Hi there,

I started Atkins induction back in January of this year, and quickly lost at least 30-odd pounds (not 100% sure, b/c there seems to be a difference between the scale I was using at my old home and the new one I'm using now).

Anyway...I moved away from my family, friends and community in mid-April, and since then, I haven't lost a single pound.

Life has been tough on me for the past five months or so, and my stress level has been pretty high.

Meanwhile, my husband is amazed that I've "stuck" to low-carbing all this time. He says he's never seen anyone with so much persistence and dedication and all that stuff.

I'm soooooooo frustrated and bummed out about not losing any more weight. I wonder if I'm completely crazy to keep this up when it's simply not working.

This being said, I can at least say that I haven't gained any weight either.

Does anyone understand how bad it feels to keep on keeping on, with no success at all?

Losing weight is harder than I ever imagined it would be, and I'm feeling almost angry that I've eaten meat and vegetables, meat and vegetables, meat and vegetables for *months* on end with no change in the scale. I'm starting to wonder if I'm a fool for continuing with this thing, when everything seems to be saying..."Hey, you idiot...it's not working".

I keep thinking of that saying..."If you keep doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result...." (you know what I mean).

Now granted, I haven't been perfect...but personally I think I've been darn good considering I've been eating "low carb" for ten months now. I didn't go off the diet, and while I've had the occasional treat (like 3 times in the last six months) - I think I should be further along by now.

I'd like to hear from anyone who can tell me I'm not nuts for continung to stick with this even though I'm not getting anywhere.

Tell me I'm not an idiot, and that by being persistent, and continuing to make improvements in this WOE and WOL - that by some miracle, eventually the weight will come off.

I feel like I'm in some kind of battle here, and I'm not sure if I should just try something else altogether or if this is some kind of test of my persistence.

I don't particularly want to try another weight loss plan (such as Weight Watchers or what have you) because low-carb is the first thing I've been able to stick with for any length of time. I don't end up bingeing or caving into cravings. I like being able to eat 3 meals and not feel deprived all the time.

I'm just mad that it doesn't seem to be working anymore.

Oh...and I'm apparently in ketosis, but no weight loss.

Fun and games...

Well, you're not alone. It has happened to many of us. You don't necessarily need to give up on low-carb, but you might need to modify it a little for you.

Many folks found that calories became important too down the road. Carbs are still important because they control your appetite (eating carbs will make you hungry).

I know a lot of people tie lowering calories with deprivation, hunger, etc, but if you're a halfway decent cook that need not be the case. You can eat low calorie, low-carb delicious food.

We've got quite a collection of low-cal/low-carb recipes in the "Semi-lowcarb" forum. They might help you out of the stall.

Thanks Nancy - I think I'll need to get plugged into "My PLAN" again and see what's happening with the calories etc.

Interestingly, last time I was religious about tracking my food intake, I discovered I was eating between 600-700 calories per day, which I thought was too low. My husband freaked out when he realized that was my daily intake, and said I'd end up going into "starvation" mode. Not sure if there really is such a thing, but still...600 cals/day is too low.

I doubt I've gone way, way up from that...but then again - I haven't exactly been keeping track of food intake.

Sigh...so many things to do in order to "fix" this stall.

What I've done so far:

1. eliminated nuts
2. eliminated Diet Coke
3. cut back on coffee (from 6-8 cups a day to 1-3 cups)
4. eliminated Reese's 1 Carb Peanut Butter Cups (these were only an occasional, rare treat...but still...it could have been a problem)
5. forced myself to eat breakfast...it's not perfect yet, but it's getting better.
6. started using Ketostix again...discovered I'm in ketosis, even though I'm not losing.
7. come back to these forums.

What's left?

Well geesh...there's still so much more to do before giving up or doing something drastic like a fast.

Fitday or My PLAN
Exercise - cardio and weight training
Increase water intake - this has long been a nightmare for me, I'm really bad at drinking water
Remember to take vitamins and supplements
Eliminate red wine (I drink a glass or two too many times a week)
Find a way to reduce my stress level

Anyway, thanks for the suggestion. I believe that what you're saying is true, because I know that what works for a 190-pound person won't necessarily work for a 160-pound person.

It's clear I've got to shake things up a bit.

I just hope it works....that's all.

Ketosis is a red herring. You can be in ketosis and gaining weight. It just means you're burning fat for fuel, not necessarily body fat.

Lots of people found out they had thyroid issues. Eating very low carb can make that worse too. You might check to see if you've got the symptoms of hypothyroid. Its nearly impossible to lose weight if your thyroid is pokey slow.

Are you losing size at all? I'm finding my size is now shrinking and my weight is being somewhat stable. I likes!

Hi again Nancy,

No, I don't seem to be losing sizes or inches either. I just recently had a physical and I know they checked thyroid, and it's all "normal".

I'll just have to keep tweaking and see if I can't get the scale moving again.

I'm about ready to give up dairy altogether - no more cheese, cream or creamy salad dressings. Maybe that'll help.

I *do* need to get my behind into the gym though...I haven't been exercising at all, and I've struggled a lot with drinking enough water.

I'm not giving up - I'll just keep trying things until something starts happening again.

Thanks for the suggestions and most importantly - thanks for reminding me that this happens to lots of people. I was starting to think I was defective or something.

"normal" is what many of us were told our thyroid's were, but when we looked into it further we discovered otherwise.

The easiest way to lower your calories is to just cut as much fat as possible. It has taken some adjustment but I've developed some techniques for cooking that yeild some really good lower calorie results.

Watching Calorie Commando on TV has helped a lot. He cooks up lowfat, lowcal things and shows you how. While a lot of his food is too carby for me, it always gives me ideas on what I can do.

Good luck to you!

I went for about 6 months with no loss, maybe even a 3 lb gain!! And I was doing things "by the book". I actually cut back on exercise a bit and started losing a bit again. I wouldn't be surprised if high stress levels have a LOT to do with your stall...but don't give up!!! Nancy is right about watching calories. Also, the closer you are to goal, the harder it is. It took my mother 2 years to lose her final 5 lbs!!!

Good job in cutting out some of those possible "problem foods". All we can do is experiment with what might be causing a stall.
Hang in there!!

MLD

MLD,

Thanks for letting me know that I'm not the only one to experience such a frustrating situation. I'm sooooooooo glad to hear that even after a six month stall, you eventually went on to lose more weight - that's exactly what I needed to hear, this idea that with enough tweaks, persistence and patience, this will eventually pay off (I sure hope so!).

Both you and Nancy have mentioned calories, and I'm going to take a closer look at my calorie intake by going back to My PLAN to see where I'm at. Like I said though, last time I tracked my food intake, I was shocked to discover I was eating less than 700 cals a day. Maybe I've gone too far in the other direction, I dunno.

Anyway...I'm continuing to tweak, and I *seriously* need to work up the courage to sign up at the local gym here, which would likely help alleviate my stress level a bit too.

Thanks for your post - it is much appreciated.

I've been told many times that stress contributes to no weight loss and even to weight gain. That's the basic premise of such suppliments as Relacore etc. NOT that I am advocating using them. I am not!

I've been at the same weight for 18 months now - up and down the same 2-3#, no inch difference. I did a similar amount of exercise every day (weights/cardio) until I was in a car accident in June. Even with limited exercise since June, nothing has changed, up or down. Very strange!

I share your frustration but am not going to quit of plan jump... Maybe I need to track more carefully.

Just wanted you to know you are not alone....

Take care, Julie

Hi again Citruskiss,
Oh yes, you are definetly not alone!!! I think that everyone has periods of no change, some being a few weeks, some a year! I encourage you to join the gym...even 30 min of cardio a few times a week can make a difference, and definetly LOWER STRESS. You will sleep better, and feel better.

We will all beat these periods of no change!!

MLD

I hear your frustration and can relate so well. I have
been there as well, and finally went to eating no whites, but more carbs and gained.
The only thing I can say when I changed my workouts, back when I hit my first stall, it made a big difference. Whenever we feel comfortable with something the body settles. Whenever we feel stressed the body fights back and hangs onto what we have.
Some people change up the types of food they eat, others change their workouts to be more challenging or adjust their calories. Its a personal science, everyone seems to have to find their own cures.

Speaking of which, try some resistance training as well. Cardio alone will most likely eat your muscle, making you metabolically less efficient. Adding muscle raises the rate and takes inches.
I remember even while not losing, I still lost alot of inches with training.

I am hoping to get back into knowing this for life and stick with it, rather than get discouraged.

Best of LUCK to you
laters
bu

Just read something interesting about ketosis:

Thanks so much - I really appreciate hearing back from everyone who's dealt with this sort of stuff.

Change my workout? HA HA HA HA - haven't started one, maybe that's part of the problem???

I've got one more trip next week (Montreal), then I'm going to join the local gym here.

I'm hoping starting an exercise program will help matters. I'm thinking I might hire a personal trainer to get me started, and hopefully I'll break this stall.

Thanks

Nancy,

Thanks for that information - it really shows me that I shouldn't pay any attention to those ketostix. The sticks just make the stall all the more frustrating, and thanks to a lot of the information you've posted lately about ketosis, I've realized that when the sticks turn pink/purple, it doesn't mean I'm going to be losing weight.

I give up on the ketostix - they aren't worth the stress.

Thanks