After trying this diet (Atkins) for 5 or 6 weeks,without impressive results I am quitting it, for me its been a waste of time. There are reasons its not working for me, at the age I am now, any weight loss would be slower than it used to be. I have met a lot of really nice people on this forum and do not want to hurt or offend any of them. But.... it's kind of hard not to notice that most people here are not actually losing much weight, most seem to stall after the initial weight loss and if they are happy losing a pound or two every six months then good for them, but I need faster action and a more varied diet than Atkins allows.

What do others think about this general lack of loss going on with LC dieters?

I won't speak to the lack of progress, I'm not a quick loser myself, 12-13 pounds in the same time period you mentioned. But, just the fact that I have so much more energy, no more hunger/cravings, and just overall feeling better is enough to keep me eating LC. Sure, it annoys the heck out of me I'm not one of the people losing 20-30 pounds by now, but the good things are just to substantial to ignore.

Just MHO

I have to say, I am a slow loser as well, but the benefits of this plan outway the slow weight loss. I am feeling healthier than I have in years, and am taking care of alot of health issues that were diet related.

I don't think it is fair for you to mention how many people are "not losing much weight". Most people on this plan are here because no other plan worked for them. We are all working very, very hard to make this work. Nothing in life is easy. I really don't think you are going to find a plan out there that will make the weight drop off like you think it should. And plans that cause weight loss like that are bad for your health.

I think you need to educate yourself, get some good books about nutrition.

Yes, I have only lost three pounds in two months, but it is more than I did on any other plan. It doesn't matter how long the journey takes, as long as you keep moving. Like I said, weight loss isn't the only issue. A lifetime of bad eating habits cannot be erased in a few months.

Good luck to you in whatever path you choose, but please send no bad thoughts to the rest of us. We know what we are doing.

-Jess

I don't know about eveyone else, but I always forget to update my profile so if you are judging weight-loss by profile numbers alone, you may not be getting the real picture. I don't expect to lose weight at a miracle pace, it took me 20 years to get this heavy and if it takes me 2 years to get to my goal, then that's what it takes. Then again, this is not a diet for me, and I can understand that some folks would like more variety and options in their food choices.

Good luck in finding something that works for you! If you find your quick-fix please come back and let us know about it.

Hi Jessea

I certainly do not send any bad thoughts to anyone and am sorry if I came accross that way. I just think that this diet is too much touted as a quick way to lose weight. I have stated maybe not in the post that started this thread that for some people this is a miracle diet but not for me. I just wondered if there were many others who had tried the plan and felt as I do.

I actually do know quite a bit about nutrition.(I just choose to disregard it in sake of vanity at times) For me emotional health is harder to come by than physical, luckily I am quite blessed with comparatively good physical health but have a lot of issues with body image and a few extra pounds causes me such distress that maybe a lot of people can't understand.

Once again, I am not trying to hurt or offend anyone, please do not take it that way. I congratulate anyone who is losing weight , it can be a difficult thing to do.

While I have to say that losing 75 pounds in 2 years may not be breaking any speed records, the other things I've lost keep me going.
What else have I lost? 2 prescription medications, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, that bone-tired exhaustion I always had, my addiction to sugar, and oh yeah....being resigned to being fat forever.
I've also gained a few things, too. Knowledge about how my body works and what works best for keeping it healthy, self esteem that I thought I had lost forever, pride in accomplishing what I set out to accomplish and the encouragement to set higher goals for myself. I'm learning to love myself at any size and learning to not define myself by the numbers on the scale or the number on that tag inside my pants. I've found again that inner strength and determination that I thought I had lost for good.
A low carb lifestyle isn't for everyone and it's unfortunate that people get the impression that they will lose huge amounts of weight in just a short time even if they only have a few pounds to lose. That leads to such disappointment and disillusion when it doesn't happen like they think it should.
Weight loss is really only a small part of what low carbing is all about. It's more about being as healthy as you were intended to be for life.
I wish you success in your journey to finding happiness and weight loss whichever method you choose.

I am really sorry, didn't mean to come across so strong. I am laid up with sinus/bronchial infection and on top of that, am getting the flu everyone else in the house has.

When I re-read my post I thought, oh, wish I had a rewind button on my computer. Didn't mean to come across that way. Guess I am ultra-sensitive today.

Hope you can forgive me, I usually try to be helpful. There are alot of nice people on this forum, I am glad we got to meet you too,Koko, good luck to you.

I had alot of problems with self esteem when I was younger. I thought I was too hideous to even leave the house. Now that I am older, I feel much better. Having kids helps, they love me even when I am feeling "ugly". I hope that you find the peace of mind to accept yourself, you are beautiful, no matter what you weigh!

Good luck, and check back from time to time, let us know how you are doing!

-Jess

I'm left wondering how much you have to lose. I've noticed that it's the ones who don't have much to lose who look at this as a quick weight loss diet. There are a bunch of us who look at this as something that saved our lives and therefore it's become a WOL. I'm so thankful I saw the Dateline story about Josh M. in July and it made so much sense to me. I got it right away. I haven't felt this good in years and that includes about 7-8 years ago when I lost 40 lb. doing low fat(only to regain that and then some).

Here are some of my thoughts at my 6 mo. mark that I posted on another site. They still hold true.

From Jan. 20, 2003
"Well today marks 6 months of low carbing. I started the Atkins’ plan on July 20 of last year. I was just tallying all the things that I've gained since I decided to change my life forever(and I mean forever.....some things just will not have a place in my life anymore since I've ditched them....sugar and white starch, basically).
I feel fantastic. Aside from a few bouts of some allergic reactions to something unknown as of yet(suspecting my feather pillow instead of food), I’ve gained so many other things.

I no longer have the constant hunger that I was plagued with before embarking on this lifestyle. I used to eat from the time that I got home from work until I went to bed(about 8 hours nonstop).

I no longer limp to the bathroom like I used to do every morning upon arising from bed because my feet were in pain. I no longer have the leg aches that I used to have whenever I was on my feet all day at work. Those are gone, gone, gone. I just noticed the other day that the skin on my face is so much softer than it ever was and the color is great(no longer pasty, greyish, and bloated). I attribute that to finally eating a healthy amount of fat instead of almost no fat that was my diet prior to starting this WOL.

My dh and I have a more intimate relationship, even after 30 years of marriage and despite his complaints about parts of my anatomy getting smaller(he likes fat butts and breasts....weirdo, though I’ve told him that I’m not giving up a healthier body to get them back).

I have a much greater amount of energy than I’ve ever had before, even when I was in my twenties. I roll around on the floor with my grandsons with no trouble(I don’t remember my grandparents ever being able to do that).

I love being able to wear all my old smaller clothing and not having to shop in plus size clothing anymore. I look forward to going shopping for a whole new wardrobe when I finally reach my goal.

I've gained a body that weighs 51 pounds less, 229 to 178(now 175). I've gained a slimmer body by losing mucho body fat.

I've gained a smaller body by losing 29" from the 4 things I measured. My bust went from 47 to 43", my waist from 41 to 32", and my hips from 50 to 44"(yahoo). I've also lost 5" from each thigh.

I just feel so much younger now. Remember the old fountain of youth that everybody was searching for? Well, I feel like I've found it."

The health results alone are enough to keep me with this WOL. This winter is the first in a long time that I didn't worry or think about putting another 5-10 pounds on my body.....and I didn't. I actually lost a few. My loses have slowed down but I'm not worried in the least because I know that it will start again.

First of all, learn to speak for yourself, rather than make a sweeping generalization. I, along with many people I know personally, have lost fast and continued losing. Usually, when someone complains to me that they're not losing fast enough...it can be traced back to doing the diet incorrectly. EVERYONE stalls at some point, no matter if it's a diet, a weight lifting progream, cardio, doesn't matter, everyone stalls at some point. Now, some do the diet correctly and still lose slow, but point is they STILL LOSE...not to mention the health benifits. What is this extreme need for speed in losing? Any more than 2-3lbs a week and chances are ur losing muscle, no matter how much protein ur eating.
Bottom line is, you are a quitter. Sorry to be harsh, but essentially, that's what you are. You will go from diet to diet (as you probably already have) and complain about something in each one of them. Basically, you are just looking for reasons to quit. And this garbage about, "I know something about nutrition....but I ignored it for the sake of vanity." Wow, very poetic. I am sick of people who take a nutrition class or become a nutritionist (some of the most clueless people on the planet) and try to dispense their views with this "School house nutrition." You are all tought out of the same book, open your minds for once. Why dont we all start having 3 square meals a day, with milk and a nice slice of Mom's apple pie afterwards. If you dont like the diet, fine, beat it....don't drag others down who may be doubting themselves. This is a life long process, not a race to "look good for summer."

Another way to look at it...

If you had started at 250 pounds, and your lean body mass was 125 pounds, you would possibly have lost 20 pounds in six weeks. Impressive? Yes!

Now you only have 90 or so more pounds to go.

It's all in the perspective and the attitude.

Karen

Hi Koko,

I know you're under the impression that a lot of people are "stalled" or "not losing much weight," but remember that when you see people post questions, it's most likely to be people having trouble. People who *aren't* having trouble don't have anything to post about! Know what I mean? Don't let the people having problems lead you to think that *everyone* is having problems.

I, for one, have had a smooth journey. Low-carbing saved my sanity and probably my life. I flipped through your journal a bit, and it sounds like you need to pick a plan and stick to it. Stop plan-hopping trying to find something faster - just find something that satisfies your appetite and health, and stay with it. Faster has never been healthier.

Best of luck...

Me too. Any percieved problems I have with low-carbing were created by me so I find ways to solve them. And the way I solve them is by going back to the basic program I started with. I have only myself to search and critique, not the program. It's delivered what it said it would do if I'm faithful to it. If I'm not being faithful, then I'm just being stupid.

Having painful and desperate times is part of the opportunity to learn. It can be ignored, but at what cost?

Karen

WEll Said Karen

Cheers Kathy

Like Kristine said, there are plenty of people who have lost weight easily on Atkins. I lost 45 pounds in 6 months, most of that in the first two months.

The difference is that I am young, and this was the first real diet I have been on. You can't expect miracles when you have yo-yo dieted your metabolism to $hit, sorry!

Quote:

The difference is that I am young, and this was the first real diet I have been on. You can't expect miracles when you have yo-yo dieted your metabolism to $hit, sorry!

You unfortunately have a point!!! LOL
Would that it were not so!
Nedra