Hi all! Haven't been here for quite awhile but feel the need to share with you all that I started this WOE on July 1st/05 at 210 disgusting pounds and now on January 20th/06 I am a much happier 163. I've dropped from a size 16 to a size 9.( Which I don't think I've been since I was 9). I am also about 5'8,and at first, my goal weight was 160, and I now wish to be 150 atleast. My question: is this unrealistic for me? I have got so many friends and familly, that I have turned on to this WOE after they saw how much weight I have actually lost and am happy to say that they are all doing fantastic. I have given them all such fabulous recipes that they dont feel deprived at all. My problem is that I have not lost a single ounce in so long I'm wondering if I am doing something wrong now. I still eat between 20 to 30 carbs a day and drink PLENTY of water. I must admit I dont really exercise at all in the winter but I didn't really exercise much in the summer either. Walking occasionally. Wondering if anyone else has had this happen for so long. Starting to consider if drooling over my plate at a restaurant as someone else devours a hamburger and fries is worth not losing weight for if my body is not capable of actually losing anymore?

Hello - I don't have any words of advice for you as I'm a newbie. And a frustarted newbie at that....but everyone has told me to hang in there. And from reading the Atkins book it talks about the very SLOW loss at the end of the road. I wouldn't know because I'm no where near my goal. But it sounds like it just takes a really long time to loose that last 10 pounds. I guess you could always do induction again, maybe that would kick start it for you? Like I said, I'm not trying to tell you anything as you've obviously been very sucessful. I really should be asking you how you did it. I have been stalling and I've only lost 4 pounds...And I want to loose like 70 so there you go...Take care!

Dee, welcome back!!! It's nice to see you here again. And congatulations for getting into size 9's. What an accomplishment. I find myself in the same boat as you, being 10 lbs from my goal. I don't know what the magic answer is, but I have stepped up my exercise lately. We'll see if that helps. That's the only thing I can think of besides now is the time for dreaded calorie counting. I really MUST do that, but I haven't yet. I'm happy where I'm at, so I'm not in a hurry.

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That's such a personal thing with many factors coming into play. I, too, am 5'8" tall, with a large frame (I wear a women's size 13 shoe). All of the weight charts say I "should" weigh 155 pounds. Were I to weigh that, however, I would look emaciated. A good goal weight for me is 180 pounds because I look and feel great at that weight.

So, is 150 an unrealistic goal for you? Only you can answer that question. But at this stage of the game I believe that you need to eat more carbs per day. Eating more of the right carbs won't make you gain weight. Eating more of the right carbs makes this a true way of life instead of a diet.

My two cents...

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April

The face of a child can say a lot -- especially the mouth part of the face.

My Blog

If you have been stuck for a while at your current weight and the scale has not moved, try not worry about it! In DANDR he states that it does happen.

Check his chapter on How to get past a Plateau.

One of the biggist things that I found that will bring my weight loss to a screetching hault is that I may have over done it on the cheese or sunflower seeds (I'm allergic to nuts so I can imagion that nuts may also cause people to not loose weight too).

And make sure that you check everysingle lables of the foots that you put in your mouth. Check the lables on your salade dressings for hidden sugars etc.

Canada, when you stated that you haven't lost a single pound in so long, can you elaberate what "so long" is?

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Anik

Stats
198/183/115
"My metabolism isn't low, it's just hibernating!"

Thank you all for your support. When I said a very long time,it has been a good month and a half for me without losing any weight. I seemed to have lost the biggest chunk of my weight in the first 2 months and maybe 20 pounds there after. I was surfing around a bit yesterday on the internet to try to find out how much I actually should weigh. Every site I have found says I should weigh in at about 140!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! However no site I found asked if I was big boned or not and I definately am. Not sure if that makes a difference or not. I am also 33 years old and have had 3 children and I also failed to mention that since my weight loss I have ALOT of that flabby skin that one would see on those ladies from shows like extreme makeover. Mostly on my belly and chest area. As I'm definately not complaining as I feel I atleast look fabulous IN clothes, was also wondering if anyone else is struggling with this problem as well ?

Hi Canadadee

I know how frustrating this can be. I am 5'7" and weigh 144 lbs. I've wanted to see the 130's even changed my goal from 128 to 135. We have a lot in common... I am also 33 but I have 4 children. Over the years I have gained and lost gained & lost. I also gained over 70 lbs per pregnancy. My thighs & my stomach are somewhat flabby my chest almost doesn't exist anymore :(. I've noticed that when I start building muscle & working out in general my skin smooths out. That is one thing I was scared of. I know if I didn't get this weight off while I'm still young my skin would stay that way. You lost weight very quikly & your skin needs time to catch up. Exercise makes a world of difference. Anyways back to weight loss. I was the same weight for almost 1 month. I was eating barely anything & the scale wasn't budging. Very frustrating indead. So the majic solution for me was. K.I.S.S. keep it simple sweetie. Stay away from processed stuff, diet drinks, diet bars, limit fake sweetners. In other words when you eat keep things as close to there natural state. The way God created them. I might be jumping the gun here but after almost 1 month of frustration my weight has droped by 3 lbs. in less than a week. I was trying a lot of different things and was getting a bunch of different advice from. I'm not eating enough veggies or not enough protien, I needed to add more calories and so on.. My head was spinning. I know it is harder when you are close to your goal weight & you really have to focus on EVERYTHING that you eat. Also exercise is not an option!! It is a must! No matter how many excuses I made not to exercise because I've lost weight before when I wasn't exercising. Your body does slow down eventually & exercise can jump start your weight lose. And remember K.I.S.S. !!! My more than 2 cents worth!! Good luck!! You can do it!! Just hang in there you have come so far.

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157/132/128dance2

dee-while a month and a half might be classified as a stall, it definitely doesn't mean the woe isn't working for you anymore. you ride it out...which honestly makes sense, since if you want to maintain you're previous losses, you have to eat low carb for life anyway.

with a few pounds left to lose, it goes much slower. i also believe that for many people, not only is the last 10-20 pounds the hardest, but it also often may require an awareness of calories and exercise.

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