Lost 50 lbs but now in stall mode! Help

[German Engineering]

Hi I am definately new to the forum, but I have been visiting since October and reading posts. I lost 50lbs on Atkins since July. I used to be about 265 and I am now 215 and am a 25 year old male. My problem is that I am in stall mode at 215 and my goal is 185 by April. I believe that my problem is that I am eating shrimp and tilapia for dinner instead of salmon and salads for lunch instead of chicken, but I am not sure that its all diet. I lost a lot of weight with the chicken and salmon combination in the past but I really can't stand eating it anymore. Especially the salmon, cause it smells terrible and I have developed an aversion to it. So even though I think my diet is not as ideal as it once was I simply can't go back to it anytime soon.

My question is, I have been stalled at 215 for about a month and I am starting to lose it cause I really want to lose the additional 30 lbs. Has anyone ever been stalled for about a month and how did you "break to the other side." (Note: if the answer has to do with exercise let me know what specifically you did cause I actually enjoy exercising and that is a big part of losing 50 lbs in the last 6 months)

[not2late]

Dr. Atkins defined a weight loss plateau as 4 consecutive weeks without loss of pounds or inches. So have you been losing inches? If you have, then you aren't in a plateau according to Dr. Atkins.

Also, what phase are you in the Diet? Some people make the horrible mistake of staying on Induction too long and find themselves in a true weight loss plateau. That stall is only broken when they start following the Diet properly and move to On-Going Weight Loss phase.

[German Engineering]

Thanks for the reply.

I am on the seeds and nuts rung of OWL and have had 4 weeks of consecutive weeks without loss of pounds or inches. I was thinking of just ramping up my exercise to get out of the rut but I don't really know what my plan of action is going to be.

[liv]

How about posting your menu - maybe we will stop something that is tripping you up. Be accurate with portions and tell us what you are drinking.

[German Engineering]

Breakfast: protein shake with 5g carbs (take after exercise) multivitamin & fiber pills
Mid Morning break: 1/2 cup of walnuts or almonds and a cup of Celestial Seasonings tea with 1 packet splenda
Lunch: Chicken Breast with mustard or small salad (spinach tomato and a few onion slices) but I mostly eat the chicken mean
Mid Afternoon snack: 2 Cracker Barrel cheese sticks
Dinner: Tilapia with butter--I used to have salmon but can't stand it
Evening meal: protein shake with 5 g carbs (take after exercise)

[Brook]

Hey GE

You know how your body will acclimate to your workout routines if you don't switch them up? Dude...your body will do the same thing with *anything*- including food. It's time to spice things up and get some variety going on in your eating. This is about a lifestyle change, not a *get it done and then wing it or wind up like the other 95% of people who remove weight and then put it back on* thing.

I'd dump the nuts and I'd dump the evening protein shake and switch that out for real food.

I'm simplistic in my approach like that though- and it works.

Stalls suck. BTDT. My longest one was 14 weeks. Hang in there. Keep working. It'll move. You may also need to reevaluate your goal. What is your height? Your build? Body fat percentage (roughly)?

[German Engineering]

Thanks Brook! I may get rid of the evening shake which is actually a new thing I started doing after I increased my exercise to twice a day 5 days a week. As far as my goals I know I can be 185. I am currently 6 feet 2 inches and 25% body fat which I know is high and I am carrying a lot of weight in my core (chest, belly, & flanks) the rest of my body like my back and my arms and legs are trim and toned (thanks to my Atkins weight loss & exercise) so I know that once I start losing weight again and getting out of the rut I am in I am bound to lose that 30 pounds in my core. The interesting thing is that when I weighed the same weight I weigh now about 6 years ago I was a size 34 waist and now I am a comfortable 38 (snug 36) so its evidence that I am not losing as much fat from my midsection and more in the other parts of my body. Many people I have consulted say that if I stick to cardio and weights that eventually my body will consume the fat in my midsection but I am VERY disappointed that after 50 lbs of weight loss that I still have this large gut and cannot get rid of it. The 5 week plateau has made me even more demotivated as well.

[IDontWantToBeFat]

Hi! visited your melt away page and I was impresssed! I am about to begin and was wondering about the coffee thing. Did you drop it all together or did you drink it? Thanks.

Michelle

Originally Posted by Brook

Hey GE

You know how your body will acclimate to your workout routines if you don't switch them up? Dude...your body will do the same thing with *anything*- including food. It's time to spice things up and get some variety going on in your eating. This is about a lifestyle change, not a *get it done and then wing it or wind up like the other 95% of people who remove weight and then put it back on* thing.

I'd dump the nuts and I'd dump the evening protein shake and switch that out for real food.

I'm simplistic in my approach like that though- and it works.

Stalls suck. BTDT. My longest one was 14 weeks. Hang in there. Keep working. It'll move. You may also need to reevaluate your goal. What is your height? Your build? Body fat percentage (roughly)?

[liv]

I cannot tell from the menu but I would shake it up too. You may not be burning the fat because you're not eating enough fat. You may be eating too many proteins to lose on Atkins too. If you drop that last shake - add some more fat and vegetables - that may help. And drink plenty of water!!!

[Elizellen]

As the others have said, you might be eating more protein than your body needs, & Dr Atkins did write in DANDR

make sure you are not consuming excess quantities of protein. When eaten to excess, protein converts to glucose.

.

Do you log your foods in one of the websites that calculates your percentages of fat/protein/carbs? On induction we aim for about 65% fat/30% protein/5% carbs then as we move on up the OWL ladder our protein should stay about the same as we add carbs and decrease our fat slightly.