56 days, 35 lbs down

[phil h]

Still on induction and plan to remain there.Changing clothes at mall yesterday and caught my reflection in mirror.My goal is 185 but at 222.5 now, I may be too skinny at that weight.190 might be more realistic for me.Have some zero carb deer jerky cooking,I believe I may be in the teens by fridaym with the menu I have planned for this week.

[Sunny_0ne]

Oooohhhh..... wish I were close enough to mooch some of that jerky!

Too funny about being in the teens by Friday!

Congratulations on the wonderful weight loss!

[kellymch2006]

Phil, I forget how tall you are but don't get too skinny!!! My husband is always aiming for under 200 at 6'1" and he looks terrible at that weight. Of course, I like a man with a little meat...

Oh, congratulations. I've been following your loss and that is GREAT.

[12YearsofBabyFat]

Awesome!!! WHoohOO!

[phil h]

I am 6' 1 1/2" tall. Time will tell how I look under 200lbs.I eat a moderate amt now and have no plans to alter my diet.So I'm not sure where I will plateau at.Not going to cut calories to reach a certain weight.Still have a good 25 to take off to get rid of excess fat.

[Elizellen]

Have you thought about moving to the second phase to Atkins now? this will help you establish your CCLL as well as find out what foods affect your body and help you transition into maintenance mode once you reach your goal weight.

We see many people here who have stayed on induction till they reach goal then have no idea of how to maintain that weight without staying on induction levels of carb and eventually go back to 'eating normally' and pile the weight back on again.

[phil h]

Thanks Lizellen.That old cliche', "been there, done that",got the XX tee shirts to prove it.When I introduce carbs in any significant amounts,my appetite roars back.In theory,Atkins tells us to cut back at that point to maintain.In reality,most wouldn't be on a low carb diet if they could control their intake.I plan to remain on less than 20 carbs and will stop losing when my caloric demands equilibrate.

[kellymch2006]

At your height, you may want to reevaluate your goal the closer you get to it. You are my husband's height and he looks really good around 200-205. Everyone's different, though! Thanks for sharing your journey!!!

[charles64]

I think you've got the right attitude. At some point your calorie input/ouput should naturally balance and there you have your weight setpoint. I doubt you could starve yourself to death by staying on induction forever.

I wish I had stayed at or near induction levels back in 2002, then I wouldn't have regained the 65 lbs that I'm currently working on losing.

As far as the too skinny comments. I wouldn't worry about them. At my lightest I was told the same thing, but looking back, I was certainly not too skinny. Besides, it's certainly beats the alternative.

Anyway, good job so far. keep it up!

[phil h]

As long as I keep abundant fatty acids circulating, my body has no need to hold on to fat reserves.Adding carbs now will retard this process.I am convinced that is why we have so many Atkins repeaters and those who lose, to get within 10-20 lbs of ideal weight and stall out.I need the fatty acids and low insulin levels to reach my set weight.What that will be is unsure at present.I would think below 185-200 is where I will have to reduce calories or up exercise level to keep losing.Probably at age 53 closer to upper end of these limits.