sweets again. What do I do!! I can't seem to get past the 178-180 range. I never had an initial loss on Atkins and I am not sure I should go back to it. I have lots of energy to run with low fat/high carb, but am craving junk again. HELP! Cheryl

It appears that you may be a yo-yo dieter from your last post. From this, to that to the next.

Fat loss is a bit slower if you yo-yo, but it will happen if you are consistent and feed your body well. It has to trust you again.

I looked over what you ate and was wondering why no vegetables? This way of eating can be very punishing unless you are doing all that you can to make it enjoyable. And you have probably heard that low-carb bars can hinder fat loss.

Look inside yourself and be honest about which way of eating helps you feel your best . Forget about about ketostix, scales, fat loss or what you think should be happening for the moment. What makes you feel your best?

Karen