Okay, so I have been looking at this site for over a week now, and have finally worked up the nerve to ask some questions myself.

First of all a little background. I have always been chubby. I came into this world at 10 pounds 11 oz. There was never a time when I was a normal weight. So this is quite a breakthrough. This is the first diet I have ever committed myself to, and the Last!

I have been doing Atkins since 9/10/03, and to date have lost 29 pounds. I am very happy with this loss, but feel as though I am slowly down considerbly, even though I am "offically" still on Induction. I am wondering if I should move on to OWL, slowly. I am worried, because I would like to loose about 46 more pounds to get to my goal of 160. That is a lot of weight to loose on OWL. Any ideas? I feel as if I don't want to make a mistake at this point.

I either need to commit to Induction, or continue on to OWL. I know WHAT I can eat, but my QUANTITIES are questionable. I can go all day on just a little bit of food, or I can "make" myself eat more. I don't know if I should only eat when I feel hungry, or eat when I know I should. I need some real life advice. Please help!

Here is a Normal Weekday menu for me:

1 oz of string cheese
1 Diet Rite
2 eggs, scrambled w/1oz of cheese and a little hot sauce
side salad w/a little tomato & balasmic dressing
chicken breast w/mayo
1 oz of macademia nuts (sp?)
6-9 oz of steak
1/2 c. green beans w/butter

All day long I drink water (130+ oz), I normally have 5 sticks of gum (sf of course, w/1g of sugar alcohol), and sometimes have Reese's pb cup, or Russel Stover mint patty (no more than 3 per day total).


I also take the Dieter's Advantage pills, 2 pills twice a day, and Accel one pill a day. I am also on Metformin to help prevent Dibetes, 500 mg once a day. I excercise 20-25 mintues a day, 5 days a week.

Is this Menu considered on OWL? I don't think that it is strict enough to be considered Induction. Should I cut back? I appreciate any feedback that you can give. Please let me know if I have left out any information.

[This message was edited by Shelley on 10-31-03 at 02:00 PM.]

Congrats on your very successful weight loss so far! You must be doing something right. some of us continue to lose very slowly--and the point of that (I tell myself) is learning the low-carb lifestyle for the long term.

Looks to me like you're not eating enough. More veggies, please. More variety. More fat, even! Add some carbs to every meal if you can.

The gum and the chocolate, even lc, seriously stalls some people. You might try to live without it for a while.

Whatever you do, don't cut back.

Barb L.
Started Atkins January 2003
162/141/130

Yes, move on to OWL. The next 46 pounds are going to come off slowly no matter what you do, so you might as well give yourself some wiggle room in the number of carbs you eat.

**************
"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! I'll echo what you have already seen! Please add to your eating. Remember, we see this as a way of life, not a diet. You need to add more food in order to feel as though you are eating normally and not "dieting." I have been on OWL since Feb. and have continued to lose, sometimes at a rapid pace, and sometimes not. However, I have found that when I am really eating what I should and drinking the water, I ALWAYS lose!
Peace, Peg
205/177/165 5'8"

Thank you all for your great advice!

I think that I will add more vegetables to my food intake, and possibly try to eat more and see if that does the trick.

But I cannot cut out gum completly. I have also discovered Peanut Butter, Natural. The only ingrediants are peanuts and salt. For every 2 tablespoons there are 2 net carbs. I have been using this as my "treat" instead of the LC Chocolate. Any thoughts on this?

This forum provides a great service of support!

Shelley

congrats on your 29# loss! I do think the natural pb is a better treat than those sugar-alcohol flavored chocolates, as long as you watch portions. I am going to echo all the advice so far and recommend OWL. You don't want to over-sensitize your body to carbs by staying on induction indefinitely.

start 09.01.03 @225
current 206
goal 130ish

http://lowcarbeating.infopop.cc/images/25club.gif

"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." ~ Thomas Jefferson

Natural PB (I like Smucker's) is a favorite of mine. But I really have to watch the portions, because once I start, I want more. I usually eat it on celery--lots of munch and crunch--but have been known to lick it off the spoon!

Best wishes!

Barb L.
Started Atkins January 2003
162/141/130

Thank you for your advice Tara,
I am worried about overly-sensitizing my body to carbs. Especially as I am already at risk for diabetes. The peanut butter just tastes so good! I get one spoon full and then it gets put away!
We are very similar in weight, and start dates. How long were you in induction? Have you run into any short term stalls?

Barb.... I am with you.. that spoon is licked clean!!

Not gonna quit!

start date 9/10/03
235/205/160

Congratulations on a great loss! That's quite an accomplishment.

I have to agree that I think you need to add some fats to your diet. I always find that I have better losses, as well as feel fuller longer with more added fat. I like to use olive oil wherever I can, including sauteing some veggies in it.

Keep up the great work!

"The more I meet people, the more I love my dogs"

202/187

I agree with the consesus above. If you can limit yourself to 1 spoonful (depends on the size of the spoon and how big the heap is) of PB, that shouldn't stall you too badly. But if you find you are stalling, you might consider eliminating it for awhile. You WILL stall, so expect it. I stall on a regular basis, so I know not to panic when it happens.

Exercise, especially weight training, helps tremendously. As soon as you feel up to it, start exercizing. Weight training creates more lean muscle mass which helps burn more fat. It will add more weight to the scale, but you will SLIM down. Building up more lean muscle also releases Human Growth Factor, which also helps burn fat AND keeps us younger looking. Only do weight training every other day if not every third day. When you lift weights, you are tearing tiny muscle fibers, which is what builds new muscle. You have to give this time to heal or you will just add to the damage. So don't do it everyday. (isn't that good news?)

As far as the Russell Stover candies, et al, I would avoid them like the plague. If you aren't bothered with a side-effect of diarrhea, then it IS impacting your insulin levels and WILL stall you out and reverse any progress you have made. Try instead, whipped cream (homemade) with cocoa powder and Splenda. OR Canfield's diet Chocolate Soda with a bit of cream in it.

I agree, you need MORE veggies. And don't worry about eating on a set schedule. Try to eat 3 meals and eat 'til you are satisfied, not stuffed. If you only eat when hungry, I suppose that's okay too. Just don't let yourself get ravenous. This does a couple of things: We tend to CHEAT when we are ravenous AND it tells the body to stop burning reserves because it thinks it's starving. So......eat when you need to. And snack in moderation.

HTH,



Barb
Atkins-3/14/03
174/146/135
"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."

Thank you for the wonderful feedback, I truly appreciate it!
I am the type of person that needs some sort of sweet fix, that no jello is going to satisfy. Any other ideas of something safe that I could use, once a day or something?

Not gonna quit!

start date 9/10/03
235/203.8/160

The "needing" some sort of sweet fix every day is part of the mental cravings, which will disappear if you follow the program properly, and give it time, rather than giving in to the cravings every time you have one.

If you still feel you need to have something sweet every day, take a cup of coffee, add about 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder, some heavy cream, and some Davinci sugar free syrup. It's kind of like a dessert coffee. Just make sure you count all the carbs in the coffee, and cocoa.

(296/220/135) 04/01/03
The Downward Spiral Begins

Shelley..
I was on induction for 2 weeks, "cheated" big time on a weekend camping trip, so I stayed on induction an additional week. I had the dreaded 3rd week stall, but that actually ended when I moved to OWL and upped my veggie intake. I am in a bit of a small stall now, which I blame on not eating enough veggies, and not eating enough in general (I'm working on that, but I'm sick right now and you know how that is). I think the natural PB in moderation is just fine as a snack. If you like celery, spread it in some celery and you'll up your veg intake too! My recent "sweet fix" has been a cup of soyslender soy milk with a splash of DaVinci Danish Pastry Syrup. Microwave till hot. Very LC but tastes sooooo rich. I believe you would save this for OWL, though. Good Luck and keep in touch!

start 09.01.03 @225
current 206
goal 130ish



"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." ~ Thomas Jefferson

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Shelley S.:
I am the type of person that needs some sort of sweet fix, that no jello is going to satisfy. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The idea was to starve your sweet tooth instead of feeding it.... did you do that and just recently start wanting sweets or did you never completely give up the sweets? Not lecturing here, just trying to help. After I gave up sweets for a couple weeks the occasional mock danish or hot cocoa were great. Not very sweet overall, but seem sweet enough to me now. The fat with a bit of splenda seemed more satisfying than really sweet things used to.

Check out this article for info on getting enough calories...
http://www.countcarbs.com/advice/LCG..._WhatGives.htm

Fitday.com makes it easy to figure out the calories, carbs, fat, etc. in what you're eating and includes a chart for your calories burned under fitness. Try to get 65% fat, 30% protein and 5% carbs while on induction. The ratios will start to change as you progress through OWL, but keep in mind this is a high fat diet. The fatty foods not only help you get rid of the cravings for sweets, they keep that fat burning process going.

Linda

So I have a general question... Do most people on LC, and therefore Low Sugar, WOL not crave sweeets or not have sweets on a daily basis? I didn't know that I was in the minority.

I wish that I did like coffee drinks, Shrinkydink, that does sound like a good solution. Thanks though.

I need to remember to eat my veggies as well. For me a small stall is week, is that what you have too Tara? I also drink Liters and Liters of water. Probably over 200 oz per day. But I find that I crave water when I don't drink that much.

I forgot my PB at home today for my celery, so I won't be able to have any at work. That is okay though, as from the sounds of it, I need to watch those cravings, and "needs". I am kinda in between Induction and OWL. Some days I am closer to 20 carbs and every once in awhile I am closer to 25-27 carbs. I heard that this is okay, as it keeps your body from getting to use to the low carbs. What does everyone think of that?

I think that I have always had some sort of sweet, everyday and never truly "gave them up". When I first started this WOL, my sweet for the day would be a whole "LC Bar" or somesort of whole "LC Choc. Bar" or for example the Atkins 3 pk of PB cups. I have downsized considerbly to ONE RS Mint Patty, or ONE Miniature Reese's PB cup a day. But now I am hearing that this is still too much or not needed. (I have never had a mock danish, but perhaps this weekend I will give it a try.)

It is not like I am hungry for something sweet. It is just that I don't feel done or complete unless I have something. Maybe I just need to go a couple of weeks without any sweets completely. What does everyone think? Maybe try a natural sugar, like PB, or small amount of fruit?

Not gonna quit!

start date 9/10/03
235/203.8/160