Hi. I have been LCing since March 1. I have noticed something peculiar. Last Thursday, I weighed myself in the morning, and I was 192.5. Since Sunday, I have been 194.5 or 195.5. I have not changed my plan, or so I think, and I have not cheated. I would like to know why I haven't lost anymore weight and why I gained back 1 to 2 lbs. This is very saddening to me, because I don't want to quit, and I have not cheated whatsoever. So here are some questions I have, I've been posting them on my journal but no one ever goes there so here they are:

---Do fewer carbs daily effect weight loss? I have been eating 10-15.
---Does more fat in my diet catalyze weight loss?
---Do more vegetables help speed loss?
---How much salt does it take to effect retaining of water?
---Does taking vitamins make a difference?
---Should I exercise more to get over this?
---Would you reccomend the "fat fast" to get over this?
---Have you experienced anything similar to this, if so, what did you do?

Feel free to roam my journal to see if you find anything wrong with my diet. Thank you.

I really need support y'all, I don't think I can continue this without seeing differences on the scales. I want to keep it up so badly. I don't want to go back to before, but I feel like this diet is starting to cheat me.

The first 2?'s i'm not sure.
When i eat more dark green salads i feel better and (think) i lose more.
-Don't worry about the salt, just don't eat too much.
-Vitamins only help with overall health (which possibly helps with weightloss.)
-It depends on how much, & type, of exercise you already do. I KNOW that since getting seriously with HIIT cardio 5-6 days a week a couple months ago my fatloss has seriously kicked into high gear.

You haven't been dieting for very long at all. Contrary to what you might see as slow, you've lost about 15 pounds in a month. I think that is REALLY alot and you have nothing to worry about. Weight doesn't come off in a predictable pattern of set loss. It took me a year of hardcore junk eating to get from the 120's to above 170 (which isn't very long, but hey....) so now when i think i'm losing slow i have to remind myself that it's not gonna happen in the blink of an eye. But a YEAR does go by in the blink of an eye, and i'm sure i'll be a whole lot thinner and happier by the end of the year. So try to see yourself in the long term. And when you feel like (what I describe the frustration as) a "disgusting lump" do some exercise. That's my best advice.

I agree with have patience. 1-2 pounds can just be water weight related to sodium or hormones, or any numberof factors.

Atkins and LC are not quick weight loss diets. The weight will come off, but in a slow healthy manner. If you click the gallery icon under my name and check out the picture of my progress chart you will see it goes up and down and has flat periods. If you come in expecting to lose a certain amount of weight each day, you will be disapointed. However if you come at it with the additude of improving health which includes a healthy weight and have patience, it will happen. You've already lost 30% of the weight you need to, that's almost 1/3 of the way there. Are you really going to give up now and either stay where you are or get it back?

My first suggestion is throw away the ding-dong scales. You've lost 15 pounds in less than a month. I think you are doing a great job. If you look at my stats you'll see that I've lost less than 30 pounds in 7 months. I haven't eaten anything I shouldn't, I exercise on a regular basis and sometimes it's hard to NOT get discouraged, but, like Lady Belle said, this is not a fast weight loss diet.

This is a way of eating that is about getting healthy. Losing weight is the side benefit if getting healthy. Every single one of us is different and we're all going to lose at a different rate.

For now, just ditch the scales. They are about the worst enemy you can have and they LIE so don't chain yourself to them! Instead, go by how you are feeling and how your clothes are fitting.

As for the fat fast - why in the world would you want to do something that dangerous when you've already lost 15 pounds in less than a month. Besides, what a lot of folks won't tell you is that while you may lose weight quickly on the fat fast, you can gain most or all of it back within a few days of going back to ongoing weight loss. Is that something you really want to do?

shortstuff

15lbs in less then a month! WOOHOO I would be havin a party girly. Good job! Stick with it. Dont give up!

"Failure is that frightful thing that occours when we lose site of our goals"
-Henry Ford

I think your gain is probably due to time of the month, too much sodium, other food additives, dehydration, or even lack of sleep. All those things can cause me to gain a pound or two. When I get back to normal it's gone within a day or two.

It's all too easy to obsess over day-to-day variations in weight but really, you can't let yourself fall prey to that. I found it helpful to make a graph of my weight loss (I used Excel but graph paper works just as well) so that when I had a day-to-day blip I could still see my overall rate of loss.

Also, you are making very good progress. I never lost faster than 6 lb a month, even in the beginning when I had a lot to lose.

Most people here will tell you that your daily carbs are too low, but that's about what I did for 5 months and it worked great for me. Just watch your veggies. When your carb intake is that low, you need to be very careful that the carbs are coming mostly from vegetables, not lc junk food, artificial sweeteners and etc. Also vitamins are crucial, especially if you might not be eating enough vegetables. I think adequate vegetables (and vitamins) help weight loss because your body is getting enough nutrients.

Salt: depends on how much you're eating on a day to day basis. I don't use much salt in my cooking, so I'm not used to it and I'll gain water weight from one salty restaurant meal. If you eat a lot of salt every day, it probably won't affect you that much.

Exercise: yes! Exercise is good for everyone. Even something moderate like a brisk walk three times a week is worthwhile.

Fat fast: no!!!! That is for people who can't lose at all. You've just hit a tiny little speed bump on your weight loss journey.

I think that was all your questions. Don't get discouraged. You are really doing great! -Sarah

Make sure you are drinking lots of water. This will help fight water/sodium retention. Try changing up your exercise routine vs. doing more. For example if you are a walker try walking stairs or hills. If you are a gym person switch to a different type of equipment. With exercise the key is heart rate.