It seems like a lot of people here lose a nice chunk of weight (50-70 pounds) then become serious turtles....doing what used to work barely works. Some keep chugging along, some switch plans. But is there any documentation about this? Anything from Atkins or his people?

I don't know what the Atkins folks say, but here is a recent thread that addresses the issue. Question for long-time TDC'ers HTH!

I am not aware of any documentation from Atkins on this. DANDR seems to imply that we will just keep losing steadily, slowing down our weight loss only as we add more carbs in by going through the various stages on Atkins. However, from my observation the majority of people on this forum experience a significant weight loss slowdown after losing the first big junk of weight.

Some people seem to think you can fight it through exercise, particularly weight lifting and other resistance exercise (see Jerry's posts), while other people seem to think that it is pretty much inevitable no matter what you do. My own weight loss has slowed down to two to three pounds a month, but I'm fairly comfortable with my current weight, so I have decided I can live with that. It's certainly better than gaining 10 to 15 pounds a year, which is what I was doing before I started Atkins. In fact, I think the weight slowdown may be good for me in terms of allowing my skin time to shrink so I don't end up needing surgery to remove excess skin. It has also allowed me to get used to my current body size. I was feeling somewhat alienated from my body for a while because it had changed so much. Now that the change has slowed down, it feels more familiar again and I'm much more comfortable with it. I think our bodies know what they are doing.

Thanks, Di--I actually posted in that thread, but after it had turned to a discussion of the necessity of exercise!

I had a stall at around 40 pounds, but it seems to have picked up now. We'll see if it maintains.

Interesting you post this Diane. The only time I had serious success at weight loss was before I had my boys (now 4&5) I easily lost 50 lbs. and then no matter what I did, I couldn't get any lower. Ending up gaining about 15 back in my frustration and then got pregnant (and here I am now ) I think most people's bodies do plateau and adjust. I know alot of people jump plans during that phase. I wonder sometimes if that's the wrong choice.

I have been stuck at a 48 lb weight loss for a month now so this interested me very much. The referring link to the other discussion was enlightening. I have a heart problem so cannot do cardio and have been trying to figure out how to get some exercise in to break my stall, get in better shape and continue to lose weight. Small weights and resistance training will be added right away. Thanks again!

Hi hearts! what a cute avatar

I have been enjoying my resistance training (re-started it about a month ago). So far I don't see related weight loss, but I believe I have firmed up a bit around the waist (an inch or so lost?).

this is my second time losing about 50 and getting that STUCK feeling....it's CRUEL CRUEL CRUEL.... I want to be a normal weight so bad and I am doing everything right..right? LET ME LOSE this weight!

well.....Patience IS a virtue. I was "Patience" in Gilbert and Sullivan's "Patience" once upon a time.

I seem to plateau about every six weeks or so. I usually gain a few pounds and get stuck in the same five to seven pounds for a few weeks..then suddenly I will drop a bunch of weight. I had been stuck since Christmas right around 200. In the last week or so, I have started tracking my food more on Fitday and came up will some issues (too few calories, etc). Now that I am aware of those problems, I have dropped several pounds.

I'm sure I won't continue losing at the rate I was early on, but I'm happy with 2-3 pounds per week now.

Good luck!

Exercise and eating less makes the difference.

Essentially, it is all about calories in and calories out. I know there are many complex issues surrounding this, but essentially the laws of thermodynamics are the foundation upon which weight loss occurs. Metabolic activity gets rid of fat tissue. As you lose weight, you are lowering your metabolism. When metabolism decreases, demand for energy decreases. If you are eating the same amount of calories as when you first started, fat loss will stop eventually. Weight loss will come to a halt.

Please note that I differentiate between fat loss and weight loss. Weight loss is not the best indicator of progress; weight comes off in chunks. You have wooshes and stalls on the scale because of the way body stores fat (water fills fat cells temporarily when fat is lost, but then body lets go of water resulting in a 2, 3, 4, or more pound woosh, but before the woosh you were "stalled" in weight loss for maybe 4 weeks). However, fat comes off steadily and reliably, and is directly related to how many calories you are not eating.

Now plenty of people will say "but thats not true, I raised my calories/binged on carbs/whatever and immediately lost 2 pounds in a few days!" I agree, this happens... it's happened to me too. The reason you lose when on a plateau right after raising calories, is because you have interupted the body's "weight loss cycle". Your body likes to let go of the water weight after a certain amount of fat loss, when it realizes that those cells ain't ever getting filled again ; by raising calories or eating carbs you are putting a little more fat back in the fat cells. You are telling your body "HEY, here's some fat; you can let go of the water, I will fill the fat cells up again now!" This encourages your body to let go of the (heavier) water it was hording.

However rarely does eating more calories result in an increase of permanent, steady fat loss. Just the opposite, in fact. there are always exceptions, but in general the wooshes you see after raising calories are water loss and not fat loss.

Now, you may be wondering if raising calories doesn't work, if cutting or raising carbs doesnt work, what does work? Simple. Eat less and exercise. It is really that simple. We all have unique energy demands, and the only way to increase the rate of fat loss is to raise our bodies demand for energy. You do this by a) restricting energy (calories) which puts more demand on fat stores, and b) increasing metabolic activity (exercise) which puts more demand on calories, which then puts more demand on fat stores.

I know exercise can be very intimidating to us TDCers when you are really heavy, but the good news is when you are very heavy a little goes a long way. The heavier you are, the more energy you require to do activities. Exercise isn't just about killing yourself on a treadmill for an hour; exercise is about increasing your activities in little ways. Park further away from the store. If you are just sitting around watching tv, clean your house instead or get something done. Go for a walk. Exercise doesn't have to be a chore, it can be fun! I look forward to the strolls around my neighborhood; I am at peace with everything, listening to my music.

These are all little ways you can burn more calories. It really does make a difference.

Woo very intresting and helpful information. I know my dietitian told me last month to expect a stall about every 15 pounds, she didn't explain why but what you said makes so much sense. Thank you.

If you don't adjust your caloric intake or exercise, do you know what triggers the cells to let go of the water? I've been trying to find that answer everywhere and haven't found anything. I can't imagine that it's just time, because the body doesn't really function around time. There must be something that triggers it.

Thanks for providing your insight!

I really don't know what finally tells your body to let go of that water, giving you that much celebrated 3 pound woosh . All I know is it is a well documented phenomena. Few of us see a steady drop in weight; most peoples weight loss is a series of 1, 2, or more pound hills and valleys.

I definitely lose in spurts. I lost weight in a spurt in late August and early September, didn't lose any pounds at all through the rest of September and all of October, lost pounds again between Thanksgiving and Christmas (!), and haven't lost anything since then. However, I'm feeling smaller and my jeans are definitely loser, so I am expecting another whoosh soon.

For the first seven or eight months of low carbing I lost much more steadily -- about seven or eight pounds a month. Now it's averaging out to 2.5 or 3 pounds a month, but the average obscures the unevenness of the weight loss. I am a menopausal woman, so that undoubtedly slows me down as well. I figure that just getting through menopause without gaining is a big achievement and I'm losing!