Giving up the game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[J. Missy]

I have been LC since 4/11/02, I lost inititally 2 lbs and they are back and it is not water retention. I think I need to give up Atkins and begin eating more low glycemic veggies, fruit for snacks vs. pork rinds and meats and cheeses. I am at my whits end trying to monitor glycerine in stevia, diet drinks, caffeinne, lettuce portions, etc. Anyone else struggling. It seems the Atkins is good for those with a good deal of weight to lose but those of us with 10 or less lbs. it seems to be somewhat impossible or am I wrong. It is hard to keep my calorie count down eating all these high fat/protein foods. I do not have energy to do cardio or much in the area of weight lifting now. I am open to opinions, suggestions, etc. I AM FRUSTRATED AND CONFUSED. Thanks for your time

[nsmith4366]

This is not a low calorie diet. Keeping your calorie count down is what is exhausting you.

But, sounds like you are coming from such a strong - "a calorie is a calorie" mentality that making this change may not be something you will be able to do.

Doing Atkins is not hard. I've done it since 1998, I only had 20 pounds to lose and I only count carbs when I list my menu so others can learn/but I do not have any problems with it.

Do it this way.
Pick your top 20 favorite food/lc legal.
Memorize the amounts of carbs per serving in each.
Eat only those foods for 2 weeks.
Eat alot of food, drink your water - include veggies in your list.

20 foods might seem limited, but really it's not. All carbfree foods are unlimited and do not belong on your list - include 5 kinds of veggies on your list too. EAT more food and stop counting calories.

If you aren't willing to try this then you aren't ready to make the change to low carb...which is fine, different stokes for different folks I guess.

Oh, get the book and read it.

A suggestion.

[J. Missy]

Thanks for the reply. I had not really been counting calories on this diet until the last week or so. However, I was not losing and think I was eating too much of the legal foods. I have read numerous places that calories do count. I enjoy all the allowed foods on the LC plan but it just does not seem to be working for me. I am open. I am not real calorie conscious and do not want to be but I do want this to work. What to do????

[agonycat]

I do have one suggestion.....

I see by your journal you have 3 entries out of the time you have been on the diet.

How about doing a daily listing so we can help you out. Without knowing exactly what your eating patterns have been in the past 4 weeks it really is hard to lend a hand here. Without us leaning over your shoulder on a daily basis we have no clue as to what you are really consuming.

By keeping that journal upto date and acturate I might add, maybe we can actually pinpoint where you are going wrong :)

[rustpot]

I think you should approach Atkins from the other way round.

You are already at a pre maintenance weight range stage that many people take months and even years to achieve.

With the few pounds that you want to lose, Atkins suggests that they are lost as slowly as possible. The slower that you lose the more likely you are to stay at the lower weight.

What you should be investigating is the reverse of what you are doing not how many carbs to reduce to lose weight but - What is your CCLM ie What is your Critical Carbohydrate Level for Maintenance.

You do not need to be in Ketosis but there will be that amount of carbs where you can comfortably sit, maybe gaining a little, losing a little but staying more or less the same weight, but preferably just gently drifting down a few pounds over many months.

So for you this is really a time of experimentation to find the sort of food and diet that is how you naturally eat for evermore. It should not be a time for fretting over minor carbs. I haver no idea how many carbs will be right for you. It may be 40 it may be 60 it may be even a bit more.

In reality it is not that Atkins is not working for you it is you have jumped into the slowest part of the cycle. I lost what you wish to lose in about 10 days on induction. I am expecting to take 10 months to lose the last 10 pounds.

[Doodle]

I have MUCH more weight than you to lose... and it surely is taking it's time...it is sooo tempting to give up and drown myself in carbs... healthy or no. BUT, I feel so so so so much better eating this way... I won't go back to the moods, the sugar highs and LOWS, the pimples, the PMS, the generally out-of-controlness I suffer when eating carbs in excess. Have you noticed any benefits OTHER than weight loss? WOuld they be enough to convince you to sit it out?
Doods.

[henbane]

Wow, everything you just said, Doodle! Eating this way DOES feel tremendously better. And my hormonal acne is gone! It sure is cool to see someone else getting that benefit too.

I personally am thrilled about my afternoon tiredness being gone. I used to practically sleep at my desk around 3:PM. No more!

henbane

[TeriDoodle]

I'd like to ask whether you went into Atkins as a way of life or as a quick fix? You've only been on the plan for a little over a month and only have a few pounds to lose. Surely you must know if you've hung around these boards for any length of time that:

a) The last few pounds can be VERY stubborn

b) This WOE can sometimes require months and months of tweaking here and there to lose the weight.

c) You should only expect to lose 1 lb (10%) during induction then only 1/2 lb. (5%) PER MONTH after that!! A gain of 2 lbs. could be caused by simply eating something too salty yesterday, or your hormonal cycle, or muscles swelling after a workout! Relax! ;)

d) If you are just wanting a food plan that you are happier with (more carbs) then check out the other low-carb plans. Atkins is by far the most strict; there are others. But don't expect to lose any faster, that probably won't happen. Just decide what kind of plan you can live with FOR LIFE!

[J. Missy]

Thanks for the advice guys. I really do not expect a quick fix, although that would be nice. I like this WOE and I will experiment with it. I know I need to relax and be free to experiment. I am not thinking of going back to alot of carbs or really illegal stuff. I just feel like I need to eat more veggies and less fat/cheese/meat, etc. I guess I just expected some results by now and frankly I think my clothes are tighter. I am not giving up but feel like I need to relax some. I get different info about calories, do they or don't they count??????

[J. Missy]

Oh, guys also I am going to journal now that which I recorded in a notebook recently and just did not enter it b/c I did not want to type all of that. But I am doing that next. thanks for the advice and I deeply appreciate and welcome more.

[agonycat]

Do calories count? Of course they do.

By not eating enough can trigger your bodies starvation defense mode. When the body hits this it holds on for dear life of any fat and water it has and tears down lean muscle tissue for energy. This slows down your metobolism.

It takes 3200 EXTRA calories to make a pound of fat. 3200 calories your body didn't burn rebuilding cells, BMR (breathing etc), exercise, etc etc.

So not eating enough or going completely over board on calories can either shove you in one direction or the other. Learning the balance is the key.

Use the 10-12x your body weight as the bare minimum you need to be intaking to keep your BMR up. I normally take 1800 calories to maintain 150 pounds. I have plenty of room to drop down when I am ready to start the weight loss again without slowing my metobolism :)

[Doodle]

.

I personally am thrilled about my afternoon tiredness being gone. I used to practically sleep at my desk around 3:PM. No more!

Hear hear! I stay awake until bedtime now!
Doods.

[Lisa N]

Don't give up, Missy!

Even if you're not losing as fast as you'd like, you are getting tremendous health benefits from this WOE that can't be measured on a scale! I took a peek into your journal and posted a few suggestions there, too. It's hard to get out of the "fat is bad" mentality when you've heard it for so long, but only bad fats (hydrogenated and trans-fats) are bad or high fat combined with high carb. Keep tweaking and hang in there!

[Rosebud]

Hi J. Missy,
It occurs to me that at 5 foot 3, maybe your body just doesn't want you to be any thinner. You are already at a very healthy weight for your height.
How about looking at yourself objectively in the mirror? What exactly don't you like about your body?
We are not supposed to look as skinny as the supermodels, you know. If you see some flab, how about joining a gym and seeing how they can help you tighten up the flabby bits?
I suspect that you may well lose a little weight then anyway!
Good luck!

:rose:Rosebud:rose:

PS: I'm not suggesting you give up lo carb! Just think of yourself as being on maintenance for a while and include a few more healthy carbs.
Rosebud