Completely Frustrated

[valcan]

Re: Completely Frustrated

Since being on Induction how are you feeling? I think right now patience is the key.

How much more weight do you want to lose & how tall are you? Congrats on your incredible loss thus far!!

Hi Ozlover,

I feel the same on induction as I have felt on any other plan this past year. Even though I have tried a number of "tweaks" over the past few months, they all had carbs somewhere between zero and twenty, I don't mess with too many carbs. When I tweak it is with fat, protein and calories. If I do go off plan and indulge in carbs, I feel awful.

I started at 275 lbs, I was down to 175 lbs at the beginning of June but then I gained five pounds putting me at 180 lbs right now. I am 5'3" and my goal is 140 lbs (I have a large frame and this is the upper limit for my height). I have been overweight my whole life so once I get to 140 lbs, I can decide if I need to lose more weight of not, I have no idea what it is like to even weigh in the 160's as an adult.

I had great success at one time on the Carb Addicts Diet and that is where all the carbs at one meal habit developed. I have been good the last few days spreading my veggies out throughout the day.

[liv]

Re: Completely Frustrated

Have you looked into some of the Kimkins recovery support groups? There were many people like you who came out of that with their metabolism pretty destroyed. I think some have suffered from thyroid issues. Have you had your doctor check your thyroid?



One of the things that may help you repair your metabolism may be several small meals. You body needs to learn how to be real again. And that may mean getting used to carbs again. It probably is going to be baby steps.

Our health is a precious thing.

Wish you luck.

[sugarsack]

Re: Completely Frustrated

ooh chinadoll good point i have also been doing all the veggies in one meal.. didnt think of the carb rush.. hmm i have to re-configure - thanx

Valcan as you can see we all can benefit not just from your question but from all the answers.. keep coming here, keep reading , keep asking, you can do it !

[brandywine1241]

Re: Completely Frustrated

I would suggest that you move to OWL rung 1. Strive to get most of your carbs from veggies and experiment with as many of those allowed as possible. I have noticed that carbs from veggies do not affect me the same way as those from other sources. Maybe it's because of all the vitamins and micronutrients in them.

[happyinlife]

Re: Completely Frustrated

Hello,

I am certainly not an expert and you have a lot to be proud of for
all that you have lost. You have obviously worked very hard and
have been very serious about your weight loss.

I would recommend that you reread the book and start over in induction.
Do not use any Atkins products or artificial sweeteners. I fought this
during my induction and it slowed my weight loss down to a stall. It was
only when I gave up the shakes and the bars that the scale started to
move again.

You definitely need salads & vegs. Make sure you are getting your oils as well. Do not skip any meals. When you are ready to reintroduce nuts. Limit to the allowable portion. (Macadam & Almonds are low in carbs). Snack on Pork rinds. Replace desserts with flavored decaf coffees & sugar free Jello or maybe a mock danish.

As active as you are may need to move up the rungs more quickly after the second week. You may not be taking in enough and you are in starvation mood. What does your trainer say?

The yoyo dieting can't be good. If you trust the Atkins diet will need to give it a fair shake. No cheating. Be patient. You have seen from this forum that the Diet does work when it's done right.

I was on a low cal,low fat diet before atkins and working out with
a trainer as well. I could not lose weight. I was toning up and I was looking better. I was always starving and thinking about my next meal. It was all I could think about. My trainer would ask me what I ate over the past week. She always commented that I had not eaten enough and was in starvation mode. My body was holding on to the weigh.

Since starting Atkins have not been hungry and am not obsessing about
the next carb fix. The weight is coming off now. I have had to modify my workouts. I am not currently working with a trainer but try to
get cardio in 6 days a week for about 30 minutes. I also do a strength
training class about 3 times a week.

[trinity210]

Re: Completely Frustrated

another thing you may want to do (if you haven't already) is go see your doctor about your thyroid. you may have a thyroid problem which is effecting your weight.
if you have already done this, then be patient with your little body!! it's trying to figure everything out

[valcan]

Re: Completely Frustrated

I would recommend that you reread the book and start over in induction.
Do not use any Atkins products or artificial sweeteners. I fought this
during my induction and it slowed my weight loss down to a stall. It was
only when I gave up the shakes and the bars that the scale started to
move again.

I have reread the book. I have never used Atkins products and I gave up AS over a month ago. I do not eat processed food - my diet for months has been combinations of fresh meats, eggs, cheese, vegetables and some berries.

You definitely need salads & vegs. Make sure you are getting your oils as well. Do not skip any meals. When you are ready to reintroduce nuts. Limit to the allowable portion. (Macadam & Almonds are low in carbs). Snack on Pork rinds. Replace desserts with flavored decaf coffees & sugar free Jello or maybe a mock danish.

Except for my two week stint on zero carb, I have been eating salads and veggies on a regular basis. My problem was eating way too many of them at one meal and not spreading them out. Since I have restarted induction, I ensure that I have a small amount of veggie at each meal. I went back to measuring and now realize I was being a bit too generous with the amount of veggies I was eating. For induction, I have actually had to cut back.

As active as you are may need to move up the rungs more quickly after the second week. You may not be taking in enough and you are in starvation mood. What does your trainer say?

I work with the trainer in a group situation for workouts only. I have not taken her on as a one-to-one trainer. We have a new sports facility opening here at the end of August. I am thinking of hiring her then to help me customize a program. I do not have the time or money to use her one-to-one on a regular basis.

The yoyo dieting can't be good. If you trust the Atkins diet will need to give it a fair shake. No cheating. Be patient. You have seen from this forum that the Diet does work when it's done right.

I don't feel I have been yoyo dieting. For 13 months I have consistently kept my carbs between 0 and 20. The tweaks I have done have had to do with calories, protein and fat levels in an effort to break through stalls. What I think was happening is that my body is trying to repair itself after my four month stint on Kimkins. Cheating has not been a big problem for me. I am confident that once my body has had more time to heal, Atkins will start working for me again too. In the mean time, I am quite happy to follow that Atkins diet even if I am not losing.

I was on a low cal,low fat diet before atkins and working out with
a trainer as well. I could not lose weight. I was toning up and I was looking better. I was always starving and thinking about my next meal. It was all I could think about. My trainer would ask me what I ate over the past week. She always commented that I had not eaten enough and was in starvation mode. My body was holding on to the weigh.

How long were you on a low calorie diet? Did you switch from low calorie to low carb? If so, did you start losing right away? I am also very close to losing virgin fat so I wonder if my body is just at a set point and does not want to give up the last of the excess fat.

Since starting Atkins have not been hungry and am not obsessing about the next carb fix. The weight is coming off now. I have had to modify my workouts. I am not currently working with a trainer but try to get cardio in 6 days a week for about 30 minutes. I also do a strength training class about 3 times a week.

I agree about the hunger. For the last 13 months it has been wonderful to live hunger and craving free. When I am hungry, I eat. I have occasions where I have gone off plan (very few and far between) and the old cravings kicked in immediately. It was like all I wanted to do was to keep eating carbs even though I was full. Thankfully I can cognitively understand what is happening in my body and I can push through the cravings and get back on track right away.

Thanks for your support.

Val

[chinadoll]

Re: Completely Frustrated

"I am committing to Atkins for the next few months without any tweaking to see what happens." OK now take a deep breath and put away the scale and put your veggies where your mouth is. Seriously, If I were in your shoes I would go to rung one because so many people seem to do better with more veggies AND you get more vitamins in. Then stay there and don't tweak. Eat your meals, spread your veggies and proteins out through the day to keep your metabolism (such as it is) revved up and concentrate on just being OK with letting your body have a break for a few months. In the meantime, take the candida test and get your thyroid checked out. It could be that one of these is the culprit in which case nothing you do is going to help until you address these problems. Many many people plateau for several momths before a breakthrough loss and they are staying on plan. With all the changes you have made you might take longer to break that plateau, but changing things up again is not going to help. I feel for you and hear how desperately you want this journey to be over, but right now you need to heal your metabolism and as much as you hate to hear this--be patient. I am sending you a big sympathy hug. I know this is frustrating for you.

[trinity210]

Re: Completely Frustrated

^ fantastic advice!!

[valcan]

Re: Completely Frustrated

I feel for you and hear how desperately you want this journey to be over, but right now you need to heal your metabolism and as much as you hate to hear this--be patient. I am sending you a big sympathy hug. I know this is frustrating for you.

Thanks Jill! I am in a such a better head space now then when I first posted. I feel that I have a plan in place now. I think just posting and getting it out of my system was important. I am no longer completely frustrated, I am "optimistically hopeful". I know there are more frustrations to come but I will deal with each of them one at a time.

Thanks for the sympathy hug.

Val

[OzLover]

Re: Completely Frustrated

You sound like you are in a better place Val!! Good for you & keep the faith!! I love that you have a plan & are hopeful!! Keep us posted!

[carbless_in_seattle]

Re: Completely Frustrated

I'm sure someone might have said this, I didn't read all the responses yet, but excess protein is stored as fat.

(edit) sorry, read the rest and didn't realize you have figured quite a few things out. hope things are going well.