First, please don't beat me for asking this, please. <big brown puppy dawg eyes>...

But, can I be loosing too fast?
I've done Adkins "by the book" since November 16th of 2003. My weight loss has been both dramatic and steady, about 2-4 pounds a week after induction.

I keep upping my daily carbs by about 5 every week, and unless I'm horridly miscounting, I'm in the 50-60 carb a day range. But, I'm still dropping weight fast.
I'm worried that:
a) I'm going to have lots of saggy and/or loose skin from too rapid weight loss
b) I'm going to have a very hard time with maintenance if I can't determine my CCFL (critical carbs for loosing) limit.

Here’s a typical days menu -
Breakfast:
2 pieces celery
One with cream cheese with spinach and artichokes (5 carbs per 2 TBL)
One with peanut putter (5 carbs per 2 TBL)

Morning snack:
Handful of nuts OR handful of berries (about 5 carbs)

Lunch:
Large salad (2 cups or so of romaine, spinach and various other leafy things)
Dressing (1-3 carbs per TBL, depending on the type I use)
Pizza quiche (10+ carbs, depending on the toppings)

Afternoon snack:
Handful of nuts OR handful of berries (about 5 carbs)

Dinner:
Awesome Chicken Broccoli casserole (10 carbs)
Large salad (2 cups or so of romaine, spinach and various other leafy things)
Dressing (1-3 carbs per TBL, depending on the type I use)

Dessert/evening snack:
Berries with cream (6-7 carbs) OR whipped cream with cocoa and splenda (5-6 carbs)

Water:
Lots - at least 120 ounces a day

So, with out knowing how many carbs 4 cups of salad is, I get between 50-60 carbs a day. I don't feel hungry, I have *tons* of energy and I feel awesome. I haven’t' started an exercise program yet (soon though) besides walking about 20 minutes a day at a brisk pace.

So, am I just being silly here? Any hints or recommendations?

I lost about 10 pounds a month on 40-60 carbs a day. I think it helped that I had only 40 pounds to lose, I had previously been very active for years, and I didn't have any "blow out days."
Also, I suspect you are a man...which means you lose more easily and don't have to deal with hormone fluctuations the way women do.
If you haven't messed up your metabolism with a lot of yo-yo dieting, I think you get the same kind of dramatic results. At least I found mine dramatic!
It sounds like you are doing everything right. Personally, I never moved up the carb ladder that much, I still stay on 40-60 which is where I started. Your body just might be headed for its happy place.
Also, it's normal for things to slow down as you get closer to goal. I've lost 3 pounds in the last 2 months.

It's up to you. Do you feel you are losing too fast? For one thing your male, and most males do lose alot faster then women thanks to less estrogen.

If you fele uncomfortable with your rate of loss, keep upping the carbs with healthy carbs. Since you are still losing, there shouldn't be any harm in upping the carbs more. And yes saggy skin can happen with fast weight loss, along with stretch marks and so on.

Start adding in more moderate carb veggies. Have baked squashes with dinner. Add some carrots into your salads. Also start adding more fruits then just berries. Check out low GI ones (Atkins for Life has nice easy to read tables) and experiment with peaches and cream for dessert. Chop up an apple and add an apple and walnuts to your green salads. Blueberries in salads can also add new tastes.

Start adding in steel cut oats (the kind that takes hours to cook not minutes) for breakfast. Make a pot the day before and just grab quick (you don't seem much of a breakfast person). Also try making smoothies with fruit, protien or what ever else.

Try wasa crackers. They are moderate carb and yummy. Maybe add a small serving of brown rice to dinner (just watch portion sizes and have brown not white)

Thank you both for the replies. Grats on maintainence!

And yep, I'm a guy, keep forgetting to mention that in my posts.

I've seen "steel cut oats" mentioned several times. I take it they aren't the same as the NON-instant Quaker oats? is this something I can find in a "normal" grocery store, or do I need to brave the health food store?

I lost a POUND A DAY for the first 28 days!!!

I was on 20 grams per day, then I jumped to 40-50 grams per day and my reduction slowed to 2-3 pounds per week.

Personally........If it's only a pound a week.....I get discouraged. I like 2-3 per week just to keep my spirits up when I get on the scales.


Bill..............310/269/225..........

I think Steel Cut Oats are the same as Quaker Old Fashioned Oats (NOT the quick oats). If I am wrong, someone please jump in and correct me but I think steel cut are the same as old fashioned oats and let me tell you that I hated oatmeal until my hubby introduced me to the real thing "old fashioned oatmeal" made the CORRECT way.

No, steel cut oats are not the same as old fashioned oats.

I have to go to the health food store to find my steel cut oats. I get the Arrowhead Mills brand. I'm sure that you could find them somewhere on line if you were interested.

How do you feel? I was worried about that when I first started as well. I lost somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 lbs. in the first two weeks or so and it just melted off until I started melting away from this WOE...lol. I never hit the three week plateau, or really any other plateau as long as I was following the plan. When my loss slowed or stopped, I could point to exactly what caused it...my fault.

Anyway...I was on another board back then, but posted something similar and realized from some of the responses that what you are feeling me actually be fear of actually losing the weight. Sounds strange, doesn't it? In my case, I did have a lot of conflicting emotions and the fast loss did kind of frighten me. I won't go into this any further because it may be way off base...just wanted to toss that out there.

Congrats on the terrific success so far!


L

Sounds like you're doing great. Congratulations. Ladybelle offers good advice, as always. Up your carbs if you're feeling uncomfortable, but otherwise, don't worry.

Your loss will likely slow as you get closer to your goal. Adding too much more food now may mean having to cut back again when things get slower.

Keep up the great work!

if you loose a significant ammount of weight, the extra skin is going to sag regardless of how quickly you lost the weight.

My cousin (male) and his wife did Atkis together, and while she ate fewer carbs, he lost twice as fast as she did. He actually had nightmares about wasting away, like from Steven Kings "Thinner." He upped his carbs enough very quickly and he's fine now.

We are pretty much identical, I have lost 38lbs since the beginning of November as well. But I have more overall to loose, so from my perspective I expected to loose at a pretty good rate, becuase I have more to loose. I suspect that the last 20 or 30 lbs will be more of a ordeal.

IMHO, you are doing wonderful and I wouldn't worry about it. But like others have mentioned, if you want to slow it down, add in some other foods.

Keep up the good work!!

Do all of you really think that the last 25 pounds comes off really slow?? I am gettin discouraged too. I ate carbs during the holidays more than I should have. I didnt gain any back but stopped losing. Now I have been on induction for about a week and cannot get it moving again. I am 20-25 lbs. within my goal. I say my goal because my dr. said she wanted me at 180 (Im 184 right now) but I want to be 160 (which isnt too small for my 5'6" medium/large frame). Is that why I cannot get going again, its the last 25??

Whyspers: Interesting, vel-l-l-ly interesting. I've been lackluster all my life: lots of great goals and very little follow through (darn ADHD, why didn't they know about this stuff 30 years ago ). It might be a fear of sucess thing. But, and its a big BUT, I've never felt this much confidence and self-esteem before. I feel like I can take on anything and win.

Now if I could just inspire my partner more, he seems more threatened than encouraged by my sucess. men, sheez! Can't live with 'em, can't shoot 'em. Ah well, he has to do things for himself, just like I do things for me.

Thanks again for all the insight.

I'd love to trade places with ya

Dont worry u are doing an awesome job, keep up the goodwork!