Hi all, new to this site, but have read lots of your posts and found many great tips. I started 9/1/03, following Atkins woe. I've done this a couple times before, but could never stick with it. Finding it pretty easy to stick with right now, lost 10 pounds my first week back on woe, and I feel great! Now, however, I'm stalled and feeling disappointed. I have completely cut out all caffeine and aspartame, hoping that would help. I only use a few packets of Splenda a day. Although I have not been strictly tracking carbs, I have a general idea of what I'm consuming (around 6g for breakfast/brunch, usually 6g or so throughout the day in snacks, and usually less than 6g for dinner) And I'm drinking no less than 4 liters of h2o daily. I take supplements: mv, vit. e, coq10, flaxseed oil, and l-carnitine. I was wondering what other advice you long-timers have for me to jump-start me back into the negative numbers. Thanks!

Hey Tara,

Can you post your actual menu? This will help in finding any hidden carbs, etc.

Sonya
172/133/125

Slow and steady wins the race!
Go Longhorns!

Tara,
I agree with Sonya! By posting a couple days of menue's it will give us a better idea of what is going on.

Just to let you know.. that splenda has aprox 1gram of carb per packet.

Also.. Please post how much you want to loose, and any meds.

There is also a typical 3rd week stall that most ppl run into. It is nothing to worry about, it is just your body catching up! But make sure you take measurements because you can loose inches with out looseing weight on the scales!

Tanya
http://www.lowcarbeating.com/lcesupporter.gif

Member since Jan 2002
re-started on 1-3-03
272/197/185<--(next goal)

a typical day:

Breakfast:
2 eggs, cooked in butter, with a few pieces of bacon, sausage or with leftover meat mixed in. sometimes topped with 1/4c shredded cheddar or jack cheese

Lunch:
Usually a grilled steak or chicken salad, no fries of course. Salad usually includes meat, about 1/4c cheese, small amount of cukes, a few sliced black olives, 2 tomato slices. I pick out the onion. I usually use 1-2 TB regular ranch dressing, but I just bought some lc dressings I can't wait to try.

Sometimes a cheeseburger, no bun, with mayo.
Side salad if I get a cheeseburger.

Dinner:
Baked chicken breasts
Broiled sirloin patty
Salmon
broiled pork chops

usually with a salad made of baby spinach, about 2 cups

I also use broccoli (1cup), zucchini (1 medium)or mushrooms (8 oz) sauteed in butter as a side dish at times.

I'm drinking my water and staying off caffeine and nutrasweet.

For snacks I fell in love with macadamia nuts, and they come in handy 1/2c portions (2g ecc)

also...

starting weight: 225
current: 215
goal: 130

The only medication I take is Yasmin birth control pills

Let me add that if there's anyone from the Pittsburgh, PA area, I found a great Natural foods store that has an entire aisle and a couple of freezers' worth of great low carb stuff that I could only order online before.
Sunnybridge Natural Foods, Gallery Drive off of Rt 19 in McMurray.

Thank you for the replies, I appreciate the support

Your menu looks fine.. It's possible you're just going through the typical third week "stall", which is normal, and does pass. It's just your bodys way of trying to aclimate to a new situation.

You also said that you tried this a few times before, which means that your progress is probably going to be a bit slower...

Have you taken measurements, and checked to see if you're in ketosis, rather than relying solely on the scale?

(296/226.5/135) 04/01/03
The Downward Spiral Begins

At first glance of your menu, here's my two cents to get things rolling again:

1/4 cup of cheese twice per day = how many ounces? Limit yourself to 4 ounces of cheese poer day, and then only aged cheese (nothing pasturized or processed)
Tomatoes and onions (and carrots and squash) are high glycemic veggies. You may want to forego them just now to get things rolling again.
Cut out the nuts
Make sure your bacon and sausage don't contain sugar
Keep a religious tally of your carb intake for the day. At times when we guess, you'd be surprised to know the "actual" total versus the "guesstimate".
Read "possible help for newbies" in the newbies section (I know you're not a newbie, but there's some good info there even for vets)

Also...read on page 64 of DANDR what Dr. Atkins says about the Pill and hormones

Again....my two cents. You can tell me aloud to go to Hades. People have said worse to me and I'm still here

April
352 / 204 / 180
5'10", large frame, size 13 shoe
www.geocities.com/aprilreinhardt

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Keep a religious tally of your carb intake for the day. At times when we guess, you'd be surprised to know the "actual" total versus the "guesstimate". <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

FitDay (www.fitday.com) is an excellent tool. Particularly if your like me and hate to look things up in books.

God, what DID I do before the internet?

Check my journal link for example...

Information gladly given, but safety requires no unnecessary conversation.

http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJ...wner=RedLegg46

LC - 7/3/03
290/242/169

also it is not really a stall unless its 4 weeks...so keep at it and make sure and up your carbs w/more veggies and drink lots water!!

New to LC, lost 5, want to loose 10 more, stalled, about 3 - 4 weeks in. What is the deal regarding caffeine? I regularly hit the Starbucks, and put away the java just about all day! Thanks!

Hey Fellow Texan!

Just stick to this WOE and you'll be fine. Don't shoot the messenger, but the last ten pounds is the hardest to lose. Just hang in there. You're in the right place and it will come off. Just watch your cheese intake, and red meat intake. I find if I eat more chicken and tuna versus red meat, I can break a short stall. Plus, eat your veggies!

BTW, some people stall with caffiene, and others don't. I don't have a problem with it.

HTH,

Sonya
172/133/125

Slow and steady wins the race!
www.marykay.com/sdherde

WOE?

How many times do folks "stall"?

Veggies - raw vs. steamed? Pros/Cons? Onions OK? Purple Pill makes onions E A S Y to eat now!!!

Any other tips most welcome!

Keep Austin Weird!

Hey BG,

Since you're past your second week you should be fine with onions in your diet. I eat them all the time. I just don't go crazy with them. FYI: WOE means way of eating, and FYI means.......ha ha! (I guess I am keeping Austin weird!)

A true stall is about 4 weeks, but if I don't lose weight in 2 weeks, for me it's a stall. Hey, it happens to both low carbers and low fat eaters. Whata ya gonna do?

BTW (by the way) where is Friendswood?

Sonya
172/133/125

Slow and steady wins the race!
www.marykay.com/sdherde

Tara, what you're eating looks perfectly fine to me. I think you just need to let things take their course. I wouldn't change anything.

***********************
"Sometimes I think you have to march right in and demand your rights, even if you don't know what your rights are, or who the person is you're talking to. Then on the way out, slam the door."

thanks, all, for your advice. glad to see others have been there, too. To shrinkydink: yeah, I've been using the ketostix, which show me to be in a trace to moderate state of ketosis at all times so far. Measurements, no. Should have, they'd be great to look back on. Thanks to all for your help.