Hi I have been doing about the same thing since November I lost 6.5 lbs (156.5-150) the 1st week that I started on Atkins. The I stalled for about 3 weeks and droped down another 2 lbs(150-147) after TOM visited. Lost 3 more lbs the week of TOM (157-144)then gained the 3 lbs back.(144-147) I figured a lot of water loss. Well now I've been the same weight for 2 1/2 weeks(147). No change... Eating the same still if not a little less. and drinking lots of water. I have a very active life I'm on my feet all day for work. I try to exercise but it ends up being about once a week on the treadmill.....Trying to change that. I've remained in Ketosis according to the strips...and have stoped drinking any alcohol or coffee. So here is my typical menu....If you could look it over and help me out that would be wonderfull I'm ready to try another diet. I don't want to give up on Atkins though. I'm also 5'7

am-8 oz decaf coffee with 2 tbs. low carb creamer

b- 2 eggs with 2 links of sausage, sprinkled with cheddar cheese 1 tbs

s- 1/2 red bell pepper

L- Mixed green salad 2-3 cups with 1 tbs feta, balsamic vinegar & olive oil 1 tbs. (sometimes I'll cut the other 1/2 of the bell pepper and add it)

s- 1 oz (26-28) of roasted almonds

d- 1 chicken breast with 3/4-1 cup steamed brocholli

pm s- 1/2 cup of carb options chocolate milk (warmed) with a touch of whipping cream

I drink at the least 96 oz of water a day.

Thank you so much for your help!!

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157/132/128dance2

Hi Christina,
Oops..hit the wrong key....I'm back LOL.

Congrats on your loss thus far. Are you out of induction? If not, you should move on into OWL. Just from what I see from your menu, you could probably add a little more fat in the form of full fat salad dressings, drop the balsamic vinegar, as it does have carbs. Depending on which type of nuts you are eating, Dr. Atkins says a *small child's handful...which would be about 8-10 whole nuts. I know this tripped me up last time because 1oz of almonds is about 21 nuts. But.....nuts are very calorie and fat dense, so you might try dropping back a little with them. Also, I would add more veggies; if you have salad for lunch, then do about 1 1/2 cups of another LC veggie with dinner.
Everything else looks good. Keep going with your water, try to get your exercise frequency up to about 3-4 times per week, and most of all...
Hang in there! Other things to consider...high salt items cause fluild retention; some condiments have carbs that you don't expect; gum, sugarless mints, etc all have carbs as well.
Also forgot to add, if you don't have a lot of pounds to lose, and from your ticker it looks like you don't, sometimes it just goes slower than someone with alot to lose. Again...hang in there
HTH

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Shelley
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Visit Kassie's Korner



Life deserves a treat now and again, but life also deserves being healthy[with required disipline] to make it worth living!

Good morning, heavensentcc. I think you might need to add more protein to your menu, especially at lunch. Maybe add some tuna or chicken to your salad. And perhaps more and varied veggies. Sometimes we have to eat a little more in order to burn the fat. It sounds weird, but if we don't eat enough, our body thinks we are in a fasting mode, and our metabolism slows down, to preserve our fat to protect our body. I'm not saying to add big amounts, just maybe an extra serving of protein and veggies a day, and see how your body responds in the next couple of weeks.

It looks like a good menu, though, and you are to be commended for sticking with this woe. Also keep in mind that you don't have a lot of weight to lose, so your loss will be slower than for those who have a larger percentage of their body weight to lose; and stalls happen to all of us. I've been in one for 2 years, and I am finding that I have to revamp my woe in order to lose even the smallest amount. So be patient, the pounds will come off if you persevere.

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Nita

Hi Christina,

At your height (5'7") 144 SHOULD just about be an ideal weight. My DH is a little taller than that, and pretty much keeps his weight at 145. He looks JUST right. So based on that comparision (I know it's a little different for men and women) I think you are probably at a proper weight for your height. I think women often forget that we have different weight issues than men. For instance, we carry extra weight in our boobs and a little more in our hips and thighs. That's just the way it is.

That being said, your body will refuse to give up more weight if IT thinks it's at an ideal weight for your height. (and activity level)

I question your goal weight. Why do you want to get down to 128? I would think for someone at 5'7", 128 would end up looking down right skinny. I am 5'2" and am currently holding around 144. I would even look skinny at 128 at my height. You may want to re-evaluate your goal.

As for your menu, it looks healthy. You could probably stand to eat MORE food. Add more veggies and some cheese to your lunch salads. For dinner, you should be eating another veggie with it. Don't be afraid to eat LOTS of veggies.

The goal with LC eating should not only be for weight loss, but also just for general good health. And being TOO skinny is not a healthy thing.

May I ask: What size clothes are you in right now and what is your age?

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Hi Barb, Nita, & Shelly!! Thanks for the input. I am 5'7 33 years old and I wear a size 10 Old Navy jeans comfortably. I would like to get down to 128 because I was there once befor after the birth of my second child (10 years ago) and I really liked that size. I still had hips, I was working out weight training/cardio everyday 3 hours per day and so I wasn't to thin looking. I just had to work out a lot to stay there. It didn't last for more than 1 month because I got pregnant with my 3rd child & slowed down with my work out. After all of my pregnancys (4 total) I was able to stay around 135-140 with out having to watch much. But just recently (with in the past year) my weight jumped to 156. Also 2 years ago when I tried the low carb way I got down to 132 and wore a size 4-6 and felt perfect at that size. But of course it didn't last because I stoped paying attention & we ate out a lot. I have very small bones. At least I think I do. So with all that said I was shotting for 128 but would be fine at 130-135 and not feel fat. So 12 more pounds would be good. Oh & also I got a new scale and it says that my body fat is at 30% and that it was to high.

I've been afraid to eat to much so I cut down on the cheese and stoped putting meat/protien on my salad. Maybe it is the extra salt from the almonds causing more water retention.

I do have another question. 15 years ago I went to a naturpath and he said I was allergic to dairy & wheat. I was wondering if food allergies could be slowing me down? I went to another medical Dr. and he said that a blood test for food allergies isn't very accurate and he did a scratch test with no reactions to food. Except everything airbourn I had reactions to. I should live in a bubble according to that test
Thanks for your help & support!!

Christina

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157/132/128dance2

Hi Christina,

I personally would feel better about your goal of 130-135. Perhaps that's a goal you should set for yourself, just for now. You can always change it when you reach the interum goal.

As for wheat and dairy allergies, I feel that MOST people have at least SOME sensitivity to those foods, simply because we weren't designed, as human beings, to digest them efficiently. I am no doctor, but my experience has been that people typically have problems with them because our intestines aren't designed for their proper digestion (nor are our digestive enzymes) and they are both VERY mucous forming, which indicates irritation. Mucous is the body's FIRST line of defense.

The body is an interesting machine, and when it feels it might be "starving" it will hang onto any reserves of fat just in case of famine. And an interesting thing occurs when you consume more protein. The body digests it at a rate of about 50% to glucose (blood sugar) where it will digest processed carbs at a rate of 100%. In order for the body to convert that protein to glucose it has to work harder at it. This is what Dr. Atkins called the "Metabolic Advantage." So..........don't be afraid to consume a bit more protein in the form of meats.

The main focus for someone in your weight category (or anyone else's for that matter) should be to just be HEALTHIER. That should be the first goal. And that should be regarded as something one should want for the rest of their life. And Us Mothers should want to be the healthiest moms for our children. They certainly deserve the best mommy they can have, eh?

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Barb thanks so much that makes complete sence. I should pull out that old book and take a look. I heard before that you can have to much protien and that it could be bad on your kidneys so that is also why I've held back not to eat to much. I will add more.

So do you think it might help if I avoid dairy & wheat? Concerning weight loss. I know I need to be healthy for my babies. That is the main reason I decided I needed to make this a life style change this time. I was starting to get worn out & not being able to do as much with the extra weight. I'm surprised what 10 pounds can do to my energy level. My knees & legs were getting soar. I started to have a lot of back pain.

I think that my body did go into starvation mode. That is probably why I was so tierd. My body trying to conserve my energy. So do you know how long it might take to get out of "starvation mode" ? Will I have to gain weight to start lossing again?

ok I'll change my goal to 135 and go from there. Hey that means I only have 12 more pounds to go yippy!!

Thanks again Barb. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

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157/132/128dance2

I don't know how long it will take to start losing again, but someone else on the boards here knows she is dairy intolerant and gave it up and started losing almost immediately. As for wheat, it's something we can ALL live without (in MY opinion).

Changing your goal lessens the stress you will put on yourself too!!!! (and stress is counterproductive to weight loss also!!!) So, hum along with a goal of 135, see what happens and you'll be to that goal before you know it. But also keep in mind, losing weight is a stop and start proposition. It's not a smoooooth process. There will be times when you will slow down or stop all together, but if you are doing things right, it will start up again. Just don't fret over it. Think of this as a lifelong journey. And sometimes it's nice to stop and enjoy the scenery.

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