Is it possible to break you weight loss button?

[Yoly1001]

I have been working at atkins now for over 3 years. The first year and a half I was perfect. I never cheated, I did long term extended induction, I excercised I supplemented I watered with the best of 'em. I got to where I was feeling pretty good about my weight loss and then I just lost it.

I fell of the Atkins wagon and over the last year and a half I slowly let the weight creep up on me. I gained over 20 pounds.

It's not that I didn't do anything, I would just do induction for a week, then not for a week, two weeks on, a month off and so on and so forth. It always seemed so much harder to not mess up the second, third, twelfth time around.

Well this time I am here, have been here for a while. I'm not perfect, far from it but I definatly seek clean induction eating. I may slip up here and there but if I do its usually in the form of a sugar free chocolate not bread or something.

For the past month I have done induction. On top of that I am excercising more then I ever have in the past. I try not to weigh because usually bad things result from it, either I freak out because I'm losing weight and cheat or I freak out from gaining and cheat or I freak out from staying the same and cheat, ugh, I'm so freaking nuts!

So usually I measure, except the measuring tape really isn't changing much. I noticed that my wrists and hands are thinner but the normal places that I measure haven't really changed at all.

Finally to my question: For those of you who have been around the block a time or two. Is it possible that doing the whole induction on and off thing over and over has ruined me for weight loss with Atkins?

I really hope you say no because I would freak out and not know what else to do, atkins has been the only thing I could ever get to work for me.

But I need to know what's going on. This morning I got on the scale after a month of pretty decent eating, not perfect but close, and serious excercise, at least 5 to 6 days a week of cardio and strength training. I haven't lost any weight. The number on the scale is the same as it was when I was pretty much doing no excercising and trying to eat sensibly, but not low carb.

I wanted to get you guys' thoughts on this.

Sorry the post was so long, I'm just feeling a little desperate.

Thanks

Yoly

[spirittalker]

Re: Is it possible to break you weight loss button?

Yoly, i think it gets harder everytime we do the on again off again thing. I stall out a lot more frequently now . It is definitely harder to lose the weight now than the first times i did this WOE. Have you been using fitday? I entered ,y foods the other day and was shocked. I had underestimated my cards by 10 grams. I think as we get used to this woe we start feeing comfortable and sto9p measuring and forget the hidden carbs. I overindulge with cream, often eat too much cheese. My veggies are so good i also eat too large portions of those. Thankfully i don't really gain for my mistakes which means i may have found my CCLM but now i need to backtrack to finding my CCLL. I wish you the best of luck with this and remember that if you stick with it, it will happen for you too

[Maxine]

Re: Is it possible to break you weight loss button?

It really is harder the second, third, tenth time around on Atkins. I was so good years ago - never cheated - lost about 40 pounds and found it was pretty easy. I got used to compliments, etc. and then started making excuses that the pizza wouldn't hurt me and so on and so on. Well, it was disaster looking back at me in the mirror. I will say that I've struggled more this time around but I've been more forgiving. I've lost 30 pounds and feel great but still have more to go. Although I've been cheating more than I should and need to and will stop this cycle, I don't beat myself up about it like before. I was soooo strict the first time around that I felt defeated when I cheated. Now I just feel a little guilty. Keeping a food journal is the only way for me to monitor what I'm doing. It's a pain sometimes but seeing the carbs in print just as with fitday, makes me think about the consequences. Now if I can just turn the switch back on. Plateauing is a big thing with me. I've been at the same weight for weeks and that in itself is depressing. Just know we all struggle. If you are having trouble with a small plateau - change things around a little. I also found that I do better when I don't step on the scale. I weighed about 5 days ago and had lost more but then convinced myself that I deserved the oatmeal cookie sandwich - yuk is all I can say now. Well - no weighing until the end of the month. I can tell by clothes now. The scale can be a wicked thing and in my case, made me think about it too much. Oh well - hang in there - we are all in this together.

[ThinSoon]

Re: Is it possible to break you weight loss button?

I'd be interested in your food diary for the month. Even with the rotating on/off, you should have lost weight or inches over the month with exercise.

1. Are you drinking enough water?
2. Are you eating enough to fuel your workouts?
3. You said, good but not perfect, what does that mean - off plan way?

I've been on/off this WOE a few times now also...for me this time, it's finding things that stall me... cream cheese, cottage cheese - they stall me but regular hard cheese does not.... can't tell you how many times I've started since the beginning of the year until it hit me - have to find out what works for our own bodies. Sugar free chocolate - they are full of carbs and sugar replacements....staller for a lot of people.

Also, I noticed you have strength training, is that new? I'm no expert so maybe someone else can chime in, is your body in transition from fat to muscle?

It is a circle sometimes! What about starting tomorrow, doing a full-14 day completely cheat free induction and see what happens? I'm in induction so I'd join ya!

[Yoly1001]

Re: Is it possible to break you weight loss button?

Thanks for the loving responses. You never know around here when someone is going to bash you for not being perfect. I just feel so understood for the first time in a long time, phew!

I had been doing a pretty good induction for about a week, then I went out and had a low carb beer. I think my brain has short circuited or something and I've convinced myself that if it's low carb adn I keep it under 20 than it should count for induction. I know it's not true, but my brain really loves to hang on to that idea.

As far as the water, I definatly drink a lot of that. I am weight training but I used to before with slim in 6. It may be more lately then what I was doing before and I have definatly considered that whole muscle/fat thing its just that I thought if I was adding muscle it would replace the fat and while I may not weigh less I would shrink, which really isn't happening.

It also may be the sugar free chocolate. I should really stay away from that, but for me it's like, ok I would like something sweet and SF chocolate seems like the worst of all the evils. I guess I've turned to certain foods as a crutch.

I am doing much better then I used to. A few months ago I couldn't even go one day without cheating. Now I am doing better. I can go a whole week and not have anything. I use the low carb stuff to kind of get me through. I'm notsure if it counts as a cheat, but compared to what I was doing before this is way way better.

I guess it's just a process. I used the low carb stuff heavily to get to eating right, now I am slowly weaning myself off of them to get to a place where I can do induction. Man, why is this so hard? Last time I jumped in with both feet and just used gumption to stick with it. Now it is 10 times harder. It's like I'm easing my toe into a pool instead of taking the plunge.

[ThinSoon]

Re: Is it possible to break you weight loss button?

Hun - none of us are perfect and most of us can relate to where you have been and back....count me in, as you can see I'm just back at it again this week! That was with a two week intro in and out! LOL

I'm glad you came to vent, talk about it and see what you want to do about it, I know coming here helps me as well.

Dip your toes in , you can do it! Look how far you have come!

[TheDogAteMyName]

Re: Is it possible to break you weight loss button?

I agree with the above posters. With such great advice...I have nothing to add!

[partytrouble]

Re: Is it possible to break you weight loss button?

hi yoly, good to see you!

i agree with all of the above...but would encourage you to go ahead and jump right in with both feet! no sugar free chocolate for 2 weeks...or you will never break the cycle. you can do it. just 2 weeks....just 2 weeks...

[abouttime]

Re: Is it possible to break you weight loss button?

A clean 2 week induction sounds like a great idea! I have been reading your posts and your p90x log and you are such an inspiration!!!!

[SunnySmile501]

Re: Is it possible to break you weight loss button?

You really need to do a 14-day clean induction, then immediately start up the ladder so you don't feel deprived and go completely off plan. It sounds like induction is all you have ever done. Induction was never meant to be the whole WOE. There are so many great foods out there you can eat and still lose weight.

Sunny!