Hi All:
Can someone help me understand how I can keep my calories down say, to 1200 per day (I've stopped losing weeks ago now & the only thing I can figure is that I'm eating too much) I ran my menus thru Fitday & found I was eating almost 2000 cals a day. I'm over 50 & think that's too much now. But how can I do this & still get my 60% fat with only 5% carbs? I'm doing Atkins, OWL. If someone can help me I would appreciate it so much!
Barb

Barb - Can you post a couple days worth of menus? Depending on what you weigh vs. what your goal weight is (and how long you've been doing this), it's entirely possible you're not eating *enough*.

The only way to tell for sure is to know what you're eating, whether or not you exercise, what you drink, and how much of it, as well as how close you are to your goal weight..

Anything else you can think of would be helpful as well.

(296/223.5/135) 04/01/03
The Downward Spiral Begins

After I lost my first 10, I reached a plateau for over a month. I realized, as you did, that I was eating too much. I cut my calories to about 1,000 a day and upped my carbs to about 25 -30.

I lost the weight fast and I was not hungry. I was paying more attention to my hunger and eating only when I was hungry. I wasn't planning on eating only 1,000 a day, but that's the way it worked out.

Nicolle
145/120/120 - 5'6"

shrinkydink & nicolle:
Thanks for your advice. Anything at this point is welcomed!
Sample Menu:
B- The usual: 2 egg omelet made with 1T heavy cream cooked in 2 tsp. butter or bacon grease. Occasionally, 2-3 strips bacon. 8 oz. decaf coffee or tea, black.

L- 2 cups salad; lettuce, cuke, gr. onion, gr. pepper with oil & vinegar dressing. Tuna salad 6 3/4 oz can, drained (water packed, can't find oil packed here) made with 2T. mayo, 1T. gr. pepper & 1T. gr. onion. If I'm hungry, I can eat the entire tuna salad, otherwise, half of the salad. OR: lettuce leaves, a tomato slice, leftover meat, chicken, or turkey maybe some cheese & 1 T. mayo, sometimes a little more.

S-1 oz. cheese or leftover meat (not usually measured)

D- 1, 6 oz. hamburger patty, fried, or a pork chop, chicken, some kind of beef plus 1-2 cups low carb veg (zucchini, cabbage, gr. beans, cauliflower, broccoli) with butter

S- diet pop (sweetened with Splenda) most every night. Sometimes pork rinds, meat or cheese.
That's about the normal for menus. I have been lo-carbing for several months now. Only lost a few pounds on Induction, have lost 3 lbs since. I just keep yo-yoing! I exercise 3, maybe 4 times a week, treadmill, 1 mile a day or stationary bike, at least 5 miles, 3 times a week. Oh - water. I drink about 80 oz. a day, I admit, not enough. Will do better.

Two years ago, I did Atkins & lost 40 lbs in just a few months. I stopped losing & gave up after several months. Gained most of my weight back, am no where near goal so that's not the problem. I just think that now I am really having a thorough look at all this, I am eating too much.
What do ya think?
Barb

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>But how can I do this & still get my 60% fat with only 5% carbs? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> You don't need to stay down in the 5% range for carbs.

Still, your menu looks okay to me - maybe a little high in cheese, but basically okay. I was in a similar situation for a few months - losing and regaining the same 2 - 4 lbs. I ended up reducing my meat and cheese portions a bit, I substituted half-and-half for heavy cream, and cut way back on salty snacks like sausage, pork rinds, and nuts. I still ate nuts, but not salty ones (it was easier to stop eating unsalted nuts when I'd finished my 1-oz. portion). I also started choosing fish and chicken more often than beef and pork, and I put ready made protein shakes on hold.

At that point, the scale started moving south consistently. Boy, was I glad to see that! I still felt happy and satisfied with my meals. My daily calories at that point were between around 1150 and 1350 per day.

Now that I'm in maintenance, I've been cautiously adding back calories and carbs. So far so good - I haven't regained anything (knockin' on wood!).

I still weigh and measure ~everything~ except low carb veggies. If I don't watch it, that "half tablespoon" of cream turns into the dreaded "quarter cup splash". Weighing and measuring is almost second nature to me now - the scale lives on the counter and I have multiple sets of measuring spoons and cups. I make cheese dishes and desserts in single portion servings, using custard cups or muffin tins. I know a lot of people wouldn't like to do that, but I found it really helped me keep my portions in control.

I should probably note that I'm over fifty and fairly short, which partly accounts for the slower weight loss and need to watch portions and total calories.

~~~Teelbee

174 (Mar. 2002, highest weight), 164 (Jan. 2003, begin LC)
174/132/137-134
remember, amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic

Barb - It sounds to me like you're still at induction level carbs after a "few months".. Try cutting out the diet soda for now, and definitely add more veggies.. Try smaller salads with larger portions of legal veggies, or if you're hungry, larger salads, and STILL more veggies.

If you're nowhere close to goal, 2000 calories a day certainly isn't a problem.. Try moving your carb level up to at least 30-35 per day, and make sure you're getting ALL of your water in. Try getting as close to 1 gallon a day as possible; even if it means cutting out some of the coffee/tea.

(296/223.5/135) 04/01/03
The Downward Spiral Begins

Barb,
I am almost 50 and have been doing Atkins for 7 months now. I go through periods of no loss at all. Then the whoooosh fairy visits and it's all good. It has come off very slowly, but it has come off.

I can't add anything more to what everyone here has said, Especially Teel..........great advice. You may very well have to lower your calorie intake.

I would also check into Candida. I truly think that people who have candida have a HUGE difficulty losing weight. Do a search on the words Candida Albicans and find a questionnaire (Dr. Crook I think) and see if you fit the profile. Just a thought.



Barb
Atkins-3/14/03
174/147.4/135
"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."

Whosh, stall, whoosh, stall. That's the NORMAL pattern. I wouldn't get upset and turn to extraordinary means just yet. Just hang in there and eat the right things and don't focus on the numbers too much.

**************
"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."

Good Morning & Thanks All!
I appreciate so much you all answering & giving me some words of advice. I will take everything into consideration & see what happens. I can't give up, no way! I know this is the right WOE for me, I just have to get over this bump in the road. Trying to find the right combination of things is my task now.

I am going to cut my calories (or try to!!!) but not too drastically; just see what happens. I was also concerned I was eating too much protein, but will try the calories first. On looking back, maybe I have been thinking where "this is not a diet!" I haven't really treated it like one either.
Once again, thanks.
BTW, this is a great site, nice people, great information.
Barb

Barb, it would also be helpful to know how much you've lost and how much you have to lose. I believe that there is a minimum amount of intake you must reach to lose as well as a maximum amount.

Some folks aren't comfortable with the weights, heights, etc., in their signatures, but it can sure help others who are offering advice. The number of calories/carbs, etc., would vary greatly if you were 220 looking for 140, or 140 looking for 125.

Mikeyrat

Started Atkins 5/30/2003
337/272.5/237 - 6'2" 43 YO
Wife: 224/194/165 - 5'11"

Mikeyrat:
Hi!
My weight now is 244lbs, 5'6" I am aiming at 160! I am 57 yrs. & sooo tired of being overweight. What I am looking for is a way to cut my calories without cutting fat. So I guess it would have to be from protein?

I am eating my bkfst of 2 boiled eggs with 2 tsp. of butter, plus 8oz. of decaf coffee.(I don't use cream, just have it black)

By the time I have lunch, maybe salad with 2T. of Ranch & maybe tuna salad made with 2T. of mayo & then supper with protein & vegs, a snack in the afternoon & one at night, I just can't fit it all in 1200 - 1300 cals. I tried cutting out "some" fat & "some" protein, I was starving all last week & the scale still didn't move. Plus I found myself wanting to cheat. At this point I am so confused I don't even know if I'm in ketosis anymore or not.

I've been thinking of what to do next; maybe just start over on Induction. I just don't know.
Well, anyway that's my weight/height. I've been trying to do this all summer, have lost nothing. My dh says I look thinner, but my clothes don't tell me so & I can't see it anywhere. All I see in the mirror is just me.

Sorry for the rant, but I'm discouraged this a.m. I want to throw the towel in, but I won't let myself.
Thanks for your help.
Barb

Are you taking any of the Atkins supplements? The "Accel" is excellent for helping you through a stall. I take the "Dieter's Advantage, Basic 3, and Accel (when needed).

As for water -- if you aren't running to pee every half hour you aren't drinking enough! LOL

Also, if you are on certain medications that can make it more difficult. I am 40 years old and in surgical menopause due to a hysterectomy a year ago. I take estrogen and that can make weight loss slower.

Also... this is weird... but if I eat macadamia nuts for a couple days (as a snack) the whoosh fairy comes to visit.

Don't give up!! Hang in there!!

If you're not sure if you're in ketosis, buy some Ketostix.

I think counting calories is counter-productive. I've done it both ways. But if you really want to do it, there are lower-calorie versions of low-carbing you can try. Some of them, like the Stillman Water Diet, don't require ketosis, just eating a low level of carbs, like 60 or 70 a day.

**************
"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."

Hi:
If you are truly doing Atkins, there is absolutely no way that you could be hungry, IMHO. There are a million things that you can snack on and still be in the ballpark.
Don't forget this is not a low fat way of life. It is not a way of life that calls for a lot of sacrifice. It is, however, a way of life that calls on you to change your way of eating. If you see it as a "diet" then you might fine yourself eating less than you should in order to "lose weight." I found, though, that when I ate more, I lost weight. I had to eat real food, though. No bars. No shakes. No sweets. Just good protein and veggies with a little bit of legal fruit. I also have to drink 100 oz of water. When I stall, I have found that the way to break it is to eat MORE, not less. Not forever, but for a couple of days, and then cut back to 30 or so carbs.
Peace, Peg
1/1/03
205/177/165 5'8"