I started Atkins in March of this year with over 100 lbs to lose. I have lost 15 lbs so far and I'm just realizing what a long haul this is going to be. I am becoming more impatient than I thought I would so I am getting a bit discouraged right now since the loss has slowed down to a craaaaawl. I dropped at least 10 lbs the first couple of week...then it slowed down to 2 lbs...now I'm lucky if I lose 1 a week. This last week I lost zilch. Anyway...good to meet you all

Welcome Raindrop

Don't get discouraged. Poke around here on the site and find threads that discuss stalls or visit the turtle club. There are alot of things you can do that may accelerate your loss. Start a Fitday account (www.fitday.com) to track you intake and activities, take a multi vitamin, Oil or Oregano, cut out frankenfood, processed foods, LC Candies, etc....

Stay focused on your goal and tweek your diet until it works for you.

Good Luck

Hi and welcome! I'm in the same boat (hope we don't sink)...kidding! Anyway, I haven't lost one pound since I lost 10 the first two weeks, and that was a MONTH ago. All I can say is that everybody on this board is evidence that this diet works and I'm sticking with it! Hope you do too. Try not to get discouraged and know that in a couple of months you'll be able to measure your accomplishments!

hola! renkin took the words right out of my mouth. this place rocks! you're going to love it! welcome

Hi Raindrop! Don't ever give up! You just have to keep at it AND figure what works for you! At one point my weight loss slowed down and I knew it was time for me to cut back somewhere. And now, I actually track my calories (both burned and eaten using Fitday PC). It has helped me to accelerate my weight loss because now I can see easier how to cut back on how many calories I'm eating.

But note that they actually recomend only losing up to 2 pounds a week! I'm trying for 2.5 or more myself.

I also measure my weight EVERY morning. This has helped me to see patterns over many months of doing this. My weight loss is actually cyclical. I'll go for about two weeks not losing much at all, and then go for ten days losing a lot. And that's even though I've been very consistent in what I eat. Our bodies just don't lose evenly, and then many people seem to be different.

Just keep at it and keep trying to figure out what works best for you. Once you find it, stay consistent. You'll love that you did once you lose a lot of that weight.

Take care!

Welcome! This is a great place to come for inspiration! There are folks here at the beginning of their journey like yourself (such as me =) and there are folks who have been through it and have tons to offer - you have come to the right place!

~ Lori

Thanks all. You all have made me feel very welcome already. I must confess I get a little irritated at some of the folks on the other forums who only have to lose 5 lbs and get upset because it won't come off in a day or two....hehe. I'm exaggerating but I'm sure you know what I mean.

I am thinking maybe I should make myself some mini goals since the big one seems like a really really long way away.

Welcome Raindrop!

Have you started measuring yourself yet? I highly recommend it!! I've noticed on "slow" weight loss weeks, I'm still losing inches! If my body needs a week or 2 to adjust - fine with me! I'm still seeing results!

Hang in there and you'll start seeing more and more too!

Rocky

I think you will be amazed at your inch loss. Keep a chart and I think you will see that even on weeks when your scale doesnt register much your body will be reshaping itself. Good luck and keep up the good work.

I feel the same way you do. I have lost about 12 pounds in just under 7 weeks. I am losing about three pounds a month at this point. Very discouraging. I have not gone off plan but notice I have gotten a little lax the last week from being discouraged. I am going to allow myself to wallow a couple of days, no real cheats just a little stuff I should not have, and then Monday do strict induction again for at least a week, maybe two. I have not had any baked goods or rice or pasta, but have had a bit of potatoes and some strawberries this past week. I keep to the low carb treats too.
It also does not help that everytime I get a week in averaging my weight, the stupid scale dies again. It is supposed to be a life time battery, oh well. I need to contact the company and see what they will do for me.
All we can do is stick to plan and do our best. It really stinks to lose slowly, but there is nothing to do but deal with it I suppose. I will not go back to being in pain, breads and sugars and pastas are out of my life permanantly. I just have to get strict again. Stephie

Welcome! I know how hard it is to become discouraged. You know what though? Like others have said, some of your results may be in the inches you've lost. I didn't own a scale when I started this diet. I weighed myself at my sister's house and was actually sorry that I did. I'm not as concerned with pounds as I am with clothing size. I look at it this way, I have a few sizes to lose (from a 20 to a 12 maybe)...to me that is a lot less overwhelming than the 119 pounds I have as my goal. Just hang in there and stay focused!

jillinmo

Ditto to what AZDean said. Not only do I weigh myself every morning, I also have a pair of goal pants to try on every AM. If the scale doesnt move but the pants fit a little better it softens the blow considerably and gives me the added boost I need to go on. My goal pants started at a 42 and now they are a 36.

Thanks for all the encouragement and advice. Guess I need to go invest in a tape measure...hehe. Funny thing is when I started this diet I was telling everybody that even if I never lost another pound I'd keep to this diet because I haven't felt this good in many years. And, that's still true

Normally, weight loss is a function of several things:

1. The number of carbs you eat per day. The fewer carbs you eat per day -- the faster you lose weight

2. Exercise. The more you exercise -- the faster you lose weight. When you weigh as much as us -- you do not need to go run for miles. Just little things like extra walking, climbing stairs, physical work / labor -- is often enough because we weigh more, our bodies have to expend more energy. As you lose weight, then you will have to become more active to burn the same number of calories.

3. The number of calories. Note that too few calories is a problem (under 2,000 calories per day?) -- but too many calories will slow your weight loss down.

4. Vitamins, Minerals, and amino acids. These can also help your body burn the fat, build muscle, etc.

Also note what others have said. Although my weight did not change for nine months, I continued to lose about 1 inch off my waist about every 3 or 4 months. (I eat too many calories -- in fact, I stuff my self too much -- but I stay close to zero carbs)

Muscle weighs more than fat. If you replace your fat with muscle (which is what low carding does) then you may not lose weight even though you lose fat and add muscle.

Think long term. Hopefully, you have read all the medical advice on why low carbing is better for your health. I will never stop low carbing because it has cured so many health problems for me.