Stuck

[BeckyM]

Hey everyone. I have a question.
Im doing atkins for the second time, the first was about 5 years ago and i had huge success.

This time I have been on and eating good, i know what to eat and not from before. I lost 8 pounds in 4 weeks and now its been 3 more weeks and i havent lost anymore weight. Its even trickled back up.

I had a hysterectomy, so i have a slow metabolism. I have a lot of stressors.

My question is, if i keep doing the right thing i have to unstick and start losing again right? Im starting to get disillusioned.

Beck

[Shrew2u]

It's not unusual to have periods where the scale doesn't move (or seems to oscillate within a few pounds), despite our adherence to this way of eating. Search for posts about Post Induction Stall Syndrome - a good many people have been where you're at, questioning what's going on.

So the question is...what's going on that might be contributing to the scale not budging? Could you post a menu from today, with portion sizes and net carbs? Are you drinking at least 64oz of water each day? How much are you exercising? Even if you aren't losing pounds, are you losing inches? Is it close to a menstrual period?

[BeckyM]

Well i have to admit im not good at my water drinking. I get exercise everyday with my dogs.
I eat really simply, as my kids are grown and i dont do a lot of cooking.

Today I ate;
Scrambled eggs with cream cheese and salsa for breakfast. (4 carb-ish)
Hard boiled egg for a snack
Some veggies and ranch for lunch (5 carbs-ish)
Chicken breast with pepper jack cheese baked on it for dinner
Some almonds and beef jerkey for snack.
A few ribs with no bbq sauce at my moms
2cups coffee

I drink crystal light and about 20oz of water. Wow now that i write it down, i dont eat much vegetables. Could that do it?

[Aways2Go]

Crystal light has aspartame (equal) which is known to stall some people. It stopped me, and when I cut it out, I started losing again almost immediately. Such a shame, as it tastes pretty good, LOL, but it ain't worth it if having a few glasses of that a day makes me not lose weight.

You might try an experiment for several days and sub plain water for all the crystal light you drink - it might turn out that aspartame stalls you too. Drinking enough water will speed up your weight loss anyway.

And yes, you should add some veggies - have a salad or a cup of green beans with that chicken for dinner.

And look at everything you eat - check all the labels, make sure they don't have sugars in them or extra carbs (the salsa, for example) and that you know for sure exactly how many or how much you are eating. I think writing it down is the way to go, as often we don't "remember" correctly as the day wears on... forgetting little items here or there, not realizing how much cheese we have eaten already, etc. Write down what and how much of what you eat, add up your carbs (don't guess), and maybe you will see a pattern that will help you figure out this stall (or future stalls).

Incidentally, almonds are not on the induction list of foods to my knowledge. And many people overeat them and don't realize how many they had (nuts in general). Something to consider.

Good luck with it - and if you keep working at it, you will figure out what works and what slows you down and it will get better. I actually lost more the 3rd month on this diet than I did in month 1 or month 2, mostly due to studying what I was eating and what things were interfering with weight loss and correcting those things as I went along.

[MelTin]

The main problem seems to be not enough vegatables and not enough water. If yo are still on induction the almonds are not allowed and coffee and crystal loght stall some people. That being said the body loses weight at its convience and not yours. If you follow the diet you will in the end lose weight.

[BeckyM]

Wow thanks for all the great info, im hopeful again. Im gonna start a food journal and not rely on my little tiny memory lol!
Err ok then, i guess if i told you i drank diet soda t hat would be bad two. Well, im gonna cut them out and drink free water instead.

Food journal
More veggies
Read labels better
Free water instead of the YUMMY diets and crystal light (weep)

Thanks so much!

[chinadoll]

You already have some good advice. The last thing I would add is to watch out for the jerkey-it will make you retain water. The water is a huge factor for me. If I am not drinking 100 ounces a day I see a big slow down in my losses.

[Suzanne_H]

I would encourage you to lower your sodium intake dramatically. I'm 46 and perimenopausal... I just can't process the salt like I used to. Breaks my heart, too, because I just love soy sauce and beef jerkey and smoked almonds and beef stick and slimjims and all those other empty calories I ate last time I was successful on this WOE. Just amazin' what 5 years can do, ha? grrrrrr

Instead of jerky, try plain roast beef sliced super thin, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with garlic. Oh my. Instead of salted nuts, see if your fruits and veggies section at the grocers sells unsalted almonds and walnuts. I find that when I crack my own I don't snarf them as fast.

And eat your veggies, drink your water. This WOE works!!!

[Shrew2u]

Originally Posted by Suzanne_H

...try plain roast beef sliced super thin, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with garlic...

[atkinsgal08]

Remember nuts are not allowed on Induction!