coffee

[dimar97]

I was advised in another thread to drop coffee for a week to see if it is holding me back. Would that be ALL coffee or just caffinated? Is decaf ok?
I had been using splenda - dropped that - was just using cream but then I found some stevia in my grocery store (I was really surprised to see it there so I bought it!) I like it pretty good, for coffee at least. But I am stuck - have been stuck. Scale won't budge... I keep taking things out of my diet and it is getting less and less fun - this woe...

[julirama723]

OK, a couple questions. (You might have posted this elsewhere, but I didn't see anything?)

How long have you been "stalled"? (A STALL is a 4-week period with no pounds or INCHES lost. So if you are losing inches, you are not in a stall.)

How many carbs are you eating per day? How long have you been at this level?

Have you introduced any new foods lately that could be causing this "stall"?

Keep in mind that you are just 11 pounds from your goal weight. It is recommended that the last 5-10 pounds be lost during Pre-Maintenance. You're one pound away from that. Your weight loss will slow dramatically as you get closer and closer to your goal weight.

[kisstuck]

Since you started Atkins with only a few pounds to lose, you may have hit a plateau. Like juli said a stall is a whole 'nuther thing. Plateaus are natrual and not uncommon in later stages of weight loss. You are so near pre maintenance that your body is probably slowing the weight loss down.

Some tips: keep a food diary or use fitday to keep track of your carbs, protein and fats. Avoid aspartame and cut out caffeine. DANDR recommends even cutting out cheese, nuts and condiments to try to break through the plateau. You can also try reducing your cab intake by 5 grams, then 10. If you are still stalled, DANDR says to go back to induction for 3-5 days.

Give us some more info--answer juli's questions above and maybe we can come up with some advice!

[MorningGlory]

hi Dimar....I would suggest you read page 184 from Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution. He talks about plateaus and you may find something there that clears it up for you.

[dimar97]

I don't think its a true stall - I haven't been doing this long enough to stall, I don't think! I haven't introduced anything new besides peanuts and that was a disaster (see my other post!) I did buy some Adam's today... I am eating about 35 grams a day give or take. For several weeks now. I lost 5 - then gained 3 back, then lost it again. I lost some inches, gained some back and I haven't measured myself in about 2 weeks now but my clothes don't feel any different... I am starting to wonder if this is the weight loss woe for me...? I realize I am close to goal in the number of pounds I have left to go - but in terms of pounds from my starting weight - I'm only down 3.5. How can I plateau when I've barely just begun ? (and how come my husband who just wanted to "trim down" lost 12 pounds while cheating his butt off?????) I will pull out my book again and check out that page.

[D14965]

Hi Dimar

Firstly men tend to lose easier than women ( dang) so try not to compare your loss to your husbands.
I had a time when i lost nothing for about 6 weeks. It turned out that i was not eating enough. I recommend working out your BMR and then eating about 200 calories above that to see if that starts you off again. With the lessened appetite that goes with ketosis it is easy to not eat enough, and for your body to go into starvation mode ( even though you feel like you have eaten heaps!)

goodluck

[dimar97]

I'm really embarassed but what is BMR?

[mitzimarie]

Hi, Dimar...

Here is a link for information about your BMR.

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

Read the entire page, and click on the Harris Benedict equation near the bottom. If you have any questions after checking it out, just let us know.

[D14965]

the BMR is your basal metabolic rate and it will provide you with the amount of calories required for your body to function at rest .. ie if you lay in bed all the time. If you eat less than this figure your body will actually hold onto weight as it thinks you are in a famine ! Aim to eat about 200 calories above this figure .Mine is about 1475 ... and by using fitday i worked out that i was actualy eating under that ! so now i average about 1600-1700 and the weight is coming off again

[dimar97]

I have not been tracking calories, I've only been vaguely been tracking carbs (don't worry - that changed as of today) so I will see how I do with these adjustments. thanks