Hi,
I'm new to Low cab eating, Atkins. I started 4 weeks ago, wanting to lose 50 lbs. After 3 weeks I have lost 13. After this 4th week I have still lost 13. No movement. I am counting carbs and writing everything I eat down but haven't budged in a week now. Is this normal, especially during induction?

Thank you

Hi Darren,
to LCE!!
First of all...a BIG CONGRATS on that impressive 13 lb loss!! WTG!!!

Now, relax and enjoy your loss...enjoy your journey...all is *normal*
Often times after such an initial, dramatic weight drop, our bodies just need to *catch up*, so to speak. Perfectly normal to have a little pause in weight loss...and it could go for another week or 2 before the weight loss starts again.
Dr Atkins didn't consider it a *stall* until no weight loss for 6 weeks or longer.

I'm assuming you are still at induction level on the carbs...20g/day?
I would really suggest that you go ahead and start adding 5 gm carb per week as Dr Atkins suggests in DANDR. It serves several purposes, but the most important, IMO, is that it helps your body avoid the dreaded *starvation mode*[you know...where your body thinks it's in a "famine state", so it holds on to the good old fat to keep going] and adding those carbs in the form of extra veggies, a few berries, or a small handful of nuts, keeps the weight loss going.
Also, often times the more a person has to lose, usually anything over 50 lbs, the weight will come off pretty steady until about the last 10 - 15 lbs or so...then things slow waaaay down,( for some of us, anyway!)

Anyway, keep on keepin' on...work your plan, and your plan will work[for you].

Also, if you would post a few days of a typical menu, maybe someone might see something that could possibly be tripping you up. Another thought; you said you write down everything; are you putting your food in a tracker...like fitday?
Sometimes that is a huge help to folks. www.fitday.com you just have to register, but it's free.

hth
s

__________________
Shelley


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And SOONER bred,
And when I die,
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Welcome, Darren.

Shell is right on target here - and yes, yes, yes, "pauses" as I like to call them are all part of the process. It's also not unusual for a longish pause to be followed by what we call "whooshes" - where a few pounds drop suddenly. (Not promising, mind you. Just sayin' it ain't unusual.)

People have different perspectives on how long to stay on induction, but the one thing I can say for sure is that you cannot expect the quick losses of the first couple of weeks of induction to continue consistently. That's a fun, exciting quickstart, but bodies just don't work that way. We've heard the "calories in calories out" mantra so long, I think we expect it to work like a slot machine - you put this food in, you get those rewards out. It doesn't.

The other thing I'd remind you is to have lots of ways to measure progress. Many times we lose inches or clothing sizes at different times than pounds on the scale, and how you feel is one of the most important indicators of how you're doing. Track this stuff, and when you start to get antsy, use it to help ground you in the understanding that you are, indeed, making progress. Don't let the scale rule you, because it's a fickle little $%$(#$%##!!

Glad to have you join us!

__________________

To Shelley and Goddess,
Thank you so much for including me and your response as well. Yes, I do write everything down in an Atkins tracker that I purchased at the book store, so I am tracking carbs. At times I was only hitting 15-17 carbs on a day so I added some veggies and a few macadamia nuts. I have yet to start moving into OWL.

I'm patient just was wondering what was going on but both of your words were comforting, so thank you!!!!

Add Shelley,
shall I assume you are a 'Saving Grace' fan? Great show if you haven't seen it yet.

Darren

I've seen only bits and pieces of a few episodes...but it does seem like a good show.

I would also just say, do try and get your full 20g of carbs per day; you don't want to stay so low for so long that you slow your metabolism down to the point you have trouble losing when you do increase your carb count. I'm glad to hear you are tracking your carbs; at some point it may behoove you to know your fat and calorie intake as well; that's the reason I mentioned Fitday. For some of us, calories and fat grams also matter, but YMMV.

Best of luck on your journey to heatlhy eating and weight loss.

s

__________________
Shelley


Visit Kassie's Korner


"A goal without a plan is just a wish."
--Antoine de Saint Exupery

I’m SOONER born,
And SOONER bred,
And when I die,
I’ll be SOONER dead!
GO SOONERS!
I be ready for some football!

One little walker-runner Dude for every 10 miles!

Welcome, Darren.

I can hardly add to what's been said above except to point out (as a very slow "loser" myself) it's my experience that the more gradual the weight loss, the longer one has to truly adopt the low carb way of eating. It make maintenance a lot easier.

Hope you'll make yourself at home here.

__________________

I'll jsut add my dittos here. The initial weight loss is dramatic for most people and then slows down after your body dumps your glycogen stores. But steady wins the race. Hang in there and don't lose hope! It WILL happen!

__________________

Welcome Darren! It appears that if you stick with it one day you will get up and those stubborn pounds will be down. Just don't give up!

katlupe

IMO.... I'd try upping your activity. Go for a walk, play basketball, whatever fits your lifestyle. It helps get the metabolism reving... and I've found in the past that it always helped me break a plateau.

Best wishes!

__________________
Megan Rose
"The question is not how far. The question is, do you possess the constitution, the depth of faith, to go as far is as needed?"
259(HW)/233.6(Restart)/224.0(CW)/205(GW1)/175(GW2)/150(FGW)

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