I am in week 2 of induction and stalled. I think I even gained a pound. What is going on! I am frustrated!

Can you all tell me some common mistakes that could be causing this?

Well, in my experience it could be a number of things.

First of all, how much weight have you lost so far? Weight loss seems to go in spurts.

Are you drinking your water? This can have a major impact.

Are you eating bars and LC treats with sugar alcohols and/or glycerine? This can cause stalls or gains.

Hormonal factors??? TOM can definitely put weight loss temporarily on hold or into reverse.

Eating nuts or too much cheese causes me to stall and/or gain.

Can you post a typical day's menu for us? That will help give us some clues as to what may be slowing your down.

Hang in there. Remember, this is a way of life, so focus on the long term health benefits in addition to weight loss. Don't set yourself up for failure by adding the pressure of "I HAVE to lose weight in time for (fill in the blank)...." Just tell yourself that you are in for the long haul.

I trained as a birth doula a few years back. One of the things the instructors discussed was what doctor's call "failure to progress" during labor. They talked about how it is often simply "failure to wait." The same idea applies here. Relax and wait it out. If you are following the plan, the weight WILL eventually come off - just probably NOT as quickly as you'd like.

Hope at least some of this helps! I'm sure others will come along with more advice for you.

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Staci

Well, I lost 8 lbs the first week, but I think I am back up 3 lbs.


This morning I had 2 hot dogs sans bun and a slice of cheese (I hate b-fast food).

For snack I had like 5 cheese cubes and a small beef jerkey stick.

For lunch I will have 2 pickles, turkey and a slice of cheese with sf jello.

For dinner...don' know yet. Yesterday I had meatballs with broccoli and brussel spouts. No salad as the greens came from the veggies.

I drink water, admittedly not 40 oz. But i do drink it or crystal lite. I thought I was doing right. (I may be eating too much cheese, but gosh I can't think of a lot of other thinks to snack on.)

well, missID, it's kind of difficult to offer too many suggestions without any info. i do see from your profile you are at 180, looking to lose 40 pounds. please understand that with 40 pounds to go, it may not move quite as quickly as someone with much more to lose, as that's just how it works. but putting that aside...

the first thing i would say, though, is having a few days without loss does NOT actually constitute a "stall." really. even if the weight just flies off for a good part of induction, it's entirely normal for it to slow down, especially into the 3rd week and then cylce, lose some one weight one week for example, but not the next.

it is also ENTIRELY normal for your body weight to fluctuate up to several pounds in a single DAY and it means absoultely nothing! you can't measure your progress minute to minute, you have to look at the long haul, ma'am.

people get hung up on the scale, and the scale is one measure of progress, and not even necessarily the best. i would ask you: do you FEEL good? do you have lots of energy? has your appetite decreased? are your clothes getting looser? are you losing inches? if the answer to all or most of these questions is "yes," then without question, you're dong FINE. really!

i would strongly suggest you put that scale away and not weigh more than once a week. if that doesn't work, toss it. you heard me: toss it! and get weighed at the doc if it upsets to get on the scale. see, the scale is what we sometimes use to *measure* progress, not to be confused with the actual progress. most people have an intuitive understanding if they are doing well or not but may have trouble trusting that, so don't let the scale talk you out of it.

it's common to see fluctuations on the scale when you start exercising more--goes up or doesn't go down--for TOM visiting, when you eat something with too much sodium (water retention), or any one of a number of things. sometimes the scale stays the same when you're losing inches, and the weight goes down at a different time. the body isn't like a piggy bank where you put in 20 carbs a day for 3 days and get out a half pounds loss.

if you find this is an extended situation, perhaps come back and post some menus and some of the vets here may help you identify any tricky culprits. but the situation you describe, sounds like a few days without any losses, right? that is not an indication of problems. that's normal.

so i would say, if you are following atkins consistently and you are feeling good and whatnot, stay the course and be patient. and at the end of your second week of induction, DO go ahead and move on to owl. people sometimes cling to induction out of fear, not understanding that many times, adding in a few carbs can get those losses moving again.

relax, be patient and trust the process. if you're working it, it will most likely work for you, too, at least in the long-term. and that's what you want, anyway, right? you want it to work for the long haul. who cares if the scale goes up and down enough in a single week to give you whiplash watching it? that doesn't matter. i know it's scarey when you first start because you start to believe, and the second something seems amiss, it becomes terrifying that it isn't going to work for you. it normally does work, just not on our schedules. but that's life, eh?

if the scale becomes a stumbling block for you, toss it. stay tuned to your body and stay on track, and it will be ok. really.

peace out, dear.

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EatSmart Nutritional Scale Review

on your menu notes-hot dogs may have quite a bit of sodium, and pickles certainly do, which can cause water retention. crystal light does NOT count as water intake, and should be saved for after you've gotten all or most of your water for the day. sf jello as purchased premade does cause problems for some people, not all. and if i remember correctly, dr. a. does reccomend limiting cheese to an oz. a day, as it can cause slowdowns. picking up on the veggies would probably be a good idea, and you may want to take a visit to the recipie section to get some new snack ideas.

so those are things you can look at. but the big picture is the same as staci said: patience is required.

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EatSmart Nutritional Scale Review

Ok, calm down & take a deep breath.

Now, first things first: An 8 pound loss the first week followed by nothing the second week, does not a stall make! I once went several months without the scale even MOVING -- that's a stall.
Secondly, I highly doubt the *weight gain* is real. It is most likely water retention. You are committing several "newbie errors" that would contribute to this, but that's ok because it's easily rectified:

1) You are eating a LOT of salty, processed foods. I would back off the hot dogs & other processed meats. Keep cheese intake to only 1-3 oz. per day. Excess cheese intake is notorious for causing stalls!

2) WHERE are your veggies??? Remember, this is a LOW-carb way of eating, NOT a no-carb diet! Try to incorporate more veggies & salads into your day (not just at dinner).

3) The water is CRUCIAL and it's not *ok* to skimp! I fully believe that this way of eating is completely safe and effective if your water intake is adequate! Otherwise, the flush of ketones & other waste from weightloss can be hard on your kidneys. Not to mention that when you are even slightly dehydrated, your body will hold on even tighter to the fat. Try to work up to at least half your body weight in ounces of water per day. ALL other drinks should be AFTER -- and in addition to -- your minimum daily water intake.
Check out the water sticky thread at the top of this forum.

You are doing REALLY well, so please don't be discouraged. Eight pounds is amazing! You're just making some common newbie mistakes that we all have to learn as we go. Make these adjustments and I'll bet you'll see the scale moving again in no time!
I truly wish you the best!

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Summer

my dandr says 3 to 4 oz of cheese.. but cheese can be overdone if you arent reaaaaaaaaaaaally watching the portion size.. an ounce isnt very big..
i noticed the sodium too dix... pickle...hot dogs.. cheese.. jerky...maybe even in the turkey??
as for the crystal lite... if it isnt the BOTTLED type ya might have a problem with the ASPARTAME in it.. the bottled has splenda.. (and it might have sodium too.. havent checked that..)

gotta drink more WATER lady!

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oops. i always get the cheese amount wrong...i'm too lazy to go downstairs and look it up. i guess i should consider it exercise. har!

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EatSmart Nutritional Scale Review

hey... better to eat to LITTLE of cheese than too MUCH dix.. better to err with LESS ! good call.. heh heh... no WONDER you lost 108lbs *grin*.

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Missid,

Just to echo what everyone has said and also to point out that the jerky and the hot dogs may also have sugar in them, not just salt. It is very difficult to find processed meats without any sugar.

I would recommned going with more "real" food rather than processed...can you cook up a few chicken breasts or hamburger patties to munch on instead of jerkey and cheese? Do you hate eggs? Hard boiled eggs are a good snack, and how about making up some chicken or turkey salad with real mayo?

More water, more veggies, more real food, possibly more exercise, less sodium, less processed foods... and LOTS of patience. i lost 11 pounds in induction and then had the famous week 3 stall--so discouraging. But I started losing again, and you will too. Hang in there!

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Renee
1/19/04
261/220/160
41 lbs off
60 lbs to goal



Race to 199 Challenge
Labor Day Challenge: Focusing on the Journey
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Missid,

I just wanted to agree with Stacy and say that your monthly cycle could be the culprit too. I thought I had stalled as well, and then poof, my period came along. Its been 4 days and go figure, I have lost weight again! Water retention...party of one!!?? Good luck and stick with it. Lots of good advice preceeds this post!

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Heather