My 13 year old daughter has been on a low carb diet since July. She's lost 17 pounds, but she has about 20 more to lose and she seems to have stalled. It's probably been at least a month since she's lost any weight. I've done Atkins and am familiar with stalls on that plan, but I wasn't sure how they worked on CAD. Should she do straight Atkins for awhile maybe then gradually work back to CAD? We both have slacked off with eating the salad before our RM and having enough allowed veggies. She's also been skipping lunch, which I told her not to do, but if you know anything about school lunches there's not much to pick from that's low carb. I've offered to make lunch for her, but she's at the age where she thinks only the "dweeby" kids bring their lunch and she doesn't want to. TIA for any advice.

Lisa

I think CAD is easier to have than Atkins under most circumstances. Would you DD consider making her lunch her RM? If she can't eat a good LC meal at school, she really should not be skipping lunch entirely. She needs to brown-bag something or bring a LC protein shake or something. Skipping meals can cool down the metabolism. The high school I work at sells a salad most days. It includes pasta on the bottom, which is best to skip. I don't know if her school does something similar. Or, she has to be over her mind-set that bringing food is stupid. It's the best way to be in total control of her intake. And, she can tell herself that she is getting slimmer ans the others eating their high carb foods aren't.

In other words, it seems to me that she either has to get over the mind-set that buying lunch is cool, or it may keep her from losing the weight she wants to. If she can buy healthy things at school, that's great.

There is a post on this forum called the CALP Plan reviewed. Here is the link http://lowcarbeating.infopop.cc/6/ub...4&m=5426005024

Ilse

380/304.6(WW)/229.5(current)/154
5'7"
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible"
Walt Disney

Lisa,

I've never really experienced a stall on CAD. The only time I've ever "stalled" is when I've been Off-Plan, which is what it sounds like is the situation with your daughter.

I like Ilse's idea of maybe making lunch her RM, that is if it could be balanced given her options at school. She might want to try that and see how it goes. That way she wouldn't have to be a "dweeb". I know those kindof things are really important at that age. Although, I know from my own experience that being overweight can make you feel like a "dweeb" as well.

Good luck to both of you! ... and let us know what she decides and how it goes.

Debby

206.5/164.5/140?
CAD/CALP since 1/12/03

Lisa,

Another thought. . .Would she be willing to take a "snack" that she can stick in her bag and either eat it at lunch or between classes? A piece of cheese or a hard boiled egg or a few pieces of celery with spreadable cheese might be enough to give her metabolism a boost and keep her from being so hungry at dinner, but not be like bringing a geeky lunch in a big box. . .

The RM at lunch idea is interesting, but then she will have to deal with evenings with friends,etc. I tried doing my RM at lunch when I work in the evenings, but I just really like to have my carbs at the end of the day!

Also, how long has she "stalled." It seems like a lot of people will lose some and then stay the same for a while. Then they will start to lose again.

I'm just sharing my thoughts here. I haven't been doing this for a long time, just since about July. I haven't even gotten to the balancing part yet--I'm trying really hard to make this work forever, so I'm just slowing changing my habits!

Amy

Lisa,

The first time I did low carb and actually stuck to it for over a year and got to my goal I experienced stalls.

My stalls lasted up to 2 weeks and they seemed to be more often the closer I got to my goal (I had less to lose). I think I lost 60lbs on that journey. I just kept with the plan. And then I would have a woosh.

My first time on low carb I read and re-read CALP (I was doing the one for 50 + age group and I was in my mid 30s).

I ate three meals per day. I had a large breakfast everymorning and my reward meal was usually dinner, unless I had a special luncheon at work. Occasionally I would have my reward meal at breakfast or I would have breakfast for dinner because I love breakfast foods.

I would think skipping meals would slow down her metabolism. I really believe my success the first time on CALP was that I planned and ate those three meals each day.

There are backpacks with lunch sections and all kinds of lunch-type boxes now that your daughter might find acceptable to carry lunch in. I remember being in public school and it was a pain to have a bag lunch and not get it smashed or it be smelly in the locker. The only thing I liked at that finicky stage of my life was tuna/chicken salad on lettuce. They served that daily at school and I ate it daily with water. I was naturally low carbing back then and didn't even know it.

Hopefully your daughter will realize that skipping lunch will hurt her in the long run. I think it is a common practice, especially among girls in school..