Hi everyone,

I haven't been posting here much, nor have I been low-carbing lately. I lost about 15 lbs doing Atkins at one point, but got frustrated when I hadn't lost anything for 3 months and quit.

Since June I've been doing low-fat/low calorie, and have gotten down to 108 from 145(didn't lose in December, grrr). But its been horrible, I am getting obsessive with my eating and sometimes tend to restrict too low. And I don't think this is healthy, as I hardly eat any fat or protien.

I want to eat a healthier diet, and I think Atkins is very healthy--but I still want to lose weight! I have 8 lbs left to lose, but I don't want to take half a year to do it. My goal weight may seem low, but I have a petite frame and am pretty young (20). Please don't suggest that I stay at my current weight, I've come this far and don't intend to give up until I reach my goal. So what do you guys think, is it possible for smaller people to lose weight at a reasonable rate on Atkins?

And about calories--would the 10-12x your bodyweight apply? If so, I'd be eating about 1100-1300 calories a day and with that caloric deficit I ought to lose about 3 lbs a month. Yet I've heard you're only expected to lose 5% of what you need to lose each month, which is waaaay less than that. Can someone please clarify, I'm confused by the contradicting information!

Oh yes, one more thing: Atkins will definitely be my maintenence plan, regardless of how I lose the last 8 lbs.

Thanks so much for reading, I look forward to your replies.

I am a small person, 4' 9.5". I have to say that I am struggling with Atkins. But then I struggle with any eating plan. It has taken me a year to lose 25 lbs., trying 4 different ways of eating. I am in my 5th week and have only lost 4 lbs. - those were during induction. But, I am enjoying other benefits though - energy and an over all sense of well-being that I never used to have. I have been depressed for so long that I forgot how it feels not to be. I asked my son the other day if he had noticed a difference in my mood since I began Atkins - just to be sure I wasn't imagining it - he said that he did notice that I am not as moody. I also do not feel so ready to cry or get over emotional about every situation. For this reason if nothing else I will continue to live the low carb lifestyle. Now if I could just start to lose some weight I would be so happy. Just a pound a week is all I am asking for.

Sure, Atkins works for small people. But the closer you are to goal, the slower you will lose. You probably will not lose 3 pounds a month; as for the calorie deficit thing, I know it’s popular to say that a calorie is just a calorie, but the body just isn’t that simple. Be patient.

Also, eating too few calories will stall you. (I had that problem for a while.) A nurse told me that going under 1200 calories per day will put your body into starvation mode, slowing your metabolism (and thus weight loss).

And I am not suggesting that you change your goal, but I did notice that all the weight charts I could find listed 106 as the smallest healthy weight for a 61” woman of small frame. Perhaps you should check with your doctor to make sure that you have a healthy goal in mind.

I'd have to say I think 100 is a little unrealistic. But you don't want to hear about that...

It's always going to be harder for small people to lose weight. I always said I wish I were taller so I could eat more! Our ideas of portions are wacked out to begin with, but if you are small, they're REALLY out of line. I mean, it just isn't fair that I could finish off as much food as just about anyone I sit down to eat with, but I'm much smaller, so a lot more of what I eat is going to be excess.

Good luck

Dolly-- congrats on your weight loss so far! How long did it take u to drop from 171 to 108?-- that's really amazing! I'm 63", 19 years old, and dropped from 165 to 100 (not all on atkins) but the last few pounds-- 110 to 100 were all done through atkins in about 2 months..... but i do NOT stick to the 10-12x body weight rule which is ridiculous for people at lower weights (i agree that going below 1200 cal is a hideous idea)-- actually, i eat 1800-2000 calories everyday and sometimes ate more calories during induction. It really helped speed my metabolism and shed the pounds. Key is not to obsess-- 108 versus 100.... don't worry too much about it. Just eat healthy, until you're full, enjoy the cheese/meats/eggs/mayo/olive oils that are so yummy and be happy! Best of luck

Thanks for replying everyone! FrecklFluf and jnkerr, I do suppose that 100 is a low goal weight. I really should have said that I don't have a certain weight in mind for a goal, I just want to drop a pant size and I guessed another 8 lbs will do it.

iamlindab, good luck with your weight loss. I don't think it'll be easy for either of us, but it will be worth it, right?

trustycat, congrats to you too on your weight loss! I lost mine in a couple of "stages", not all on Atkins, over the course of about a year total including some breaks. That's great that you could lose your last 10 lbs so quickly, very inspirational!

I've decided that I'll start Atkins and just resign myself to losing slowly, though I do hope to be a size smaller by the time warm weather rolls around. I'll have company too, my dad will be starting it with me on Sunday. He's tried Atkins before but didn't stick with it, hopefully it'll be easier for him with a buddy (and another cook!). He needs to lose about 80 lbs and it'll be good for his blood pressure and general health too.

Doing Atkins while also counting calories might be easier for you. I have to count calories too, otherwise I lose weight incredibly slowly. But while on Atkins, my appetite is much less and my cravings are non-existent. On other diets, I'm constantly fighting my appetite and cravings.

I think it is harder for us who are short, but it can be done. I'm much older than you are so my goal weight is higher. At your age I probably could have done it. In fact, I came quite close to it on the original Atkins plan in the early 1970's .

Take care and don't obsess,

Kay

I'm in a different boat, being 5'7" and I'm so happy with a size ten. But as I have never been this slim before, I am sure I am near my goal.
But what is it? I don't know. I have lost a pound a month over the last three months. This sounds terribly slow to someone impatient to lose the weight, but I'm actually happy, because I'm not obsessing over either my weight or my eating habits. I am finding a way of eating that works for me. The fact that I lost over the holidays is a bonus, and a sign that my body still wants to lose weight.
I may take another six months to lose another three pounds. But I know it's three more pounds I'll never see in my pants again!
I won't quibble about what you should weigh, since bodies come in a range of sizes, but remember that on low carbing the great muscles you keep weigh more than you would expect.
If pants sizes are what you are after, let that be your goal, by working out or eating right, but don't obsess about the numbers on the scale.

I am having the same exact problem. I'm into my 3rd week of Atkins and my lowest weight so far has been 111. I want to get down to 105-108. I'm one of those people that think that every single pound makes a difference. I haven't lost any weight this week and was wondering if this was it. Can my body lose anymore weight? It gets depressing because I stay at or under 20 carbs a day and even walk 4 miles every morning.