Would appreciate some advice

[GitRdone]

I have been on Atkins since around March. I am very good at staying on the plan and am very committed to continue with it. My problem is that I am a very slow loser and have been stalled for the past 1.5 months. I have been "tweaking" my eating without sucess. I have been weight lifting and doing aerobic activity for the past 3 weeks and have gained 7 pounds of water in the past 2 days. I know that when you start an exercise program that you retain a certain amount of water, but this is getting stupid. Heres a little "run down" of where I am:
1. Weight before gaining 7lbs of water - 225
2. I am on rung 1 and plan to stay there (explored a to rung 2 but found out I can't do that anytime in the near future Avg carbs per day 20-25
3. Drink at least 100oz a day
4. Work out every other day with weights and 30 mins treadmill in between
5. Cut out the cream a few weeks ago

Has anyone else had similar issues? If so, I would appreciate your input and wisdom.

[Richt]

Re: Would appreciate some advice

Hi

Try posting a couple of your example daily menu's. We may be able to spot something not quite right.

Rich

[GitRdone]

Re: Would appreciate some advice

6:30am Breakfast is always- 3 fried eggs, 1oz cheese, 1 cup coffee with 1 tsp splenda

No snack

11:30 Lunch- 6oz chicken/meat, 2 cups salad (iceburg or spinach), 4 tbs salad dressing

2:00pm Snack - 2 string cheese

5:00 Snack - (Before going to Gym) - Thin sliced lunch meat (6 slices total) and 3 tbs cream cheese

7:00 Dinner - 6oz chicken/meat, 1 to 2 cups steamed broccoli, cauliflower or cabbage with 3 tbs butter

This is a pretty average day...I tend to stay away from more creative meals because they usually taste better and I always end up eating lots more of it

[2big4mysize]

Re: Would appreciate some advice

are you eating those meals because you are hungry? or are you eating them because they are legal? remember Atkins is about feeding our hunger only and if we are not hungry we don't eat unless it has been 6 hrs since our last meal and then we only have a small protein/fat snack with some of our carbs (veggies when doing rung one.)

Stoppages in weight loss are very common and just about every body who is at or near goal has had many along the way.


Glad you added the exercise. if you added 7 pounds in a day check what you ate to see if you are having an adverse reaction to an ingredient in the food.

How are your inches coming?

[GitRdone]

Re: Would appreciate some advice

In your opinion, does that seem like alot of food to you? In the morning, I could cut down to 2 eggs w/cheese. I don't have a snack between breakfast and lunch because I am not hungry. I eat lunch at 11:30 because I am hungry. Do you think that 6oz of meat is too much? I eat a snack at 2because I am hungry. I eat another snack at 5 because I am always hungry when I get home and want a snack before I work out. By 7:00 I am hungry and depending on how hungry I am my veggies are between 1 to 2 cups at night. I don't eat anything after dinner and try not to eat anything 2 hours before I go to bed.

I know that weight slows down when you get nearer to goal, but I am nowhere near that at this time I started out at 262 and am currently 225...only 37 pounds down.

I truly appreciate your feedback...thanks for taking the time to help me out.

[2big4mysize]

Re: Would appreciate some advice

don't eat before your workout to prevent after workout get home hunger eat when you get hungry. Atkins is about feeding your current hunger every time you eat period stopping when our hunger is satisfied even if we got room in our belly, food on the plate and or carbs in the budget. We never have the same hunger day after day so we should never be eating the same amount of food day after day. since it hasn't been 6 hrs and you are not hunger the before the gym snack should stop. take something with you to snack on after your work out or have a veggie tray with a handy dip ready to eat when you get home if you are hungry at 7.

As I said every one at or near goal can tell you thay had weight loss stoppages on the way down. I had a stall at about 253 4 months into my Atkins, at 100 pounds lost, at 200 pounds, and almost 3 month one at the start of my second yr doing Atkins plus some more. Since you just added the workouts check your inches and when you got 4 weeks with no inches nor scale pounds lost then worry about being stalled but know as long as you are feeding only your hunger, doing the mandatory exercise part of your Atkins, drinking your water and taking your needed supplements you will be a healtheir smaller person.

[GitRdone]

Re: Would appreciate some advice

Ok, sounds good. Thanks for the advice.

[Lyssie]

Re: Would appreciate some advice

Hi, Could I add something? That doesn't seem like that much food if you're working out daily. I would definitely and totally take measurements though, since with weights, if you're progressively going up in weights (if your weight days are M-W-F and, for this example, you do bench press all 3 days, M-100lbs max, W-105lbs max, F-110lbs max) your body with constantly be retaining more water to help your muscles repair faster, mine does, which is why I chose Monday mornings to weigh. This is just a thought. Or it could just be a standard, sucky, stall.

[G-Mom]

Re: Would appreciate some advice

I would like to suggest that you change up your menu. Don't eat the same things everyday. If I ate eggs for breakfast everyday I would hate them, and I don't want that since I get them fresh and free everyday from my hens!

I would say that your body is getting happily niched at that weight and with what you are eating. DON'T let your body get all comfy! Try some new foods, new recipes.

[msnicksmom]

Re: Would appreciate some advice

Def measure! Or go by your clothes, not the scale. Your menu looks good to me too, but in danger of becoming a rut Don't be afraid of food, eat to fill your hunger and you'll be great.

[GitRdone]

Re: Would appreciate some advice

Thanks so much for being so pleasant and for your insight...I don't post much and appreciate the non-"tough love" attitude of your postings

I lift weights every other day and throw in 1 day a week a day in between where I do just cardio. As my muscles get accustomed to the weights that I lift, I add more...actually just last week I upped my weights by 5lbs on my arms.

I was going back through my menus of the previous week and realized that I did have for dinner one night some beef roast (cooked in beef boulion) and eggplant dipped in parmesan and fried in olive oil....that would more than likely be the culprit for my 7lb water weight spike...too salty.

I will screw around with my menu again and re-evaluate my portions...I will continue to have scheduled times for snacks as this maintains my bloodsugar levels and I don't end up pigging out at the next meal because I am so ravenous...I will definitly decrease the portion of my 5:00 snack...possibly switch it to celery w/cream cheese for the slight carb boost before going to the gym.

Thanks again for your well thought out input...

[lextsy]

Re: Would appreciate some advice

Is there any proof relating to eating the same food everyday and your body "getting used" to what you eat. Wouldnt this kind of routine where your constantly losing weight possibly be beneficial for weight loss?

[ttdriver]

Re: Would appreciate some advice

In your opinion, does that seem like alot of food to you?

Yes it does.

Betty

[2big4mysize]

Re: Would appreciate some advice

remember Atkins is about eating only enough food when you eat to satisfy your hunger at the time you are eating. Atkineers do not need a carb boost for gym workouts we are burning our body fat for fuel and are processing the foods eatten earlier in the day too so don't load for a workout if you aren't hungry.

woo hoo on the plate addition in the gym.

make friends with yur tape measure and watch the inches of body fat burning off even when your scales don't validate your hard work doing your Atkins.

happy low carbing.

[Lyssie]

Re: Would appreciate some advice

Is there any proof relating to eating the same food everyday and your body "getting used" to what you eat. Wouldnt this kind of routine where your constantly losing weight possibly be beneficial for weight loss?

I lost uhm... around 60 pounds eating the same thing everyday so apparently I never got used to it. I do have to say, that I also fell off the wagon of eating the same thing every day after like, 4 months of it. I don't think it's bad to eat the same thing everyday, I just think that if YOU get bored of it, chances are that you will jump wildly off the carb wagon and go crazy.

I would agree that you don't need a carb boost, even before weights. If you're going to the gym regularly, chances are your body can *tolerate* a higher amount of carbs than if you weren't, but unless you get sugar drops (light headedness, dizziness) when working out without eating something higher in carbs beforehand, there's no reason to do so, and you could be burning off more fat by not having those extra carbs.