Hi guys,

I've never posted on here before but I'm always reading stuff to get me motivated but it just seems inevitable now.

i've been on induction for 4-5 weeks now and all was well but since the past 2 weeks ive been stalling on 142.2, i thought my scales batteries were off so i bought a new one but it just wont budge!! i'm drinking plenty of water and don't use any sweetners or sugar substitutes or whatever. i have however been eating garlic, around 2-3 cloves a day but i count the carbs and everything but since its not on the induction food list i'm wondering whether its the culprit! i drink about 2-3 cans of diet coke daily and besides that my diet consists of chicken, salad and cheeses. someone help me please? oh i'm 5'2 and my goal weight is around 120 but right now ill just be happy to go below 140

could someone tell me more about whether my garlic suspicion is wrong or right? thanks xx

oh also i dont use any cream because it just stalls me

Hi Zaina! Congrats on losing 7.8 pounds. Normally a stall is considered 4+ weeks with no pounds or inches lost. Have you taken your measurements? How do your clothes fit? Are you close to TOM?

Keep in mind the less you have to lose the slower that it seems to come off. Also, if I were you I would stop drinking the diet coke and see of this makes a difference. I don't think it is the garlic since you are counting the carbs.

Good luck!

Are you eating enough fat? What do you dress your salad with?

As stated, you're pretty close to goal, it's going to be harder and slower for you than for those of us with 100+ lbs to go. It could be hormonal, could be the cheese, could be the artificial sweetener in the soda (for your sake I hope it's not that, I don't do well without my diet soda!). I'd up the fat first, then try cutting out the cheese.

Maybe it would be worth posting details of exactly what food you are eating and drinks you are drinking so others can give you some input as to whether there is any known problem there.

List quantities of everything, or if you use one of the food logging websites give a link to your log there - you might need to do something to make the log "public" to allow others to view it.

I think given your size and how close you are to your goal ( 20lbs is considered 'close' by most standards ) your 2 options are drastically cutting calories or an IF regime of 23/1.

combining both would be more effective than either alone.

Stalls should not be determined by your weight measurement alone imo. How have your tape measure readings changed, particularly around your waist? Is it possible for you to do a caliper body fat test? Calipers are cheap and you can use them on yourself with a 3-point test. While it probably won't be perfect, if you do them consistently the same way you can tell at least if you are losing body fat or not.

I do this type of body fat testing on myself using $20 calipers and I'm consistently losing about .5% bf per week even through times when my weight is pretty stable. My inches around my waist and hips have dropped as well during this stable weight period to the point that I'm able to wear pants sizes I haven't worn in over a decade. </just my $.02>

I feel your pain. I think I am the only person who hasnt experienced the 'atkins woosh'

Not the garlic. Or the Diet Coke IME.

I'm getting closer to goal (and older! 58) and can't lose even on induction level carbs unless I cut calories to 900-1200. Might be worth considering.

How much cheese? Can you cut back on diet coke?

What a stall often tells us is "How to Maintain at this Weight." But you don't really qualify yet, as pointed out above. This is not a linear process or a spreadsheet. If the body worked that way I could have gotten to goal eating low calorie but I never ever did!

Last winter, cutting carbs worked. This summer, upping my carbs with fruit but being ruthless about no processed food worked. This fall I will be making casseroles and changing it up yet again.

One firm rule that seems to work for me is: NO SNACKING. I eat my two meals a day, and I make it as big as I want, but that is it. Constantly goosing our pancreas with frequent small meals can keep our insulin up.

OR... people have divvied up their daily food into five small meals; because then their pancreas won't do the "mopping up" release which keeps insulin up; and fat locked away.

So I guess this rule is Even Meals. But only experimentation can see which one works for you.

I am going to swap to two meals and see how I go with that. It might help me?? I eat when I am bored and out of habit. If I am honest I have really noticed that i am not hungry on atkins so i could do this if I just break the habit of eating.

Here is something most everyone doesn't talk about. What is the first part of digestion? Chewing your food. I interestingly can break some stalls with eating ground meat. Chili seems to be a great food for me. Maybe you will find a goto food, but I still think something easy like ground meat could be a consideration. Fish also seems to be a good food for me. Not sure if there is scientific evidence that well chewed food is easier to digest than eating in chunks, but it seems to work for me.