Hi to all, This is day 12 for me. I have experienced no weight loss, or decrease in waist girth. I mean none. Measurements were taken on day 1, 6, and today. Ketostix reflect that I am in a ketotic state. I have not exceeded 20g CHO on any day. I have switched to decaf with splenda(1pkt), and 1/2&1/2, usually 2-3 cups. I have started a multivitamin, calcium, L-glutamine, GLA supplement. I do not exceed 4 waking hours wothout consuming something allowed during induction. I work out 3 days/wk, and walk 2 miles daily. I am drinking >100 oz water. I feel ok, but need to know there is some redemption for my efforts. I would appreciate any input as to what I may be overlooking. I will supply more info if needed. Thank you for reading this, Jim

Jim, it doesn't look like you're doing anything wrong. Some of us are just slow losers, that's all.

Are you eating enough calories? Our bodies tend to think we are in starvation mode if we don't get enough.

How much do you have to lose? Those who have just a few pounds might not lose as fast as a person who has 100+ pounds to lose.

Make sure you count all your carbs, even the little bits, like the packets of Splenda. Check your supplements, too. Most don't have carbs, but once in awhile they sneak some in, in the form of the binders they use for the pills.

And are you getting enough fat? Low carb isn't low fat. You might want to check out Barry Groves site. He went low carb, but had stalled. When he added fat to his diet, he started losing again.

Barry Groves - Second Opinions, UK

Don't despair. I've been working at this for a long, long time, I'm a very slow loser, with long periods of stalls. So I know your frustration. However, you must be seeing health benefits by now. More energy, less indigestion, less fuzzy thinking, etc.

Stick with it. It will work.

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Nita

Hi Nita, I appreciate the timely response. I have been meticulous in my carb counts, and my fat intake is in excess of 50% of total, and I think the ketostix are indicative of my metabolic fuel switch. I do feel good, but nearly 2 weeks, and nothing to show for it is frustrating. Thanks for your kind support, Jim

hi Jim,
If you would post a few days worth of menus, with EXACT amounts that you eat, we might see some little something that is holding you back.
Don't despair; KOKO (keep on keepin' on)

I did not fair so well my first start out of the gate with LC either; but sometimes it's takes an adjustment period, along with a little tweeking!

And... to LCE!

best wishes,
s

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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!

I agree with Shelley; if you could post a few menus for us, it would give us a better idea of what is going on.

Also, forgive me if you've stated this elsewhere, but how much weight do you have to lose? How tall are you & how old are you?

PLEASE don't give up this soon!! For some of us, it's a matter of patience in getting the ball rolling. Imagine that you are pushing a giant ball up a hill... you are surely near the apex!
Usually, guys respond WAY better to this way of eating than women do, so I imagine once your ball gets rolling, it will pick up speed rather quickly. Hang in there!

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Summer

I cannot be exacting, save for carb intake. I thought that was one of the positive constructs of Atkins. Anyway, in addition to the aforementioned coffee, breakfast is 2 egg omelet with turkey or chicken, and an ounce of cheddar cheese, cooked in olive oil. Lunch has been chicken or salmon salad, made with mayo or Kens' Ranch dressing and olive oil, with 1-2 cups of salad greens or 3 celery sticks. Supper is a black soybean chili(recipe on LCE), but made to 4 carbs/ serving. It has 3 oz. top sirloin and 3 oz. 93/7 ground beef, topped with 1 ounce cheddar, and 1 tbs olive oil. Snacks have been 5 olives with smoked salmon or a couple tbs. of the above salads. In addition, I have been mixing 8tbs. of psyllium husks with water. Thats about it ladies. Although some of the foods have changed a little, this nutritional thread has been consistent. Hope this aids your analysis, and I appreciate your help with this conundrum, Jim

Jim,
Yes, not measuring food is one of the nice things about low carbing, but as Dr Atkins said, one should eat until satisfied, not stuffed. I'm certainly not saying you are doing that at all. However, for some of us, portion control does matter. Obviously when you are consuming more calorie and fat dense foods, they are more satisfying,(unlike the carby junkfoods) and usually one starts to consume a less amount of food.
Also for some of us, right from the very beginning, calories do matter.
It sounds like you may be a little liberal with the fats; am I reading right that you dress your lunch salad with Ranch dressing AND olive oil?
You might try dropping the lunch time oil if you are using a full fat salad dressing. Also, on induction you can have a total of 3 cups of veggies OR salad greens. IMO, no one ever got fat eating to much lettuce, broccoli, green beans or other low glycemic veggies. You might try increasing your veggies as well.
Other than that, I think your menu looks pretty much OK.

Again, others may chime in with different opinions. You have to tweek and find what works for you. Please do not give up. You may have a big *whoooosh*(dropping pounds on the scales) in the next few days!

hth
s

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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!

ok, your menu does not look bad, and you've already covered lots of the "usual suspects" we look at.

at about 25 pounds to lose, i would definitely expect it to go slower than for folks with more to go, as the "last 20" are notorius for being a little stubborn. and unfortuantely, once we hit our 40's, sometimes it takes longer as well. usually guys get an easier time of it, but not always...

i would say watch the amounts you're doing on the cheese and half-and-half; for most people, it's true that early on you don't have to watch calories, but on the last 20 or so or for some of us, the can be an issue. and there are specific foods that i've found that will stop me in my tracks. too much heavy cream or cream cheese for me will do it every time. and that can take some detective work because it does vary from one person to another.

with your workout schedule, sometimes the scale won't show progress because of building muscle, but since you're taking measurements and i gather your clothes aren't feeling different, then that's not what i'm expected.

i'd suggest you try the dreaded "few days worth of menus" tracking, including amounts to figure calories as well as carbs...some are lucky enough that all they gotta do is start low carbing, but for some, too many cals, too few cals, or even specific foods can totally stop the show.

have you had a history of dieting in the past, and/or experience a difficult time when you've tried to lose weight?

and how is your energy level? also, are you on any medications? (you don't have to list them if you don't like, but be aware that can impact it.)

sorry to hear things aren't moving for you...sometimes it does take some time what impacts you personally. hang in there, jim!

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Fat Baggage- Is Yours Packed?

Thank you Goddess for your input. As of this morning, I am writing down all that passes between these two lips. No meds. I have dieted before. Southbeach was effective for loss, yet dropped my ability to think, and also made me irritable. Atkins, thus far, has left my mental acuity intact, and improved my energy level as well. That is why I am reticent to dump it. I will give it one more week, hoping for the whoosh Shelley mentioned. Should my lackluster results persist, I will have to try something else.

Hey Jim,
Looks like the pros have given you great advice. It helps me to go to fitday.com and for free I can enter foods and it will tally the results for me. Some things aren't in their lists, so I enter as custom foods.
Best of luck!

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Heather
182-2/27/08

That's interesting...SB worked but made you feel foggy, huh? So in the long run, you might be looking at something like modified Atkins with calorie or fat counting, perhaps? The fog usually comes from too many carbs for me, and SB is more liberal with the carbs but less with the fats. And I wonder if looking specifically at foods with a low glycemic index might be helpful for you? Like maybe you're especially sensitive to carbs, which could explain why you feel better on Atkins than SB.

Do expect that whatever you do is going to take a bit, though, with only about 25 pounds to go. I know it's hard to stay focused without the reinforcement of the scale dropping, but since you're saying you feel good physically, that does indicate that you're probably moving your eating habits in a good direction for you overall.

I do know that some of our folks, especially towards the end of their weightloss phases, do specifically start counting calories; we may grumble mightily at the time- or maybe that's just me!but the journey definitely can shift at different points.

keep us posted on how it's going!

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Fat Baggage- Is Yours Packed?

Jim,
I have to agree with Goddess; with so little to lose, you may have to do some *tweaking* of your eating plan to get it to work optimally.
On another line of thought: Have you had a physical recently? I'm wondering if thyroid could be a factor. Men often start to have trouble with thyroid issues in their 40's and unless it is checked, specifically, it will often go unnoticed. Make sure they do a T3 and T4 uptake as well as the TSH. This will give a more comprehensive view of your thyroid function. (But I guess you already know all this since you are in the medical field)

I would also like to encourage you to read some of the articles on this site -- rational explanations for your apparent lack of progress and motivation to keep you going. Keep posting & let's see if we can't get that whoosh fairy to head your way...

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Summer

Thanks all.