Ready to throw in the Towel!

[Shannon_]

Im new to the site, but not to K/E. I started 2 Thursdays ago.
I am 62" and started at 133. By the following Tuesday, I weighed 126.6. Absolutely no change Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat (today.) I have been eating and drinking the SAME THING EVERY DAY. As much diet soda and water as I can stand, 2 eggs in the am, a chix breast plain for lunch and dinner..and half of a chix breast cut up for snack.

Im guessing the diet pop didnt make any difference, b/c I initially lost whilst drinking it. What the heck? That and I hadnt gone # 2 in 13 days despite MOM and Smooth Move. So I DID throw in the towel today. Not one carb I ate tasted as good as it used to.

Please, I want to hear from those that have simply stopped losing for days and days (even despite being in ketosis)... how did it turn out?

[pink parsley]

Shannon, do you feel your clothes are a little looser? Fit a little better? If you are still losing inches and not weight on the scale, then technically you are still losing.

If you are not having BMs but are not having painful feelings, constipation, etc., I would ditch the laxatives. You can stick with what you're doing menu-wise or change it up even a little. Turkey burgers are a little higher in fat, as are whole eggs, but not enough to stall most people. The little extra fat in them won't hurt you as long as your carb count is low.

There are a lot of variables as to why folks don't lose easily, even early on. I hope you'll stay with it a little while longer before throwing in the towel. You don't say what your eating plan was before trying K/E, but I can imagine that the low calories AND low fat on Kimkins can be a bit of a shock to many people's bodies, so it may take getting used to and your body might need a little extra time to adjust to it.

Try it another week exactly the same and see what happens. Pay particular attention to how your clothes fit. Small changes will not hurt - a bit higher fat, taking a walk or a little bit of exercise, more water/fluids, whatever.

Keep us posted!

[Mfit4Me]

Shannon,

I can understand where you are coming from. I started K/E on June 19 and have been losing about the same as you. I expected more. I'm trying to hang in there as well. I've been playing around with this as well by adding in some romaine and broccoli but not too much to see how my body responds. The scale doesn't seem to be moving that fast but I have noticed that I am losing inches. ()
I did my own version of SB and lost 25 lbs from the 35 I gained while I was pregnant. I have 10 more to go and if I can loose more, I wouldn't mind at all. How much weight do you have to loose if you don't mind me asking? I think that the less weight one has to loose, it seems to take longer to loose. So, let's hang in there!

[Shannon_]

Thanks for your replies. Well, I have been 126.6 pounds every morning I step on the scale for 4 days straight. Yup, my shorts are much loser. I just couldnt figure out why I didnt budge even a decimal point? Well, Im all carb'd up now..and ready for a fresh start again. Id like to get to 120 pounds..If I go any lower, Ill have to buy new clothes

Last April, I had a baby boy and was 170 pounds after. I lost 40 pounds with fad diets on and off.

[kimkimy]

I had the same thing happen - totally stalled for days and days and days...Just kept eating clean, and then lost 5 lbs all at once. Now, I'm a heck of a lot heavier than you, so your "WHOOSH" probably won't be quite that big, but I bet you break through soon! Good Luck, and let us know!
Kim

[csoar2004]

1) are your weightloss goals realistic?
2) the less you have to lose, the slower it will come off
3) how long did it take you to pack on the extra pounds? more than 4 days, I'm willing to bet, so RELAX
4) you are NOT making a temporary dietary change (if you are smart!) you are making permanent changes to what/how/when you eat so that you can be a) healthy, b) happy, c) svelte, slender, and H/W appropriate. Have I mentioned you should relax???
5) laugh out-loud every day - it not only releases endorphins but burns calories - what's not to like?
6) MEASURE! Often, when the scale doesn't move, the inches are sliding off.
7) eating the exact same thing every day is a recipe for falling off the dietary-change wagon. Mix it up!
8) ditch the soda. Even diet versions are simply sugar/fake sugar-delivery devices and impact your insulin.

[SJN02]

I was going to say ditch the soda's too. I have been on this site long enough to know that soda's DO STALL people eventually. So do away with those and stick to water, water and more water.

[Hot Tamale]

Yep. I'll bet if you have less/no soda things will start to go in the right direction again. Some people aren't affected by soda - others are big time! The more water I drink the better I seem to do. I haven't had a diet soda for over a week - and I've lost 5 pounds, too. Also, supposing you did need to have a "movement," try a cup or two of nice strong coffee - works like a charm for many!

[Swifty1014]

Originally Posted by csoar2004

1) are your weightloss goals realistic?
2) the less you have to lose, the slower it will come off
3) how long did it take you to pack on the extra pounds? more than 4 days, I'm willing to bet, so RELAX
4) you are NOT making a temporary dietary change (if you are smart!) you are making permanent changes to what/how/when you eat so that you can be a) healthy, b) happy, c) svelte, slender, and H/W appropriate. Have I mentioned you should relax???
5) laugh out-loud every day - it not only releases endorphins but burns calories - what's not to like?
6) MEASURE! Often, when the scale doesn't move, the inches are sliding off.
7) eating the exact same thing every day is a recipe for falling off the dietary-change wagon. Mix it up!
8) ditch the soda. Even diet versions are simply sugar/fake sugar-delivery devices and impact your insulin.

I totally agree with this.

[tenacious]

Shannon, throwing in the towel will not get you to your goal weight. Take it from me...I ate a quarter pounder today. Now I have to battle cravings for the next 3+ days until I get back into ketosis. I hadn't lost any weight in about 9 days and was getting really frustrated and that led to a cheat.

I have 3 suggestions.
1) take your measurements weekly, write them down and compare them every time you do it. You may be smaller but still weigh the same. We women hate seeing a higher number on the scale but size is more important, isn't it?
2) don't beat yourself up over a cheat. It happens. Hey, this is life and sometimes a plate of pasta or a brownie sundae is worth it at certain times. Enjoy it but get back on the program and don't look back. Dwelling on it won't change it.
3)Try coke zero rather than a diet soda with aspartame. Coke zero is made with Splenda and your body might tolerate it better than diet coke or diet pepsi or whatever.

Just get back on track!

[Hot Tamale]

I just saw coke zero with vanilla in my grocery store the other day...

[lisa32989]

When I started K/E (with 70 lbs to lose) I had already been a low carber for quite some time. After the first 4 days I was only down half a pound. That was a Monday. I vowed to stay off the scale until Friday. Why does everyone weigh every day while losing? I understand it more in maintenance.

Anyway, by Friday, I was down 4 and by Sunday another 3. I refuse to scale watch b/c all it does is frustrate me if it doesn't move. Once or twice per week is sufficient while losing.

[lisa32989]

Originally Posted by tenacious

3)Try coke zero rather than a diet soda with aspartame. Coke zero is made with Splenda and your body might tolerate it better than diet coke or diet pepsi or whatever.

Really? My Coke Zero is aspartame. That's weird.

[Shannon_]

Well, today is a fresh start using FitDay and NO ASPARTAME. I dont know what I will do without my beloved aspartame, but I am going to go clean. Maybe I will consider Splenda but not until things are going well.

BTW, did you all know that aspartame turns to formaldehyde over time in our bodies? Also, phenylalanine is 1/2 the composition of aspartame. I always struggled with drinking the stuff thinking sugar is worse for us than this common neurotoxin. So..hey we all have to die of something.. However, my attitude as of late is to turn away from aspartame and in time, maybe Splenda.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/toxi...tame090105.cfm

Thanks for all of your insightful replies. I always feel fat and nasty after eating lots of bad carbs. Well, back to square one!

[pink parsley]

Originally Posted by Shannon_

BTW, did you all know that aspartame turns to formaldehyde over time in our bodies? Also, phenylalanine is 1/2 the composition of aspartame. I always struggled with drinking the stuff thinking sugar is worse for us than this common neurotoxin. So..hey we all have to die of something..

There is NO credible scientific evidence for any health risk from aspartame.

I am aware that there is an 'alternative food' body of literature accusing aspartame of everything from leukemia to warts. However, the scientific evidence for those problems is absent.

It is, of course, impossible to prove anything is safe. That is why true scientists are careful to state that something lacks scientific evidence of harm, rather than saying something is safe. As I understand it, there have been numerous studies attempting to prove aspartame is harmful, and those studies failed to do so. This is the closest science can get to showing something is safe.

In scientific studies, there are always two groups in the experiment - one exposed to the chemicals (in this case, aspartame) and another group receiving placebo (sugar pill or similar). This means that the psychosomatic ills do not stuff up the experiments results. In such experiments, aspartame shows itself to be no more harmful than placebo.

Thirty years of research has been conducted on aspartame safety. The testing of aspartame has been far beyond the standard safety testing required to evaluate the safety of a food additive. When all the research on aspartame, including evaluations in both the pre-marketing and postmarketing periods, is examined as a whole, it is clear that aspartame is safe, and there are no unresolved questions regarding its safety under conditions of intended use.

I'm by no means an expert on aspartame, but I am a scientist, and aspartame has been subjected to more tests and experimental scrutiny than almost any other food additive in the history of food processing.

If aspartame stalls you, by all means cut back on it. Different things stall different people. Try cutting it out and see if it un-stalls you. But there is no need to cut back on aspartame for "safety" reasons.

[Hot Tamale]

Very seriously...If I didn't stop eating sugar and flour those would have killed me a lot sooner than fake sugars might... I think I was closer to a major (bad) health event than I care to admit... I am trying to limit splenda et al - good news is, I HAVE eliminated sugar and flour.

[Shannon_]

Yeah, for fear of stepping on grounds Im not an expert on, I cant really get into too much detail about how much methanol and formaldehyde really does build up with repeated aspartame ingestion. Some Ive read was that aspartame breaks down into one part methanol which further breaks down into formaldehyde which is a carcinogen and neurotoxin. And as usual, most anything eaten outside of moderation can be harmful. I should be blind right now with the amount of aspartame Ive been exposed to! Ha!

[daisyHair]

Shannon..
I also read on the other thread that you had thrown in the towel..
you are going back on M/E, right?

well I had the same problem.. I lost 14 or so right off on the first week and then nothing much (maybe 1/2 pound) the second week...

I decided to do a week of strict M/E and then a week of OWL around 20-25 carbs a day, then back the next week to M/E and next week OWL again..
this has really helped.. I am right on about 3-4 3 the M/E week and around 1 - 1/2 pound a week on the OWL..

It really helped me to switch things up..
I bet since you ate carbs.. if you get back on M/E for a week you will have a little loss.. probably not alot because you are not very, very carbed up..

just a thought...

[Little Lamb]

Originally Posted by pink parsley

There is NO credible scientific evidence for any health risk from aspartame.

Interesting that you should post this now, since I happened to watch a documentary this weekend called "Sweet Misery" about how aspartame was initially tested and pushed through the FDA approval process. Without going into any details, I will never touch this again. I had no idea.... It is probably responsible for who knows how many health problems which have sky rocketed since its introduction.... Enough serious questions were raised to make me stay away from it. There are apparently many neurologists, MDs, psychiatrists, etc., who are fighting to make the public aware of the dangers. I think if anyone really wants to know more, they should google something like "aspartame dangers" or something. FYI, I have no axe to grind, just want to be healthy.... Lamb

[pink parsley]

Originally Posted by Little Lamb

Interesting that you should post this now, since I happened to watch a documentary this weekend called "Sweet Misery" about how aspartame was initially tested and pushed through the FDA approval process. Without going into any details, I will never touch this again. I had no idea.... It is probably responsible for who knows how many health problems which have sky rocketed since its introduction.... Enough serious questions were raised to make me stay away from it. There are apparently many neurologists, MDs, psychiatrists, etc., who are fighting to make the public aware of the dangers. I think if anyone really wants to know more, they should google something like "aspartame dangers" or something. FYI, I have no axe to grind, just want to be healthy.... Lamb

Sounds like an interesting program. When I see peer-reviewed replicated studies indicating the problems that aspartame has caused, I will take notice. Until then, I have confidence in the science that is behind aspartame. Of course, you can disagree.

Unfortunately, the argument about the FDA pushing through aspartame still doesn't pass muster in the scientific community. If there indeed were studies indicating that it was dangerous, where are those studies? There has to be a record of such studies. That's where the anti-aspartame arguments fall flat. The other argument against the FDA "pushing through" something that wasn't safe is that aspartame has been tested in many countries around the world for the past 30 years. Did the FDA also cover up the findings of multiple scientists in multiple countries over the last 30 years? That sounds not only not plausible to me, it sounds like it would be bordering on the largest conspiracy theory ever. It would definitely give the "moon landing conspiracy" a run for its money! Suppressing that much scientific information would be impossible.

The methanol/formaldehyde line of thinking also goes nowhere. Methanol (in aspartame, it is methyl ester) is found in multiple food products, including citrus juices, tomato juice, and tomatoes (in these products, it is found in approximately equal amounts as in diet soda). I do not see a call for those products to be taken off the market. Methanol is found in higher concentrations in wine than it is in diet soda. Where are the calls to remove wine from the market?

If there are concerns by, as you say, neurologists and others about the dangers of aspartame, then let them present the replicated studies to peer-reviewed journals. That's when I will listen. But not until then.

[tenacious]

Really? My Coke Zero is aspartame. That's weird.

I stand corrected. Sadly. I thought Vanilla Coke Zero was sweetened with Splenda. Bummer. It is aspartame. I think there is a Diet Coke that is sweetened with Splenda but I haven't tried it yet.

[Divinity]

Originally Posted by tenacious

I stand corrected. Sadly. I thought Vanilla Coke Zero was sweetened with Splenda. Bummer. It is aspartame. I think there is a Diet Coke that is sweetened with Splenda but I haven't tried it yet.

I coulda' sworn Coke Zero said splenda too

[Hot Tamale]

Maybe it is different in different parts of the country. I just checked a can I bought a while back - it says aspartame - I could have sworn the box at the store said splenda... hmmmmm.