Hey All,

Problems. I was doing so well the last two weeks. I just zipped along and lost 9.5 lbs. I decided to stick with induction for one more week for good measure and then I was going to start upping my carbs 5 per week. Unfortunately this past week I have not lost any weight, indeed I have possibly regained a pound. I say possibly because we all know that it's normal for your weight to vary by a pound or two, even if you weigh yourself at the same time every day. I am really bummed that I stopped losing and want to root out the problem. My measurements have not changed a bit and my clothes feel the same or ever so slightly tighter. Hopefully someone will spot a mistake if I post a menu (below). I check my sticks every single day and so I know for a fact that I haven't slipped out of ketosis at all. I've been exercising diligently. I am not really very sedentary when I'm not walking (yesterday I walked for 1.5 hours!). I drink my water and take my supplements which include: a very good multi, calcium, magnesium, potassium, folic acid, chromium picolinate, co-enzyme Q10, L-carnitine, and L-glutamine (because I still crave sugar every single day).

MENU

2 eggs
3 strips bacon
decaf tea with 1 Splenda and 1 tlbs cream

1/2 stuffed bell pepper prepared from recipe on this forum (definitely enough vege content)

1/4 macadamia nuts

1 cup romaine lettuce with 1/4 cup ranch dressing
approx. 2 cups squash, zuchinni and red onion mix
3 pats of butter
5 oz prime rib with 2 tbls horseradish sauce (prepared mixed with sour cream)
iced tea with equal (had to go this route cuz I was in a restaurant, would normally use decaf with Splenda)

2 oz cream cheese flavored with 1/2 Splenda, 3 drops lemon juice and 3 drop vanilla extract

That's it, I swear. This is quite representative of a normal day, except for the mac nuts, which I only indulge in if I'm about to cheat or am starving and have no time to prepare something and then I stick to a measured serving size. The only thing I can think of that I've changed between the first two weeks and now is that I'm eating far more vegetables. The reason is that I repeatedly saw posts on this forum which advised that, even though the Atkins book says 3 cups per day max, you should eat allowed veges with unlimited gusto. So I have. Could this be the problem?

So tell me, is there something wrong or am I just being an oversensitive newbie who should calm down and trust that, as long as I stay in ketosis, all will work out dandy in the long run? Help!

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Cindy
161.5/153.5/120

Stay calm. What you are probably experiencing is the all too common after induction stall.

My best advice is stick to the plan and within a week or two you should see the weight start to come off again. From what I can see though you may actually want to fit some more low carb veggies into your day.

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Libby

2004 174/142/138

Begin Again 2007

164/159/142

Thanks Libby. I've never heard of an after induction stall. I'm still basically eating the same stuff as during induction but with more veges. I was actually concerned that it's the extra veges that have stalled me. You say to eat even more though. I'm hoping you are right. I'll just hang tough and wait to see what next week brings. As long as those sticks stay pink I guess I have nothing to worry about, right?

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Cindy
161.5/153.5/120

Yes, there is the infamous 3rd week stall. Many people experience it. Just stick to what you are doing and you should get through it soon.

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Started Atkins on 9/20/03
235-->190; 150 goal

The third week "stall" is notorious. I'm not sure I'd even classify it as a real stall, which Atkins says is anything over 4 wks. It is a period following induction where your body needs to adjust to the weight loss, that is sometimes dramatic. You are doing fine, although I'm not sure where you go the idea of staying on induction "for good measure". You need to get on with your LC life and find out how much fun it is to be on "OWL". If you havn't read it yet, please check out the sticky on the Atkins Diet Ongoing Weightloss forum entitled 'An Unreasonable Fear of Owls'.

Two weeks of induction really is long enough. Adding in more veggies is a good idea.

Everyone is different, too. I lost five pounds on induction and then gained it right back for no reason! I was staying totally on plan, too. Since then I've been losing 1 pound a week and can't lose any faster. Your body will decide how much you'll lose--all you can do is make sure to eat your veggies, drink plenty of water, and stay away from low carb junk foods. Your menu looks fine to me.

Thank you for all the advice! I'd never heard of a 3rd week stall. Now that I know it's common I'm not so worried.

I had two reasons for doing 3 weeks of induction. 1) The Atkins book recommends that, if you would like to continue quick weight loss, you can stay on induction pretty much indefinitely. I decided on 3 weeks because I learned on this forum that if you do it any longer you will get carb intolerance. So, I was trying to strike a balance between quick weight loss and good sense. 2) I hadn't read the OWL section of the book yet.

Thanks again. I'll add more veges and keep on truckin'.

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Cindy
161.5/153.5/120

I am JUST like Terrasanct... I too only lost 5 on iduction and a lb. a week since., however, that 3rd week "stall" didn't happen to me, until week 9... I'm on week 12 and nothing has changed! So, I'd just keep going and see what happens over the next week or 2. It'll probably slow down, but it'll happen!

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185/157/130

I want a normal BP, healthy weight and good Cholesterol