Anyone else not losing?

[ImFatNU]

So, I'm on my fourth week of Atkins. The first week, I rocked it and lost 11 pounds. Not complaining about that! But now, I'm not losing anything. I feel as if I am doing something wrong, but what? Shouldn't I be losing?? It's already Friday (my weigh in is Monday) and I've gained a pound this week. I know that may change, but not drastically!

I can't take much more of this. I have A LOT of weight to lose!

[giJ]

Have you taken measurements? It's not uncommon for people to lose a lot the first week or two and then "stall" on the scale but lose inches. That's why you should track both (I don't, but I know I should).

[Teresa123]

Very possibly a post induction stall. I lost great the first 10 days, then basically nothing for 3 weeks. Just hang tough! This is when most people give up but really this is when your body is doing all the hard work and is converting over to a fat burning machine!! So--be patient (I know, easier said than done) and let it do it's thing!

[ProteinMonger]

Whats your menu? Include portion size

[HerBoudoir]

Weight fluctuates - the best thing to do is look at the overall averages. On average, I only lose about a lb a week....however, some weeks I drop 4 lbs, other weeks I gain half a pound. It's just how my body works.

I do find that I have to be careful about portion control, and I do better by cutting out as much processed food as possible, no nuts, and cutting out as much processed food as possible. I'm still experimenting to find the best combinations - slightly smaller portions of slightly fattier foods, cooked very simply without any of the cream sauces or the like, seem to work best for the quickest weight loss.

I'm experimenting with adding some things in that while I know slow me down but promote overall health and add to making this a more permanent way of eating - I'm adding flax muffins (just a small one each day at breakfast) this week, and next week I want to try to add back yogurt (just small quantities of Fage, although my store only carries 2%).

It's a process...always a process. Long term weight loss doesn't happen overnight.

[Lylotte]

Stephanie - I started a little smaller than you but certainly with 'lots' to lose.. I lost 15 pounds in the first 10 days and then 'stalled' for a week, then lost 5 pounds and then 'stalled' for another week and then lost 2.5 lbs and 'stalled' for another week.. and so on.. but not counting the first month I seem to average about 10-15 lbs a month but with huge 'stalls' in the middle that drive me INSANE!!! When my weight goes up and I know I have not cheated, gone off plan, ate too many calories/carbs then I know it's just water retention. Sometimes the water retention is because I'm ovulating, sometimes because of TOM, and sometimes because my body is FREAKING OUT from the weight loss and is trying to hold on to anything it can and eventually gives up. The key is to just keep to your WOE, tracking calories and carbs to make sure there is no creep in the #'s that would stall or make you gain. Avoid the no-no foods, learn what your body can and cannot handle (artificial sweeteners for example). Exercise, even if only a walk around the block. And keep on trucking.. the scale will move again. And in the meantime measure yourself with a measuring tape and track your inches lost.. I track neck, upper/lower arm and upper/lower leg as well as bra band area, waist and hips. I have lost over 41 inches along with my 62 pounds gone forever! Oh!! And don't forget to lean on us here when you need more support, advice and motivation

[ImFatNU]

I will definitely not give up and I'll start with the measurements. I need some kind of motivation to keep me going! When getting into this, I understood it wasn't going to be easy. I just wanted to be sure I wasn't doing anything wrong.

And congratulations on your weight loss, Lylotte!! That's awesome!

[cookie34]

Stephanie,
I ditto the stick w/ it! The scale will move again!

[ImFatNU]

Originally Posted by cookie34

Stephanie,
I ditto the stick w/ it! The scale will move again!

Thanks Kandi with a K!

[torister]

I hit a stall after the first couple of weeks, but it makes sense (now in hindsight) that my body needed some time to "catch up" with what was going on. Take measurements...I always see a change in inches even if I don't see a change on the scale. Keep working the plan...and the plan will work for you!

[2muttsmom]

I agree with what everyone else said.

In 5 days, I will have been at this one year. At 54 pounds lost, that's slightly more than a pound a week average. BUT, slow and steady wins the race (which this definitely is not).

I haven't had a piece of bread, a bite of rice, nor one french fry in all that time. Some of us just lose slower. But giving up just means I would be 54 pounds heavier now (and 3 sizes larger!). So, yeah, I'll take slow...

[lcq]

Stephanie.......sis is that you

If you look at my stats.... it oozes FRUSTRATION...but I am not giving up especially with all the great support and advice here it is what keeps me sane and motivated....Thanks Teresa.

So if you ever want a buddy to VENT WITH......you can call on me Anytime

We will win this

[Blood Sugar 101]

Almost everyone stalls after 3 weeks into an Atkins diet, because the body undergoes some adaptations at that point and becomes much more efficient burning fats.

Your need for protein drops dramatically at 3 weeks because your brain starts burning some ketones and needs less glucose. Until then it has been burning glucose made from protein, which is a very inefficient process.

The initial weight loss which is so impressive is largely water, too, and that stops after the first two weeks and weight loss from now on is fat only. You can read about this here: Water Weight vs. Fat Weight

Here's another page which will give you a realistic idea of what you can expect to lose if you persist on your diet:
How Much Will You Lose in a Month?

Note the slower loss after the first few weeks.

Check out your intake vs your nutritional requirements. Calories do count and so does the nutrient balance: Calculate Your Nutrient Balance on a Ketogenic Low Carb Diet

[suzabelle]

This is one of the reasons I stopped weighing myself all the time. Weight fluctuates daily and even weekly. There are many people who like to weigh themselves daily to keep themselves accountable - and that's great if it works for you. For me...not seeing the numbers on the scale go down, even when intuitively I knew I was following plan and should be losing....would make me consider "falling off the wagon". I didn't want to do that. If I'm consistently following plan, I don't need the scale to tell me I'm being accountable. So I decided to only weigh myself once a month. Other than that - I take the way my clothing feels as the more continuous way to know if I'm losing. By weighing myself once a month I don't know if I had one week where I lost 4 pounds and a stall of 3 weeks. What I know is I lost 4 pounds in a month...and for me...a 1-2 pound average weight loss is exactly what I'm shooting for. You can't expect an 11 pound weight loss in week as a norm. For me, losing faster than that 1-2 lbs/week means I've cut my calories too much and I'll also end up with a lot of extra skin! I'm not saying do what I do - just giving you this as an example....because I firmly believe every one of us has to find our own way. Hang in there!

[Lylotte]

Stephanie - I can't PM you yet but I wanted to check in on you and make sure you are still going strong. KUP!

ETA - just read your blog, saw you had a gain. Boo.. Did you want to post few menus and see if any of us can help you out? Might have to start a new thread to get a lot of responses but people are always happy to make suggestions (just remember to take it all with a grain of salt, but not real salt, that will make you retain! lol)

[Sharis]

Originally Posted by ImFatNU

I will definitely not give up and I'll start with the measurements. I need some kind of motivation to keep me going! When getting into this, I understood it wasn't going to be easy. I just wanted to be sure I wasn't doing anything wrong.

And congratulations on your weight loss, Lylotte!! That's awesome!

I believe one of the keys to success or what makes one person successfully over someone else is that they find ways to stay motivated that have nothing to do with the scale. You MUST commit to the PROCESS of finding a new way to get through life and not just a number on a scale. MUST! You must position yourself so that there is never a question of quitting or giving up but only a question of trying to figure out why one thing works for you and another thing does not. No starts and stops just twists and turns.

Originally Posted by Lylotte

Stephanie - I can't PM you yet but I wanted to check in on you and make sure you are still going strong. KUP!

ETA - just read your blog, saw you had a gain. Boo.. Did you want to post few menus and see if any of us can help you out? Might have to start a new thread to get a lot of responses but people are always happy to make suggestions (just remember to take it all with a grain of salt, but not real salt, that will make you retain! lol)

You may very well be "doing something wrong" so I agree. You may want to go ahead and post your menus and see if anything jumps off the page. I do think it's unusual to stop losing and actually be gaining at your weight. I would be completely frustrated too. It may very well be that your body just needs to adjust itself but it may also be that something you are eating right now, though it may technically be on your plan, is holding up your weight loss. It couldn't hurt to just post some menus for critique.

[Neecy08]

I'm dealing with a 3-month stall that's making me question my plan, but I'm determined to stick with it.

[Dime_Diva]

I started 6-12-09 at 197, weighed in on 6-27 at 189....weighed in again on 7-4 at 192 and I just lost it!

Saturday I had taco bell, & cheesecake. Sunday I had mcdonalds with a vanilla shake, its like I lost all sanity.

It was my intention to start over this morning, but that faded fast into the afternoon.

Im going to try to get back on track tomorrow

[Krissy66]

Menu please...
A way to get back to basics is to absolutely avoid frankenfoods, cheese, processed meats, dairy. That means no Atkins labeled foods: bars, snacks.

Keep it simple-- grilled meats/fish and some LC veggies (green beans, zucchini, cauliflower, salad).

[Blood Sugar 101]

Originally Posted by Dime_Diva

I started 6-12-09 at 197, weighed in on 6-27 at 189....weighed in again on 7-4 at 192 and I just lost it!

Saturday I had taco bell, & cheesecake. Sunday I had mcdonalds with a vanilla shake, its like I lost all sanity.

It was my intention to start over this morning, but that faded fast into the afternoon.

Im going to try to get back on track tomorrow

Before you go back, why not spend a moment figuring out what it was you were eating that derailed your weight loss.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and expecting a different result.

Obviously the diet you were doing isn't working, so you need to do something different this time.

Finally, one very helpful thing is this: when you decide to start a diet, don't start the next day. Start right then, when you get the impulse to do it. And if you blow it, start again the moment you notice you blew it.

But I would advise putting some effort into analyzing what didn't work for you. Because there is no point in forcing yourself back onto a diet that doesn't work.

[peanutte]

I haven't had a piece of bread, a bite of rice, nor one french fry in all that time.

Way to go, 2muttsmom!

[ItsMyJourney]

Give it some time--I don't have Dr. A's book right in front of me--but I think it is not a stall unless you go for 4 weeks without losing any pounds or inches. I know how hard it is to be patient when the scale seems stuck--but usually just sticking to the plan works eventually.

Other than the first few weeks--weight loss generally is not super super fast. I have read that people generally can only metabolize a few pounds worth of body fat in the time span of a week--so if people continue to lose huge amounts after the first few weeks--often they are not losing just body fat--they are losing muscle or dehydrating themselves.

[Dime_Diva]

Back on track as scheduled....

My eating plan is fine, like others have stated I just need to keep my tail off that scale.

In fact my fiance hid it so I cant sneak on it anymore lol.

[ImFatNU]

Wow - Thank you so much for your replies everybody! I'm glad I'm not alone in this and others are experiencing the same thing.

I'm not about to give up. I'm in it to win it and I'm so glad I have the support from all of you.

Thank you everyone!

[snaggle]

This definitely sounds like a typical post-induction stall and I totally agree with everything Blood Sugar and the others have mentioned. My only other advice would be to mix it up.
Vary your foods, vary your calorie levels (my plan is an extreme version of this), and
vary your activities. Don't let your body get too used to anything- keep it guessing your next move!!

[Lylotte]

Originally Posted by ImFatNU

Wow - Thank you so much for your replies everybody! I'm glad I'm not alone in this and others are experiencing the same thing.

I'm not about to give up. I'm in it to win it and I'm so glad I have the support from all of you.

Thank you everyone!

I read your latest blog entry from Saturday and things are looking promising.. way to go!