Confused again...

[IrishMom82]

I know that Atkins isn't about counting calories but are we supposed to be watching them anyway?

I've read that in order for me to lose weight I need to not consume more than 1250 calories a day. So should I be watching my carb AND calorie intake? I am just really confused myself and I want to make sure I'm doing things correctly. I've been stalling a lot and I'm trying to pinpoint what it may be...Thanks everyone.

[TheDogAteMyName]

Just a few questions...

Are you keeping a food journal?
What phase of Atkins are you on?
Who or what told you to be ingesting 1250 calories daily to lose weight?

Dr. Atkins did say not to count calories, but to count carbs. He also said that although we're not counting calories, they do count.

To be honest, if I ate only 1250 calories a day with my lifestyle and workouts...I'd be on the floor from having passed out. I've been losing steadily and I've been eating nothing less than 1650 calories a day. Sometimes I'm even over the 2000 mark.

[IrishMom82]

That's what I though, Nichole. I just reverted to a low-fat diet freak out. I'm on Extended Induction. Maybe it's time I move onto OWL.

I'm just discouraged right now and trying to find anything I can to figure out why I'm stalled. Thanks again!

[TheDogAteMyName]

I know sweets...it's hard. Sometimes old thoughts come to my mind like, "Wow, you're eating butter on that broccoli...that defeats the purpose!" I have to collect my thoughts and know what whatever I've heard all those years isn't the truth. Butter isn't the bad guy. I won't lie, I'd be bummed if I was stalled too. I just know from past experience that staying on induction too long wouldn't be good for me. I never left induction the first time in 2004 and that was a huge mistake. I stalled out and never lost anymore weight before going back to my old eating habits.

Please move to OWL...you'll love it. The first rung is a simply more induction veggies. Not anything to be scared of. I'm on Rung 3 Nuts & Seeds this week and I just ate organic peanut butter. I had to pinch myself. I thought I died and went to Heaven. Before starting this WOL I ate Jif which is junk, but I thought it was so sweet and creamy. I ate some organic peanut butter during my Jif years and thought that the organic stuff tasted like tree bark. Fast forward until now and that same organic peanut butter with only peanuts and salt is so sweet and delicious. My taste buds have surely changed.

You can do this, you're dedicated and you want this. I'm here to cheer you on

[mitzimarie]

Originally Posted by IrishMom82

I've read that in order for me to lose weight I need to not consume more than 1250 calories a day. So should I be watching my carb AND calorie intake? I am just really confused myself and I want to make sure I'm doing things correctly. I've been stalling a lot and I'm trying to pinpoint what it may be.

Hi, Irish

I'm wondering where you read that, because I've just plugged in your age, height, and current weight into a BMR calculator and found that your BMR is 1611.55. BMR is your Basal Metabolic Rate, and that is the amount of calories it takes to sustain your body if you just laid in bed all day and not moved... it is what your body needs just to function.

Here is the website I used:
BMR Calculator

Read the whole page on this link, and then you can click on something called the Harris Benedict Equation about 3/4 of the way down the page. It determines how many calories it takes to sustain your level of activity. That is the number of calories that you need to eat less than, to lose weight.

Personally, I don't really use that number from the Harris Benedict Equation for anything because I don't keep track of how many calories I burn through activity/exercise... any machine or table/chart that lists how many calories are burned for each activity is just a guess, at best... I don't trust them. The way I use a BMR is this: I just make sure that my calories never go under that number. As you lose weight (and grow older), that number will get lower. While there is really no science behind the way I have picked to use the BMR as a minimum, it is what I do to avoid going into starvation mode. Of course, because that number is what you need to just lay there all day (and none of us does that), a person really should eat higher than their BMR as a minimum. But since I don't track calories burned, I just use the BMR number as a minimum.

So, you see, according to your BMR you should be eating way more than 1250 calories. You just need to play around with your calories until you see what works best for you. But I think it's a safe bet to say that you need more than 1250.

Hope this helps!

[IrishMom82]

Thanks Mitzi! I'm almost embarrassed as to say where I read that, hehe. I had a low-fat diet relapse... I went to the Biggest Loser Club website and plugged in my stats (age, height, weight, etc.) and they said in order to lose weight I should only eat 1250. I got so confused by that. I didn't really understand the whole BMR thing until it was explained to by members of this board. I have discovered that I'm not eating nearly enough calories this past week. I may be in Ketosis but my body may also be in starvation mode. Now that I fully understand my BMR hopefully I'll be able to fix my menus and make sure I'm eating enough!

Thanks so much for all your help everyone! Sometimes I just confuse myself so much, darn society plugging low-fat diets into my head!!! AHHH!! Thanks again you guys, it really means a lot!

[chauber]

DH and I have been using the WOL for almost 5 weeks for our second go around. The first time I was able to lose 50 pounds and keep it off for almost 2 years. He tried and tried to lose but couldn't get it right. By the end of his first month he had lost 2 pounds so he gave up.

I am a firm believer in this plan and to support that I re-read DANDR all the time. Each time I do I pick up something new. There is a section on supplements to take if the weight just isn't budging. There are suggestions like taking L-Carnitine 500mg before each of your three main meals, and taking COQ10, and Chromium up to 1000mcg per day. Find your book and read this section. DH has added the L-Carnitine (which aids in the metablizing of fat) and has seen a huge difference this time. We are 5 weeks in and he is still on the plan.

Good luck!

Carrie
203/197.5/186.5/150 36.5 pounds to goal!

[Gladys99]

[quote=chauber;907793]DH and I have been using the WOL for almost 5 weeks for our second go around. The first time I was able to lose 50 pounds and keep it off for almost 2 years. He tried and tried to lose but couldn't get it right. By the end of his first month he had lost 2 pounds so he gave up.

What is WOL?!

[IrishMom82]

WOL = Way of life