could do with some advice and opinions ,please

[aramaya]

I started low carb eating in feb this year and have been able to loose some weight,but have been a bit stuck over the last few weeks and dont really understand why,after reading some posts on here i am not really any wiser..
In general i dont have an apetite and find it difficult to eat anything,but i have been making myself eat breakfast,2bacon and 2 eggs,but i find it hard,my body doesnt seem to wake up till lunch time,i have tried then eating say egg and some very simple salad,but if i eat breakfast late then will skip lunch and will try to eat a meal in the evening,normally chicken and salad,or just the chicken....i dont snack and havent eaten anything naughty or sweet apart from twice in months and my sweet tooth is gone,i dont have cravings anymore,,hooray...
I know i do not drink enough water at all,i still drink tea and must confess to still having one spoon of sugar in it(do need to stop with this).over the last 2 weeks i have decided to exercise to see if it would kick start again,so i power walk for 30 mins and have been swimming 3 times in the week,but still no loss....
It was interesting to read about one meal a day as i thought this would be wrong but may suit me very well,what do you think...i have decided today to try the atkins eating plan,but im worried about not being able to eat as mush as i should on it.....please any advice or opinions i need to see a bit of movement on the scales as im getting frustrated....... :help: :wave:

[Kirsteen]

Firstly, I advise that you cut out the sugar. Also, given that you haven't a good appetite, it is a very bad idea to cut your meals further, so don't even consider one meal a day.. The people who are doing that as a healthy option are eating a great deal in their one meal.

It's a great idea to do a proper plan, such as Atkins. I personally don't think you're eating enough, and on Atkins you might get more inspiration about your meals.

I don't have a great appetite for heavy foods, but I eat a lot of light soups and fish, which I find lighter than meat. I've just had 2 bowls of celery, leek and blue cheese soup for lunch, and might follow that with a courgette salad - made with home-made mustard & olive oil mayonnaise. I had a feta cheese salad for breakfast, with lots of olive oil. When I haven't a great appetite for heavy proteins, I compensate with plenty of olive oil, or some coconut oil, etc.

I tend to have more meat in the evening, in the form of stews and curries - we make several servings at once, and you'd be surprised how the appetite will rev itself up if there's a tasty curry waiting for you.

Some gentle, relaxing exercise out of doors will help too, if you have a garden to enjoy, or somewhere to take a walk.

Don't worry too much if you don't seem to lose for several weeks. You might well be losing fat and replacing it with water, which is the norm.. Watch the fit of your clothes - they might be getting looser, even though your weight is the same. Water is less bulky than fat per LB, so when the fat's replaced by water, you shrink.

Don't let temporary disappointments derail you. We all have gone through ups and downs in the diet, and sometimes it just takes a bit of tweaking to find the solution. I find Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution a great source of inspiration and energy. He had a very engaging and energetic personality, and I find his writing to be caring, considerate and compassionate. I recently bought another book of his about using supplements to improve health conditions, and his kindness brought tears to my eyes.

[aramaya]

Thankyou for replying.Ok no more sugar in my tea,and from today i have increased the water.I feel that i dont eat enough when i look at it,but its a funny thing because i would assume i would still be loosing weight...i dont feel sluggish and since doing low carbs have felt more energy...I used to have a terrible sweet tooth and would snack more then eat meals even though i cook for my family...but now i have become very non interested in food....
i dont have the atkins book so will buy it and have a read,thankyou for the advice it is really appreciated.....heres hoping it will kick start my body again...

[pinkclouds]

Hi Aramaya :)
You might be a candidate for intermittent fasting. You can read about it here: http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=357494&page=101&pp=20 The first post has links to some good sources of info.

There are many ways to IF, some only eat one meal a day, others eat more but stick to a specific eating window. Like you, I have no appetite in the morning, so I just have coffee and then I don't have my first real meal until lunchtime. I cannot eat one huge meal a day, so I break mine into two meals and sometimes a small snack, but I try to eat both within the hours of 12 and 7pm. I am not super strict about it. Mostly I just eat when I'm hungry.

I'm a big believer in eating only when hungry and never forcing one self to eat just because its a "meal time." But you do want to be sure that if you IF that your meals are nutritionally packed and give you enough calories to sustain your energy levels. Also I would suggest supplementation with vitamins. At the very least a good multi-vitamin that has all of the basics.

Also, the exercise you are doing sounds great. If you enjoy it, don't stop! It will help you to tone your body as you continue to lose fat. :)

Oh, and definitely ditch the sugar in the tea. You could use a touch of stevia or a sugar-free syrup to sweeten it a bit if you miss it. But you might find after a while that you don't miss it anymore. :)

Good luck to you!

[aramaya]

Thankyou pinkclouds...ohh and thanks for the link,wow there is alot of info,,right off to read,see you all next week,lol...I have been taking vitamins since starting on the low carb...thanks for the replies it has certainly helped with the motivation...wishing everyone well..

[Kelly_L]

The only advice I can give is don't get discouraged. My last stall lasted over 4 weeks. It happens! If you expect it then it will be easier to take. The scale didn't move for me during that time but my clothes were fitting better so I just kept doing what I was doing. Remember that if you are exercising you are building muscle and that weighs more than fat. Atkins gives some tips if your stall goes on for long periods but 1-4 weeks is common.
Good luck

p.s. and stop using sugar:nono: