Stalled but not really cheating

[PhloxFlamingo]

This is my 6th week on my Atkins-ish plan. I'm trying to stay away from the bars and Splenda and keep on whole foods as much as I can. Unless I'm out to eat, I'm finding this all really easy- except my weight loss has stalled. I'm rarely hungry and IF a few times a week from lunch to breakfast the next day- I don't like to go much longer.

I read a factoid that said when your fat gets really "loose" that means you're about to have a big "dump". I've been feeling like that for a few weeks and even my husband commented on how loose my belly was but no loss. I've been in ketosis the whole 5 weeks and my menu pretty much goes like this:

Breakfast:Eggs with cheese fried in coconut oil or LC greek yogurt with berries and 1 pckt of Splenda
Lunch: Leftovers or spinach salad with homemade dressing, goat cheese, chicken and broccoli slaw
Dinner is a grilled meat and veg with olive oil or coconut oil

I snack on home made jerky, string cheese, once or twice a week I have an Atkins bar. I have a diet soda maybe 2-3 a week.

Do you think I should cut back on the dairy? Up my fat? I'm just not sure if I'm doing something wrong. I cut out all the sugar alcohols and diet sodas last week- no loss.

Any help is appreciated!

[juliekaboolie]

Hi there! When I look at your menu I see two things that pop out: artificial sweetners and cheese. If it were me, I would omit those two items from my diet for a few weeks to see if the scale changes. The other thing I would do is count out my carbs for a week just to have a reality check. I think a lot of us over or underestimate the amount we really eat. Anyway, those are my suggestions! Best wishes!!

[PhloxFlamingo]

I tried the artificial sweeteners for about a week and a half and no budge. I might be able to give up dairy but it will be so, so tough.

Thanks for the input.

[Auntie Em]

Hi, PF. Do you keep track of how much you eat? In case it is of help to you, here is what I do when I gain weight. I notice that when I simply write down how much I eat, in grams, ounces, tablespoons, etc., without putting pressure on myself to eat less, that I become more mindful of my eating habits. Doing this for a period of time, the amounts gradually become less. I also note down if I feel markedly better or worse after eating something. I find it helpful to do this occasionally, for controlling weight and allergy symptoms.

Something else which has helped me is to follow Dr. Richard Bernstein's recommendations of eating the same amount of CHO and PRO from breakfast to breakfast, day to day, and then lunch to lunch, from day to day, etc. It is part of his Law of Small Numbers. I feel better with this constancy and it makes weight control easier.

And, supplements have helped me a great deal. Magnesium, iodine, D, CLO, Chromium GTF, inositol, L-Glutamine, L-Carnitine/ALA, Biotin, zinc, mineral complex, EPO... to name a few.

There are so many factors, it can take quite a bit of experimenting. I wish you happy success.

All the best to you.

[PhloxFlamingo]

I haven't heard of Dr. Bernsteins research, I'll have to look into it.

I have been reading up on supplements and think I should try that as well. Right now, I'm on a script Vit D supplement and a regular multivitamin.

Thanks!

[Auntie Em]

Hi, PF. I have found that the supplements help a great deal. Here is the support thread for Dr. Richard Bernstein's plan. Most of the folks who post in the thread have diabetes. Dr. Bernstein's plan is aimed at getting blood sugars normal and keeping them normal. As excess fat storage is some kind of disorder of glucose and/or insulin regulation, his plan just makes good sense to me. I find it easy to eat an "ancestral" diet and keep his dietary recommendations. His book, The Diabetes Solution, has some information about supplements for bettering how the body utilizes glucose, for improving insulin sensitivity, etc.

I find his plan simple, easy to follow and quite enjoyable. Dr. Harris' recommendations, as they were listed in the summer of 2010 gave me parameters for what to eat, and why. That gave me confidence in the foods. Dr. Bernstein's plan gave me parameters for how much to eat, when, and why. That gave me confidence in amounts, timing, etc.

I really appreciate not having to worry about what some food will do to me after I swallow it.

Much of Dr. Bernstein's book can be read at the site, diabetes book. That website seems to have the text of the previous edition of the book, not the current one, which was published in the fall of 2011.

Best wishes to you for success.

[Lori37]

On Dr OZ, he did a study about people who stall on weight loss plans...he said often times we have dairy allergies that keep us from losing weight. I'd give up the cheese!
I've been off dairy all week. Giving up cheese is the hardest thing ever for me!