Thinking of giving up
 

I'm struggling here and thinking of giving this whole thing up in favour of weight watchers or somthing similar. I've been low carbing for around four months and haven't lost much at all. I can be quite strict but it's heart breaking to get on the scale and fluctuate every day.
I've dieted in the past with slimming groups and was losing constantly every week - 1lb here, 2lb there, but with Atkins I'm losing, gaining, losing, gaining from day to day. I'm excersising more and drinking more water. I'm quite short and realisticly only need to lose around another 8-10lbs.
Some advice would be very much appreciated right now :help:

Put it in perspective. You have already lost 53% of the weight you want to. The last few pounds are the hardest to lsoe no matter what plan you are on. Especially if you are at the upper range of healthy weight and are just trying to get to the lower range. Like Dr. A says, the longer it takes to lsoe those last few pounds the better chance you have of keeping it off because you have learned healthy eating habits by then.

It would also help if you posted some of your daily menus, or got an account at www.fitday.com and made it public. There may be something your eating that is causing slowness as well.

With as much as you are exerciseing, and hopefully getting adiquet protien, you may be building muscle while you lose fat. A pound of muscle takes up much less room then a pound of fat. The scale won't move, but your measurments will. Have you been measuring regularly?

For a while forget the scale and focus on building lean weight and lowering body fat. Use a measuring tape, make sure to eat enough calories and protien, drink your water to help with water retention, and have some patience.

Could it be you are being too strict? It is possible that you may actually need MORE carbs to lose...as I do. Too many think that if they stay at induction levels (20 carbs or less) for the entire time that they will lose more faster...the problem is your body will adjust and sometimes a bit of change is needed. I know I was "stalled out" for a long time...jumping between 3 lbs for months and months. Then I realized what I had to do...lower calorie but higher carbs...and cutting out certain foods to help me start losing again. I am now on a roll 1.5-2.5 lbs a week and feel wonderful and don't feel deprived at all! Perhaps posting your menu for last 2 days (quantities as well) may help us determine if perhaps something in your daily menu may be a culprit... Either way, don't be discouraged...this is the way to go...not only for weight but for life. :)

Don't get too hung up on the number of pounds on a scale. It is a very inaccurate machine in most cases. Besides, it's how you look and how you feel that is important.

Something that we forget on LC is that, because we lose mostly fat, we may have more muscle on 'the way down' than we did on the 'way up'. So we might weigh more than we expect when we get to looking good.

You are a petite person but please focus more on how you look and how you feel than on a number on a scale. Perhaps it is your goal weight that needs to be revised.

Progress is still being made while you are low carbing as fat is being exchanged for muscle, or just lost. But the last 10-15 pounds on anyone will take MUCH longer than the first 10 did. And you are very close to your goal.