Is it possible to stay in ketosis (showing moderate to large level on Ketostix daily) and yet not lose any weight for 10 days?

And for those of you who have had 3, 6, 8 month long stalls -- were you in ketosis that whole time?

inquiring minds want to know.....

Michelle -- 208/196/140
Started Atkins 9/03
On my way to finding the new me.... WATCH OUT WORLD!!

Not sure if thats the "norm" I have been in ketosis right thru from the third day of induction till now (five weeks later) and havent lost since the second week. Hope to get some good advice. i have upped my veg's and am still waiting for the fairy!

Repeat after me...There's no place like home.

You probably can stall in ketosis. However, if you're in ketosis, you're doing the diet right. All you can do is have faith and wait. You might want to list what you're eating so we can take a look and see if there are any problem sources.

But ten days without losing weight can be caused by any number of things. Have patience. Don't compare your initial weight loss to others because we've all got different initial conditions and metabolisms. If you do this diet for any reasonable length of time, you'll certainly have a ten day stall at some point, and probably much longer ones too... and that's just if you're doing things right.

Donna, I've heard many people with stalls like yours right after induction. Your body needs to play catch up. I'm a firm believer that ketosis is all that matters, so as long as you're in ketosis, I think you can just wait it out. Enjoy your low-carb food and smile.

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

Michelle, yes it is possible. I have been in ketosis without losing weight, and then finally I would lose a pound. I am a person who does not lose weight quickly, so I have to wait for the whoosh fairy quite frequently, but eventually I lose it and it stays gone .

As a matter of fact, after 6 months eating low carb I very seldom use the strips. I figure this is how I am going to eat no matter what so it does not matter what the strips say { Dr. I, don't pass out}. I would say it does not matter to me if I lose another pound or not, but I don't want to lie to you .


Good Luck!

Susan ( AKA Northwest)
207/171.5/160/
size 16/12/8
LC since 4/03

Heheh... I didn't mention Ketostix at all, this time. Believe it or not, I actually try not to mention them too many times because I know there are so many stick-haters that get ruffled when they hear them mentioned.

They're just a tool.

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

It's funny on how you tend to rely on those "sticks" that much, but I will tell you I use them nightly..Dont' check the scale, my sticks are what I rely on..(well clothes fitting great does help!) I go up/down especially when I have started a fresh week and increased some with my carb intake. However, knowingly by increasing with "good carbs", not worried. Usually by the next day or two, the pink stick is showing signs again..
Don't fret, it will happen..

Thanks for all the input. I read an excellent article on this site today about breaking through plateaus. I will try to post the link here but I'm new at this sooooo here goes.....

Breaking Through the Plateau

Michelle -- 208/196/140
Started Atkins 9/03
On my way to finding the new me.... WATCH OUT WORLD!!

Exercise is fine and weight lifting is excellent exercise.

However, if you are losing muscle on a low carb diet, then you are not eating correctly. All low carb plans with which I'm familiar provide ample protein to prevent your body from catabolizing tissues willy-nilly. If muscle is being burned for energy, that is starvation, not low carbing.

Maggie
5'1" ~~ Atkins since '98 (160)/Maintaining nicely (110) ~~ Redhead until further notice!

Thanks for the link Michelle - it worked!

194/179/125 (5'4)

And I'm gonna make it this time!

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> I certainly disagree on this point, which comes up a lot on the Bobybuilding boards I frequent where University studies are posted all the time. In simple terms, just eating protein doesn't send your body the signal to keep muscle and shed only fat. A stimulus (resistance training) must be provided. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's interesting. I've never been to a bodybuilding board and seem to have missed the reasearch to which you refer in the medical journals. My own experience and what I've read in the last few years is to the contrary.

Would you mind posting a link to a couple of studies?

Always interested in the latest information physiology and metabolism.

Maggie
5'1" ~~ Atkins since '98 (160)/Maintaining nicely (110) ~~ Redhead until further notice!

Um, Shark? You need to do a little more research.
Eating increased protein (as in this way of eating) DOES prevent muscle loss. I'm not saying that you will not lose *any* muscle, and I do believe in weight lifting (for many reasons), but this woe is the LEAST destructive to muscle tissue of ANY diet out there.
In fact, we often tell people who are gaining or not losing (but staying true to the woe) not to fret. Often these individuals are eating adequate protein for the first time in their lives! Naturally, one of the body's first instincts is to repair and rebuild lost muscle. THIS WILL HAPPEN regardless if the person is weight training or not.
When my dh was in medical school, he saw a patient on his medicine rotation who was so extremely protein-malnourished that his body had started to consume it's own heart tissue (since the heart is a muscle).
This got me to thinking about extremely low-fat diets and how restrictive they are on proteins. You want to talk about a diet causing muscle loss??? Low fat diets cause muscle loss!

As for the ketostix, they are NOT just an indicator of ketosis; they are an indicator of "fat being burned." If your menu is particularly high in fat you may show ketones on your ketostix, but not actually have burned off any *stored* fat. This is one of many reasons why I tell people not to rely on them too heavily. They are a *fun tool*, but they are not absolute.

HTH,

Summer


www.herstorygirl.com

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>if you aren't weight training 1/2 the weight you lose will be muscle mass, slowing down your metabolism and setting you up for the yo-yo effect.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Shark, I don't understand. Followed to it's logical conclusion this would mean those here who have lost 100+pounds are about to die or slump to the floor like jelly because 50 lbs of that has been muscle. How is this statement compatible with the fact that my BF% has been going steadily down without any extra exercise at all?

Rave
232/187/130

Hay I like the ketosis stick game. I test once a day at the end of my day and I'm started to add up the number each day and when I hit 10,000 I'am going shopping for something that will fit me. As for the scale, I had to kick it out of my house so know I only weight in once a week.
Sandra

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Lawbooks:

As for the ketostix, they are NOT just an indicator of ketosis; they are an indicator of "fat being burned." If your menu is particularly high in fat you may show ketones on your ketostix, but not actually have burned off any *stored* fat. This is one of many reasons why I tell people not to rely on them too heavily. They are a *fun tool*, but they are not absolute.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Summer, I think you misunderstand something.

If you have ketones in your blood, you are, by definition, in ketosis. The question of whether the ketones were created from dietary fat or from body fat is an important and interesting question, but it's not necessarily that important.

Showing positive tells you a number of things, regardless of where the ketones come from.

First, It tells you that your carbohydrate intake is low enough that your body can metabolize fats into ketones. For instance, this will NOT happen if you eat two dozen fat-laden donuts. A positive test tells you that you're obeying the most essential of low-carb rules. You're eating low-carb.

Next, the ketones in your bloodstream, regardless of their source, are providing you with energy and suppressing your appetite so that the next meal you choose is likely to be a smaller and more satisfying one. That tends to lead to eventual weight loss.

So, the source of the ketones may not be as important as you think. It's an indicator of faithful adherence to the plan, and an indicator of future success.

[All that being said, I've never noticed a big increase in the darkness of my ketostix after eating very fatty meals. I test myself all the time. I think I would have noticed it by now. But either way, it doesn't matter.]

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

for me..the stixs change color alot...up and down...up and down...LOL oh well as long as I see something and see results with clothing or scale..YIPPY thats what counts for me! but...yes I do use the sticks....somedays more than others....*giggle*
oh well to each his own.....
Hugs, Lisa


lc since 8-8-03
298/265
want to be 175 at least