Hi all! First time poster, long time lurker. I know if there is help to be found, this is the place!

2 1/2 years ago I started the Atkins WOE and lost 56 lbs in 5 months. Even though I still had 30-40 lbs to go I was very happy with the way I looked. Then Christmas time arrived and I went off the program for approx 1 month. (I have a large extended family, I love to cook and had big problems with the Christmas goodies). I had gained only 7 lbs in that one month and didn't have any trouble loosing it again. However, once I strayed, I strayed again, and then again and again and again, being good in between each bad time. All told I managed to maintain the 56 lbs loss, but no more.

Then a year ago I decided it was time for me to quit smoking. That is when real bad things started to happen. I could only keep on the diet for not much more than 1-2 weeks at a time,(most times only a couple of days) and during those times I would see that I wasn't losing like I was before I would become frustrated and go off the diet for another one day, two days, sometimes 2 weeks, always to start induction after each time. I have now managed to gain back 43 of the 56 lbs that I originally lost.

The first time I lost 7 lbs the first week and 3 lbs every week after before I went off of the diet. Since I was only loosing 3 lbs a week I never ate more than the original 20 carbs a day.

Since I realized how close I am to being back where I started I have now found my motivation and am completely commited, but after two weeks, my scales are still not budging, not even a pound.

My question is this, I have noted on these boards that with each time you do re-induction the weight loss is slower. Since I have taken so many liberties and then restarted again, usually every week, sometimes twice a week, on again, off again on a weekly basis for a whole year, is it possible that I have ruined the effectiveness of the diet and it will not work for me anymore? I did talk to my doctor and he said that I should eat zero carbs for 3 days and then anything I want for 2 days and then start induction again. He said that would shock my system back into getting on track. However, at this point I am afraid to put one more thing in my mouth that I am not supposed to have because I can NOT afford to gain back one more ounce.

My usual meal plan is a cheese omlette, 3 strips of bacon and a sausage patty for breakfast, a grilled chicken ceasar salad for lunch, and either a steak or chicken wings and green beans for dinner. (I am not a vegtable person). I will have strawberries for dessert if they are in season. And if I am really unsatisfied I may have 2 teaspoons of peanut butter after dinner. I can't manage to get more than 48-60 ounces of water in a day.

I apologize for the long winded post, but if I am begging for help, I wanted you to have as much history as possible. Any help anyone can give will be greatly appreciated. I look forward to hearing from you and thanks for being there!

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS on quitting smoking! That is the greatest thing you could have done for yourself, and you deserve big credit.

Next, I don't think you've "ruined the effectiveness" of the diet. You simply haven't succeeded (yet) in changing your way of thinking from "diet" to way of life. Sounds like you're ready now.

Some suggestions:

Take measurements. Note your weight. Then forget about all that. Don't even go near the scales.

Find a tracker. Start keeping a food diary. I use Fitday.com. There's a tracker on this site. Whatever is reasonably convenient for you. Make sure you know exactly what you put in your mouth every day. After a couple of weeks, review that, and see where you might need to make some changes, according to whatever plan you're following. You can post menus here, and we'll tell you.

Relax. Take your time. It's a lifetime achievement, not a quick fix.

My personal clue: If you're not already doing it, take a walk, as brisk as you can, for 30 minutes every day. This will burn a few calories, but more important, it will boost your metabolism a bit, improve your heart/lung power, and relieve stress.

You can do this! It's never too late.

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Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

hello zoanne. barb has already given you some good advice, as par for the course.

there are lots of variables, but when the losses aren't coming for me, some things i watch for...

1. "low carb" junk food is not helpful. anything with sugar alcohols, convienience foods, the evil atkins bars...well, that sort of thing is the a#1 cause of stalls for me, and for many others. not to mention they can trigger cravings.

2. check your activity levels. that's an easy way to push it "over the top" if your bordering on loss-territory and not getting there.

3. after your short re-induction, if you're doing one, start upping your carbs. yes, i know this is counter-intuitive and a bit scary if you're not losing already, but your doc has a point that sometimes shaking it up does help, and if you are eating too few carbs, your body also won't lose. many folks have broken stalls just by adding a few carbs into their routine.

4. keep working on the water. this does help, so just keep going as best you can on it. it's best to drink the water before you go for diet softdrinks or whatnot. they are NOT the same thing!

5. look for hidden carbs. are you counting everything? it's easy to miss or get sloppy if you're not tracking directly. even "0 carb" per serving items can contain some carbs, which add up if you use a lot of whatever it is. carb creep can be a loss-killer!

6. review your supps. when things are slowing down for me, sometimes mixing up my supplements and/or adding a few can help.

7. have you tried green tea? above all the health benefits and antioxidant properties, it can help perk up losses for many.

8. stop mucking around. while i don't think you "ruin" your body's ability to lose weight with the yo-yoing, it does make it harder and the lack of consistency pretty much guarentees that every time you go off-plan, it's like starting over. it takes the body a few days to get into fat-burning mode, and if you hop offplan every few days, you basically deny yourself the benefits from your way of eating because your metabolism never gets into full swing.

9. if all else fails, start watching calories and portion control. while we're fortunate low-carbbing that we usually don't have to do this, if you're having problems, this can help identify the culprit. when i have too much cheese, cream cheese, heavy cream, things like that even that are "legal," it will stop losses for me. and if i cross the line from "not hungry" to "full feeling," that can stop losses as well.

10. work veggies in whenever and however you can, even if you don't think of yourself as a "veggie person." i've never seen a fat rabbit! i never thought of myself as a veggie-lover, either, but if you use your imagination, you can find things that you like that are great for you to.

basically, we're talking about making that switch mentally from diet to way of life, as barb mentioned. which means an off-plan eating incident has to remain that-an ISOLATED incident. once we start going, "oh, the day/week/month is shot" is when we get way off-track. it's not an individual choice that gets you, but it's the choices you make day and and day out that make the difference.

it takes time, it takes experimenting, but you already know that low carb can work for you if you work it, and it's something you can live with. just keep taking steps to integrate those healthy habits into your life and be patient. you keep focusing on where you want to go, you WILL make it!

good luck!

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EatSmart Nutritional Scale Review

goddess always gives such good advice on these things. I too have been struggling with a re-start. You've gotten further than I have though. It's very tough once your mind set has changed. That's my big problem, not physical cravings but the mental blocks that have popped up. Also to quote goddess, "stop mucking around. while i don't think you "ruin" your body's ability to lose weight with the yo-yoing, it does make it harder and the lack of consistency pretty much guarentees that every time you go off-plan, it's like starting over" This is so true. Think about when you first got on low carb and lost that initial weight. You probably were in a great place mentally but with each re-start it seems that our brains aren't quite where they use to be.

We can do this together so stop lurking and start posting! It really does help. Especially journaling, you can look back and see what your triggers are and how your journey has taken many turns. I know it's helped me.

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Noël


Worry doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrows, it empties today of its strengths.

Hi Fem and welcome from lurking to posting. As said earlier a huge congratulations on quitting smoking. You have gotten great advice so far. I would like to say again it is imperative that you get the water consumption up. It helps flush out unwanted toxins and byproducts that you dont want your body to have to deal with.

And yes post here as often as you can, you would be surprised how much it helps with motivation and inspiration.

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Started LC 1-10-04

302/199/160, 103lbs down, 39 to go, simply remarkable.

Restart- 8-19-07
242/226/160


405 points to date ( HOLIDAY CHALLENGE )

I can totally relate and good for catching yourself! I was doing Adkins from June2003-Nov2003. I had lost 70 lbs. The day before Thanksgiving my in laws took their adult children and spouses out for dinner, and I caved. My husband was so proud of me, that he just said, have whatever you want, you deserve it. So I did. Including dessert. I started eating and just "couldn't" stop. I ended up gaining all my 70lb's PLUS 20 more!!!!! I was so discouraged with myself, I had just lost enough weight to fit into some clothes my friend had given me, I had gotten rid of all my "fat" clothes, and was NOT buying more. So for 1year and 4 months I wore the same 4 shirts and the same 2-3 pairs of pants (they are pretty worn out now!) All this time I kept "starting and stopping" Adkins. Lose 6 lb's gain more back. On and on, I just didn't get past that. In March I weighed 279-almost 300lbs. I was so achey, unhappy, didn't feel pretty at all-and for some reason it was different than the last year and a half. I have not eaten off plan once since the 3 Monday in March. I haven't even wanted to. The weight isn't coming off as easy this time, but as long as I am NOT GAINING, I don't care. I figure if I lose 1/2 lb a week, then I will loose 25lb's a year! That is way better than gaining 90lb's in a year. Since March I have lost 34 lb's. I am trying for 2 lb's a week (100 lbs in a year) but some weeks I loose 1/2 lb and need to be happy about that. Exercise isn't as easy to arrange this time either and I totally think that is part of the reason I am losing slower. But again, even staying the same is better than gaining, you know eventually the weight will start coming off again. Stick with the plan and you will have more energy, making the food will get easier and faster, pretty soon, you have time to take that walk, you crave water and it all clicks and you start losing. I have other health problems that this WOE helps, so this will be for life for me. So, don't give up, you are doing GREAT by not gaining for two weeks-that is like weight you don't have to lose. You can do this, just give your self some time and enjoy all the great foods you CAN have-this is truly a decident eating plan!

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Welcome to the board! I'm on my first time with Atkins so I haven't had the problems that you have had BUT I can say this, get a tape measure and take your measurements. I have found that when my scale isn't budging, I am most definitely losing inches. I started LCE on May 1st but didn't take my measurements until May 6th. I've lost a total of 7 1/2 pounds so far but I have lost 9 1/2 inches overall since May 6th! 13 days! I'd say that is pretty decent progress and my scale hasn't moved in a week! I've been at 148.5 since Monday but I've also lost an inch and a half since Monday! Keep track of those measurements and let go of the scale. I still weigh myself every morning when I first get up but I no longer get discouraged when I see it hasn't moved because I know that if my weight isn't going down, my inches are. Getting over that obesession with the scale was the hardest part for me, but I finally did it. Take those measurements and pay more attention to how your clothes fit.

I tend to drop 2-3 pounds all at once after I've lost a few inches. Every one's body is different and you may be shrinking in size without noticing a change on the scale.

Stick with it! You've done it before and you CAN do it again!

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Kim Awbrey
170/144.5/125

Welcome To My World

Thank you all for all of your helpful advice. The time and energy you provide to give others help just blows me away!

Goddess: Wow! When you provide help and guidance, you leave no stone unturned. Thanks for all of the great ideas, and all the time you spent putting that post together!

BK: I think you are right about the diary, maybe there are things creeping in that I am not realizing. I am definately going to work on the diary.

Cushie: Your are definately right about the mental part being the toughest, all of you have gone a long way to renew my spirit

Celeste: I am going to start working on the water right away. I am hoping that is one of the problems. Your results have given me renewed energy.

Macia: I was sure I was reading my story when I read your post. I have done everything that you have done right down to throwing all the clothes away and not wanting to buy more. Unfortunately I have had to buy more for work, but I refuse to buy more than a very minimal amount and I will gladly throw all of those away again as soon as I can! Seeing that you have gone through exactly the same thing and are now back on track has restored my confidence.

With the help and advice you all have given me, I am now on my way toward my goal! Thank you one and all! And thanks for the congrats on the smoking thing, that was a tough one, but with a year nicotine free, I think I just may have that one licked. Believe me, with the WOE going the way it was, I was seriously considering going back to that habit to see if it would help. I am glad I came to you guys for support instead!

Hey, is that Female football fan? because if it is...WOOHOO!!! me too!
I lost over 25 lbs, then gained back 10. I'm back on it, too. I just had to decide that it isn't worth it to me to eat things that make me gain. It just isn't.
I hope the boards are helpful, and if we can do anything, just ask. this is the greatest group of people.
also, someone said this a long time ago, and it has always stuck with me. When you are on the boards, ANYTIME you see the word water, you have to take a drink. It is a silly game, but it has gotten me to drinking more and more!
best of luck to you.

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Heather
182-2/27/08

Just wanted to let you all know I added some carbs yesterday after realizing how few I had been eating. I added strawberries with Splenda and a couple of handsful of cashews. I don't know if that was the trick or not, but the scales were down 1 1/2 lbs this morning!! I am still going to work on the water and the journaling though. Thanks one and all!
HeatherRene: Yep, you guessed it femftblfan is definately female football fan. I really get into it. Watch all the draft coverage and everything!

Welcome! I am a huge football fan also. Last year we watched alot of the draft at the ESPN club in Orlando. Lee Corso and many others were there, and it was so cool!!
What is your fav team? Mine is the Pats...and for the record...I was a fan even back when they were crappy all those years! LOL
Hope to see you post often..make yourself at home!

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Started Atkins-1/2/04
174 lbs at heaviest



5'0 154/136.5/130

Thanks for the welcome Crystal. Fav team is the Steelers due to a family member working for them. The way all of you have made me feel, I can't help but feel at home here. Thanks!

Oh Crystal. :-( that is my most hated team. But love you anyway! I am a Dolphin fan from the 80s, just love them to death. Born and always lived in TX, but while my dad was cheering Luv Ya Blue, I was loving the orange and aqua!
I am in a fantasy league, and I love love love it.
k, enough of that, glad you are feeling right at home, fan, we are glad to have you.

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Heather
182-2/27/08