I have been stuck for almost 2 weeks. I did not measure but my clothes do feel a little looser. But the scale has not budged. I have not had over 25 carbs for 26 days and I am thinking that if I have some bad carbs one day that maybe when I go right back on the induction the next day that my body will burn those carbs plus some more- kind if like faking the body out- anyway yes I am desperate- yes I am a slave to the scale- and Yes i want to see the scale go down. I am getting frustrated. I know this is not the best idea in the world but I was just wondering if it has worked for anyone else. Thanks!!!

To remember the ads, "it's not nice to fool Mother Nature?"

I haven't been around long enough myself to know whether what you are proposing has even a shot at working; sure plenty of other people know that. I suspect there is NO faking out one's body; if so, that low fat stuff would have tasted better and satisfied us long before now.

(Well, there's a question for you--did low fat "fake your body out" the last time you ate high-carb? If not, why do you think it would work this time?)

My question would be, "Can you be absolutely sure you can come back?" In just about any program that requires abstaining, it's usually the easiest the first time; returning after "slips" gets harder and harder. What was your carb eating like before you tried this? How bad are you going to feel about that scale not moving if you stay out for more than a day? And then one that sometimes works for me, what if the scale's just about to move... like, for you it's going to take X + 1 day, and you go out on day X, and then you have to go through X + 1 days of induction all over again just to get back to where you were.

Good luck. Let us know how this works out.

Hi Alimark,
Have another read of what you've written there, matey. You are not stuck at all - you are shrinking. And that is great! Really! After all, what you are aiming for is to be slim, yes? You are slimming, just not lighter.

When we first start low carbing, many of us start to eat adequate amounts of protein compared with what we were eating before. That plus or minus exercising, increases muscle. This happens to many, many low carbers.
Muscle weighs more than fat, while taking up less space.
Have a look at the picture in this thread:
http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...usand+and+words

So, no, don't sabotage yourself by going off plan. Just hang in there for a while, and you'll soon be rewarded by not only your clothes continuing to grow looser, but your scales will also show a loss.

All the best to you!

Rosebud

Hi Alimark, I read in your profile that you have been doing lc for less than a month. I'm guessing you lost for the first two weeks, then stopped losing in the two weeks since then. Is that right?

The exact same thing happened to me: I lost 7 pounds in the first two weeks, then I *gained*, then stalled for four weeks. So I think I understand some of your frustration. I was ready to throw in the towel but thank goodness I had a diet buddy here who kept me from giving up. From what I understand it's pretty common to stall in the first few weeks as the body readjusts.

My advice would be to stick with it, keep doing everything right & don't try anything drastic right now. After all, the lc eating plan is a pretty drastic change in itself. Give your body a chance to get used to it and you will start losing again.

Good luck & let us know how it goes!

Hi Alimark! I just read your post,,,,,,I understand your frustration but I have found in the year that I have been LCingthat,,usually when you stop losing weight, you are losing inches..its kinda like your body is catching up with itself. I always say,,I dont care if I weigh 400 pounds if I can wear an eight!!! Its inches that I want to lose!!
Also, about the cheat day,..some can do it,,some cant....my daughter does it and it works fine for her,,,but some of us are carboholics....one day of high carb and we are lost!! It is soooo hard to get back..and the after effects are awful. Bloat, sluggishness,,brain fog..aches and pains. Its not worth it.
Also,,,Dr Atkins says its not a true stall until it has been months since you have lost any inches or pounds. There is a great book out there that might help,,its a little paperback,,I got mine at Barnes and Noble,,,The Secret to Low Carb Success by Laura Richard. I think it was around 6 dollars,,,,but she has all kinds of tips in there. They may even have it at the library.
And remember...anything worth achieving is worth some time...hang in there,,,,you will lose if ya dont give up!! Trust me!!!

Hey, Alimark!

I will probably draw the wrath of some, and I concur entirely with some of the key points made by the other respondants (it may not be a stall - you may be losing inches before the weight loss shows up, etc.) but I will say that I have found on occassion that a one evening high carb binge can actually seem to trigger a renewed loss of weight in the coming days. But . . .

a) As noted by some already, some people cannot simply do this and go back on the LC wagon! For me, I make it a game - I plan out something that sounds wonderful to me (my favorite pizza or pasta place!), set a date in the coming week or so (never on the spur of the moment while frustrated!), I make it a 'one night stand' and then I get back immediatly the next morning on a fairly strict low carb intake plan.

b) Typically, I find I gain a small amount of weight the following day (naturally!) but more often than not I am back down to the same weight the following day and then, maintaining a fairly tight carb plan for 3 to 4 days, see a drop in weight.

I do NOT recommend or state that this is a good thing to do, especially for a weekly activity! But over my ~1 year of LC'ing, I have probably done it 4 times when I really seemed to be locked into a true plateau, and it seems to work.

One final comment, based upon how long you have been on the program, you are probably not ready for this to be a possible fix! You are probably, as noted by others, simply seeing the 'normal' stabilizing from the intial rapid weight loss that many enjoy, but you have not really pleateaued at all!

Okay, send the retorts about my occasional carb binge - I can take it now!

I am in full agreement with MShoemaker above. I agree that going high carb briefly could potentially jumpstart weight loss. But I really think it's too early on for you to try this technique.

I will go out on a limb here and disagree with those who tell you that it's not a stall unless it's been going on for months w/o weight or inches lost. That may be fine for a technical definition of what is and isn't a stall, but to stay motivated with any weight loss regimen you need to see results.

But again, I really think it is too early for you to try the limited carb-binge:

1) if you make the mistake of weighing yourself the morning after your binge, you may well find that you've gained back a lot (maybe even most, or all) of the weight that you've lost already. Of course this is mostly water weight that you will lose over the next day or two, but seeing that scale jump back up can be demoralizing enough to send you back into a carb-binge that isn't so controlled the second time around.

2) you may have gotten your sugar/carb cravings under control by restricting your carb intake thus far, but don't get too cocky about your newfound indifference to carbs. Once you spike that blood sugar, those cravings of yore may be back with a vengeance.

3) you will likely feel like crap from your carb binge. I, for one, get heart-burn, I feel exhausted and my skin even breaks out when I hit the carbs. As an aside, this is a good reason to try a limited (planned and controlled) carb-binge some time down the road. It will illustrate vividly for you just what those carbs do to you.

In the meantime, there are a lot of other techniques that you can use to jump-start your weight loss:

1) re-read whatever book you read when you started the program to get back in touch with the guiding principles of the low-carb regime and remind yourself of what foods are acceptable.

2) Increase your exercise or change your exercise routine (you have been exercising, haven't you?). If you haven't, stop kidding yourself, you will not lose the weight on diet alone and exercise is absolutely essential to your well-being.

3) Make sure you are getting enough fat in your diet. Even if you have your carbs under control, it is very easy to subconsciously cut back on fat in favor of protein. Adequate amounts of fat are absolutely essential to losing weight on this plan. Some time far down the road, if you have the occasion to do Atkins' fat fast, it will really show you the role of fat consumption in weight loss.

4) mind your calories. Eventually, in my experience, they will matter even if you can consume them with impunity at first.

This is just a partial list of what you can do to work through your stall. I will say again that now is really not the time for a carb-binge.

Good luck.

i lost 7 lbs in 2 weeks that's all! i got to be losing more right? I started drinking diet rite, do you think maybe that could be why? i am still drinking water and watching my carb intake. should i cheat one day them go back on induction? i haven't cheated once. i am really over the craving and do not want to go back to the craving by cheating on my lc diet. please, i need some wise advice.
thanks in advance

I cheated 5 days ago, and believe me, it's not worth it. I have gained back 3 of the pounds I lost in my first 2 weeks on Induction, and they won't budge. My Keto sticks are dark purple, but nothing is moving. I know now that if I hadn't cheated, and instead was patient with myself, I wouldn't be unhappy and frustrated right now.

Lesson learned from my cheat: Staying the same and not going down is far better than going up.

mGood,

Seven pounds in 2 weeks - 28% of your goal? That is great! As the person who posted the support mail on an occasional binge, I would not recommend a binge now! You are doing great and are probably just at the normal stabilization point that occurs once your body gets rid of the 'easy' weight (water, etc.) and begins doing the more difficult work. My experience and that of others I have tallked to is that in the first few weeks the body adapts to the new intake, the weight will stabilize and decreases come in small spurts, not daily declines. Having tracked my wieght now for over 2 years, that was certainly true for me. But two weeks in and 28% to goal - most people would be thrilled.

If you stay stuck for another week or two, I would note timco's comments above - ultimately calories also come into play so you might want to take a look at that before you give in!

FYI, I am not yet at my goal weight - still 10lbs to go. Might help if I exercised a bit!! ;-} Good luck!

[B]thank you all for the support! i love this forum. i am not going to cheat. i have noticed that my jeans and uniforms are slightly loose. which is a good thing. not gaining is better then gaining i can't believe that you all responded so fast. you guys are great. thanks again, mgood

I lost 40 pounds a year ago on atkins doing a binge a week. I think if it is a planned thing you take care of all your cravings and you do not cheat even a little the rest of the week you will do fine. I liked it mainly because it cleaned my bowels out. No one can tell you what you will be comfortable doing.

Often, weight loss stalls due to normal and expected plateaus. There are times when the plateaus result from significant calorie restriction. The body is designed to hold onto fat when it thinks that it is being starved. After a few weeks of severely low caloric intake, the metabolism may slow down and not burn as many calories. Thus weightloss slows. This explains why persons who are significantly overweight seem to lose weight faster, at least until they near their ideal bodyfat percentage. Weightloss results when total calories consumed are less that total calories burned - caloric deficit. The heavier you are, the more calories burned to carry that excess weight. As you lose fat, the calories required to maintain your weight are reduced. The calorie decifit gets smaller and smaller. For example, at 200lbs, John needs 3000 calories/day to maintain this weight. To lose weight, John now consumes about 2000 calories/day, creating a 1000/day calorie deficit. After 3 months, John now weighs only 185lbs, 15lbs less than before. At 185lbs, his body only needs 2800 calories to maintain this weight. Now, John's caloric deficit is only 800 Kcals/day. As John loses additional weight, his deficit will steadily decrease, as will his weightloss.
Exercise, which increases your caloric expenditure, will help to increase his caloric deficit, and continue weightloss. Note, that if John's caloric intake drops below a certain level (~1200), his body may think that it is being starved and refuse to let go of any more fat, no matter much exercise. One trick is significant increase caloric intake for one day. I would not increase my carb percentage, but my fat percentage. Fat is dense in calories and can help to coax the body to release excess body fat. Again, one day of increased caloric intake may be your ticket to continued fatloss. Best to you, in your aim for optimum health.

I hit a wall a few months back so I upped my cardio sessions. I also removed all of the diet soda's and started using Splenda in my coffee instead of sweat n low. I also cut out cheese, dairy, high fat foods and salt. Within two days I was back on track. I still do not eat dairy products and I really watch how much salt I eat. As for A free day; This is a day were I still low carb but I will have 1 or 2 meals that have higher fat content (prime rib ect.) This has worked wonders for me. I hope this helps

I had been pretty much stalled for a couple of months. I had bounced between 206 and 202 all through May and June. I did a 'planned refeed' 2 weeks ago on a Saturday. I ate tons of pizza and cereal for 24 hours (the two things I had been missing the most). I went back on induction on Sunday. On Monday I had gained 1.5 pounds which was less than I expected. On Tuesday I lost 1 pound. By Friday I was down lower than before the refeed. Today I was down to 199.

It really worked for me!!