Can't seem to lose more than 12lbs total ... what gives!
 

This is my second time around on Atkins, I am on week 5 now, keeping my carbs between 20 - 25 per day.

The first time I was on atkins I quickly lost about 12lbs, and then stalled for weeks, even months on end - causing me to quit.

Here I am again, Atkins round #2, and I've lost that same 12lbs (yup I did gain it back when I quit) and I've been stuck here again for now 3 weeks.

It seems really strange that I can't seem to pass this point in my weight loss, I still have a long way to go - 60+lbs. I've read a lot of posts with people getting stuck at the 50 pounds lost range, but 12! What gives!

Has anyone else experienced this?

Thanks!

Hi...I just read in Dana Carpender's book How I Gave up my Low-Fat Diet and lost 40 lbs about people who find themselves stalling in the same place more than once. She writes about how your metabolism and body actually remember certain weights and stall themselves at them. One thing you could do is KISS or try an atkins stall breaker...Dana Carpender insists in her book that it will break eventually if you stick to the diet and exercise. Try not to get too frustrated...you are making progress and you've made a commitment to improving your life...maybe check out the book or look in the stall buster thread on this support forum.

Good Luck!

Jenn

Thanks for the support guys!

What puzzles me is that I am always in ketosis too - so when I step on the scale, I just expect to be losing.

Yup, I do think I have been stuck at this one weight for a long time so my body seems to be hanging on for dear life.

Your not alone. For me it's only 3 lbs. It's so frustrating. I keep hanging in there...and I've upped my Curves workouts to 4 times this week....but it's hard to stick to it.

I am finding these PMS days particularly hard....I am craving Chocolate cake soooooooo bad. Mc Cain's deep and delicious....I haven't had any for 2 years..and now I am craving it.????

Oh well....hang in there...what keeps me going this time around is that I know I am almost diabetic...so regardless of the weight loss...I need to do this to keep my blood sugar stable.

Have a good day!
Natascha

stalls stalls stalls... they happen to everybody, the important thing is to not give in! I did that last time after a month with a 20 lb loss, and then a month-long stall. I've stuck with it this time, have had several stalls, but eventually a few more lbs fall off each time. I don't care if it takes years to get there, but I'm determined to get there and stay there. It is a way of life, not a diet. You need to be willing to change your way of eating for life, not just until you lose the weight. Have patience...

Digitalgrl don't give up! I started LC'ing in May of 2003 with 87 lbs to lose. I lost 17 lbs by July, but then plateaued for about a month. I began losing again and lost another 15 lbs. making it 32 lbs total in September. I stalled at 32 lbs lost for 5 months. Thanks to this forum, I stuck with it... and in the last two days I've lost another 2 lbs making it 34 lbs lost.

It was very difficult to stick on plan with so much more to lose, especially with my DH losing at a nice steady rate! I just took it on faith that I would start losing again. I guess no matter what, I am down 34 lbs and if I continued eating the way I was, I would most likely be up another 5-10 lbs from my start weight.

I understand your frustration! If I only had 20 or so pounds to lose, I would feel differently I think. Just remember, you didn't gain your weight overnight, and you definitely won't lose it that way either. You are headed in the right direction, keep up the good work!

I found the first time I was on Atkins, I had a really long stall...with very small size change and was turning the keto sticks purple.... I think it was because I managed to eat more fat in the form of cream and nuts (almonds,macadamias, and pecans.. I think the excess fat in my system was turning the stix and keeping me on hold... Its just a thought, probably not true, but I did pick up again when I denied myself those things for a couple of weeks...

What "seems" to break my stalls is a return to a near zero carb day and then the 2nd day doing zero carbs and ALOT of exercise. Bascially so much exercise that there is NO WAY my body is going to be able to run on only what I give it.

You also might want to post what you eat and count as carbs. People seem to be able to give useful advice from that.

Stick with it...i've not stalled for a month yet, but have stalled for 1 1/2 weeks about 5 times. Frustrating.....

watch out for any supplements your taking. I have been stalled for months. I finally went back through my food journals and discovered that it coinsided wiht adding 3 new supplements. I cut out all supplements and am slowly adding them back... It looks like the culprit was the flax seed oil capsuls that did it to me. Keeping a food journal is VERY helpful. I am finally starting to loose again.

Wonder why the flax seed oil caused the stall, i take them every day also. I also am stalled at this weight for many months now. Maybe I should stop taking them but hate to do that as they keep me so regular. and I hear it's also good for your cholesterol

[QUOTE=Auburn2932]Wonder why the flax seed oil caused the stall,
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I was talking to a friend doing PP. She lent me her book which had information about eskolaids (I'm not sure about the spelling). They might be the reason for my problems. I don't really understand exactly what they are but I'm looking for more information about them.

I stalled for the 2nd and 3rd weeks when I started. I know this is NOT an official stall (4+ weeks) but I was really discouraged since I had just started and was still on induction levels. Anyway, what kept me going was knowing that eating healthy - avoiding those sweets- and feeling much better than I normally did was a pay off all in itself. Then I started losing again. It was a good lesson for me to learn so early in this WOE. Good things do happen to those who wait.

I keep an Atkins food journal and a typical day for me consists of:

Breakfast:

Hard boiled eggs and bacon - or - some low carb hot cereal with liquid splenda (yup the real thing that I got from the manufacturer)

1 decaf coffee

Lunch:

A big salad with lots of veggies and some protein source like tuna, chicken or beef with ranch dressing.

Dinner:

Low carb tortilla with veggies and chicken, or beef + cheese - or some type of low carb receipe from my Atkins receipe book.

Snack: Usually some SF jello. Sometimes I may make a batch of low carb muffins with splenda, and have those.

If I am super starved sometimes right after work when I get home, I may grab 1-2 oz of cheese, or some turkey slices to tide me over until dinner.

I do sometimes use low carb products, but I really try and stay away from those sugar alchohols. Stuff like the tortillas, that flax meal cereal, Atkins bake mix. I don't eat the bars, I can't stand the way the taste - yuck!!

One thing I just won't give up is my caffine-free diet pepsi, I know it's not a great choice, but we don't have access to splenda-made colas here in Canada.
I may have 2 a day.

You seem very focused on your carbohydrate restriction and food choices, but less so on your dietary numbers.

Track your caloric intake over time and get an average. Make sure you are getting adequate protein and essential fatty acids.

You best aid when it comes to positive nutrient partitioning is exercise. I am a big fan of resitsance training in general for improvements in bodycomposition.

If you stall out and your calories are not too low, reduce them or add some cardiovascular training to create a larger deficit.

This will break your stall. Fiddling around with whether you cut an extra five or ten grams sorbitol out of your daily diet will likely be nowhere near as helpful.

Look at the big picture first. You need to be hypocaloric if you want to lose bodyweight.