I believe there is an increasing acknowledgement that over a period of time, especially with a history of yo-to dieting, our very survival-oriented bodies protect us from weight loss...There is an old theory that there are what is called 'set points' which are weights at which we have stabilized in the past. There are also have been individual differences in terms of metabolic efficiency since the beginning of time....there probably always have been meso morphs, endomorphs and ectomorphs. There are survival benefits within all three categories, but probably the most ancient one is that of protection from starvation and the ability to store fat for energy purposes. The younger one is, and the less one has dieted, the easier it appears to be for most (not all) to lose on any diet. The benefits of this type of eating to me are in the eating of natural, whole foods and excluding processed carbs. The more ketone-based diets also seem to make us feel satisfied and feel more energy.

Val

WOW, it said avoid eating carbs before bedtime. Now that's somthing I havn't heard before..This article is sooo informing.. THANK YOU

As I just did my physical yesterday and had a chance to chat with my doctor, I think that one issue that we dieters face is that we get used to eating the quantities of food on our diet, which when starting out is relatively generous, paticularly with low carbing.

Well sooner or later (I think after a significant weight loss) we hit the point where our intake and expenditure start to balance out as we haven't significantly changed what we eat (we have been ingrained in our diet)... ultimately calories still do count, so in order to start weight loss again, we have to start meal planning again, finding a target lower amount and proportionatly retrain ourselves to eat less.

For example if my maintenance low carb calorie level at 160 lbs is 2150-2300 calories and my maintenance calorie level at 120 lbs is 1900-2050 calories, I need to dip down somewhat (and increase excersise) to get myself going again.

When I monitor on Fitday, I realize that although my net carbs have remained in an OWL state (20-30 net carbs), my net calories are still pretty high, so I have to start cutting back a bit if I want to reach my goal. (It should be proportionately, however, I think, rather than retooling any particular food group at this point).

I've noticed that my lipostrips have gradually become very light. Certainly cutting out or limiting the LC junk food will help. Also a little better portion control is the key (after all for me that's the primary reason why I got heavy in the first place!).

Thank you for posting that link. It was very informative..I saw a few things I could do for myself there.

Thank you, Doreen, for your extremely instructive article on ketosis and ketone strips in low-carb tips. The Atkins book doesn't always explain things thoroughly, and I was getting discouraged by "trace" readings.

Those appear to be tips right off the atkins site. While many of them are good, I am in very much disagreement with the 1000 calorie plan. While many doctors and diet plans will reccomend you try a 1000 calorie diet it is a very dangerous game to play, because you are risking more than you have to gain. There are plenty of other ways to jumpstart the fat burning process. In the extreme short term (a day or two) you might be able to jump start the fat burning, but if you go beyond that the extremely low calorie count will significantly lower your basal metabolic rate. The fatter we are the more calories our body needs just to efficiently carry out the basic life functions such as circulation and breathing, your basal metabolic functions, however if you don't get enough calories to meet that requirement your body slows down lessens its energy requirements. This is also the reason some people gain weight following induction, and the reason really fat people feel so tired on calories restricted diets. I know of 300 plus pound people so tired on generaous 2000 calorie a day fda approved diets they were diagnosed as chronicly depressed.

Thanks, BradTheDog for the link below. I checked it out.

However I don't necessarily agree with the premise.

After lc'ing for 8 months I got stuck in a serious plateau, even climbed up a few pounds. With the onset of spring and my 1 year Atkins-versary, I decided to jumpstart the weight loss by adding 50-65 minutes of exercise every day and drop my calories.

Since March, when I started this I'm down from 160 lbs to about 147 lbs. My ketones went up in the high range and have remained there. I also started adding some ellipticals and running (30" to more than an hour) in addition to my original workout.

Now at the same time that I kickstarted the exercise, I also dropped the calories, often rather below what the website recommends.

In fact plans like Optifast which used a daily 800 calories of special protein supplements are often extremely effective at massive weight loss... the problem is going back to old habits.

These are my personal stall-busters:

1) daily exercise.... intense aerobic exercise in combination with weights and toning. I started at between 50 and 65 minutes per day and have added 30 minutes + more lately. Key = every day do something. Ellipticals + running = extremely effective.

2) lower calories.... serious ketosis has kicked in probably due to the exercise, and it has killed my appetite, so I'm able to go between 800 and 1200 calories and feel just fine. It amazes me because previously I was a 2200 calorie girl.

3) different nutrition ratios... I have noticed that with the calorie downswing, the grams of protein ratio has gone up. My body is craving the extra protein with the workouts.

4) cutting out most of the lc junk food... trying to stick to more whole foods--I do regular dairy, nuts, seeds, veggies, strawberries, lc bread with no stalling. Rarely lc chocolate, because the maltitol kills me. Occasionally alcohol.

5) very small dinner, and no eating late in the evening.... dinner is the meal that I would choose to skip if I had a good snack around 5 pm or make extremely small. This has helped to keep the calories very low.

6) visualizing success + all the encouragement on this forum.... believe and it will happen.

Actually, that article is original and was web-posted in January 2001. At that time, the content of the Atkins website was minimal ... the FAQ's did not provide a lot of information. In fact, that was one of the reasons for writing the Stalls & Plateaus article, as well as the others. We had so many members here asking questions and there was no comprehensive resource of Tips to point them to at that time.

The Atkins website underwent a major overhaul in 2002, and is a much better resource than it had been previously.

FWIW, quite a few of those Tips articles have been used around the web in the last few years .. a few have written to ask permission but most don't. Some places have given credit, but often they don't .. some have even claimed authorship. I'm sure with your own book coming out, you can appreciate the sensitivities of copyrights.


Doreen

Well, I am about to say something that nobody believes because it aeems physically impossible, but it is the truth and perhaps there is at least one other person like me around.
I have been in the induction phase of the Atkins plan since October of 2003. There was only one week at Christmas when I "cheated" and even that was just a little, then I went right back on track. In January, I joined a gym and began working out four days a week, one hour at a time.
At this point, (since January) I put in 35 minutes of strenuous cardio, where I have sweat running down my face and neck, and am puffing, then I follow that with 30 to 45 minutes of tough weight-lifting. During the months, I have changed my routine as far as different exercises and equipment (and more weight on the machines or barbells) and duration of sessions, always increasing.
My diet is very strict about no sugar or rice, potatoes, bread, etc., except an occasional low-carb tortilla. I WAS on Avandia and now I am on Lipitor and Atenolol. I drink plenty of water all day long, and I even get extra exercise at home, like jumping jacks and abdominal exercises, and in parking lots I park far away so I have to walk farther, etc.
My complaint is that going all the way back to October of 2003 (more than 8 months now, soon to be 9), I have only dropped 2 pounds, and even that comes and goes every month with water weight fluctuations. I have not lost a single inch or even a half-inch, either.
I still look fat and flabby and my clothes still do not fit. The people I work out with are also on Atkins and they are all way past the "lost 30 pounds" stage and nobody understands how come I have not made any progress at all. I use KetoStix and it shows I am in ketosis and should be burning fat.
Could the culprits be the Lipitor and the Atenolol (beta blocker to prevent me from getting bouts of tachycardia)?
It just seems impossible that a person could do all these things to lose weight and build muscle, only to have no results in over 8 months! So....nobody believes me. They are sure I must be sneaking Twinkies in a closet somewhere, I guess. I am ready to give up.

Hi, CatdaBratt. I believe Avandia is on the list in DANDR as medications which can stall weight loss. Lipitor is another one that Dr. A prefers that we avoid if possible (but I know that is not always possible depending on your doctor's advice). For diabetics Glucophage (Metformin) is the preferred medication. Hormone medications can also cause weight problems.

However, since you indicate that you are in ketosis on a regular basis, I suspect perhaps that you may need to reduce your calories. Even though calories are not a focus in a lc diet, they do count. The metabolic advantage of lc for me is probably about 200-300 calories more than someone who is pulling up a standard caloric/activity/height/weight count like on fitday. But that can easily disappear with a wedge of cheese and a handful of nuts.

The ballpark for women is 1800 calories per day, but I know a lot of women who find that in order to get the weight loss going they need to eat a bit less.

I would suggest using http://www.fitday.com to track your nutritional breakdown.

All of our metabolisms are completely different, it's definitely not a one-size-fits-all issue.

You may also consider that if you have been doing a lot of exercise that you may have been building some muscle mass but still reducing your body fat giving a reduced net weight loss but a much improved internal profile.

If you consume sugar alcohols, those could be stalling you out as well. In fact to get a good picture, count them as if they were regular grams of sugar and see if that changes the nutrient wheel breakdown.

Also exercise and intensity are going to vary by person. If you really want to make exercise the key to weight loss, consider 1-2 hours of vigorous exercise almost every day. Although it does sound as though one hour a day 4 days a week is a very good start.

In any case, I wish you the very best of luck and good health.

Excellent and very helfpul link Doreen.

Val I'm honoured to be grouped with the young folk

Wish I had read this information before going on a "Fat Fast"

However now that I'm on it and losing weight again with my best ever ketosis readings what have I learnt from the experience.

Seems I was taking well over double the rations of fat/protein allowed in the 1000 cal "Fat Fast" but I'm getting quite hungry before each meal now.

Wondering if the experience of being stable and learning what can move you from trace to no ketosis will be valuable in setting what I should be able to eat after coming out of the "Fat Fast"

Maybe I'm wrong in thinking that my metabolism won't allow much more than induction levels of food before weight gain sets in.

Just read 18 mo stall ended w L- Carnitine There are several reports there of long stalls and folks believing the solution is to take L-Carnitine.

I've disagreed because I "stalled" whilst taking L-Carnitine

I've done a link on the L-Carnitine thread to this one.

When I feel like I'm in a stall, I make sure that I do my food journal every day. I make sure that I drink my water every day. Sometimes I find that I think I'm behaving, but have actually slipped some things in that are hindering my weight loss.

I will admit that I've experienced more plateaus on Atkins than I have on any other plan, but I think they're probably going to help me in the long run. If I can stay on track and not allow myself to go back to old, bad habits, it's actually going to help me in the long run. My experience, however, is very positive. I've been on program almost 9 months, am down 73.5 lbs and have grown very comfortable with my food choice and new lifestyle. Isn't that where we're trying to get anyway?????

It's me again ... yes, I have watched my calories very carefully for several months now, because I, too, thought perhaps that I was eating too many. I experimented with levels all the way from 1800 down to an almost-fasting level of about 200 to 500. I still couldn't lose pounds or inches. I guess, with all the exercising, I could be building muscle, but that muscle must have the same measurements as the fat.
Anyway, I have a doctor's appointment and a physical scheduled for June, as something has to be wrong somewhere. I have had my thyroid and lots of other things checked out with labwork, and there is nothing to indicate an abnormality.
I used to take Glucophage but it caused a horrific weight gain (9 pounds per week!) and really bad stomach/gastrointestinal upsets that did not seem to lessen with continued use, so my doctor decided to try Avandia. Other than an initial weight gain to add even more pounds to my frame, I did not suffer any ill effects.
Before I was on any prescription drugs I could lose weight any time I wanted. It's too bad they can't research just HOW these drugs make you and keep you fat, then create something that reverses that side effect! Maybe I should just change my user name to "Butterball Turkey!"

Very helpful and informative article. I've been stalled for a couple of weeks now, but I think I know what I need to do now to get going again. Thanks!