Hi Everyone, Nice board!.. I am fairly new to the LC lifestyle and am in great need of some advice. I began my lifestyle change on October 20th/00 and since have only lost a total of 5 lb's and that only occurred within the 1st week. To date I have not budged and I have stuck to the induction plan faithfully, even tried eating only a portion of what is required. Has anyone else experienced a stall in the very beginning?? I need something to give me some motivation to continue... I am thinking of trying the Stillman method??? Thanks for reading!!

Hi Sadai and welcome to our board. It is almost the standard to lose more "weight" in the first week. The reason I added quotes around weight, is that many low-carber continue to lose fat, and notice their clothes fit better without much weight loss. Low-fat diets makes one lose more weight because you lose muscle and fat. You will eventually lose more weight on low-carb, but I recommend that in addition to the scale that you also take measurements. Some lose a few inches from their waist without any noticable weight loss. This is really a good thing, since it makes one leaner, with less body fat ratio.

You also mentioned:



Make sure you eat enough, as eating low-calorie may slow your metabolism.

I'm sure others will jump in with additional points to help. You've come to the right place

Wa'il

Hi Sadai, and welcome!

You have found good lowcarb friends here, please post often. About your being stuck, there may be a number of reasons. Wa'il is right that you are probably losing fat, but gaining some lean muscle in turn, so you won't see the loss on the scales, but in inches instead. Here are some other suggestions -

(1) are your scales accurate?? This is something I am considering myself, and have often read others have this problem. For instance, you get on and off the scale three times in a row, and each time says something different.

(2) are you absolutely positive you are measuring every single carbohydrate?? The packet of sweetener, or the whitener in your coffee, if you drink that, can add up over the course of the day. Do you accurately measure vegetables? Do you use the protein bars or shakes, some people are sensitive to the carbs in the sorbitol and maltitol. Cheese is another problem area too. Also, if the food is from the USA, they do not have to declare carbs if it is below 1 gram, even if it is 0.99! So you could be eating something, say process cheese, thinking it is a 0 carb food, when in fact it is basically a whole gram for each ounce. If you would like, why don't you post a typical day's menu here, and we can help you find hidden carbs, if there are any. Lots of folks have found this helpful - we love to help

(3) Do not undereat. I am so guilty of this myself. Your body will go into starvation mode, and it will just work AGAINST your weight-loss efforts.

(4) make sure you are drinking at least 6 to 8 glasses of pure water every day, on top of any other liquids.

(5) read the post "Why am I stalled? from Atkins" down in the Stalls and Plateaus forum. Here's the link http://www.lowcarber.org/forum/show...hp?threadid=265

Good luck, and please keep us posted of your progress

Doreen

Hello Sadai,

Welcome to the group!

I second Doreen. Why don't you keep a record of what you are eating for a few days and post it. It is hard to give advice when we don't know what you're eating.

The most critical thing is carb counting. Even coffee has carbs in it. As Doreen pointed out, dairy and artificial sweeteners can be big stallers. Eating too many nuts can make you stall too. What plan are you following? Some people are just slow losers. Even though you may not be losing, you probably feel full of energy. That is a definite plus.

Karen