frustrated... need a friendly nudge please!

[snmn&stars]

Hi All,

I'm sooooo frustrated w/my lifestyle change. I've been lcing for about 5 weeks now and I'm not seeing much results. I keep telling myself, "Give it more time" etc.... but grrr.... I've been gradually climbing up in weight the last couple days instead of dropping. I've got alot of weight to lose, so I shouldn't slow for any reason. I've been eating lc and really watching what I eat and I feel that my efforts to lose are for nothing. I've always had problems w/losing and I've never done it without diet pills.

I know alot of people run through here saying, I'm not losing etc.. but they aren't really trying either. I'm trying and have been trying since day one. My diet is to the T and I walk on my treadmill for 30 mins or so at least 4 times a week. I try to get more in, but my daughter has baseball, blah, blah, blah. I started in at 268, dropped to 254 last week and this morning 258. I watched the scale climb over the last couple days and its bugging me. tom isn't here anymore either, and I took a water pill for that cause I get really bogged down. I know my gain is water weight, but again grr... i should be dropping more than gaining cause I'm not carbing out.. i haven't touched sweets. I did change to a colon cleanse to try to clean me up a little and an enzyme pill to help break down the protein and fats. So maybe it's those... who knows!

I just need someone who has been here to talk to. I'm really starting to lose my I can do this attitude. I'm having a hard time staying focused and it sucks cause I've been doing so well! Any suggestions!

[hakimaj]

You've lost 14 pounds!! That's great!! :cheer:
Don't get too frustrated with yourself or the scale. Sometimes it seems like it has a mind of its own. If you're eating right and exercising, the weight gain sounds like water weight. Sometimes weight goes up due to water before it comes off - I think people refer to that as the "woosh" effect. If the scale thing is really bugging you - stay off it for a while and keep doing the right things with diet and exercise. How are your clothes fitting? How are you feeling overall? How's your energy?
If you are stuck, there are supplements (not diet pills) that can help. L-carnitine helps the body burn fat more easily.
Also - make sure you're getting enough water so that the body can clear the ketones.
Keep up the good work!!
:)

[montanasun]

14 lbs is great!!

Some foods have hidden carbs so that might be the problem or you are taking in a lot of salt. Can you post what you are eating to maybe figure out what is going on?

Hang in there. The scale may not move but you can still be losing inches.

[prettyiz]

:wave: Hang in there! I have been following the diet pretty close but couldn't stay away from the LC candies. I decided over the weekend i'm adjusting myself to eat to the plan exactly. I have see a 2 lb +/- gain. I also started working out everyday. No TOM is not close either. So I figured it has to be the candy and not drinking enough water. I'm not happy with my results but i still believe that Atkins will be the way for me to lose the rest of the weight. I lost 40 the first round. Now it's time to lose the rest...Hang in there!!!

[mssekules]

I think 14Ibs is great, i've been LC'ing for 7 weeks and lost 16Ibs and thought I was doing ok so not sure why ur not happier?! As everyone has said water is really important and I tend to fill a big bottle and make sure I finish it.. and the low carb sweeties and stuff can mess ya up.. good luck

[LilaCotton]

You may well be gaining muscle while losing fat, thereby either holding your weight steady or slightly increasing it. It does happen. Shoot, my daughter gained almost 40 pounds over the past summer but never put on one inch. (Boy, is she bummed about that gain! I made her go try on her swimsuit the other day which fit her just as it did before--she felt a little bit better.)

Also, it can take at least two or three days after TOM for the water weight to totally disappear. Mine usually starts going down toward the end but doesn't go completely for a few days (thank goodness because that many trips to the bathroom's a real bugger! LOL).

You could post some sample menus either here or in your Journal because I know there are plenty of experienced folks here who are always willing to lend a helping hand.

And by the way, congratulations on the 14 pounds gone! :)

Oh, by the way, let me tell you a little more about my daughter. The first time we were on Induction she lost her weight at a steady rate. Once past that she never did--she "whooshed" away something like 35 pounds. Her weight would completely stabilize and she'd even gain a pound or two, then a week or two weeks later overnight she'd drop anywhere from 3 to 5 pounds. This isn't unusual at all when it comes to low-carbing.

[JaneDough]

You've already dropped significant weight, and it could be that you're losing inches now. The two don't seem to happen concurrently, for some reason.

I read in one of the Atkins books about a guy who lost nothing in his first six weeks, so there are times we'll do everything right and our body has other ideas about exactly when it will cooperate with the effort. Some of us get into the mindset we should be "rewarded" when we do well and "punish" our bodies when they don't keep up. Far better to stay the course and appreciate all the positive changes that can happen during this journey, aside from the numerical values. :)

[snmn&stars]

WOW!


Thank You!!! Your all a big help! I know I've had a big drop, but to me, it's not good enough. I know from all my past attempts at weight loss the first 10 come off quickly because of water drop. I used water pills to help with the excess gain during tom and that's where i dropped the other 4. But that was a quick fix to the numbers on the scale and it soon caught up with me.

I guess, my frustration comes with all my past failures. I've been down this road numerous times and I always get to the point where I don't see changes, so I give up. I'm trying to refocus my way of thinking to a lifestyle change. I'm trying to remind myself not to deprive myself of the foods I love, just use them in moderation. I use sugar free now, I avoid white flour even though I hate wheat, I pick wheat over white now, I eat smaller portions and I try to use my treadmill when I can. Someone mentioned if I noticed how my clothes fit. I probably wont notice for quite some time cause I wear pretty baggy clothes as is, so that may take more pounds before I notice they are hanging. As for measuring, I do every week, but I don't know how correct I'm being cause I feel like maybe I pull the tape a little tighter to please myself if you know I mean. It's possible I've had some small changes, just not dramatic.

I guess a sample menu for a typical week, which would be M-F, Sat and Sun I'm not on a schedule, so that waivers, but I still try to stay lc as much as possible.

Breakfast:
Eggs 2 or 3 depending how I prepare them

mid morning snack:
2 Turkey sausage links
1 2% cheese stick

Lunch:
Varies, but usually something w/low carb wraps, like chicken or tuna

mid afternoon snack:
usually miss, cause afternoons are crazy, but if I do remember, I have 2 turkey bacon slices

Dinner: we BBQ a lot so it's usually chicken breast for me, been trying more fish meals, but my boyfriend absolutely hates the smell, so I don't eat it much. plus the price is pretty high on salmon, which is the only fish I like to eat. If we don't BBQ, I eat a small portion of whatever we are having, avoiding as many carbs as possible. I cut out dinner rolls etc...


I have a propel fitness water bottle that I fill with water 3-4 times a day, so i get enough water. For a treat, I have either low a carb fudge ice cream bar, sierra mist free or sugar free pudding. I try not to have them every day, just once in a while.


Again, Thank you all for your words of wisdom. I've low carbed on and off for years, but I really want this to work this time. I've gained so much over the last year from quitting smoking and just plain not caring, that I'm now in a shell. I used to be a happy person and now I hate getting dressed. I've never ever been this big and unfortunately my family genes are winning the battle. So it's time to fight back, I'm going to be 30 in Sept and I don't want to spend my 30's hiding. I spent my 20's doing it, I don't want to do it anymore. Thanks Bunches!!!!

[montanasun]

I'm wondering if you are not eating enough and your body thinks you are trying to strave it.

What are you mixing the SF pudding with? Carbs can add up fast if you are not watching the carb count.

[snmn&stars]

I mix it with 2% milk, and honestly, I only had sugar free pudding once. LOL!!! I made some banana cream stuff last week and I would only have like a 1/2 cup every couple days. I haven't made it since, cause I forgot about it until I mentioned it earlier.

You know I often wondered if I'm not eating enough also. I thought I was because I eat and feel full and I'm not hungry most of the days. I figured 2 ounces protien was sufficient as most plans call for that, but maybe lcing doesn't work so well with that amount. I thought maybe the turkey sausage and turkey bacon in one day was too much salt, so I've been trying to do one or the other. My ketostix are only showing trace amounts, even though those aren't always correct and even trace amounts are good, it never ever shows a different color. So maybe for once I'm not eating enough. Didn't think I would ever say that. LOL!!!

[montanasun]

I know its hard to eat when not hungry but I would say up your protien.

2% milk has a lot of carbs in it. I use water or mix half heavy cream and half water if I make sf pudding.

Bacon and sauage also has sugar in them, some are real high.

[Lesle]

Where are your veggies and salad?
I know you said your plan is "my own", but any lowcarb plan encourages at least a salad and a serving of low carb veggies during the day. You will find that veggies keep things "moving" too, which is important to your weight loss too.
I think your loss in just a few weeks is terrific! I know it SEEMS agonizingly slow (It does for ME too!) But keep in mind, these changes are for life, and that all your hard work and efforts are worth it.
Keep up the good work.
Lesle

[snmn&stars]

I try to eat lettuce w/my wraps at lunch. If I don't eat it at lunch I try to eat some steamed vegis for dinner. Honestly if I don't have time to steam, than I don't eat em... we use canned vegis and those are loaded w/salt, so I just don't touch them. I try to steam as much as possible. I've tried to eat celery sticks w/cream cheese as a snack and I ended up eating the cream cheese alone. LOL!!! yum! I know that's one area I need to work on.

I never thought about using half and half instead of milk, duh! I gotta look at the Turkey bacon and sausage labels to see what's in them. I don't know about the contents other than its not the super fatting kind. I know turkey bacon has a lot of salt, so I try to only use as needed.

[rissa]

Even though you're using your "own plan" I still wonder about the lack of fiber in your diet. My god, aren't you constipated?! Lack of nutrients like selenium which you get from things like green veggies and mushrooms will have an effect on your body. I know it had on mine. You still need salt in your diet - you don't want to end up with an iodine deficiency which will bring your thyroid to a screeching halt (same with the selenium - both are needed). I'm not diagnosing you, I'm just thinking that you're missing out on a quite a few things in your diet. Canned veggies are better than no veggies, and you can get "no salt added" canned and frozen veggies.

[LilaCotton]

I know when I think about losing weight I want to have it all off now--right now! I don't want to wait months or even years to get it off.

When I started LCing that was pretty much my mind set too. And really, I started losing at a nice clip. Then my life went topsy-turvy so I put myself on maintenance where I did very well, then gained a handful of pounds this last winter.

One thing that dawned on me during that time is that honestly it doesn't matter if it takes me the rest of my life to get this weight off--I'm in this for the long haul. Sure, it'd be nice to be slim and trim right now. But I'm not so I have to live with that.

We all tend to want instant gratification. We didn't gain all this weight in a matter of a couple of months and it's sure not going to disappear that quickly either. ;)

One day last winter I had the flu and was looking for something to eat. I remembered I had a box of SF butterscotch pudding in the freezer and then I looked in the fridge and there was no half-and-half and very little milk--not enough for a box of pudding. I took what milk was left and dilluted it with water. I was amazed that I couldn't tell any difference from it being made with all milk. If I make it with half-and-half I dillute that with water as well.

[snmn&stars]

I'm not skipping vegi's by no means. I do have them daily, just not lg amounts. I realize Atkins and South Beach require vegi consumption, however, I am struggling to make sure I get them in. I am not constipated by no means. I do take supplements to help w/the lack of vegis and also help w/keeping things moving. Unfortunately, I don't have much time to breath now-a-days because I'm always running from here to there.

I don't expect my weight to dramatically disappear, but I do expect to see more results after 5-6 weeks of doing this. Most people drop quite a bit within the first 2 weeks during their induction phase. I know everyone is not the same. I know that fact all to well, especially when I see someone eat food way worse than I do and they are stick thin... everyone works differently. I'm not saying I'm ungrateful for the weight I have lost and I know this will take forever to do, but it will happen.

I simply wanted people to talk with who have been there and maybe they too are struggling with this. I appreciate the advice given by senior lcers and the support. I have been doing this off and on for years now, so I do have some pro in me... however, I never stuck with it this long. Alot of people and I mean alot say that low carb doesn't work, because you drop quickly at first and than nothing. I, however, believe this works because of all of you and your triumphs. I just want to have some friends on this forum that believe in this way of life and understand why I was soooo frustrated at the beginning of the week. I was having a pity-party for myself. I'm better now and going strong.