How many of you who have already lost 50 or more pounds have found that it's getting like pushing a boulder uphill to keep losing?

I've posted about my increasing dissatisfaction with Atkins, my main complaint being I have to stay on SUCH a low level of carbs to lose anything, that it's becoming impossible for me to stick to!

I got the expected "do induction over, CLEANLY" advice from some who have lost about 20 lbs in a few months. If you do it RIGHT, it'll work. Also the "foods you crave are the ones you need to avoid" advice. So that would mean I must be allergic to and need to avoid forever, cereal, fruit, milk, yogurt, anything even ARTIFICIALLY sweetened, beans, basically ALL foods except meat and a few select veggies.

I'm looking for some wisdom from people who've been at this a while, no offense to some very smart short-termers, but I need to hear from some veterans who understand where I'm coming from.

Hi Potatofree,
I don't know if I have any "words of wisdom," but I see you and I started at about the same point and are at about the same point right now. Last August I became increasingly frustrated at my sloooow weight loss, and so I took a step back and looked very closely at what I was eating. I came to the conclusion that I was eating too much. Now, I'm not saying you are! But for me, that was the problem. Right now, I am again losing very slowly, but that's to be expected now, I think.

-DusterCat

All I can say is that there appears to be more than one boulder that needs to go up the hill....one of them definitely lives here at my house.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm fairly pleased with where my weight is today. But it is certainly a bit annoying not to have lost any more since the first of the year. I think I know what my own problem is.....I don't exercise, I do drink alcohol, and I usually eat one serving of a sugar free sweet a day. And I probably should be cutting back on the amount of fat in my diet at this point.

Another problem could be my self-complacency about my current weight. I want to eat the way I am now for life, and I know that if I cut back on the s/f treats, fat, and the alcohol, I won't be able to keep that up indefinitely. And it seems highly unlikely that I'm ever going to really enjoy exercise.

I AM toying with the idea of going back to a clean induction for at least a week to see if I can lose a couple more pounds and then keep them off by eating the way I am now.

Doubt this helps you much, but I wanted you to know that there are indeed "veterans" here with similar frustrations.

Kay

Attached is a graph of my weight loss since Dec 2002. I had already gone from 310 - the 260's on a standard diabetic diet. This is when I started CALP. Weight came off quickly at first and then slowed.

The big drop you see at the right side of the graph is where I started using Fitday PC which led me to increase my exercise, manage portions better, and have better overall nutrition (less processed, more vitamin rich foods.) With Fitday PC, I pay daily attention to my net calorie balance and get healthier by both eating more and exercising more. I obviously didn't need to be a calorie counter when I first started low carbing in Dec 2003, but I wish I had done this as soon as my weight loss tapered off to 1 lb (or less) per week.

Lynda

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I too have lost only a few pounds (ok 5) since November, after losing steadily before that. I have not changed my food/carb intake, and sort of feel like I have to eat next to nothing for a few days to see the scale move at all. The five lbs. I have lost in the last few months were the result of very low calorie/low carb blocks of days. And even those pounds come and go, depending on the day.

Haven't given up alchohol either, and don't intend to, I drink 2 or 3 nights a week, and have from the beginning, except for induction.

Also don't do any formal exercise. But am fairly active due to my job and life in general. Honestly don't see myself getting into an exercise routine. On past attempts have just found it mind-numbingly boring, and think I know myself well enough to say that I will never be a worker-outer.

So.....yes, I am getting a little bit disgusted, even a little bit scared, about how difficult it is getting to lose. That being said, I AM starting induction again tomorrow (re-induction challenge thing going on in the Atkins section) because I can't think of anything else to try.

Liz (another boulder)

I just DID induction again, cleanly except for TWO lc bars on my son's doctor appointment day just to avoid conking out while lifting him repeatedly. I lost five lbs. In my other thread, I told how I lapsed after that when I was sick by eating some cereal and a little fruit over the course of TWO days and gained it ALL back with a little for good measure. I know, I know.."It's just water." But it made me feel even worse "cheating" on otherwise healthy food, not sugar or refined crap, and STILL blowing up like a water balloon!

This lead to the advice about how I need to read the book and re-introduce foods PROPERLY. Um, like I spent a YEAR doing just to build "up" to 30 grams a day? I've read the book, followed it as written, had success... then ground to a halt.

I did CAD and started losing again after a NINE-month stall, but with Steven's adventures this winter, had too much trouble adhering to the strict time limits. Often, that meant missing out on the reward meal altogether, since I couldn't sit down to a "meal" but had to grab what I could while he rested, and/or sneak a bite to eat in between HIS meals, meds, exercises, pain and repositioning...you get the picture.

I'm currently reading the food plan companion book to the Dr Phil Ultimate Weight Solution, and "Low Carb Dieting For Dummies" (don't laugh, excellent book... ) Both are moderate-carb approaches that seem to be more "liveable" to me.

Oh God. If I go through induction again and lose 5 lbs only to gain it again there's no telling what I'm likely to do. Because I don't KNOW what else to do.

Oh wait - how about if Potatofree does all the research and experimenting with different things and then tells me what works!

(Yes, even I am amazed at my problem solving abilities.)

But seriously, it sounds like I am at about the same place you are (tato) and would love some words of wisdom as well. Anyone?

Liz

This issue seems to come up periodically in the TDC. Click here for a thread Quest started on the same topic a month or so ago. The thread Quest started references a thread I started previously.

I have had some success lately with periodically cutting my calories way down for three or four days at a time, to the point where I am moderately hungry most of the time (but not starving). I have lost six or seven pounds in the last month by doing that, after stalling for over two months. However, I can only do that when my life is running really smoothly, which is not the case most of the time! Otherwise, walking around moderately hungry is too much of a strain.

I've been low carbing for about 20 months and have gone through several two month stalls. I do think that the longer we do this, the more calories count and it's not just because we are getting smaller -- it's as though our bodies overcome the lowcarb metabolism advantage. I have not found focusing on cutting carbs back particularly effective (although my carbs are not particularly high either). The only thing that works for me at this point is cutting back calories and increasing exercise.

Good luck!

I wish what worked for one would work for everyone...<sigh>

My plan of attack is to try one of the more moderate approaches, food-wise...work on the "intentional Exercise" key from Dr Phil, and see what happens from there. Now that I've controlled the physical cravings through low-carb, and the "other" with the Dr Phil program, I could probably succeed on a less structured plan, where I couldn't before.

liz175- sounds reasonable to me.

Here is one of those "It worked for me" stories. I know that this will be controversial, so if you *must* throw things, please make them soft things, or at least non-staining.

I suffered through a six-month stall before the turn of the year. My ECC was 30, and I ate clean. I had just gone back to school, and while I got a decent amount of walking in, I didn't officially exercise. I lost zip, zero, nada. If I did hardcore induction, I had to get carbs under 20 and fat over 70% to lose, and even then it was only a lb or two. After that, I'd *gain* about half a pound a week. I think my body actually adapted to true LC. With great trepidation, I picked up the BFL book. I knew BFL was good for exercise, but the diet is low-fat and allows things like potatoes and whole wheat bread. I decided to try it, but with only low-glycemic, whole-food type carbs. This meant LC breads, old fashioned oatmeal, apples, grapefruit, berries, cooked barley and the occasional sweet potato. *I also did the BFL workouts.* For six weeks, I ate 6 small meals a day and my nutrient ratios were 40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fat. My ECC was anywhere from 150 - 200. In short, it worked. I don't know if it was the change in diet - Atkins does recommend a low-fat reversal diet for bad stalls, though only for a week. A mere week didn't work for me - I tried it. Maybe it was the exercise. Whatever it was, it did work.

The upside - I lost about 12 lbs of fat and gained back about 5 of muscle. I enjoyed some old favorites food-wise (oatmeal), and I discovered a few new LC things, namely cottage cheese with berries. For me, this did not ignite cravings, though I know for some it would. The biggest downside was that even on low-glycemic carbs, my skin breaks out.

Halfway through my 12-week challenge, I switched back to LC. More fat, and an ECC of about 40 - which is still high for many people. I was still doing intense cardio 4x per week, and lifting weights. My first two weeks back on LC were great. I had some trouble getting through my cardio, but I lost 8 lbs in two weeks, and am now losing 1-2 lbs per week.

My heart goes out to people in the midst of long stalls. It's very hard to keep the faith and remain committed. I nearly gave up many times. It seemed so futile to be sticking to my plan and seeing *nothing*. Especially over the holidays, I got very bitter and depressed (but I'm also prone to SAD).

At any rate, I'm offering this not as a recommendation, but simply as part of my own story.

Cheers,

Friday

If you decide to do it, feel free to stop by my journal. I am planning another series of "blitz days" starting on Tuesday. (I have a major work deadline tomorrow, so Tuesday seems like a good time to start.) If at all possible, I want to hit April weighing in the 240s.

My basic menu for low calorie/lowcarb days has been:

Breakfast: one-half cup lowfat cottage cheese with one-half cup blueberries

Lunch: Moderate size romaine lettuce salad with chicken (or something similar) and moderate amounts of oil and vinegar -- just enough to get the lettuce wet, but not enough to soak it.

Dinner: At least six ounces of protein (fish is good because it is lower cal), steamed vegetables (no butter)

No snacks; as much walking as I can fit in to my schedule (ideally 3 to 4 miles)

I have to cut back on the fat to get the calories down. However, I find that by staying lowcarb, I can keep the hunger pangs and cravings away. It's easier for me to do this on weekdays since I work fulltime and therefore I am away from the kitchen all day!

I can only keep this up for three or four days at a time, but I have been able to drop a couple of pounds each time I do it. I figure if I do this twice a month I can lose at least four or five pounds a month (assuming it keeps working) and I can live with that. Of course, it may stop working at some point and then I'll need to figure out something else!

The rest of the month I eat more normal lowcarb with some snacks (although I have to watch the nuts), cheese, etc. I don't seem to have any problems maintaining -- I like lowcarb eating and stick to it easily -- my issue is losing more weight.

Addendum to my last post: I just want to make it clear that I am not recommending that most people cut calories. I lost about 80 pounds before I had to really worry about calories (although I have always been conscious of stopping eating when I am no longer hungry). However, for people who have been low carbing for a long time, it is one possible way to shake our bodies up, and from my perspective it is healthier than fat fast or egg fast or something like that. I am very careful, even when cutting calories, to get enough protein and get my veggies in. If you don't get enough protein, you risk burning muscle instead of fat and in the long-run that is extremely harmful.

The reason I only do it for a couple of days at a time is so that I don't either send my body into starvation mode or set myself back up for rebound bingeing. The point at which either of these things will happen is different for everyone.

Again, I don't recommend serious calorie cutbacks for most people. However, I think it is worth trying if you have been stalled for a couple of months. My advice if you are stalled for a couple of weeks is to just hang in there, look carefully at what you are eating (any signs of carb creep?), look carefully at how much exercise you are getting (remember, Dr. Atkins says you are not doing Atkins if you don't exercise) and see if your weight will start moving again on its own.

The advice I am giving here is only for long-time lowcarbers who have found that it is no longer working as well for them as it did in the beginning.