Need Experts to Advise

[Mindykins]

Hi guys!

I have been in a miserable 4-1/2 month stall with no weight-loss and no inches lost. I have re-started induction and progressed back up the rungs of OWL to rung 5. No weight loss. I upped my water and upped my exercise. I even tried the yeast cleanse to no avail.

I noticed that I am in ketosis -- the sticks are medium-dark purple.

Sooo...since I am in ketosis, do I keep progressing up the ladder and move on to rung 6, or do I back down one rung at a time until this stall breaks? My net carbs average around 21-22. Gross carbs are around 34.

[not2late]

I hope the other mods and old-timers will contribute to this thread, but have you looked at your calories?

[easttexasdaisy]

Can I ask you your height? I notice you are 15 pounds from goal and was just wondering if maybe with all the exercise and new muscle, could you perhaps already be at goal? What size are you in?
I know I am more dense muscle wise than most. I am in the 186 and in a size 12 only 5'7". So I look like I weigh less than I do. Can even get into a very select few 10's. For my height and build 8's are the smallest I want to go. Perhaps you are in that boat? Just a thought.
Anyway, that stall is very long. Sometimes our bodies will pick a weight we were at for a long period of time and try to stay there. Where you at one point at this size for a long period of time?
Also, perhaps post a few menus so we can give them a look see. Maybe we can see something that you can't. Calories do count more and more as we get closer to goal. MAybe they are a little too high. Be sure to count all the butter, oil, etc acurately because they do add up.

[Mindykins]

I track my calories on Fit Day. I average around 200-400 calories daily above my basal metobolic rate. Actually I am at 144 right now (not 138 where I was in Oct), so I'm not 15 lbs away from goal, I'm 19 pounds away.

Guys I broke my foot in Oct and cheated on vacation in the same month. Due to the cheat and lack of exercise for a while because of my foot, I understand why my weight derailed. What I don't understand is why the stall is lasting so long.

I do remember it took quite a while to get below 140. But it didn't include a 5 month stall either. I don't have time to post my menu's right now so I hope you'll trust me that I know the diet well. I've been on it for 1.6 years and have always been a slow loser, but at least I was losing.

Since I'm in ketosis, can anyone advise weather I should keep going up the rungs or scale back down to try to bust the stall?????

[not2late]

some people do increase or decrease carbs slightly to get things moving. You might want to try it. If it works, good for you.

[Mindykins]

Not2Late you have ALWAYS given me great advice. One thing I notice is that I have a hard time adding carbs to my meals. No matter how many calories or what I eat, I'm always at about 21-24 net carbs. Think I'll try moving the carbs up before down....

[Mindykins]

Easttexasdaisy,

You may be right that I am putting on muscle as I had to slack off exercising when I broke my foot and when I was able to get back on track, I started working out pretty hard to make up for the time off.

But, since I got down to 138 before and am at 144 now, there has got to be a point where I start to lose again.

[2big4mysize]

I think you missed an important part about OWL you are testing food groups and total carbs. looks like right now you have exceeded your bodies ability to metabolize any more carbs and lose weight on Atkins. SOme of the meds you took while your foot was messed up could be messing with you. I'm assuming you are tracking inches too and no inch changes are occuring so you aren't body morphing on us. you can be losing fat mass and adding muscle mass without getting any scale changes which is why Dr Atkins said satalls are no pounds nor inches lost.

SO you need to cut your carbs back 5 and see what happens keep your foods and cut back your carb totals 5 and see where you are inches and pounds in 2 weeks if nothing then do as Dr Atkins said and cut back 5 more and see. if you are still stalled then and only then do you jumpback to induction for a couple of dayd to reve up your metabolism and then you go back to OWL again.

Also you might be eating a stalling food group as when your weight doesn't move you don't ad more carbs you stop the carb addition but it sounds like you didn't if you were stalled 5 months wheile climbing the carb ladder. You may need to also look at the food groups and remove some of them back to the last point you lost weight.

Actually that would be where I'd head. the last place before the foot break you lost weight that carb count and that food rung and see what happens unless it is where you are now andthen I'd do Dr Atkins backing up 5 net carbs method.

[Mindykins]

Thanks 2big! I was on no meds for my foot believe it or not! How do you think I exceeded my body's ability to metabolize any more carbs? I'm not sure what you mean.

When I go up a rung, I introduce the new food and keep the portion of that new food to half of the recommened power of 5.

Think I will back off 5 and see what happens. Before the foot break, I had just gotten up to the berry rung for the first time and was losing. I'm at the berry rung now, but something was working before that isn't now!!

If I hit my CCLL wouldn't I not be in ketosis??

You are very helpful, thanks.

[Mindykins]

OK 2big, I got this off another post you were giving advice on. I think you are telling me to do the same thing here, so I'm gonna try this philosophy and adapt it to what I'm eating:


2big wrote:

if you think the cottage cheese is the staller for you go back like you said to induct for a few days get your ketosis going like you said then eat the veggie rung for a week ans see what is going on. then making sure everything else stays the same try having cottage cheese say 2 net carbs and remove 2 net carbs of something else since you are sure the net carb number you are at isn't a staller then if you are having digestive, craving or weight gain issues you know for sure it is the cottage cheese triggering something ( could be those nasty yeasties could be a lactose intolerance( then add back whatever you took out and remove the cottage cheese and sit for a week. if the problems clear up you know that container of CC is a problem for you and you can test other brands or other dairy stuff.
If you up your carbs 5 net then you don't know if it was the carb increase of the foods and since you already know that us the current stopping place test one at a time either the foods or the total net carbs. if you want to test the total net carbs just add 5 more net carbs of your veggies and see how you do after a week or two. if you are still losing then you know you can handle that carb level and it was a food issue.

HAppy low carbing.

[v-sly]

I too am very close to goal and have been there for a while. One thing I have noticed is that at this point - calories do count. Maybe consider dropping your total colories just a bit and see if that helps. It has helped me in the past. I notice that as my carbs go up, my calories drop a little anyway - must be all the veggies.

[Mindykins]

Thanks for the input. I don't think calories are my problem as I eat pretty close to my BMR. But I'll try and see what happens........