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Stina
Wed, Jun-13-01, 10:18
I am feeling ultra bummed today. I lost 15 lbs my first while (back) on atkins and not a lb or an inch since. Actually my weight goes up and down the same 3 lbs on any given day. Yup, no change in measurements either. <sigh> (about 5 weeks since a loss)

I keep a food journal so I count every single little carb every day (including coffee etc).

I average about 40 carbs per day but sometimes less (if I eat too many I start craving bad things). I am in ketosis but it's not doing too much for me.

I am thinking about trying to boost my system by trying the fat fast or stillmans for a while. Stillmans is not super appealing to me as I like that extra fat in my diet.

Oh, I have also totally cut out aspartame, just in case that was the culprit. I drink 3 litres of water per day plus 3 decaf coffee with splenda and whipping cream. The majority of my carbs are from romaine as that is the one carb that doesn't set off cravings for me. Sometimes I will have steamed broccoli or cauliflower (measured and counted of course) or bok/sui choy in a stirfry with meat.

Help!! I know low carb works...been here before and when I had a huge stall like this I eventually caved and went back to the 'other' way of eating <yuck>. I know Dr.A says 6 weeks before you call it a stall but I would like to try and kick the ole metabolism into gear if possible.

I read a fat fast on the web and it talked about pepporoni as part of it...problem is I can't find that brand. Any other suggestions would really help me.

Thanks in advance and my apologies for writing so much.

Stina:D

ironlung
Wed, Jun-13-01, 10:23
Hi Stina, try this page, maybe it will answer your questions. Good luck!

http://www.lowcarb.ca/tips/tips008.html

Stina
Wed, Jun-13-01, 10:54
Yup, was just there, read the tips and visted the links. I am so careful about what goes into my mouth (by writing it down and using fitday I know exactly how many carbs per day).

I really would like some help on a menu for a fat fast. 2 oz of cream cheese sounds repulsive:-0

Stina

doreen T
Wed, Jun-13-01, 11:07
Um, you mentioned you're currently eating around 40 carb grams a day. Why don't you go back to Induction level of 20 total carbs a day (don't subtract fiber grams)?? And are you eating enough fat and calories? You should be consuming 10 to 12 calories per lb. of CURRENT body weight, and ideal fat intake around 60%, higher is fine.

I was stalled out for months, and by upping my calories from 1200 to 1700 per day, in the form of more fat (olive oil, mayo, flax seeds) I finally got things moving again ... plus exercise, but I had been doing that anyway.

Too few calories (minimum 1200 per day) will slow your metabolism to a crawl ... because the body is VERRRRY adaptive .. less fuel coming in, it turns the "thermostat" down to conserve.

Of course, you may try the fat fast or Stillman for a few days (I tried Stillman last fall ... very difficult, and not very palatable .. :p) but it would be worth revisiting Induction for a few weeks.

Just reading what you eat ... I can't imagine where you're getting the 40 carbs from. I use fitday as well, and found I had to "customize" some of their figures, because the food I was eating was way different than what they listed (eg, they have smoked turkey sausage at 8 gm carb for 3 oz .... the brand I buy is 0.3 gm for 100 gm serving, which is a bit more than 3 oz)

Hope this helps, and keep us posted .. :)

Doreen

r.mines
Wed, Jun-13-01, 11:40
I'm going to take the opportunity to jump in here before Wa'il does:

Are you taking measurements? Trying on a 'reference' item of clothing? Sometimes lowcarbing, especially if you exercise, will build muscle, which is denser than fat - so the scale may stand still or even go up, but you're still losing inches. Are your clothes fitting any looser?

I second Doreen; try going back to Induction, and make sure you're eating enough (but not too many) calories. I stalled out for a while this winter, mostly, I think, because I was stressed and eating too much (though I didn't gain, either, which is progress as far as I'm concerned!).

You might want to check out the Meat Fast, too, it seems (to me, anyway) more palatable than either Stillman's or the Fat Fast.

Rachel

Stina
Wed, Jun-13-01, 11:45
Hi Doreen,

I have gone back on induction as of today:-) Some things I should clarify and then maybe you can help:-D

The days when I actually have gotten up to 40 carbs are when make the crispy chicken (with lotsa ground almonds and pork rinds, yum). I add more almonds than what is called for in the recipe and it adds up quickly.

Generally (looking at the past 2 weeks), my carbs are around 25 per day. I would say 4 or 5 days a week they are fairly low. I know, add 5 per week. That just doesn't work well with me. I am kind of a simple eater and I rarely get bored.

I do have a small addiction to Landjaeger sausages by Freybe. These things are so yummy (and 0.1 grams carb per sausage). Perhaps I need to try and cut tyhe nitrates out of my diet as well (not sure how I will handle a lck of crispy bacon each morning though).

I love my salads each day (lettuce, sometimes some chopped celery and cucumber) and I am lucky because I do not get bored with these foods at all.

Anyhow, I am back on induction today and I am also going to try to up my calores a bit. I read the old Stillmans diet a few weeks ago (picked it up at a used bookstore) and got it into my head that I should be eating leaner and not so much fat. Sheesh, you'd think I would know better by this time.

I would still like to kick myself down a few pounds if at all possible so would like to try the fat fast I think. I went back and read about your experience with stillans last year and it really doesn't sound apppealing at all to me (no mayo on my chicken at lunch gasp) hehehe. It is trying to figure out 1000 calories, 90% fat that has me stumped right now (and I lent my book to a friend)

Anyhow I appreciate everyones tips. Thanks.
Stina

Stina
Wed, Jun-13-01, 11:46
Yup, I measure twice per week and I have that pair of levi's hanging on my door to keep trying (as they fit 5 months ago so they are my first goal).

Not an inch anywhere :-(

Stina

debbiedobson
Wed, Jun-13-01, 12:01
it could be all the bacon that you're eating. all the salt and preservatives! try cutting it back to once or twice a week.

tamarian
Wed, Jun-13-01, 17:23
Hi Stina,

Stalls are meant to be broken ;) It WILL happen, it just needs patience. In addition, it may require re-evaluation of what you have been doing all along. If I'm not mistaken, you mentioned before that you don't eat breakfast because you don't like it and don't have the appetitte for it.

Learn to like it, eat smaller and more frequent meals to help you like it. Skipping meals triggers your metabolism to slow down to conserve the "needed" fat resources to help your body find energy in the morning.

It may help as well to log your daily intake, each meal and any special changes or cheats. And if you dare :) you can post it here in our bootcamp for thourough critiqye by us. :)

Hang on, it shall pass!

Wa'il

Stina
Thu, Jun-14-01, 10:38
heehee, bootcamp huh? Okay I think I can handle that.

About breakfast...I gag my way through something every day. Usually about 1 hour after waking...I can't understand when I watch my hubby jump out of bed and eat a bowl of cereal <yuck>.

Okay, remember, I eat fairly simple and like it that way for now. My variances are usually at dinner time when I am cooking for 2 and attempting to make Randy eat low crab without him knowing it.

My breaky will consist of either 2 hamburger patties (nothing added, just hamburger) or 4 slices crispy bacon and a hard boiled egg (I mentioned bacon yesterday but I don't actually eat it every day of the week).

Lunch.

2 cups romaine with either a stalk of celery or some english cucumber and 2 oz mozzarella cheese along with some meat. Usually meat is leftover steak or chicken or turkey baked from night previous (we eat a lot of chicken and turkey as we have a small farm and raise our own birds and eggs). If not meat then 2 boiled eggs.

Dinner.

Pretty much the same as lunch except instead of leftovers, I am making the meat/protein portion. I tend to just add spices and keep the carbs on my meat down to under 5 but sometimes (when I make the almond/porky puff chicken), those carbs will go up. Those are the days when I have a higher carb count (and thank you great recipe person who invented the best chicken recipe I have ever had!!!). Plus I have another 2 cups of my rmaine salad or occasionally I will have broccoli or cauliflower. Once a month I make a scalloped cauliflower with turkey and it is heaven but a bit higher in carbs.

Snacks.

For snacks I usually have a landjaeger sausage or a chunk of cheese or the little mini-pizzas (made on crunchy salami not dough) and sometimes a pickle with one of the above.

I went through my food diary last night to have another look at things. I have always 'ignored' the possibility of nitrates causing the problem but with my sausages and bacon throughout the week, I am getting a fair amount in, so for now, I am cutting them out :-( (anyone know of bacon without nitrates and not the canadian bacon that just tastes like ham to me). I also have 3 decafs per day (I do count the carbs), and was using equal. I have switched to splenda now and have (only as of today) cut down to one coffee per day and no diet soda. I used to add just a spinkle of crystal lite into a litre of water so it didn't just taste like water, I have since stopped that now as well. Thanks to the links on the tips page, I went out and bought vitamin c and cayenne supplements yesterday as well. I found the cayenne reference very interesting since I have random bouts of being super cold when I am on this woe. I would like to add omega 3 and 6 as well but not sure my system can handle 'fibre'. I do take my tyler multi-vitamins every day as well.

Okay I had better stop ramblin on. Please, feel free to tear apart my daily menu and make suggestions. Thanks so much in advance!

Stina

ali0866
Sun, Jun-17-01, 19:05
Well after reading through what everybody wrote I have to give my two cents as well! First off I'm hugely jealous that you 'could' eat up to 40grams of carbs per day! I have to stay around 20-25 or I'm bumped out of ketosis and most likely will gain. I have my own problems with 'stalls' and such and I have did the fat fast and it most always works for me. I have found though that my appetite has dropped since I've been on the Atkins. Sometimes I'll do an egg salad fast or a tuna fast or sometimes just eat pepperoni and BAM within two days I've lost and it's jolted my body. I think my main problem is I don't eat enough or I eat too infrequently. Ugh, I hate people who can eat anything and be thin. :) Good luck to you and all!

Stina
Mon, Jun-18-01, 00:21
Yup I am fortunate that I can go higher with my carbs....except when I do I start craving things like popcorn and salt and vinegar potato chips (how a huge serving of broccoli can make me crave popcorn is beyond me but it happens). I also lose nothing at that level. So I am trying to stay around 20-25 although sometimes, like you, I don't eat enough (not this week mind you) ;-) The fat fast bumped me down 2 lbs and I am almost afraid to weigh in tomorrow in case I gained it back. If I continue to have problems with stalling I guess I can fat fast once a week although that would really be lousy (it sucked and I was so disgusted by another mouthful of cream cheese)....

Would love to have induction results every week but that would just be too easy!!

Good luck back atcha!

:D Stina :D

nicole
Fri, Jun-29-01, 19:06
I have tried soy flour in my bread recipes and in sponge cake recipes. It was disgusting! What is a great substitute for using soy flour?

Stina, also could you pass along that great chicken recipe with the pork rinds as batter?

Nicole

tamarian
Fri, Jun-29-01, 19:36
Hi Nicole, welcome to our forum! :)

My favorite substitute for soy flour is whey protein mixed with almond flour. It gives the same baking quality and a much better taste with the same carb count. You can see an example in my bread recipe "Shepherd's Loaf" in the recipe section under bread, from the menu on top.

I also found that soy flour tastes much better when toasted.


Wa'il