Is it a stall or is Aspartame to blame? I'm frustrated.

[dreamof220]

I have been on the induction since Jan 1, 09. I did really well and I lost 14 pounds in 16 days. Then it stopped dead. I did drop down to 313 one morning but it was back up at the end of the week. I have had some diet soda a few times. I don't know if I screwed up the weight loss with that or if I am just stalling. I have 96 more to loose. I am getting really strict and cutting carbs down to 10 a day. It may be the nitrates in processed deli meat too. I don't know. I still feel great. I have lost another notch on the belt. But, I can't break 316. It keeps staring at me and it won't go away. I am stuck and frusterated. I keep thinking of how much better I sleep. I don't have to wake up and run to the bathroom hardly at all now. I am more rested. I have more energy and I lost the foggy brain I had. But, I really want to see that number drop again. I won't give up. I have faught through 3 birhthday parties already. I avoided the cake and icecream. I'll stick with sugar free jello. Maybe. Does it have aspartame? Am I supposed to avoid aspartame and nitrates like they are carbs? In any case I am eating about twice as many vegetables as I used to. 3 cups of the allowed vegies is alot some times. I don't always get that many. Celery is really good at clearing up constipation too. So, am I stalling or do I have to kick start ketosis again? I don't have any keto sticks due to lack of money right now. That will change soon. I will be leaving my family behind and I will go to New York City for work. I will be there alone until our house sells here or until summer. Which ever comes first. So, I should have 3 months of very strict eating. I do better when I do the shopping and I don't have to try to please the wife and kids who are eating better, but, who aren't on this diet, no WOL. I will avoid the Nirtrates and the Aspartame and I will stay on this diet because I feel better. However, I really hope a whoosh comes soon. Keep plugging away. Thats life. Good luck to the rest of you. Any help is appreciated. Any support is greatly appreciated.

[Sunny_0ne]

I started to answer several times, but wasn't sure how convincing I would sound.

But I just read an awesome post that should answer your questions, as this person had about the same kind of start you are having:

Enjoy!

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...-positive.html (Newbies, oldies, & in betweenies - Think Positive!!)

[Elizellen]

Many of us experience a time after that intitial heady weightloss where the scales seem to go on strike I think it is that the body needs to readjust for a while before dropping more pounds.

This is when it is important to have measurements to compare to see if your body is changing in shape even though it weighs the same Or a too-tight pair of trousers or shirt will tell you what is happening too.

Also the health benefits of being on Atkins are a sign thet the way of eating is working sor your body.

Some members have experienced a kick-start to their losing when they move to OWL and start adding more (veggie) carbs, so do consider moving on to the main weightloss phase of Atkins rather than hanging around on the initial phase for too long and risking getting bored and frustrated.

BTW Dr Atkins considered a 'stall' was a period of 4 weeks with no pounds OR inches lost.

[Desertthorn]

Okay, take a deep breath, relax. This is so common, and its nothing to worry about. Go try on a pair of your tight pants, the ones in the back of the closet that you haven't been able to wear. Magic will happen

[Scribbler]

Just hang on in there, and keep it on! Our bodies do take a time off from time to time. It is completely normal, and not considered a stall.. You are already experiencing all the benefits of this diet.

[Pam112]

It sounds like you're already cutting out suspected things that could make you stall.

Seriously, just keep on going. You'll hit a "whoosh" soon from what I'm reading and you'll be soooo glad you stayed with it.

[missnikki217]

Aspartame and nitrates are horrible!! Atkins is great because it encourages you to eat natural and healthy! But we are all human and there are certain things we can have from time to time that arent completely natural.

If you're drinking more than one diet soda a day will hurt you as well. I know for me personally, I could only have one or 2 diet soda's a week, and I would have minimal loss for the week. Same with bacon with nitrates. I did very well to start, but when youre chugging the water like youre supposed to, it holds all that stuff.

It is a good sign that you're getting smaller though, that is a big sign that you are doing something right . I'd say cut the soda, the nitrates, and eat 20 carbs a day that come from fresh green (induction friendly) veggies and see how you feel in a week and if that 316 number is down. If you feel great now, I can just imagine how you're going to feel in a week. I always say if you can do it for a week, you might come to like it

Also, FYI, I had a HUGE problem with sugar free jello. It is sweetened with aspartame. So is Crystal Light and many diet sodas, unfortunately. Aspartame does have many other health risks besides weight loss stall. Google it.

[tangotori]

Somewhere here on the boards is a thread that shares a fantastic article on the week 3-5 plateau... it's totally normal and happens, as I understand it, to most of us. In fact - I'm just working through mine In a nut shell, your body has just lost a lot of weight and is wondering what the heck is going on - it's reassessing the situation and deciding if it likes the changes - and your body soon (if it hasn't already) decide that all is okay and that there isn't a famine. Perhaps another forum member knows where to find this post and can link you to it... or perhaps you can try and search it out. But please be assured that this is a pretty normal phase of the plan and that you'll come through it! Also... keep in mind that this "assessment" that the body does happens from time to time as you lose weight. This isn't a stall... it's a plateau.

Now... about asparatame and nitrates.
There are many on this forum who are steadfast against ingesting these products. I'm not one of those people. I do drink diet sodas and I do have sugar free jello. I don't over do these items and they don't affect my weight loss. Mostly I eat veggies and meats - I've never been a person who requires sweets in my diet (I'm a bread/pasta addict) so on this WOE/L I'm content with the occasional sweet - like jello once a week. How's that for moderation? Diet Coke on the other hand... I have one a day. As for nitrates - it's in my bacon and I don't worry about it. I'm only eating bacon about 3 days a week... again, a little moderation. I would caution you against an over use of processed deli meats - try and get the roasted meats at your deli counter (and not the pre-packaged stuff).

Again, it's about moderation.
And you know what? In my opinion it's about making this plan work for you.

If, however, you find that you're getting cravings for more sweet stuff - consider reducing or eliminating the asparatame from your plan. See if it stops the cravings.

And I completely agree with Elizellen... try incorporating a few more veggies into your plan... that'll make a difference, I'm sure!

Good luck...

[dreamof220]

I think I am through the stall. I am down to 314 now. I hope I keep dropping the weight again. Will it drop as fast as it did during induction before the stall?

[Desertthorn]

Not that it matters but a true stall is after 6 weeks of no losses. When we first lose weight, its mostly water weight, now you should lose a couple pounds a week.