Hi All,
I write this probably more to receive your encouragement than to get ideas, but I'll take both :-)

I started Atkins in July 2003 at 158 lbs. By the end of November 2003 I was down to 124lbs. Since November, however, I have fluctuated between 122-125. Up and down and up and down. I have only 10 more pounds to reach my goal weight, but 4 months of a stall is very frustrating.

Now, I've embraced this as my WOE, so there's not a single thought in my mind of changing or going back to the way I used to eat or any of that nonsense. I love the way I feel and am very proud of the weight I lost. However, I am still awful discouraged.

At first I thought I needed to add more carbs, so I did- with lots of leavy greens. No luck-scale didn't budge. So I tried the egg fast, but couldn't get past the 2nd day! So I returned to Induction - still no scale budging! I exercise- pilates 5X a week and run 2 miles 3X a week, plus weight training 3X a week.

My body fat composition has decreased 1%- so that is great! But I'm still 6% away from my goal BFC.

Guys, I'm not cheating- eating all the right stuff. I live off of Sharron's cook book! Counting carbs dilligently- staying away from sugar alcohols. But I'm going nowhere fast.



Any words of wisdom are much appreciated!

Thanks,
Regina

Regina - I don't know how tall you are, or what your frame size is, or what your current BF% is, but it could be that 114 is too low of a weight for you. I understand how frustrating a stall can be (I was stalled from September to mid-February - have gained 5 lbs due to quitting smoking).

How about you post a sample menu - thay will help us help you. Oh, and are you drinking lots of water?

__________________
Jen



179/179/120

Regina,

As someone who is extremely close to goal I will say this, the last 10 pounds are the slowest to come off. I know because it took me almost 3 months to drop 1 pound.

At this point you should be in premaintenance. If you haven't read the Chapters in Atkins book about Pre-Maintanence, now is the time. If you already have read it, read it again. This is the period of time when you should be adjusting yourself to make this way of eating a way of life. Experiment and see what carbs you can eat without gaining and then dropping back to a level that you can slowly take off the final ten pounds. Not to be harsh but iff you treat this like a race and do not fully digest what Atkins is saying in the Pre-Maintance and Maintance chapters of his book you may not succeed in keeping the weight off permantly.

Like Jen I am very curious as to your height, because it could be that your goal is not realistic to your body type.

__________________
Libby

2004 174/142/138

Begin Again 2007

164/159/142

I'm in your same situation. I have about 9 pounds to go to my goal weight. It is going very, very, very slowly. I'm ok with that however, because I knew that it would take a bit longer to lose those last 10 pounds. I just eat like I'm supposed to and really have no problems doing it. Atkins is truly an easy way of life for me.
I admit to splurging sometimes on s/f ice creams or to many lc tortillas a week, but over all I eat healthy low carb whole foods and I feel teriffic! My DH tells me almost daily how beautiful I look and if those last 9 pounds never come off, I am happy with where I am. It took a long time to finally say that about myself, but I am who I am and I am loved for it.

I hope you find that about yourself as well Regina!

__________________


Atkins since 11/11/03

5'3" 140/128/118

you didn't say how many carb/day you are eating but I bet with the amount of exercises you are doing - weight training, running, etc. you need quite a bit of carbs to keep your body from saying it isn't going to lose any more. I swim a mile 3x a week and do water aerobics 3-4x a week and Kate (the trainer on site) said I needed 50-100 carbs per day with the amount of exercise I am doing. So what do I eat - a banana almost every day (22 carbs) salads for lunch with some kind of protien, and some fruit with home made yougart (usually strawberries or blackberries) Dinner is salad with another veggie or two, and protien. I am adding in lc bread 2-4 x a week, brown rice, and other fruits - somedays pineapple, cantelope, maybe 1/2 apple. Some time at night will have a little more yougart, but usually not. I get in 5 quarts of water.
hope this might help.

__________________
http://www.youravon.com/cnorulak
carolyn in texas
started 8/11/03 327/268/177
5/20/08/ - 348
onward thru the fog

Thank you for your quick responses :-)

I am 5'2", with a medium to large frame (mom said I could have been a linebacker, lol). My goal weight is 114 lbs, which I don't think is too off base considering that I am height challenged. :-) I'm very careful about making sure I'm in a really healthy place, as opposed to a thin place. I suffered with weight my entire life (I remember mom bringing in special diet cookies for me in kindergarten, while all the other kids ate Chips Ahoy). Then when I became a teenager, I went off the deep end and suffered from anorexia. Down to a good old weight of 90lbs. That was awful! Bottom line- is I try to make sure that I am doing the healthy thing, not the skinny thing.

Currently I digest about 30 carbs a day. But in the last few months I've tried working with as little as 20 and as much as 40. No luck either which way. However, I have kept the weight off. I haven't been able to lose weight and maintain it nicely on any other diet or way of eating ever before. So I am totally sold on this one (even though it made me lose some of my hair-its growing back though).

So, you'd think with all my exercise and my carb intake I'd still be losing?

oops...forgot to mention. When I started Atkins I was at 30% BFC. I'm now at 26%, but would love to get down to 20% (which is where I was at when I was at my healthiest point 6 years ago-ran a half marathon and all)

I think you are at a point where you should really up your carb intake. Well above 40 grams per day. Your body may have developed some resistance to this low level of carbs.

That was the reason I strongly suggested rereading the chapters in Atkins on Premaintainance.

I am curious as to how you had your body fat analysed was it by skinfolds and calipers or are you using one of the body fat scales?

I am 5'6" and when I used to be 19% body fat I weighed in at 139 lbs, and I was wearing a size 6. Muscles definetly weigh more than fat, but they take up a lot less room.

__________________
Libby

2004 174/142/138

Begin Again 2007

164/159/142

Regina - I think you may have your target set too low. If you have have a large frame, your ideal weight range starts at about 120. I, too, anm curious about how you measured your BF% - it seems a little high to me?

__________________
Jen



179/179/120

Hi sheyrena,

I am also 5' 2" with a medium build. The chart I use says that 130 - 135lbs is what I should be weighing. So IMHO I think maybe your going for to low of a weight for your body.

I don't know your age, but 20% is a good range for women. So how about instead of focusing on weight, just focus on the body fat percentage? Because numbers don't tell everything!

__________________
"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on."
- Sir Winston Churchill

Tanya
Way of Life since Jan 2003! First time LC'ing 272/146/130! I didn't fail, Low carb didn't fail me.. my thyroid did!

My current stats are: 285/279/260(mini goal)/130

I am barely 5'3" and am very small boned. My ideal weigh range is between 115 and 125. I don't see how an extra inch can make that big of a differance?
I agree with Tanya, Just try to get your BFP into the right numbers. Here is a good website I found for helping to calculate your BFP

HTH

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Atkins since 11/11/03

5'3" 140/128/118

Carolyn, that's interesting what you said about upping the carbs quite a bit. I'm in the "last ten pounds" situation--have been for months.

I've been afraid to go for higher carbs, but since what I'm doing isn't working, why not give it a try? I'd love to add some yogurt, and I've found myself looking longingly at grapefruit. Thanks! I'll do it--but not overdo it!

__________________
Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

Hi All,
I'm getting the number for my Body Fat Composition by using a Tanita scale. I just went to the website that Jen suggested and the results said that BFP is 24%, with my "ideal" weight being 115 (see, it agrees with me). However, using calculators ona number of other sites, like universalfitness.com, etc. my BFC is 27% (that's what my scale says)

Remember too- that I'm talking Body Fat Composition, not BMI (body mass index). According to the ivillage.com health calculator, my BMI is 22%.

Thank you all for your responses. I guess I'll just focus on toning now, instead of losing weight.

I strongly suggest having your body fat measured by a trainer who does skin folds(the more skin folds gauged the better) with calipers or if available ( a bit pricey) via water immersion. Those Body fat analysis scales have a tendency to be very inaccurate.

__________________
Libby

2004 174/142/138

Begin Again 2007

164/159/142