I'm hoping that in your inifinite wisdom, you all can give me a little input into this question.

I started Atkins October 1st of last year (2003). I didn't lose the best on Induction (7 pounds) but did lose, and kept losing at a satisfactory level through the end of December. The last weight I know for sure was 214 pounds on December 9th, and I believe it was between then and the first to middle of January I dropped another 5 pounds--so see, not bad at all.

Unfortunately, though, I've been having the worst time trying to lose anything at all since that time. I came down with the flu in January, and for the longest time afterward felt just plum cruddy, so I made sure to just eat wholesome, low-carb foods with plenty of vitamins. Between feeling bad and the weather I wasn't getting a lot of exercise during that time, so was fairly sedentary. This went on until about the first part of May or so when I decided it was high time to at least start tracking my food to see if what I was eating could be causing a lack of weight loss.

In tracking my food I found that I'm normally eating around 1600-1800 calories a day (break down into 30-40 carbs per day, 65-75% fat, and at least 100 grams of protein a day). Based on the 10-12x rule, I should be eating in the neighborhood of 2,000-2,400 calories a day. Based on the BMR rule I should be consuming around 2,400 calories a day.

During the first part of May, my weight kept yo-yoing between 209 and 212. I finally managed to get it down to where now it's yo-yoing between 207 and 210.5, so I'm figuring roughly a 2-pound weight loss since mid-April or the first of May, and I'm fighting like the dickens to keep it off.

So.....this brings me to my question(s). Doesn't it stand to reason that at a caloric deficit or as much as 700 calories a day I should be losing weight? Or am I not eating enough calories? I'm very comfortable with the amount of food I eat, and if I eat more I feel like I'm over-eating.

As mentioned above, my fat intake is between 65-70% daily, I drink at least 4 32-ounce mugs full of water every day (and more when the weather's hot), plus a Diet Rite and added a little green tea about a week ago.

As far as exercise goes, I am trying to work up to more. I am not in good shape at all, because of some health problems over the past few years and getting back to speed is painfully slow at times.

I really do appreciate all of your help, and while I'm waiting for answers I'm going to go take a hilly walk.

Go here and it should help http://www.ecybex.com/education/calculators/bmr_calc.html the lowest calories Ive seen to lose on is between 1000 & 1300 I was looking yesterday on here

"Doesn't it stand to reason that at a caloric deficit or as much as 700 calories a day I should be losing weight? Or am I not eating enough calories? I'm very comfortable with the amount of food I eat, and if I eat more I feel like I'm over-eating."

I don't have an answer to your question, but I do know I asked myself the same question and decided to test it by not watching calories and keeping carbs low. At first I lost, then I gained, I even decided to keep it up for two solid weeks thinking I did not want to stop too soon. The net result for me is that one week of low carbing and keeping my calories at less than 1500 is producing a loss. Not sure what will happen next week, but I know if I keep the calories low I will eventually lose weight and I have less of the yo-yo with the same three pounds for weeks at a time.

Could be your body is "comfortable" where you are at calorie-wise? Have you tried shaking it up a bit? Maybe a higher carb day or two, then induction level for a day or two? Carlene

My Baseline (BMR) is around 1600 a day. Considering a seated lifestyle (not completely seated but better to be on the safe side ), this brings my metabolic rate (supposedly) up to 2500 calories a day. So, on what I'm consuming (1600-1800) I should be creating a caloric deficit each day of at least 700 calories, and as much as 900.

I'm not adverse to lowering my calories if need be, but don't want to put them too low.

Carlene, I've been afraid to try to do any drastic 'shaking'. I did have a piece of cake last Saturday at my nephew's graduation party, which ended up being at least 140 carbs. The next day I went right back to my normal eating, and have been eating no more than 25-30 carbs daily for the past week instead of my usual 30-40 to see if that would help. Outside of finally getting rid of most of the water weight involved in the cake incident, the scales are just plum happy to bounce between the aforementioned weights. I'm also not taking off anything in inches. I measured a few days ago and compared it to my measurements in January--they were the same.

I might also add, that if I have anything with sugar alcohols (rarely) I count all the carbs. I eat a piece of LC bread maybe once a week, and mostly not even that often.

PecanPie, would you mind sharing your age? I'm 44 so I know my metabolism ain't what it used to be.

I think your carbs are too high--you should lower them to 20 and follow strict induction--just my two cents, but I think that would work better than what you're doing.

My BMR is 1970, so that means I should never eat below that? I'm a hospital nurse and work 12 hour shifts and I do Tae kwon Do 2 classes twice a week (1.5 hrs), so I figure moderate amounts of activity. That comes to 2779!

Amazing how many calories we're supposed to eat isn't it? Then again, I could down that in a couple of combo meals before this WOE. Now that I"m eating right, I have to try to make sure I have enough calories! Crazy!

I say for your dilemma, the calories sound right, but I agree that you should go a few days of higher carbs (do it with fruits and veggies) then back to induction to see if that works. If not, I would try the fat fast. I have no idea what it is, but have heard folks talk about it.

Let us know how you do! ALSO...dont forget to MEASURE! Could be you're losing inches, instead of pounds!

Emeraulde, this may sound absolutely awful, but I'd stay at the weight I am right now before going on that fat fast. There's info about it in the Tips & Stalls forum--I read about it last night.

I can do higher carbs with fruits and veggies, but some of the things I've seen people go through to try to get things moving looks just plum scary!

And yes, I measured. Alas, nothing gone for months now, with the exception of a little while on vacation a few weeks ago--and now I'm wondering about even that because my tape measure says differently (clothes didn't fit after getting home--they didn't fit before, but they weren't THAT bad--or so I thought!).

I really appreciate your input.

Hehe well I haven't even read it...which shows you how interested I am in going on a fast fast! LOL! I would suggest just increasing veggies and cutting out anything that is questionable...any frankenfoods at all, heavy cream, cheeses, just for a bit...who knows?

I dug through my old FitDay records the other night trying to see if I had added some food that could be causing problems (didn't find squat). I agree about the Frankenfoods. Outside of 1/4 cup of Breyer's LC ice cream last week and one SF candy last night I've been seriously avoiding them the past weeks. Shoot, I have almost a whole package of SF candies in my drawer right now. I gave hubby a package the same time I bought them. His are gone--mine is practically full--I gave a couple pieces to the kids this evening.

One thing I did find, though, (and this is like piecing together clues) is that I was keeping my carbs between 25-30 and since raised them to between 30-40. So, I switched back to the lower carbs to see if that helps. In the meantime, I'm also picking people's brains on this.

Thanks again!

Looks like you've got it well in hand! Keep up the good work!

Ive had almost the exact same problem as you. I lowered my caloric intake to around 1200-1300 a day and only then did I start losing.

I found those online BMR charts to be totally incorrect for me and my BRM in reality was much lower due to genetics, dieting history etc.

The only way I am able to lose is when I restrict my calories. I can maintain at much higher calories but I cannot lose.

In fact I was asking myself the same questions assuming I was having this huge caloric deficit because of my weight etc and estimated a loss of a pound to 2 lbs a week.

Too bad it doesnt work that way.

You may want to look into restricting your calories and your carbs a bit more (20-25 range?)

Thats the only thing that helped me..

Good luck!

I've been lowering my calories to get my weight loss moving too.

I'm curious where you got the calculation to go from your BMR to daily calories burned. The information I've seen says that for sedentary, seated work, you take your BMR & multiply by 1.2 to get your daily calories burned. By your calculation you are multiplying by more than 1.5. I think maybe your calorie deficit isn't as high as you think. Of course, if you've hardly lost at all in the last few months, something still isn't right, even with a lower calorie deficit, you should be losing more pounds.

Also on this topic, I've been thinking lately. If you believe that the calorie equation is valid, then we take our calories in less the calories burned and that should equal our weight loss. We know our calories in, it's measurable and verifiable. We know our weight loss, it's measurable and verifiable. What we don't know for sure is our calories out. That we guess at based on complex formulas designed by researchers, but everyone knows some fat person who can't lose on a low-cal diet and a skinny person who eats double what we do and never gains an ounce. So it seems to me that the metabolism varies greatly from person to person and to think that we get an accurate assessment of our calories out based on a calculation that treats everyone the same is not reasonable.

I guess what I'm suggesting is that maybe you don't have a calorie deficit at all. Based on known factors, calories in and weight, the only factor unknown is calories burned. If weight loss is zero, then calories in must be by definition equal to your calories burned, regardless of what the BMR calculators tell you.

Just random thoughts, I'm not even sure I actually believe that calories in less calories out equals weight loss formula is truly accurate anyway. As someone here keeps saying, what does burning food in a test tube have to do with converting food to energy in a body anyway?

Valerie

you can get your resting metabolic rate tested by this machine called a bodygem (or something like that) which would be pretty accurate telling you what your RMR is and then any excess exercise, movement whatever is more calories burned.

keep in mind the calculations that these computers and things give you is usually based on someone with a higher amount of lean muscle mass from what I discovered which would raise your BMR and assume you are burning more per day than you might be.

I went for months at 205 lbs and I was eating 1600 a day and wasnt losing. When I lowered to 1400 a day I started losing VERY slowly. When I lowered to 1200 and restricted my carbs more my loss began to speed up.

When I exercise more I allow myself a few more calories and carbs, and on my lazy days I am more strict. The past month I have been in lazy mode and have gotten out of my routine, but I started doing a bit better and I just had a 2.5 lb whoosh yesterday. (stalled for over a month)