Stalled for 3 Weeks. Help please!

[Lrox4208]

I have been on Atkins for a little over 4 weeks. I lost about 9 lbs the first week, and that's it. I have been sticking to Induction b/c I'd like to maximize my loss. I eat a lot of chicken wings and crustless pizza (mozzarella and peperoni only). I drink no soda, just iced tea with Sweet n Low. I'm just getting so discouraged. I haven't changed my diet at all since I started and I have no idea why I'm not continuing to lose like I was in the beginning. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Thanks!

[Alexa]

Hi Lrox,

Firstly, congrats on your weight loss so far.

Secondly, don't be dismayed by a stall - they do happen and as the diet goes on tend to get a bit longer, You need to be in it for the long haul despite stalls.

Having said that, it may be a weird thing for you that we could offer ideas on. Could you tell us a bit about yourself - age, weight, how much you want to lose? Post a couple of days menus and tell us about your exercise and we'll see what it is - if anything.

Common stallers are sweetners, not drinking enough water, heavy exercise can cause water weight gain. Time of the month (if female) can be a factor. Also check the ingredients on every single thing you consume - check for hidden sugars and carbs i.e. breadcrumbs in sausages.

[Lrox4208]

Thanks for your reply! I'm 29, 5-9'. I started at 183, and am now at 174 (I got down to 171, but only for one day). I love to cook, so I don't eat out ever. During Induction, I usually ate lasagna (I make it with eggplan in place of the noodles, and the other ingredients are onions, parmesan and mozzarella). Lately, I eat chicken wings-with no wing sauce (I also make the chicken wings at home by either frying or baking), the crustless pizzas (which are mozzarella, peperoni, and parmesan). I don't drink alcohol at all. I drink probably a gallon of iced tea each day and use 2 Sweet n Lows in each glass (about 10-12 packets per day). I have not cheated once, I promise!

[carbless_in_seattle]

you have to eat veggies, it's a major part of the diet. also, if you have to have sweeteners, replace your sweet n low's with splenda or stevia. drink tons of water, and did i already mention veggies?!

You're probably going over your daily cheese allowance also.

[DesertRain]

Hi Lrox!
Congrats on starting on your journey for a better you, and also congrats on dropping those 9 lbs! My question is, have you read the book? If so, great, there's a few chapters that can explain why some of things in your diet (caffeine (from the iced tea), sweet n low's etc) might be stalling you. Also, for me, Atkins has only worked so well when I did it exactly the way Dr. Atkins meant for it to be. Other times I did "low-Carb" I would lose a little at first and then stall because I was consuming caffeine, having too many artificial sweetners, eating too much dairy and I wasn't reading the labels on my food. A lot of things you buy that say "0" carbs may still contain sugars that are not allowed. For example, I have yet to find a pepperoni in a regular grocery store that does not contain sugar in some form. I have to go to a health food store for that. It's so tricky...but only at first and then you can fine tune what works for you. I hope that helps and wish you the best of luck on continuing on this journey. Thanks for joining us!

[Lrox4208]

Thanks everyone for the comments. I think you're all right. During my first week, I lost a lot, but I was also eating more veggies. I hate to give up my tea. It's seriously my only vice. I also think I'm probably using too much cheese, so I guess I actually have 2 vices. Does anyone know from experience if switching from Sweet n Low to Splenda really makes a big difference? Thanks, again!

[SunnySmile501]

Originally Posted by Lrox4208

Thanks for your reply! I'm 29, 5-9'. I started at 183, and am now at 174 (I got down to 171, but only for one day). I love to cook, so I don't eat out ever. During Induction, I usually ate lasagna (I make it with eggplan in place of the noodles, and the other ingredients are onions, parmesan and mozzarella). Lately, I eat chicken wings-with no wing sauce (I also make the chicken wings at home by either frying or baking), the crustless pizzas (which are mozzarella, peperoni, and parmesan). I don't drink alcohol at all. I drink probably a gallon of iced tea each day and use 2 Sweet n Lows in each glass (about 10-12 packets per day). I have not cheated once, I promise!

"Cheating" is a relative term. Since you are allowed only 3 servings or packets of artificial sweetener a day, you "cheated" by 7 to 9 packes a day. Your food seems very heavy on the cheese. too. You are allowed 3 to 4 ounces of aged cheese and cream cheese per day.

The only veggies I see is the eggplant and onions (both more carby than salad veggies) for the lasagna. Where are your veggies? I see very little protein in the form of plain meat or fish, and pepperoni is processed and usually has sugar. While chicken wings are fine, if not breaded, you need other forms of protein and fat. Eating salads lets you get some fats from the full fat salad dressing.

Next: Are you exercising? You need to be. Exercise is not optional if you want to continue down the scale.

Finally, you don't have that much to lose for your height, so 9 pounds in 4 weeks is really good. You can only expect to lose 10% on induction and you lost way more than that.

Sunny!

[Lrox4208]

Thanks Sunny. That's what I am believing are my problems from all the input thus far. I was also afraid, that since my goal weight is 150, that these last 20 lbs would be the hardest. I'm definitely going to up my veggie intake, and down my cheese intake. I'll also start by cutting my sweetener usage in half. I'll post with the results from this.

I just want to thank everyone for taking the time and posting great suggestions. I really, really appreciate it!