Hey Ken,
Glad you haven't dumped the low carb WOE. I commented on the nuts because when you first came around you had posted that you were adding nuts to your salads during induction.
Nuts are not typically part of induction but I saw that they were for you so I figured you had been eating them all along and had perhaps upped their quantity to a level where you couldn't remain on a losing track.
Replace them with another salad a day til you see the scale start moving in the right direction again. It probably won't be too long, salads really help me.

good luck
chesnut

I weighed-in yesterday for the first time in 1 week and a half. The result? My once-and-future weight of 206.

Chesnut - I had forgotten about the salad nuts! Wow. But why was I able to lose those 9 pounds so quickly even with those nuts? I will try to get rid of those and see if that helps. I added in an occasional serving of dry roasted peanuts for net of 3 carb grams per after induction.

QueenMama - The same 5 pounds for a year?! Wow, there is no doubt in my mind that I would have given up long before a year. Perspective is an amazing thing.

Lawbooks - 1) I started at 215 with a goal of 180 (35 lbs total). I lost 9 pounds during induction and haven't lost an ounce since then (around April 28th). 2) I do pushups and situps every other day, martial arts for about 2 hours twice a week, and not as much aerobic as I should in addition to that. I used to (when in the AF) be able to go to the gym on base and run/lift/use eliptical trainer. But now that I'm retired, and looking for another job, and trying to finish WAYYY too many projects that need doing, I haven't made any additional time for more aerobic. 3) I drink over 100 oz of plain water per day. In addition to that, I drink 3 or 4 caffeine-free diet sodas, and 2 or 3 mugs of decaf coffee per day.

Thanks again for everyone's encouragement everyone.

Ken

Summer,

I read your article. Thank you! Somehow knowing this was inevitable, and not evidence that this "doesn't work for me" is very helpful.

Ken

I agree, Ken. That is a fantastic article! I don't know how I've missed it this long. Thanks for linking it, Summer.

I had another thought about your stall, Ken. Are all those projects causing you stress? Maybe that could be contributing to your stall? (I have no scientific proof here, just conjecture.)

Anyway, keep us posted.

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Mada
221.6/193.8 <--- ONEderland! /sz 8

Mada,

I actually hadn't thought about it, but....Stress? Ahh heck no. Just because I have just retired from the AF and don't have a new job yet, and have not heard back from the companies I've interviewed with. And when I get the new job, I'll have to start all over someplace with people I don't know in a business I'm not likely to have much experience in. Or maybe I should try to open my own business? But I don't want to work full time, at least not yet. I have all these projects at home I want to finish, which I may not have time for in case one of the comapnies does call back and wants me to start right away! AAARRGGGHHH!

So I guess if stress can cause a stall like this, it is a strong possibility.

Thanks for the thought!

Ken

Whoa! I thought retirement was supposed to be relaxing! What happened? (My dad doesn't even wear a watch anymore, and he was an ENGINEER!) Or are you one of those young AF retirees - went in at 18, did your 20 and now you're on to your 2nd career? If so, I completely understand your stress and can totally relate.

Personally, I like those Relacore commercials that say stress increases cortisol which increases belly fat... so THAT's why I have a fat belly!

__________________
Mada
221.6/193.8 <--- ONEderland! /sz 8

Mada,

I'm 42. I went to the AF Academy and was commissioned when I graduated at age 22 in 1987. I did twenty and retired as a major. The retirement is very good, but not quite good enough to live on....at least not to the standard to which I've become accustomed. So yeah, I definitely need to get that other career going. Now if I had made Colonel, and stayed in for 30 years, I could conceivably not work. But it would still required a BIG adjustment in lifestyle.

I made a concerted effort to relax today, which was made easier by my declaration to only check the scale on Fridays from now on. Let's hope that leads to a lower cortisol level!

Ken

Sorry I've been "absent;" I'm dealing with computer issues...

Ken, I definitely believe the stress could be contributing to your stall. I'm glad the article helped, but I wish I could give you some practical advice on how to get things moving again!
All I can say is, don't despair; at some point your body has to "blink" in this game of stare-eyes.
The only suggestion I have (and I'm sure others have probably mentioned this) is to try to mix things up a bit by eating higher carb (30-50) one day followed by strict induction followed by another higher carb day. Sometimes this gets things moving. Just make sure the additional carbs come from legal stuff like veggies and fruit. I find that berries are always a good choice.
Good luck & keep us posted!

__________________
Summer

Oh, and I do know there are some members here who have done an "egg fast" to help break a stall. I have never done one, personally, but you can do a search here for egg fast and find the thread.

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Mada
221.6/193.8 <--- ONEderland! /sz 8

Ken,

Did you drink the diet sodas in the first weeks or did you add them later? Some people have a problem with artificial sweeteners. You can try switching to green tea with some ice for a cool drink if the scale still says 206 on Friday.

Did you read your Atkins book again when you started over or are you going from memory?

As for losing when you were first on induction and eating the nuts I can only guess at answers. I can eat almonds and be ok but peanuts and cashews seem to stall me. I'm not sure about sunflower seeds but walnuts are ok for me too. I often use a few in the one minute muffins.

Are you still turning the strips purple? Because that's a good sign.

Dr. Atkins says that this way of eating works for 99% of people who follow it. You've been so patient I won't dare suggest more patience but do be persistant in trying to find the culprit that's stalling you, it's definitely something.

Looking forward to hearing that the scale says anything under 206 on Friday... chesnut

Ken, a long stall is one of the most frustrating aspects of trying to lose weight. I was eating induction level carbs for 9 months and during that period I had a 4 week "stall" and a 2 month stall. From the reading I had done, I knew that stalls were "normal" and to be expected. It did not make them any easier to accept. However, by the time I had my long stall, I knew that the l/c methodology worked for me and that my life was not a race to reach some artificial weight "goal" established in deference to the goal oriented methodology so prevelent today. Think "management by objective". Accordingly, I accepted the fact that my weight would get to a good level for me at my body's own pace and that would be when it would be, and not according to any time table I set. As I had decided that this was the way I wanted to eat for the rest of my life, I just stayed with it.

__________________
Henry

Ken, like Henry, I had several "stalls" along my journey to a normalized weight. Interestingly, they were at weights at which I had spent a long time at one point or another. Since my initial goal was so modest ("maybe lose 20 lbs") I was quite pleased to find at the end of two years that I'd lost over 55 lbs. That was about a third of my starting weight.

Two years may seem like a long time, but I've been a much longer time now without any substantial or prolonged gain. Over seven years at pretty much the same weight, with only a few pounds up or down since then, gives me a certain confidence that I've got a handle on things.

I hope you'll continue to eat in a healthy way and to enjoy all the benefits, including the ultimate normalization of your weight.

__________________

Can I ask that the title of this thread now be changed to "2-Month Plateau Still Holding?" This morning marks the 8-week point post induction (10 weeks on the diet). My Friday morning weigh-in steadfastly pointed to exactly 206! I have remained on induction levels for the most part, but increased carbs with strawberries about evey other day.

One of the things that is confusing me is that I consistently turn the strips pink, so I assume I am in ketosis. So how can my body be burning fat, and still not lose weight?

Also, I still have not found that post-AF job, and it does seem to get a bit more stressful every day.

Ken

per your request, i updated the thread title. Sorry it's appropriate.

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EatSmart Nutritional Scale Review

Oh Ken, what a bummer. I was hoping that you had knocked off a few pounds during this week. I just reread the Atkin's books: Diet Revolution and New Diet Revolution and they both agree that if you have a carb blow out you have to start over at induction level carbs to go back into ketosis (at the least two days at 15 to 20 carbs in Diet Revolution or the full two weeks again at 20 carbs a day in the New Diet Revolution). I highly recommend rereading the book if you have it and if you don't have one the public library usually has a few copies.

I just went back to strict induction levels 3 days ago my menu goes like this
B:3 eggs and meat (bacon or leftover chicken) with two revolution rolls and some cheese if I want any.
L:meat (chicken, steak or tuna), some hard cheese, minimal veggie side (jicama, radishes or celery) 1 cup of lettuce salad w/ ranch no extras.
D:meat, 1 cup lettuce or a salad veggie (radish, cucumber or celery) cauliflower faux potatos or another small side of veggies.
Drinks: black coffee in the am two big cups (caffeinated) and then lots of water.

I eat a lot at each meal and so far in three days I have lost three pounds.
It feels great to be losing again but I'll admit I was reluctant to go back to lower levels of carbs. Unfortuately I have three pairs of pants that are too small and I want them to fit so I got off maintenance and back to induction and the pounds are melting off again. If you absolutely "need" to break the plateau for your peace of mind you might want to give strict induction another try.

good luck,
Chesnut