I'm here at 198 in many ways because I wasn't satisfied with what I weighed before. I was on Atkins about 10 years ago and went from 150 to 135. I felt so much better and looked better too, but because I was stalling and not losing at the speed I thought I should I got frustrated and started convincing myself it wasn't working. So over time, and not much time, I talked myself into giving up the Atkins woe. My twisted little mind started telling me "go ahead and eat.....what difference does it make...and I was off and running again.

So I just wanted to warn you not to do the same thing. Even if you aren't losing now, isn't just feeling so much better and not feeling that binge way of life anymore worth staying with your program? To give it up, which you might be self-sabatoging yourself into doing, would mean you will be giving up all the other positive things about this way of living. I hear your frustration but can that really compare to the frustration of knowing you were losing even slowly, then gave up, gained your weight back and then had to start all over again. I wish I'd been grateful!!!

I'm here to shout out my gratitude to everyone here who shared words of wisdom and encouragement. I see now how you all faced frustration and confusion and yet you worked through it and stayed the course. Thank you all so much. I know that ouch started this thread, and I'm grateful for that as well. I leapt right in with my own howls of frustration and found acceptance, encouragement, wisdom, and a good old fashioned butt-kicking. (Thanks David, I needed that.)

Bottom line (no pun intended but if you see one there go ahead and pick it up) I DID get on the scale this morning out of habit, and it registered one lb less. This is after I'd spent a good deal of yesterday reading this site and thinking hard about my goals. I didn't change a thing I ate, no matter how tempting it was to either starve myself or eat a cookie. I did my exercise (moderate yesterday) and I took your words to heart. Now I feel like I've been given a tangible sign that this is all for real.

Thank you, thank you all for your help. I hope I can do a good turn for someone else.

Congratulations, Isa!

I have just recently broken through a stall, too. Mine lasted for several weeks and had me a bit discouraged, but I am too much healthier on Atkins to ever leave the plan. In the last two weeks, I've lost 7 lbs - and this is my 11th month on Atkins.

Hang in there, through thick and thin. It WILL happen for you.

Isa, know what??? I think that YOU are my new inspiration! People always say that I'm enthusiastic, and energetic, and positive, and all of those good things...but I needed a little bit of sunshine from another source, and you did it! You gave me that!

Thanks girl!

I think I'm going to stick with it for a little while longer. After all, I can't have given up coffee, sweets, chips, pasta, crackers, rice...and BEER...and be working out as much as I am...and NOT see any results! Something has got to happen!

good job, stickw/ it! I also had weeks of no sig. change- down 2 up one down one up one...Try eating you meals almost backwards from what you are doing- big breakfast and taper down at night , it does not look like you need to cut down at all on what you take in for the day, if you do you may well end up hungry and that's just no fun!

Hey ouch, that's exactly what I told myself...all this work has to be paying off somehow. I mean, I've stopped eating bagels, pancakes, french toast, rice, pasta, polenta, chocolates and on and on...and I've been exercising almost every day...so something would have to show for it, right? Let me say that even if I didn't lose that precious one pound this week I would still have to admit that I like how my body feels. I like feeling my muscles firming up. I like seeing my tummy getting a bit flatter. I like being the woman who exercises rather than just dreaming about STARTING. Here we both are more than a month into the program. I wouldn't go backwards at this point. No way!

So you stick with it, girl. Let's keep in touch and keep each other motivated!

smartins...great idea, and effective too. I'm really watching my intake at night. I eat just enough - mainly my daily mixed green salad, broccoli, and whatever protein I make for my family - and then no snacking...even on stuff that's allowed. I have some hot herbal tea and lots of water if I get tempted to nibble after dinner. After all, munching is mostly just habit, and we can change our behaviour, right? I mean, just who is in charge here anyway? Me or the chips? heheheeee

I totally agree! I SHOULD be in charge for Pete's sake! I am following this darn thing to the letter, I think, and I'm exercising all the time.

Here's the tick-off...I do my ab workout three times a week, consisting of 460 sit-ups/crunches of all different varieties, because my tummy is my biggest problem area, and I swear to God, the darn thing is getting bigger!

My arms are looking great, and toned, and my butt's shrinking...but my darn tummy is growing and growing....you'd swear that there was a baby in there (there's not!!) and it's almost like I'm going to have to accept the fact that I will never have a flat, or even semi-flat tummy )

phooey!

O

What is one of those? Snort. Never had one even when I was 22 and 107 pounds.

There's the problem right there. I'm going to quote Jonny Bowden, author of "Jonny Bowden's Shape Up!" (he's also the Weight Loss and Fitness coach over at iVillage.com)

• "Note: I constantly hear from people that they are doing hundreds of crunches. The minute I hear this, I know they're doing them wrong. I also know there's a good chance they're using momentum and are setting themselves up for a lower back injury. If you do a crunch properly, it's HARD. Most people don't do them correctly. The good news is that when you do them correctly, you don't have to do nearly as many to get results.

Momentum means that you're using your low back muscles to give you the rocking back and forth motion, which does dick-all for your abs .. they just relax while your back does all the work.

Try doing everything on a slowish two-count. So .. up-2, hold-2, down-2. Especially the down part .. I will often do a four-count when returning to the floor .. up-2, hold-2, down-2-3-4. Killer!! It works even better if you focus on the muscle being worked .. so actually picture your ab muscles contracting and pulling your shoulders up off the floor, then controlling the slow movement back down. You'll see results a lot sooner, and don't have to do as many!

hth,

Doreen

I agree with what you're saying about the crunches, Doreen. My own tummy always bulged out, even when I was at 110. It's about quality of exercise, not quantity. When I started doing pilates about 6 weeks ago I learned to concentrate on bringing my navel to my spine, and strengthening the 'core' muscles. The pilates version of crunches might be what is called The Hundred. The best way to learn it is from an expert, so I won't presume to teach it here, but it was a real eye-opener...and judging from the results so far, very effective. Also, The Hundred is done in conjunction with a set form of exercises. They all work together. You might find it worthwhile to check out pilates.

Keep up the great work all!

I am following a trainer-hosted video...and it sure as heck isn't easy to do...but I guess I'm still doing it wrong.

Great.

Hi ouch My own personal experience has been that as I increased core work (abs/yoga/pilates) and built ab muscle, overall my ab size increased. But as I decrease the layer of fat over the muscle (gotta love this WOL!) the overall ab size decreases.

Thanks

I really do want to stick with this, but I'm seeing no physical results at all. The biggest difference in my life is that I'm spending more money on groceries!

I'll keep at it for now.

O

ouch...don't give up! Read this instead. I did a few days ago when I was feeling really, really discouraged. And I'm here to tell you that it really happened the way this writer says it will. This morning I got on the scale and found that I'd 'whoosed' down from 132 to 129 this week. And here I was all tempted to go low calorie or something like that. So read it, stick with it, bookmark it, keep it under your pillow.

Stay the course, girl!

http://www.jalilahsahar.com/whooshes.html

Let's keep at it...together.

Isa

Wow, Isa, thanks!

i hope to God that that is applying to me. I'll keep going, we'll see how the weekend treats me. I haven't cheated yet, it's been two months... so I can't see why I would now.

I really AM bloated feeling and looking. I feel pregnant! (I'm not by the way!) something has to change soon, I've had no weight loss in 5 weeks.

Maybe I should go back on strict induction and see where that takes me.

Thanks guys, for the moral support!

O