Ugh!

[Devisissy]

I read the below thread about not being able to lose weight the second time around and I believe this is happening to me. This time around I am even more strict and I have added exercise. I workout over an hour each day and weight train every day except Sundays. At first I thought perhaps I was not eating enough although I was not hungry. Nothing. It's been months and nothing. I have tried everything. Even limiting fat and carbs. Nothing. I am much stronger though. I did my first pull up today. To many that does seem like a big deal, but to me it means everything. I am still exactly, without falter 200 pounds. This is painful because at 247 my first time around to 160 then to gain 40 pounds and have to start anew without results. I'm really bummed. I hate to say it but I think I'm going to have to give up after 2 months with no results. I will keep going to the gym though.

[Terry]

Re: Ugh!

Devisissy

Why dont you take a few minutes and post a couple of days worth of menus and let some one take a look at them. How much water do you consume each day?

Weight training can really burn calories but it can also build lots of muscle.

I know you must be pretty frustrated right now but before giving up let the group check out your menu and see what they think. You may be able to get some helpful advise in return.

And good for you with your commitment to daily exercise! Thats a wonderful accomplishement in itself!!

[shoecrazy66]

Re: Ugh!

Devisissy,
I was feeling the exact same way! I lost 5 pounds in the first week back, then nothing, even though exercising and drowning myself with water, etc etc. I too don't feel like eating-like I kinda always feel like I'm full (probably because of the water.) But finally....FINALLY! I budged 2 more pounds. It means the world to me-and I have lost a whole size in clothes. I am thinking that since we are working out, you know that muscle weighs more than fat and we are definitely building muscle, and very quickly! I was ready to give up too, but I thought I'd give it just one more week...and that 2 little pounds gives me reason to go on. I think if you don't eat enough, your body hoards and hangs onto what you have. I have to force myself to eat at least once each day, (I mean, at least one meal out of the three I have to make myself eat). Others who have been back at it longer probably have more words of wisdom than me, but I would definitely suggest a visit to your doctor to get your thyroid checked, and just check up and see what's going on in general. Ask to have your T-3 and T-4 checked, because those tests can catch a thyroid problem that just a regular TSH can't. Hang in there!

[Devisissy]

Re: Ugh!

I'm a bio chem major. I can tell you that muscle weighs considerably less than fat. Fat is made up of Adipose tissue a very loosely packed bunch of cells. Muscle, skeletal muscle is tightly packed tissue, but pound for pound lean muscle weighs more than 48% less. What could be happening and this is much more likely, (science lesson for the day) is that we are building bone mass. Exercise builds more bone to help support our muscles. Bone can be heavy, like long bones in the arms and legs. Although, even these bones have spongy bone that is very light. I don't think I that I am building that much muscle. Perhaps I am starving myself.

I drink about 34 oz of water a day or more, or less.

Bacon and eggs in the morning. Or Turkey bacon and eggbeaters.

Before I go to the gym, low-carb yogurt and a hard-boiled egg.

Dinner is anything from chicken breast, to veggie burger, to real burger, pork chop, or steak. Always a large salad with a spot of cheese and ranch or blu cheese. Sometimes I will steam veggies. I always eat five carrots.

I snack through the day sometimes. Handful of peanuts, or one of those low-carb cookies. Sugar free Jell-O. I on average only eat about 15 grams of carbs a day.

I drink 3 to 5 diet cokes a day no lie. I go to school full time and work full time and gym full time. I need caffeine. I also drink 2 to 3 cups of coffee a day.

I take a multi vit and L-Glutamine, and Chromium as a picolinate.

I workout every day except Sundays.

I get roughly 4 hours of sleep a day or less. Unfortunately I cannot change that. Unless I quit my job and live in my car.

I have been at 200 pounds for the last two months. I have never cheated on my diet. I have been between 15 to 20 grams of carbs a day.

Myoplex sounds interesting. Maybe more salad, less bacon. Eggs? I don't know. Caffeine maybe, but the evidence in weight loss hindrance is loose.

Although at this point I am open to any advice anyone has to offer. I cannot change my sleeping patterns, and I am open to learning to live without caffeine if someone has some hard evidence. I have little time to cook though.

I go to the doctor quite a bit and there is nothing wrong with me thank god, but I am on a long term antibiotic for acne called Doryx. Weight gain is not a side effect. I'm 26 5,9 and desperate for that 160 pounds I once had and my size 10 jeans.

Please........help.

[yemenitegreen]

Re: Ugh!

Bacon and eggs in the morning. Or Turkey bacon and eggbeaters.

Before I go to the gym, low-carb yogurt and a hard-boiled egg.

Dinner is anything from chicken breast, to veggie burger, to real burger, pork chop, or steak. Always a large salad with a spot of cheese and ranch or blu cheese. Sometimes I will steam veggies. I always eat five carrots.

I snack through the day sometimes. Handful of peanuts, or one of those low-carb cookies. Sugar free Jell-O. I on average only eat about 15 grams of carbs a day.

I drink 3 to 5 diet cokes a day no lie

5 medium carrots are about 5 g carbs each, sums up to 25 grams. According to fitday.com. 1 low carb yogurt (may depend on your brand) is about 5 g net carbs. 1 oz of peanuts has about 2.5 g net carbs. I can't give you carb counts for your veggie burger or cheese choices, though.

So this is way more than average 15 g of carbs, not that this should make a difference if you are on WOL. which pase are you in, through all the rungs?

Diet coke is probably a lot of aspartame which may stall you. low-carb cookies may have carbs and sweeteners too.

If you haven't lost, maybe you should start over with a clean induction and find out what is stalling you.

yemenitegreen

[Devisissy]

Re: Ugh!

LOL, sorry. Did I mention five carrotts equal maybe one. They are those baby carrots. The package says five grams for 12 carrotts. Who knows, they could lie. But I factor those in. Many days I have to skip dinner. So an average is 15 carbs a day if you were to add all the carbs a day for a month then divide by the days in the month. I have been doing Atkins for two months now. My low carb cookies which are tiny are worth 2 grams. My cheese is 2 grams. Those veggie burgers that taste like crap are 3. I really can't imagine how to start over. Oh my coffee is one gram, I measure that creamer. My salads are the biggest carb maker. 4 to 6 sometimes more if I had to skip a lunch. You know I think I am solving my own problem here. With as much as I work out I bet I can eat about 30 grams a day. I'm going to make an appointment to see my doctor and see if he can shed some light on this.

[Terry]

Re: Ugh!

Clean induction............... I agree may be just what you need to clean out your system and get it working again. This menu may (?) be ok for maintenance (although Im not sure about that at all) but it isnt working for weight loss. You would be able to go up thru the rungs once again and really find out what stalls you.

There are many things in your menu that have been proven stallers for some:
diet coke/aspertame
low carb cookies/sweets
cheese (although usually a low carb staple, can stall some)
lack of water
peanuts
caffeine


You also should be drinking a lot more water. Especially with all the weight exercise you are doing. Your body needs that water to repair itself.

Do you have a copy of Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution, 2002 edition?

I am way past my second time around and can tell you that it does come off slower but it does come off in time if you really follow what your body needs you to do.

hth

[2big4mysize]

Re: Ugh!

first off have you measured to see if you are losing inches of fat.
Oh and pound for pound muscle and fat weight the same.One pound is still one pound no mater what you weigh. muscle is denser so inch for inch they will not weigh the same. CAFFLYGAL used to fuss about her lack of scale weight loss after induction but the girl lost over 60 inches in less then a yr exercing and eating Atkins.
What Phase of atkins are you in? what Book are you using. here we use DR ATKINS NEW DIET REVOLUTION 2002 edition last one he wrote. according to that one you should be eatting 3 cups of veggies (no carrots cause of their high GI listings) a day as the major source of your carbs and spreading them out to all meals so you have some fat some protein and some carbs evey meal.


You have a lot of known stallers in your foods. while the cookie may say effective carbs you should use the total carbs minus the fiber as only fiber is passed out of the body unmetabolized. The carb have a lower blood sugar effect then their carbs indicate they should but they are still eventually digested as the pass down the tract.

If you are going to snack on nuts then use almonds brazil macadamia or walnuts as better choices.

Back when Dr Atkins was alive and running things his councilors would advise anyone with scale weight issues to stop drinking them not because of any cafe but for the sweetner. There is a study out that shows that diet sodas stall folk and those scientist drew the conclusion it was the aspartame.Another university tried to replicate the study and realized nothing had been done to isolate the citric adic of the sodas in the study so it could be that instead or both.

I know you said you can only sleep 4 hrs but sleep is important for weight loss too.

happy low carbing