I have increased my exercise like crazy... because , well I dont know. Anyway by doing this I feel so weighted down by my food (carbs kept to 20g), and my "mind" keeps telling me I am eating completely wrong.

So... do any of you go through spurts like this? I mean come on.. it has been a year and a half! LOL Why has the increase in activity seem like it is causing such caos in my life?

I'm not sure exercising "like crazy" is always a good thing. For one thing, it increases appetite. I'm a huge believer in exercise, but I've learned that more is not always better. I moderate my exercise now: I do weights in the gym, moderate cardio, but I don't over-do it. I know for a fact that while exercise (again, moderate exercise) helps you lose, more exercise doesn't necessarily make you lose faster. The most success I've ever had on Atkins actually happened at a time when I had a sprained shoulder and a cracked rib, and I did absolutely NO exercise at all at that time. Yet, the weight dropped off quite nicely. My advice is to check the volume of food you are eating. I keep my carbs low, but I can't eat as much portion-wise as I used to. Too much food at one meal makes me feel weighted down. And re-think the amount of exercise you are doing. 30-45 min. per day is all you need...REALLY!

what's funny... is I am not actually doing it to "lose" though it would be nice to drop the last few vanity pounds, but for stress. Lately, it has been walking a 5k four times a week, along with strength training.
I think this week, I am going to workout at home, training my body in little bursts rather then the 1 1/2 hours a day I have been trying. UGH. ~ LOL

I see you are still at 20 net carbs though you are nearly at your goal weight.
Congratulations on your sterling job of losing

Have you thought of adding more net carbs from the OWL carbohydrate ladder to give yourself more choices?

And maybe don't eat before exercising but afterwards?

Being a wife and a mother, and teaching in between, my workout times have to revovle around the gym's childcare time, or.. I have to get up at 3am.

I tried the 3am. I don't like working out this early, because even though it energizes me, I feel so grumpy by the time my kids get out of school and that is not good for this momma.

I try the 4pm when the kids can go, and while I get a good workout, it takes out so much time in my afternoon as well as the kids time outside, especially with this great weather.

I think I am going to spend this week... adjusting my workouts at home seeing what I can fit in. I really just want to tone.. not burn. I really don't have enough calories in my day sometimes to be burned away on cardio.

I am NOT going to advocate NO exercise, but I do understand that theory too. I had went along time without working out and lost my best. Now I just want to whittle the last few inches.

I have been adding more carbs in this week, by adding nuts and berries, but I just havent felt the best. It's gonna take some tweaking.
Thanks for your replies.

If you're working out to alleviate stress, then you may want to try just going swimming or something. Exercise releases the hormone "cortisol" which is the stress hormone

Is it the "need" to exercise that is making your life chaotic or is it that the stress in your life makes you need an outlet that is manifesting itself as restlessness/a need to exercise?

Also, could you be suffering from the natural restlessness that many people experience as winter finally gives way to spring?

Lizzy

I definately feel restless, then by the end of the day completely exhuasted. LOL.

Sheila, remember when you were fat, and the thought of exercising at all was exhausting? Now you can't get enough of it and you are falling into bed at night exhausted from all the activity....hummm what a conundrum....lol. I just had to giggle. I can't wait for my biggest concern to be that I am exercising too much and people are giving me advice about how to cut back. Do you see the irony here? I bet those last two pound will be melting away in no time now!

I ran into this the last time I did adkins. I think its the bodies response to needing a bigger variety in your diet. I stayed on 10 to 15 carbs. for four months then when spring hit and I was working out 45 minutes a day and wieght lifting and working with my horses and kids. I totally tanked . I was so focused on my goal I didn,t take the advice everyone here was giving my an up my carbs. For me eating lighter meals with more salids and lc veggies is keeping me feeling better this time even though its that time of the year and I,m working outside 6 hours per day as well as my exercise. Great job on where you are, that kind of loss is awesome! Now comes the hard part where you need to let go of whats been working so far and work on maintance. Thats where so many of us fail , so heres you chance to brake the cycle and have this thing licked for good .