This is sort of related to the post below, but my question is specifically about only having 10 lbs. or so to lose (not specifically that it is a "last 10" but a total of 10) - that stubborn bit of "dough" around my middle that I want to lose. Is the Atkins diet geared mainly for those interested in losing quite a bit of weight or will it work on those with only 5/10/15 lbs. total to lose? I do work out (mainly weights with some cardio 4-5 times a week).

Just like the poster below, I feel SO guilty asking this question because I shouldn't complain, but I agree with a low carb lifestyle and want to give it a try. I've been keeping my carbs under 20 grams for about 2.5 weeks now and haven't seen any changes. I hope it will work though - any insights would be so helpful!

Thanks for listening to me being such a whiner!

Lily

Sure it will work for you, but you'll most likely only be able to keep the weight off by following this plan for life. Don't look at it as a diet, but rather a way of eating that is healthier than what you've tried in the past. And there are many health benefits to low-carbing besides weight loss, so even people who don't have weight lose can benefit from a low-carb lifestyle.

You and I have a VERY similar profile ... same height ... same goals.

When I switched from The Zone at about 141-143 lbs. I was thrilled to be eating the foods I truly love - fatty foods. If anything ... that will keep me on the plan.

I have gone down to 132 and back up to 138 last week and have leveled out to about 135 this week and am still losing.

After I went up to 138, I started drinking a TON of water (a TON being at least 100 oz a day). I found that working out 5-6 days a week doing a mixture of Pilates/Cindy Crawford 2nd video/Incline Walking has kicked me back into weight loss mode and having one day a week where I eat acceptable carbs up to 40g. I also consume somewhere between 1300-1600 a day in calories.

I have never had more energy and being a programmer I sit on my behind ALL day at a computer screen.

I look forward to meals and know that I will be satisfied afterward. I have always loved salads BUT I always wanted the dressing and with low-fat/Zone the good dressings (like Blue Cheese) were never an option.

I started The Zone because I had begun having "sugar-lows" in the afternoon doing low-fat/low protein. Increasing protein on The Zone took care of that.

I WILL eat this way for the rest of my life. I hope you can too.

Good luck!

Make sure you eat enough and drink at least 100 oz of water. That is what I keep reading over and over again on here.

Thanks Hilary - you're right, I have to look at it as a way of life and remember that I do FEEL way better on LC than with my sugar and carb laden diet before.

OMG mssusthang!! We are very alike! I have even tried the Zone before and do my Cindy Crawford tape every few days mixed in with my regular weight routines. LOL!! I'll have to step up my cardio and increase my water consumption as you suggested. I drink about 8 cups a day, but then I have to have something with flavouring in it (Davinci syrups in club soda or decaff tea) I have done Body for Life as well, and had great success with that. I don't miss the rice, potatoes, even bread, but I do miss sweets, cookies, ice cream, chocolate. Yes, with all the LC and SF stuff out there now it's easier, but being in Canada especially, it's SO expensive and harder to find.

Thanks so much both of you for your posts!

Lily

Lilygirl, im in the same boat as you too! I only have about 10lbs to lose as well. So are you on induction right now? I am on day 11 and I have lost 3.5lbs so far ( so the scale says ) but I do feel better. I havent been following induction to a T though. I eat the bars and eat a lot of "no sugar added crap. I LOVE chocolate and any kind of sweets! But I do cardio 3-5x a week and Im feeling better. I think the first 2 weeks is basically just water loss anyways. I am also in Canada!

Hi Lucille! I'm so glad there are others who feel the same frustration. To answer your Q, I guess I am on induction still in terms of still keeping to about 20 grams of carbs, but I'm intruducing some of the foods you aren't allowed on induction - maybe that's where I'm going wrong. I have been eating the occasional bar during the day too (I got used to eating smaller meals with snacks at 10 am and 3 pm when I was on Body for Life) and I fell in love with Atkins peanut butter cups - OMG! So that has been kind of an evening, after dinner snack. Also, I have been making hubby and I cream cheese with SF jello and whipping cream cheesecake snacks. So, I'm probably taking in more calories than I really should be. Hmmm, I think I've talked my way through my problem and I'm think I need to make a few changes to see some results. I have been getting fewer headaches and stomach aches now that I'm not eating so many carbs and sugar though - a definite plus, even if so far it's the only one! I fluctuate between 135/137 - 143 lbs. so I never really know how much I've actually lost. I just want to look in the mirror and NOT see any lumps and bumps around my middle - grrr, I hate that bit of flesh around my sides and that dag-nam belly bump! One of these days it'll be gone. I do so many core exercises too - maybe I'm destined to have a curvy belly. Grrrr!

Thanks for your reply, it's good to hear from another LC Canadian!

Lily

Hi Lilygirl!
I'm also on my last couple of lbs and share your frustration. I'm so unhappy with the bumps on my stomach as well. However I do see some difference in my middle since I've started Atkins, so I'm hoping that sticking to it will bring results eventually.
Exercising helps a great deal, but I've noticed that I can't get through my strenuous routines as well. My muscles tire out faster than when I had carbs for energy.
Also, I've cut out some food that were in the grey area for the past day or so, and it seems to have helped.

I hope you and I will see results eventually in our middle. I really hate those.. love handles? I think they're called.

Btw, how are Pilates and Cindy Crawford video tapes? I'm going to go shopping over the weekend to purchase some videos. I'm getting really bored with the one tape I own!

Rose

Hi Rose! Now that you mention it, I have been having more trouble with my energy level through my workouts. I hadn't attributed it to the low carbs though - good point. Gotta remember the glutamine!

I will also cut out the "grey area" foods too...wow, with all the tips I've received today, I feel confident I'll get the jump start I need again! Thanks!

About the workout tapes, I normally don't like typical "aerobics" videos. I'm as uncoordinated as a giraffe so I'm hopeless at them. The Cindy Crawford - Next Challenge (her second video) is excellent. I do it once a week in the gym at my office with a couple of coworkers. It has a cardio/legs segment, then an abs set, then chest, then another abs, then arms/shoulders, another abs, then back and stretching. For the sake of time, we just do the cardio/legs and fast forward to all the abs sections (skipping the chest and arms) and do the back and stretching as well. It's about 45 minutes or so for that. I use it to change up my leg workout then do upperbody weights the following day then back to a regular leg workout. It's more of a circut training workout where she's saying "let's do 10 lunges forward" then counts them down. Much better for the co-ordinationally challenged! LOL!! I love the tape though, it's very effective too (and really gets those BUTT muscles!!) Well, I don't like the chest and upper body segments, but it's still worth it's weight in gold for the legs and abs segments!

I've tried pilates tapes but I find I don't feel like I'm getting as much "bang for my buck". If I'm going to spend an hour working out, I want it to be a hard hour..otherwise, why do it. I'm sure a pilates class would be good, but I find, for me at least, I don't follow the tapes as well as I probably should. Try renting Cindy Crawford video first to make sure you'll like it. I think you will though. Good luck! Let's get rid of our love handles, okay!!

Lily

Hi Lilygirl, thanks for the tips on the videotapes. I went to look for Cindy Crawford tapes and they were out! I'd have to check out some other stores. The tapes certainly are a great investment. I've had my tape for years and I still enjoy doing it.
It's called Taebo. Have you tried it? It has an excellent aerobics regimen that works your abs and buns really hard.

Today I think I finally broke the plateau (after about 2-3 weeks of seeing no loss), so I wanted to drop by and say that the plan works! even if you have just a couple of lbs to lose. Give it some more time and patience and you will eventually see results. You just have to wait for the time when your body will finally give in and let go of the stored fat.

Here are some things I've done differently, I don't know which, if at all, triggered weight loss, but hope they'll be some kind of help.

- reduced eating low carb bars and chocolate (I only have them for emergency meals or cravings)
- stopped eating pork rinds (the calories really add up!)
- started taking L-Carnitine (don't know if it really works..but thought it was worth the try)
- limited my protein to 80g. (this depends on your weight. check out http://www.zoneperfect.com/site/content/calculator.asp to calculate your body fat and suggested protein intake)

I've also moved onto OWL, upped my carbs and lowered my fat a little bit. I found this gave me more energy to complete my workouts.

I'm still drinking caffeinated coffee, drinking diet sodas, aspartame containing foods, even occassional crackers and wine (in moderation!). These items don't seem to be creating a huge impact as long as I eat healty most of the time (eggs, veggies, lean protein, healthy fats).

Hope you will break your plateau also. You've done great so far! 6 lbs loss!

Rose, wow, thanks for that encouraging message! I loved reading it, you were so kind to post and tell me the changes you have made which may have triggered the loss. I definitely munch on those porkrinds. Also, I have the occasional bar or LC chocolate as well. I have never tried L-Carnitine (I take L-Glutamine though) and I think my protein/fat ratio is nearly the same, so maybe I should decrease the protein, increase a bit more carbs and decrease the fat. You've been a real help, I'll give those tips a try!!

Thanks for the encouragement!

Lily

Mind if I join you? I'm definitely in a rut here and feel that I need to finally accept the fact that I'll NEVER drop down to the weight I want to be.

I went on Atkins for the first time about 3 years ago and dropped 25 lbs. going from 160 to 135 (I'm 5'7"). I tried everything to move under 135 and couldn't make it happen. After cutting my calories to 1,000 or less and exercising my butt off I finally got down to around 132.

Around that time, I started having tons of menstrual problems (mid-cycle bleeding, heavy clotting, etc.) that lasted for 2 years. I went to the Dr. multiple times during that period and was put on two different BC pills, given a D&C all to no avail.

Over the past year or so, I put on a few pounds and ended up around 139. Although I didn't correlate my weight with my menstrual problems at the time, they did "mysteriously" disappear after I put the weight back on.

Fast forward to August 1, I decided I wanted to try and finally meet my goal of getting down to the 125-130 range and went back on Atkins again. Well, since then, I've lost only 3 lbs and stalled completely (even though I'm continuing on induction and consuming around 1,000 calories/day)--AND, you guessed it, I'm having mid-cycle bleeding again. AAARRRGGHHHH!!!

I'm feeling very discouraged and probably should just accept the fact that dropping any more weight is just going to cause me more trouble that it's worth.

Liz

Even if you didn't need to lose any weight, this is the right WOE if only for health reasons.

Holy Crow Liz! For the last 3 months I have been having mid-cycle menstruation too! I must mention though, that the first month of it happening was before I'd officially started Atkins, but I did have a "wonky" eating pattern, so maybe it's related?? I meant to call my Dr. today...I called last month and he said if it happened again this month to call him, so we'll see.

I hear you on not being able to get much below 135 though. It's frustrating. I found Body for Life to be the plan that was most effective for me so far, but I'm going to stick it out on Atkins a little longer and see what happens.

I share your discouragement, but hey, if you think about it this way...I HAVE been eating lots more fat than usual and WAY more red meat and dairy and I haven't GAINED any weight (in fact, lost a few), so something must be working!

Hang in there! We'll let each other know how it's going! Thanks for sharing your experience.

Lily

Liz and Lily,

I was wondering if you two have had your Body Fat measured? The reason I wonder is that I remember (I think) hearing that women who have too low of body fat may have menstrual problems.

Just a thought as you both sound thin at 135.

By the way, in regards to loosing weight on this diet with not much to loose. I had the same question when I first started; I had only 17 lbs to loose and have already lost 12 lbs.

Hope this helps,
Mike

Yup your body might like the weight its at. Try decreasing your carbs to 15 grams and your calories to 1200. It sounds like you just need to get into shape, and not worry so much about the scale.