Back from Paris....

[Simone]

Hello all.

First of all, kudos on the new look. I thought I had the wrong site for a while. LOL. Great job to those responsible.

Well, I am back from my Paris weekend, and I am proud to say that I did well. There were days when I felt deprived and unsatisfied, but I didn't stray to high sugar alternatives. I had baked chicken, salmon, ribs and eggs with cucumbers or salads. Packing food for the drive there was priceless. It made it much easier to walk by the display of decadent desserts laid out buffet style in the hotel all day long!!! But I did it. I even FED my son some cake while nibbling on a green bean. My husband was so proud of my will, which made his will all the more strong. I just decided that Paris wasn't about food, it was about experiencing Euro Disney and a foreign country with my family. I used the indulgence on things like shoes and Champs Elyesees in stead.

Well this Day 9. I got on the scale this morning. I have followed all the patterns according to the book. I have stuck to the rules. I have exercised 5 days a week. (Caviat: Walking in Paris is loads of exercise as there are steps everywhere, so I walked for 3 days up and down hills and stairs). I haven't had any splenda, equal or dairy other than butter. I have had all real foods, no frankenfoods. I can't think of one single thing that I have done wrong. Yet in 9 days, I haven't lost weight. The scale is 1 pound less than it was 3 weeks ago. WHY???????

[goin2Bgood]

Congratulations on your resolve!

I recently went through a stretch where I didn't lose any weight for about a month, but I was losing inches. Are you measuring yourself? It drove me nuts the scale wasn't moving, but since I had proof inches were coming off I didn't totally despair.

Make sure you're drinking plenty of water. Do you track your food on fitday perhaps? That's a great tool for being able to pinpoint possible problems.

[not2late]

I love cheese so I probably would have made a point of trying out all the fabulous cheeses in Paris.

Anyhow, depending on what exactly you ate, you might have been eating more salt than usual, so some of that no pounds loss might be due to water retention. What have your measurements done?

[Finelly]

If you didn't lose inches, I'll eat my hat. (quickly running to buy one). Forget the scale at this point. You are in a slow patch on the scale. Nothing will change it. Keep going, stop weighing for 2 weeks, and just measure. You'll wake up one day and have dropped 5 lbs, but won't care, because your tape measure will have shown you a tremendous loss before that!!!

[2big4mysize]

yep make friends with your tape measure. Remember as your body morphs from loss of fat and gaining of lean muscle tissue mass and with the fluctuation of water mass constantly your scales are not your best friend. that would be the tapemeasure. I know how frustrating it is to do it all correct and not have the scales move either, Dr Atkins defines stalling as 4 weeks of no weight nor inches lost and I had 4 long stalls in my weight loss journey. But checking the stuff Dr Atkins discusses in chapter 15 of our DANDR really can help you see if it is a problem that is correctable by you or just your stubborn body rebelling for a while. Just keep eating your Atkins to only be feeding your hunger not your empty belly space, drinking your water, doing your workouts, and taking your needed supplements and you too will be a healthier smaller you.

Happy low carbing.

[Simone]

thank you all....BUT, I have been decreasing salt, following induction for more than a month I believe, or close to it and my scale is not moving. I am not jumping on it everyday, but 10 days is quite a stretch. I intend to try on some clothes to see how they fit me now and I did measure myself, but unless it is significant like 3 inches down, I tend to think I just measured wrong the first time. I don't see much at all. My feet are swelling alot lately, so I will buy the fluid retention thing. Any idea how to remove excess fluid without a prescription? I drink more than enough water daily, have little to no appetite at all and force my self to eat just to live and lose weight. I know that I am being perfect and using fit day as I shared last week. But no change. I am coming back to the states on July 15. I am going to continue INduction level carbs until that time. Then I might just say forget it and bow out not so gracefully. Maybe this isn't for me anymore regardless of past success. I am frustrated but no depressed. I have gained any weight praise God! I also have a 20 year class reunion on October 15 that I would like to look Darned Good for. So I am at my wit's end. Will let you knwo about the clothes fitting better

[Finelly]

"unless it is significant like 3 inches down I think I measured wrong the first time."

Highly unlikely. Look at me! I felt like I was not losing much at all, and lo and behold, when I measured yesterday, I'd lost a whopping 16 plus inches in just 14 days!!!!!!!!!

[goin2Bgood]

Simone, you may indeed be doing atkins perfectly but I asked about Fitday for 2 reasons. First, while you may be doing Atkins perfectly, how are your percentages? I tend to go too light on the fat myself. I stop losing weight when my protein percentages get too high. The ideal percentages for Induction are around around 65% fat:30% protein:5% carbs.

Also, the other thing Fitday is good for is calories. I'm not saying count your calories, but if you're eating too few calories your body will go into starvation mode and you will not lose weight. One person was eating less than 1,000 calories a day and when she bumped her food intake up the weight started coming off again.

You don't NEED fitday to track these things, it just makes it easier.

[Simone]

I understand the percentages and caloric intake. I got that advice from the book and the others on the site. My percentages have been pretty good, maybe 1 or 2 percentage points off up or down. I have had to force myself to eat more than 1200 calories because I am just not hungry. But I manage. I am just confused by the results I am getting. Also, I tried on that pair of jeans that I wanted to fit, and I don't see any significant change in the way they fit. They will be my measure of success. I am not quitting, at least not yet, but I really am disappointed and Im looking for the silver lining.

[Finelly]

...one two week period, I lost an inch in each upper arm, an inch in the chest, 1/2 inch off of each ankle, and nothing in the middle. Go figure! The body is weird!

Glad you're not giving up. You have to stick with it. This little pause, too, shall pass. And then you'll wake up and the jeans will fit differently, the scale will show a different number, and you will develop confidence so that next time it happens, you'll know that it isn't forever!!!!!