[SunnySmile501]

Originally Posted by emanuel83

Everything being said is really good. Something I'd like to add that I noticed last time I really hit Atkins. Because we consume so much protein, we give our muscles a lot of food for growth. If you're working out (which you should be and must be if you're burning 4000 cal a day) then you are bound to see a lot of muscle growth and strength. Keep in mind this depends on how much protein you're actually consuming. Remember that muscles weighs more than weight, so you can still be losing fat but at the same time gaining muscle. Maybe it sounds cliche. I had a stall one time for a few weeks like you. I noticed that my strength was improving steadily, and my jeans fit a little better everyday.

My suggestion is to wait it out, don't lose your determination. Tweak your diet a little bit by eliminating any high fat foods, artificial sweeteners, etc. It is very possible your body needs a little bit of a change to start burning fat at the rate it did before your slump. Hope this helps.

Atkins Induction is high fat, moderate protein. 65% to 70% fat to 25% to 30% protein; 5% carbs. You get into ketosis by the ratio of fat to carbs. Excess protein cannot be stored by the body as such, so it is converted to glucose and stored as fat.

You also can't build muscle just by eating a whole lot of protein. It doesn't work that way. You build muscle and lean body mass by taking in adequate protein and strength training exercise. If you are doing heavy duty exercise, then your protein can be higher--as long as you use it all up before you go to sleep.