I've been on Atkins for 6 weeks now and have lost nothing since induction (about 12 pounds lost then).

I increased by 5 carbs (fresh tomato) on week 3 and stalled.

I decreased back to ~22 on week 4; stalled.

I increased to 30 on week 5 (tomato, half-n-half in coffee, bag of Crunchers, 1 "carby" meal 1 day), thinking maybe I wasn't eating enough; stalled.

I am just at the end of week 6, having cut out cheese, tomatoes, half-n-half, Crunchers, et al, averaging 25-28 carbs/day, all protein and veggies. As of this morning (I weigh once weekly), still stalled.

I have paid particular attention to H2O (minimum 64 oz/day, usually more). Am in the bathroom about every hour, day and night. As of this morning, scale is up 2 pounds. No inches lost, no clothes fitting looser, nada.

I am tracking everything through FitDay.com. No bars, no shakes, no diet soda.

So, my dilemma at this point is, how many carbs should I be eating?

Some of the advice I read here says, "Don't continue at induction level."

Atkins book says, "add 5 carbs until you stop losing weight." Well, that happened IMMEDIATELY.

I would like to start getting into some routines with my new way of eating, but am finding it hard to do because I can't seem to arrive at an appropriate number of carbs to target. High or low, it's all the same--stall.

All advice appreciated!
Aderyn

Hi Aderyn,
I'm sorry you are at a standstill right now, but.....
You had a terrific loss with induction, and your body may simply be trying to adjust. 12 lbs is a GREAT amount to lose on induction...congrats
It sounds like you are doing everything right...eating veggies, leaving the LC bars and what have you alone, and drinking your water. I think I would start at 25 carbs and STAY there for a full week at the least, regardless of what the scales say everyday(which is another issue, in itself)and monitor yourself and see how it goes. Make sure the carbs you add are fresh veggies in the form of dark greens, or salad, or a lower carb veggie. Water weight gain can make you flucuate 1-3 lbs or more per day, not to mention if it's TOM.
I'm sure some more folks will chime in here to give you a hand.
Hang in there and good luck...keep posting and let us know how you are doing.
HTh

Shelley

sg
***********
"if it ain't broke
don't fix it"

Hi,
I just wanted to add that I read in the atkins book it is not a true stall until you have gone a full 6 weeks without losing lbs or inches and you are supposed to drink 1/2 oz water for every lb you weigh and in my case its 115 oz...and when I only drink 64 oz [like lately] I do not lose and can even go up a lb or 2!


To get to the rainbow you must first pass through the rain!

I suggest testing your ketones with ketostix. If you are still in ketosis, just wait and have faith. If not, then you need to cut back on carbs.

Hi Aderyn

It seem you and I are in a simular boat. I to lost big in induction, than nothing. Im in a weightloss contest at work so I weight yesterday and found that I really had only lost 3lbs(or so) since my induction loss.

Now if someone had told me in August (when I started) that I would have only lost 16 lbs by now, I can honestly say I would not have started Atkins. But I would still be depressed, tired and sick most of the time too. I still would have been fighting carb craving and not having any idea what to do about them but givein. I would not be doing 2 mile walks three times days a week and 30 - 40 minutes walking 4 days a week, I could go on and on.

Would I like to have lost more by now....AAAA YEA! But you know what 16 lbs in six week ain't bad. As a matter of fact its 2.66 a week AVG. I have decided to keep better intake records, add a salad to each meal, eat more green stuff and drink water til I float away. Keep your chin up, next year we will look back on these little trials and smile.

If God is for me, who can be againist me?

Aderyn

I can only think of one thing - exercise. And I feel a hypocrite to say this, as I have very little motivation in this area. I suspect I would have lost a sight more had I taken this advice!!!

BTW, I love your name - is it Welsh??

Clare

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone!! It is so great to have all this support and the good ideas. I think I will try a consistent 25 carbs, even more water (break out the oars!), and get serious about that daily walk, and see how I do. I'll report again in a week!

Hartensia, I agree with you *so* much! I probably would not have started if I'd known how s-l-o-w it would be (it's slower than when I was on WW), but am so glad I did because of how I feel.

Clare--good eye! Yes, it is Welsh. It's actually my "kennel name." I have Cardigan Welsh Corgis. My "offline" name (i.e., the one on my birth certificate ) is Jo Ann, but I always use Aderyn online.

I lost 9.5 lbs in the 1st 2 weeks. Since then I have only lost a few plds and I am in my 5th week. I have lost a total of 4 lbs after inductiona and I have only added a small amount of nuts and that is really about it. I also didn't excercise at all and now I workout 3 to 4 times a week (1 hour/ great workouts). I don't understand what is happening?

Maria
177/162/125
LC since 8/8/03

I don't get it, either, Maria, but I'm hanging in there. The Atkins book does say some people are more metabolically resistant, and when I look at the signs of "metabolic syndrome" (see LC news posting) I meet every single one of them. At this point I'm just taking it on faith. Enough people here have lost substantial weight, and have experienced stalls while doing it, that I'm willing to keep trying awhile longer.

Meanwhile, I'm just glad I'm feeling better (despite feeling no thinner), eating foods I like, and not hungry. I've white-knuckled it through some other programs without even those benefits!

Aderyn

Hang in there Aderyn . I am one who loses very slowly. I can go weeks with only a pound loss. But you know a pound adds up after awhile. I was thinking the other day that I am averaging only about 5 pounds a month (been doing this woe since April), but I feel good no matter if I am not dropping tons of weight really quickly.

Are you counting your calories? I had to start doing this.

I don't know what to tell you about how many carbs to eat. I wish I had a magic number for you, but it is not that easy .

Are you exercising? I find I lose faster when I exercise.

Good Luck!

Susan ( AKA Northwest)
207/178.5/160

My best suggestion for times when the scale stops moving is to drink tons of water, get the ol' bod moving, and above all, EAT CLEAN. Fresh meats, fish, poultry, seafood, cheese, eggs, veggies, berries, seeds, nuts. Ditch all the packaged low-carb products, meaning no ice cream, bread, muffins or mixes, no cakes or cookies, no shakes or bars. Those things are all highly processed and, in my humble opinion, don't count as real food.

Back to basics gets it every time, folks!

Sky
186/144/under 150

Aderyn,

I feel your pain. My loss has moved as fast as a glacier, but I have LOST nonetheless. I am eating like a queen and not GAINING. Look at it this way, at least you are not packing on the pounds. I do gain occasionally, but I chalk that up to the dreaded TOM. When Flo comes to visit, I gain a good 3 lbs before hand.

I read an article in the most recent issue of CarbHealth Magazine (maybe available here to subscribe, to which our own Lawbooks, aka Summer contributes regularly) about exercise. We Low carbers have an advantage where we can exercise for a mere 20 mins and get benefit. If you do 20 mins. of brisk walking or cycling, you will get a good cardio workout. High carbers have to do 40 mins. before any benefit begins. So just think of how long 20 mins. is and see if you can fit that into your schedule, say..........3 X per week. That's one stinky little hour. Not a bad time investment at all. I have found that when I exercise, the weight does come off faster. I have had periods where I haven't exercised and I have come to a screeching halt. So...........GET MOVING SOLDIER!!!!



Barb
Atkins-3/14/03
174/149.4/135
"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."