Hello all!

This is my first time posting TO ANYTHING! I am a low carber, and have been after each birth of my three children. I use Linda's Low Carb Recipes site and love it. After I quit breastfeeding my five month old, I was cooking from Linda's for my mother-in-law who dropped from 185 to 164. I dropped all my baby weight and then some, but it seemed to happen in the two weeks after I stopped breastfeeding. It was like magic! One day those size 12's just didn't fit and I could fit into a size six. Even with my two kids before that I only got down to about 150. This time my weight loss was HUGE!

Anyway, so now I am cooking for a friend who has a two month old baby and stopped breastfeeding completely about five days ago when she went back to work. I've been cooking the same recipes from Linda's webiste, I'll list some below:

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli
Cheeseburger Quiche
Beef and Broccoli Casserole

and others along this line that are all marked with an asterik for induction. I also make standard deviled eggs, scrambled eggs and cheese. I use heavy whipping cream in all the casseroles, cream cheese, pretty much all the stuff that's on the induction list. She's been stalled at 174 for several days and I'm not sure what to feed her to kick in that diet. I'll take any suggestions because it's very important that she lose this weight. She's in the military and has to make a certain weight to stay in after baby! This induction has to work for SO many reasons. After her first child, it took her several years to get back down to 145, and she spent thousands on Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and other diet programs. She still has boxes and boxes left of Jenny Craig, but I would hate to have failed her when I know this diet works! Please help!

Okay, I've gone through and read some of the posts. I guess I will have to admit what you guys might call "mistakes". Maybe my friend isn't an easy loser like me. I don't give up Diet Pepsi or coffee - it's impossible with three children under 4. I do drink as much water as I do caffeine though. BIG on the water and I've noticed that my friend doesn't do that. I need to know if it's okay for her to eat the bars during the day at work or for snack. These are the ones we have:

South Beach Meal Replacement Bars, Atkins Advantage Bars and Russell Stover Sugar Free Breakfast Bars.

BTW, she's 33 has a two month old and is 5'7". She currently weighs 174 and has stalled out.

I personally think that it's the vegetables doing her in. That's the only way she could be going over 20 a day. When I count up the carbs she is ALWAYS under 20. I shop for her and she's not cheating. I've convinced her to keep trying because I have a working theory that when you are breastfeeding or trying to stop that your body maintains a certain amount of fat to produce that. I am hoping that I am right and that she will start shedding in the next 2 weeks. There are some other more emotional things going on that she can handle better if she were her normal size. I am thinking about going old school and back to the lipolysis strips and Bubba burgers.

P.S. She's freaking amazing when it comes to only eating what I put in front of her. I've never met anyone that doesn't have cravings or want to cheat on this diet - esp. me!:jump:

A lot of people have stalls with the bars because of the sugar alcohols. I'd drop those before I'd drop any veggies. Some of us have come to the conclusion that you cannot deduct the sugar alcohols, contrary to what the manufacturers of the bars would lead you to believe.

And she really, really needs to drink plain old ordinary water, at least the recommended 8 glasses per day.

It's also common to stall after the initial surge of weight loss. It's just the body getting accustomed to this way of eating. Patience will win out. Your friend might also have a slower metabolism. Often a new mom hangs onto her baby weight for a while, too. So it might just take her a little longer to lose, and it might be a slower process for her.

You're a good friend to cook for her.

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Nita

Based on what you have said, I would strongly suspect the bars are the cause of the problem. After induction, when your friend is in OWL, she can see if the bars adversly affect her weight loss. Eventhough they don't cause me any craving issues, I only use them in an absolute emergency, and then try to drink extra water too.

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Henry

I agree with the girls who posted already dump the bars, add the celery with cream cheese or turkey with some cheese rolled up for finger foods, and water lots of water.

No bars! Boil some eggs. Beef Jerky, if you must. A small handful of peanuts. No Bars

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Sven
305/218/200
Start Date: 1/1/06

Welcome to low-carb eating.
The food's not bad here.