This is my second go-round with a low carb, low cal diet. I lost 14 lbs earlier in the year, got off the diet when I got stuck at a certain weight and gained 9 lbs back. I'm now committed to eating healthy and have lost those 9 lbs, but I'm once again stuck at the same weight that I always stop at. I can't seem to break through past 191 lbs. I only eat at the most 1200 calories a day. (I keep track.) I bike ride - hard - one hour 4 times a week. I only eat veggies, fresh meat, poultry or fish, eggs, cheese, nuts and an occasional piece of fruit and I drink lots of water. Yet I have not lost a single pound in two weeks. I even went bike riding 4 days straight, 10-12 miles each time, and did not lose an ounce. I wasn't over-weight until I had kids. Eating was never an issue until after my second child eleven years ago, and I have never been able to lose the weight. I'm now 45 years old, so I know my metabolisim is slowing down, but all this working out and 1200 calories a day does not a happy camper make. I have been at this weight for too many years and I gain weight very very easily. If I go over the 1200 calories, I gain weight, but I don't want take away any more food. I barely eat as it is. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to break through my body's apparent barrier to weight loss?

Have you read DANDR? There are several suggestions about why certain people can't lose weight. (For example, yeast problems). Solutions are suggested, including taking supplements like carnitine to help. Good luck!

What's DANDR? Is that somewhere on the forum, or is it a book?

DANDR = Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution....aka The Bible of Low Carbing

If you don't already own a copy, it's a very good investment.

DANDR
Doctor Atkins New Diet Revolution.

I go up to 8 weeks without losing and then drop a pound or 2

Hi there...

If you are only eating 1200 calories a day and exercising as much as you are, I'm willing to bet that your body thinks there is a famine and your metabolism is shutting down to protect your fat stores. The general rule of thumb when LCing is to eat 10-12X your body weight in calories.

I feel that I'm a slow loser too and I had a bit of a rocky beginning. (See the first 6 weeks of LCing in my journal). However, perserverance and persistance paid off to put me where I am today.

Try bumping your calories up...probably to around 2000 and I'm willing to bet that after a week or two, you will begin to lose again.

Wishing you the best.

Marlaine

How abut considering: so much exercise and too few calories? Seems as though you should read the book again. I see no mention of fats which are supposed to be the source of energy for low carbers.

And 2airdales is correct: 2 weeks is not a long time to go without losing. If you had stuck to the plan the first time, you'd be farther down. Many people find that the "second time around" is much slower. Hope you up the calories and fats and maybe even the carbs. many people lose better at higher carb levels.

I do use olive oil for seasoning (the greek side of me, love that stuff!), I also eat fattening but low carb dressing on my salads, I use butter, I eat nuts, cheese, olives and meat. There's healthy fat in all those foods. I've read Atkins, tried the plan straight out of the book and didn't lose much because I ate too much food. I have to cut back on carbs and calories, and make sure I exercise. If I miss one day of working out, I gain weight. If I eat more then 1200 calories, I gain weight. Everyone's body chemistry works differently so it's a matter of finding what works for you. And the older one gets the slower the metabolism gets. Exercise is a must. A calorie is still a calorie and you must burn off more then you take in to lose weight. The part I like about the low carbing is that I am never hungry. That's why I can stay at 1200 calories a day. (I also discovered that bread, wheat based cereals and pasta gave me gas, so those are completely off any diet forever. I must be allergic to wheat products.)

Anyway, I'm probably just at a plateau and need to mix up my exercise routine. I was just wondering what others did to break through their plateaus. The body adjusts to exercise and you're not suppose to do the same exercises over and over. I'll mix up my bike riding with roller blading, walking and light weight workouts. That should help too. Thanks for all the advice.

Hang in there it will get better

alexs0628,
You mentioned your age and metabolic rate. Have you had any tests that show your metabolism isn't what it should be for your age, height, and weight? I have done my basal temp for a few days and todayI made an appointment to have some blood work done and have my thyroid tested.

The reason I ask is because at your height and weight and with your activity level most likely your BMR is much higher than the 1200 calories that you're eating a day (unless you were 100 years old). If you're forcing your body into starvation mode it could account for your inability to lose any more weight beyond a certain point.

Personally, I've had to up my calories. It was very scary for me because I could never lose weight if I ate over 1000 calories. I've gradually increased my cals to 1500-1600 range. I burn a minimum of 2800 cal/day and will most likely up my calories a bit more but I'm taking it slowly. Also, I am 48 years old so I am well aware of the difference in the ability to lose weight as you age!

The jury is still out on the effect of raising my calories. I'm in my 6th week of Atkins and I understand that it is sometimes a period where weight loss can take a break. I have to admit that I'm pretty nervous about having my calories this high.

The first few days after raising my calories I actually lost weight. I plan to give it a couple of weeks (so long as I don't put on too much weight) to see if I can convince my body that it doesn't have to worry about me starving it anymore. With a little persistance I hope that my body learns to accept that I've made a committment to stop abusing it by depriving it of calories and filling it with junk.

I really understand about not being able to lose past a certain point and about the calories.

Best of luck to you!
Lori

I agree with the few ppl who posted here about upping your calories. The average human body burns about 70 calories per hour by simply using your involuntary organs.. heart, breathing, digestive, etc. The only way to gain weight is if your body is in starvation mode. I find the more I eat, the more I lose. I do also agree with you that everyone's body is different. I hope to hear some good reports soon about your progress. I hope you find out what is causing your body to be so stubborn!

To ImHere,

I have monitored my morning body temp, and I did go to the doctor for a thyroid test. When you go, make sure that your TSH level, T3 an dT4 levels are checked. I've researched thyroid problems for the past two years and have found that most doctors still do not understand how the thyroid works. I asked for a thyroid test twice with two different doctors because my body temp is so low, plus a few other mild symptoms. The second doctor this past year just measured my TSH. That number will show a normal range unless your thyroid is failing. She did not take my T3 and T4 levels. The first doctor took the TSH, the T4, then the wrong T3 test. (She took the T3 uptake, not free T3.)

All three readings are necessary for a proper thyroid profile. This is the second doctor that I tried and they both think TSH "says it all." Hope you have better luck with your doctor. I will get my thyroid tested again at my current doctor's office, insist on all three levels, then find a doctor who understands how to interpret the test results.

Plus, which you already know, since I am 45, the metabolism does slow down the closer a woman gets to menopause. I am in the perimenopause stage, so that will also have an effect.

And what all that means is more exercise because I won't go below 1200 calories. (I went roller blading with my son last night. I looked silly, but had lots of fun!) I'm sure the weight plateau will break eventually, then I will start losing again.

alexs0628,
Thanks so much. I was going to ask in a post what are the best test to ask for. You've been a big help!

Lori

Just wanted to let everyone know that I took the advice of upping my carbs, and it must have worked, because I dropped 2 lbs. this past week. Thanks for the advice!