[FONT=Comic Sans MS]I have been on the Atkins diet now for 3 weeks, I lost 4 pounds the first couple of days and have only lost 1 pound since then. I am 59 years old, (always had trouble loosing weight....and have a sedentary job....so I have been using a treadmill some). I have not had any breads, potatoes, fruit, etc. since starting Atkins. I am joining this forum because I am determined to succeed at this. I am starting to journal, etc. I need to know how much aspertame will hurt my progress. I am addicted to diet pepsi. I am drinking water. The ketostix show mod ketosis. I would appreciate any suggestions. What else should I do?

First, congratulations for beginning a new program that will benefit your health as well as your weight.

There are lots of factors that affect how quickly or slowly a person loses: age, hormones, medications, exercise. Exercise, if you have just started at the same time as the LCing, makes it [I]look[I] as though you aren't losing. Especially if you were trying to do low fat or low calorie before starting LCing, your body has likely been short of protein for a while. And now it is grabbing all it can to make needed repairs to organs and muscle tissue, including heart. This is why it is SO important to take measurements at the beginning or as soon as you can. You could be losing inches but not apparently pounds as the water leaves and the "fluffy" fat goes but lean sleek muscle tissue is gained. You'd be smaller but maybe not much lighter - YET.

I don't know that anyone mentions 'how much' aspartame. Atkins always liked Splenda & Stevia as sweeteners much more. The stuff in the diet pepsi that is addictive is the caffeine, and besides, it's a habit to drink it. YOu've already quit bread, potatoes, starches & sugars - how about decreasing the pepsi too? There are other things besides aspartame that might affect losing & cravings: caffeine can cause an insulin surge, and citric acid is a staller.

You may find (if post-menopausal) that the loss will be slow but your clothes will begin to fit differently and you will definitely be losing inches.

Keep strictly to the plan and it will work.

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