From Jan 1 - Jan 17, I lost about 23 pounds on a low-carb, good-exercise diet. From Jan 17-Jan 23, I maintained the diet/exercise and didn't lose a pound. As a matter of fact, I was plus one :(

My diet is something like this:

brkfast: Cottage Cheese; Weekend - Eggs

Lunch: Omelet or Cobb Salad

Dinner: Salad, Grilled/broiled Fish, pork, chicken or beef, steamed vegetable.

To drink: Water (lots and lots of water)

No snacking!

I realize there will be plateaus and I am already noticably thinner (both my belt and other people have told me this), but the whole week without weight loss bums me out. I deliberately don't use the scale on most days so I don't deal with the depression of "why do I deprive myself of things that I enjoy if I didn't lose any weight today?" So Tuesday's and Friday's are scale days (friday is really a check, b/c I use a different scale at the gym). Instead of the scale, I use KetoStix and I've been in Ketosis all week long (Go big purple!).

I know if you'd told me before I started that I'd lose 20+ pounds in January, that I'd be thrilled. But this last week has left me bummed out. I didn't expect to continue to lose 10 pounds a week, butlosing something would have been nice...

Spride,
Welcome to LCE!
First of all.... a BIG congrats on your loss!!!!
Second of all.....RELAX!!!!! You lost a HUGE amount of wt in a short period of time, and you body just needs to *catch up* with itself so to speak.
What plan are you following? I know...you probably already know this....but get the book, read up on your plan, and keep up the good work!

If you are doing Atkins, you may want to consider moving on into OWL phase.
That way, your body will continue to get enough nutrients and won't think it's in a *starvation* mode and start hanging onto the weight.

Also day to day fluctuations are normal; good plan to stay OFF the scales if they make ya crazy. Be sure and measure yourself, at some point you will most likely lose inches during the times the scales don't move.

Good luck! Let us know how it's going!

Shelley

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Shelley


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Hey Ladies. So I tried OWL last night after three weeks on induction. I went out of ketosis right away. I was even out of it this morning. I am so upset. I mean this is what I ate:

Morning: 2 eggs
Lunch: cheese and ham roll up
Snack: 2 tbsp hummus
dinner: tortilla with cheese
snack: FF/SF jello with whip cream

TOO Much? Oh god I am going to starve the rest of my life. I was so happy yesterday and seeing the ketosis stick just makes me want to cry now!

HAWAII

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245/240/175
245/235/175
245/228/175
245/225/175 :(

spride-i second what shelley said to ya. good advice! also, you may want to work on adjusting your attitude a bit. for low carb to work, it has to be an ongoing, permanent change in your eating habits. while maintenence eating is different from active weight loss phases kind of eating, you will need to be able to maintain your good habits to keep that weight off.

rather than thinking of it as denying yourself what you enjoy, how about looking to find new things you enjoy that also support your long-term goals? while this may seem like a matter of semantics (and to some degree, is actually), i promise you that how you think about the changes you're making DOES make a difference in your success level. with long-term changes in your eating, sooner or later there WILL be times when your efforts are not rewarded with expected changes in the scale, for many reasons. that's ok, and does not mean it's "quit working" for you. but it does require you to be ok with a long term view and not getting constant gratification from the scale drops. it's a process. so hang tight and trust that as you continue to make good choices and take care of yourself, the results will show in the LONG TERM.

peace out.

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hawaii-PLEASE refer to your book regarding introducing new foods after induction. normally you will add 5 carbs a day for a week, one new food at a time. there are recommended foods to add at first. there is also a sticky thread atop one of the forums regarding this. hummus and tortillas, while certainly tempting, are not among those you probably want to start with. it also takes some experimentation to find which foods impact your losses and which do not. you must be patient and take a long-term view if you want to have any hopes of long-term success.

there WILL be times when your body will go out of ketosis. this is ALL part of the learning process. going out of ketosis for ONE DAY does NOT MEAN you will "be hungry for the rest of your life." there will be days, and maybe even weeks or months that you may not lose anything, even if you're following the plan perfectly. this is all part of the process. go back and review your book and understand this is a long-term proposition. those approaching it as a quick fix are most likely to end up disappointed.

good luck.

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Spride, I only lost 6 lbs the first 3 weeks I started LCing. It came off very slowly, but it DID come off. And if you are losing inches and your clothes are getting loser, then you are still losing no matter what the scale says. And LOOKING slimmer is what REALLY matters, that's what people see. We don't walk around with a weight number floating above our heads like our cholesterol numbers in those commercials. And remember, it comes off in spurts. Last year, we talked a lot about the woooooosh fairy. You can go days without losing a pound and the wooooooosh, 3 lbs will come off. You gotta go with the flow. Hang in there, we all have been there and know how you feel!!!!

Hawaii, tortillas and hummus are prolly the culprits.

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They were low carb tortillas! only 3 carbs. Also, I am sure it was the hummus and "other" Went right back to ketosis yesterday and I am back on induction. It is just easier to handle that OWL. You are right goddess that I need to learn better how to introduce new foods but I am not so good at that. I will keep working at it.

HAWAII

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245/240/175
245/235/175
245/228/175
245/225/175 :(

even low carb tortillas can cause problems for some people. it's a very individual thing and takes experimentation and time.

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HAWAII - I can't stress strongly enough that you start adding in (according to the book) the extra 5 carbs a day. It makes a HUMONGOUS difference in what you can eat, how much,and the variety. It's vital to figure out your CCL (critical carb level) so that you have that info to use for the rest of your life. It means permanent and enduring and wonderful healthieness...okay..weight wise.. the rest of you might go to pot. ;-)

It's difficult...I struggle with it...that 'induction' mind set is so comforting...you might read the 'so your afraid of OWL' on the website - it's a great asset.


Good luck!
Dee

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Started: 261
Currently: 182

FYI - low carb ANYTHING that contains wheat products (flour, gluten, etc.) CAN stall SOME people. Some people are hyper sensitive to wheat gluten, and it can cause Celiac's Disease in varying degrees. It can cause weight loss stalls all the way to severe bowel disorders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome. So, it's just something to keep in mind when using the LC tortillas. I DO use them on occasion, but try to use LC bread products sparingly. I go for the ones that have the highest fiber content. (and NO hydrogenates.)

Glad you are back in ketosis!!!!!

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See, this is why I come here day in and out. I just can not do this without ya'lls support. However, hummus. It is like my lifeline. I really love the stuff. Do you all know if jello or whip cream can pull you out of ketosis? Just curious. You know, I bought that carb counter program and it helps me keep track. The day out of ketosis was really a solid over 20 carbs. At least I can manage that.

HAWAII

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245/240/175
245/235/175
245/228/175
245/225/175 :(

it's too much of an individual thing for someone else to be able to say jello is a problem, whipped cream, etc. for you. it's more like we can see, ok, this is a likely culprit since it causes problems for lots of people.

for some, the aspertame (sp? i think that's what's in sf jello?) can be an issue, others, not. whipped cream, if it's homemade, may bother you if you eat a lot; heavy cream is very high calorie. you will simply have to experiment. that's why the book recommends you add one thing at a time, each week. that way, if something is a problem for you, it's easy to identify the culprit.

and remember, ketosis isn't the gold standard. some people can lose without ketosis ever showing. it's just another way to measure progress.

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Here's a link to a Splenda version of jello. Barb/Charski Jello by Maggie It is WONDERFUL and you can pick your own flavor with the kool-aid. It's GREAT with the homemade whipped cream sweetened with a bit of splenda. (I hope you can get all the stuff for it there in Hawaii.) To make whipped cream, freeze a metal or glass bowl for a good half hour along with the beaters of a hand mixer. Stick your whipping cream in the freezer for about fifteen minutes too. (everything should be REALLY cold) Pour a cup of whipping cream into the chilled bowl and beat until it starts to thicken. Add a packet or two of splenda. Whip until peaks will form when you raise the beaters (turn OFF the mixer first!!!! LOLOL) out of the whipped cream. If you beat it toooooo long, you'll get butter. IF this happens, you can still use it as butter, don't throw it out. It's a timing issue to get it just right.

Even tho this is legal LC, you have to practice restraint with it. Like Goddess said, the whipping cream is calorie dense and could stall you just from the calorie content alone. Remember to add 1 carb per packet of splenda to your total amount depending on how much you add to the whipping cream. (Every little carb counts when you are in induction.) You can figure out the total amount of the whole recipe and divide it by the number of servings you use.

Make sure you make this at night and refrig it overnight. It DOES take at least 5 hrs to set up.

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First of all, I want to thank you all for replying. It does feel better knowing I'm in the same boat as many others.

I'm definitely going to stick to the low-carb diet for the time-being. Losing more than 20 pounds in a month has made me a believer for now. Of course, I did start exercising better and cut out practically all of the empty calories I used to eat/drink. I certainly expected to lose weight carbs or no carbs .

I know from reading the site that most of you consider this a life-long commitment - a way of eating. I find it hard to commit to that after just being on this regimen for 4 weeks. My goal is to lose a significant amount of weight. I see this as a likely very effective means to lose it. I have two co-workers who lost 70 and 100 pounds respectively. I need to lose another 60 pounds in order to not be obese. Forty more gets me to "Normal Weight," - of course, I haven't seen that number since I was a junior in high school.

But as to making low-carb a 100% way of eating for the rest of my life, I don't think I can do it (nor do I think I want to). Whether I continue the low-carb route forever, I have learned a heck of a lot about food. Little tid-bits like OJ isn't good for you (certainly not in the quantity I was drinking). Eating Protein with every meal. (Maybe that way, I won't consume whole large bags of cheetos or bags of jelly beans.) I do plan to change my lifestyle from my pre-diet habits. Hopefully, the exercise will continue too! But four weeks in, it's hard to tell myself, I'll never drink apple cider (or anything but water) ever again.

Spride, you need to think about your plan of attack after you reach your goal weight. Losing weight is one thing. KEEPING it off is another. If you go back to drinking sugary drinks and eating cheetos the weight will come back on with a vengence. Yo-yo dieting does way more damage to the body than being a little overweight and staying there. If you go back to eating things like cheetos and drinking apple or orange juice, you WILL see the weight creep back on. And we all know that weight creeps back on. It sneaks up on us and before we know it, we're back to where we were when we started.

I get the sense that you feel deprived. It's not necessary to feel that way. There are many LC alternatives to things we have cut out of our food choices. For instance, there are many splenda sweetened beverages out on the market that satisfy the need for something fruity flavored. I found Talking Rain Botanicals at my local Sam's Club that taste like juice. It's 0 cal, 0 carb and quite satisfying.

I have found soy chips at Costco and Meijer (if you have these in your area) that make a wonderful alternative to snacky chips. Yeah, they're processed and probably not the best thing to eat. But once in awhile I have a treat of those with some decadent type of dip. They satisfy the chip craving.

I just made a decadent cheesecake topped with strawberries. It even has a LC crust. This certainly fills the bill for me and desserts.

There are ways to add "sinfully delicious" treats back that can still maintain a LC lifestyle.

Losing the weight and then going back to the way you used to eat is self-defeating and will end up with your putting the weight back on. BUT, it's your body, your choice.

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