Hi I read somewhere about refeeding (like carb loading) then going back on strict induction and this helps with moving stalls. Has anyone tried this? I am soooooo frustrated, just when I got excited that 2 more lbs came off after a 4 week post induction stall, I have not lost any more in two weeks!!! I thought some more would come off. I just want to try anything! I heard that refeeding helps, but I dont want to ruin a good thing. Your comments are appreciated!!

Mitz

Try reading this thread:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...ighlight=Leptin

Mitz-- some people's weight loss just follows that pattern! Remember, the weight didn't come ON at a steady 2 lbs a week, either. It's So hard to be patient, but you're doing GREAT!

Keep up the good work.

Did you measure yourself when you started? You will probably find that even though the pounds aren't coming off the inches are! Men tend to lose pounds at a faster clip than women, but women take off the inches. I have only lost 20 lbs but have lost 14.5 inches in the three places I started measuring when I started Atkins...no telling how much more has come off other places (like upper arms and lower abdomen, where it really shows now). Good luck!

I used refeeds with great success. High carb, low fat - Fruit Loops and Coke. Not actually very enjoyable.

Ugggg! I should think not!

Thanks for replies, regarding refeeding, I am assuming I do basically sugar for a day? or just one meal? Please tell me, I want to do this right without messing up or gaining any weight...
Mitz

Maybe this could be an explanation for a Halloween binge. I always have trouble with the candy. I'm really hoping that we get alot of trick or treaters--I really don't want to look for an excuse for cheating on Snickers this year!
Carol
Carol

Refeeding is upping your calories for a day, not carbs. Eating nothing but sugar for a day would not only set you back quite a few pounds, but make your blood sugar out of wack and bring cravings and other problems back.

Typical weight loss patterns are to lose 10% of the weight you need to during induciton, then nothing for a week or so as the body adjusts, then around 5% of the weight you need to each month after. This is typical, some lose faster and some slower.

A true stall is 6 weeks with no pounds, or inches lost. Have you been measuring to see if you are losing inches?

Atkins is not a crash diet. The weight won't come off steadily, or all at once. If you start messing with refeeds and what not this early in the plan, or binging, you'll be disapointed when not only does the weight not ocme off, it may start going on.

Thanks LadyBelle

I needed that to put things in perspective. I do not want to mess this up........I cant believe I fit into a size 10.Its been a long time. I did not realize 5% of weight per month is normal.....thats a pound a month for me....well, I will work with that....thanks!

Mitz

Sorry LadyBelle, but if you look into what Leptin refeeds are about - its the carbs.
A proper refeed intended to raise your Leptin level is HIGH carb, LOW fat. You need to put on a little fat to raise you Leptin levels. Higher Leptin levels help avoid starvation mode which helps avoid loosing muscle and stalls. Do a search on Leptin in this site, you can find a great deal about it. Leptin levels are generally only a concern trying to loose weight when you are thinner because obese people have sufficient Leptin. Leptin is produced by fat.

I did refeed for about four months. Each Sunday I would refeed, gaining about 2 pounds. During the week I would loose 2.5 or 3 pounds for a net loose of .5 to 1 pound every week. Before I did refeeds I stalled frequently and was averaged loosing 1 pound every 6 weeks (after my initial 9 pound drop when I started).

More calories is something you should do if your hungry. Go ahead and have some more steak if you are hungry. I assume very few us are hungry because that is great part of low-carbing.

Groggy, what kinds of food did you eat during refeed? Do you think lots of fruits would be ok?

Perhaps its ME, but this refeed thing sounds like a great way to rationalize a binge.

Though I don't have the research to back it up, I do think frequent stallers might benefit from raising their carbs a bit. I notice when weight loss slows down for me, if I eat a little bit more carbs (like 5 or 10) I start to lose really fast again.

But fruit loops and coke? Blech, you would be better off eating something less refined and more healthy like melons and whole grain rice! It would achieve the same effect without all the nutrition void refined sugar.

I think the idea is to never let your body adapt to a restrictive diet of any kind. Alternate calories and carb levels constantly, and it's hard for your body to go into "starvation mode". So, your metabolism keeps chugging along nicely.

If you are thinking about doing a refeed to raise your Leptin levels, you should search this web site and web on Leptin.

From what I have read, fruit is not good for refeeds, Fruit Loops and licorice are good.

If you are afraid to try a refeed because you'll "fall off the wagon", then you probably are not sufficiently obscessed about loosing weight to chance the danger (like I was). Be content that you are not gaining weight, and occassionally it goes down - as I am now.

It interesting how low-carb people can evangelize low-carbing because they believe it and know it to be the truth. But then refuss to even entertain other scientific concepts like Leptin and refeeds, just like the medical establishment that refusses to believe high-fat is the proper way to eat.

I did and do low-carb, I believe in it. I did refeeds based on Leptin theory and I believe it helped me loose weight faster and avoid stalls, I believe in Leptin and refeeds science too. I also believe and understand low-fat dieting and know it doesn't work because of insulin AND Leptin.

Now, I have to figure out maintenance. I find it much harder than loosing the weight. Given that, perhaps refeeds are a bad idea and you should just take your time loosing your weight.