Stuck .. Bored . and almost ready to quit

[FatTony]

I've been on Atkins for 7 weeks now.
I've been the same weight for more than 3 weeks. Admittedly 5 days of that I relaxed my otherwise strict diet .. but beyond that I haven't cheated except for 2 french fries and 2 biscuits.

I checked my scale batteries .. they're ok ..
I'm bored beyond belief eating the same limited food (here in the Czech Republic we don't have great food labelling so I stick with what I know) .. and I'm a "no pain no gain" person .. here am I denying myself the things I like in order to pursue a goal that seems to be edging further away from me.
Typical foods ... salad, chicken, steak, fish (mostly tinned tuna) eggs, cheese, some broccoli, some alcohol ... mostly JD or Bacardi with diet Cola .. a teaspoon of Peanut Butter twice a day to boost my energy ..loads of water.

I'm a working musician and I've been on the road too .. there's NOTHING to eat in Gas stations/ Truck stops except things chock full of carbohydrates.

I had 5 days off Atkins .. didn't go mad, but had a beer or two (the first in 6 weeks) had some chocolate.

I don't want to be in the position I am much longer or I'll say to h£ll with it .. any advice, thoughts, or support gladly received.

My my what a puritanical spell checker !!!

[ShannonK]

Re: Stuck .. Bored . and almost ready to quit

I am sorry to hear that you are struggling. I know exactly how that feels. The foods can become very boring. You have to shake it up a little bit. Check out Linda's low card recipes. I guarantee that you can find something on there that tastes great and that you have not had before.

I see that you have lost 15 pounds on this woe. That is fifteen pounds lost forever, right? What will you do if you leave this way of eating? Will the fifteen pounds just come on back and then some? Or do you intend to starve yourself to keep it off? That stinks. I have been there very recently.

Try, try to think it through before you give in. Fifteen pounds is A LOT OF WEIGHT TO LOSE!

[D14965]

Re: Stuck .. Bored . and almost ready to quit

Hey Tony ( who isnt Tony ) I have been at the same weight for the past 8 weeks!!!!!( sure it goes up and down a bit but nothing spectacular) hang in there man -- things will move for you soon no doubt. Even if you dont gain weight -its a bonus. If you are bored ,try to get creative in the kitchen .. try out some of the terrific recipes you can find online.
When i was at the same point that you are now, my body decided to have a big time out ( like 6 weeeeeeks) where i lost nothing .. but then things got moving again for a bit .. then another pause . It just seems to be the way it goes for some of us. So far i have dropped 16 kilos and feel terrific. Hope you hang in there so we can change your name to Skinny tony ( who isnt tony of course)

[pipee_pl]

Re: Stuck .. Bored . and almost ready to quit

hmm, i dont really have any great advice for you but to try and get creative with your meals. I am also in your part of the world- specifically Poland, we have the same foods and lifestyle so I can relate to what you are going through.
two weeks is a long time when you are changing your eating habits- try it day by day-
for me, i eat the same thing for breakfast every day- boring i know but i dont have to think about it and it gets me going first thing. i have a two egg omlett with salsa and a few cherry tomatoes and cucumber slices- ya everyday i eat this.
lunch is usually some left overs and a veg and then dinner is more creative- there are loads of good websites for low carb recipes- lindas is great and low carb cafe is also great.
you can do it- lay off the amazing czech beer for two weeks and the alcohol in general- give the induction a fair go- doing it half assed is just frustrating.
what i have found living in poland is that they literally put sugar in everything- people still buy it like there is going to be a shortage tomorrow, so, i make everything from scratch. a meat and a veg- that is it until i am off induction and am able to be more creative.
are you in prague- i remember a great bagel place close to the castle, i need to get back to that city- you are so lucky!!

[sadie147]

Re: Stuck .. Bored . and almost ready to quit

According your your signature you have 28lbs to lose, of which you've already lost 15..that's more than half and is awesome ;! you have to keep in mind that the less you have to lose and the closer you get to your goal weight, the slower the lbs come off. It took me 10 months to lose 25 lbs, including a terrible stall, but it did end up coming off. One of the things that helped break the stall was moving to OWL. YOu have to remember that induction is not forever...as you move through OWL your diet becomes far more varied.

[Jace]

Re: Stuck .. Bored . and almost ready to quit

All I can say is hang in there Tony!

From experience I can tell you that the body will drop the weight when it's good and ready. There was one time for me that I stayed at the same weight for 4 months and it was frustrating as all heck because I was nearing my goal. I stuck with Atkins and dropped 20lbs in the 4 weeks after that 4 month stall.

If you can honestly say you're completely on plan and not adding anything to your diet that is known to stall weight loss then you're doing great. You've already lost a good chunk of weight and I'm willing to bet you feel a lot better!

Best of luck and if you need anything feel free to give a shout!

~Far la bella figura!

[fowlergirl]

Re: Stuck .. Bored . and almost ready to quit

Hang in there Tony. If you go back to your hold ways, you will get the same old results. I agree with the others when they say check out recipes on this site. Get creative in the kitchen. Don't give up!

[theredhead]

Re: Stuck .. Bored . and almost ready to quit

Check out this recipe site for lots of ideas:

http://genaw.com/lowcarb/index.html

Also, as someone suggested, you might want to move on to OWL where you can add a few more things in to shake things up. Don't let boredom be your enemy. There's really no need. Hang in there!

[Evermind]

Re: Stuck .. Bored . and almost ready to quit

Tough love time.

You've been doing this for only seven weeks, and you've already progressed to the nut rung of OWL and the alcohol rung. Can't be so.

It doesn't look like you're eating more veggies (per the first rung of OWL) if all you eat is "some salad, some broccolli". For sure you aren't supposed to be consuming alcohol yet, or peanut butter.

You need to reread DANDR, eliminate the foods that may be stalling you (both alcohol and peanut butter are notorious), add more veggies, and increase your exercise.

[FatTony]

Re: Stuck .. Bored . and almost ready to quit

Thanks for all the replies .. evermind my food list wasn't exhaustive .. altho I accept yr comments re alcohol and nuts. What I don't understand is why the Peanut butter can't just count towards my carb intake.
I eat salad leaves daily .. also some cabbage, cherry tomatoes, cauliflower spring onions, and I excercise daily too .. either walking or doing at least an hour in the gym (2/3 times a week) .. and 100 press ups a day.

pipee .. good to know someone else in "central" Europe is in a similar boat .. there's no splenda, no lo-cal drinks other than coke/pepsi and water .. etc etc. There's no diet food infrastructure.

I'll read all the comments again and take on board yr suggestions.
Thanks !!

[Tack Candy]

Re: Stuck .. Bored . and almost ready to quit

Tony,

I haven't lost anything in 7 weeks, and I know how you feel. I even went back to induction (clean, no coffee) and am on a new exercise schedule. One week of this and still no loss. Frustrating isn't the word.............

I think in the past I have been stuck at this weight (maybe for as long as a year). I have yoyo dieted so much my body is stubborn to let go of fat at this weight. I am going to keep up with it. If I give up now I know before very long I will be back in the same place I was April 30th. And the place I am today is MUCH better than before.

Hang in there. Peanut butter (and peanuts) for some reason really create diet problems for alot of people. They create cravings (and peanut butter has sugar in it...alot of sugar).

Atkins isn't for everyone. But, the alternatives are give up and gain weight, or go Low Fat and starve yourself. My experience shows Low Fat is torture.

[pipee_pl]

Re: Stuck .. Bored . and almost ready to quit

Tony, I just wanted to add that it is probably a good thing that we don't have all the diet foods- they tend to be just as bad. I had to go cold turkey and do only a whole foods diet- which is obviously better anyway. i still enjoy diet coke and pepsi- that is a hard habit to break.
with regards to the exercise- i recently read an e-book or something similar where the author's point of view is mixing up your routine to keep your body guessing. so for example- monday a cardio of intermitant training on a bike- two minutes at a strong pace and two at a more relaxed pace for a duration you wish.
tuesday- weight training- upper body three reps of all muscle groups.
wed- jog for 20 min, again can be on off the intensity.
thursday- lower body- weights the same 3 reps of each muscle group
then, when it comes time to do your weights again next week- switch up the reps- do 1 rep of a strenuous weight- 30 times with a 5 to 10 second break between.
i have been doing this sort of thing for a few weeks- i can feel results and i think with this method your body doesn't get used to the same old routine which can lead to a stall.
i hope that makes sense and helps.
this way of life can be difficult- no one is perfect, take it day by day and it will happen, good luck

[Duinai]

Re: Stuck .. Bored . and almost ready to quit

Tony dear.... dont know what to say... but hang on there...

Jace has ALL THE POWER in the world here because none of us here can demonstrate what he CAN.... just look at his picture... OMG... what can I say.. he looks sooooooo SEKSI... and nobody forced him he did it himself.



Dui

[ValidRouge]

Re: Stuck .. Bored . and almost ready to quit

Peanuts are a legume (bean) not a true nut. Beans (legumes) are not added into our diets until much later. There are some who do add peanuts and peanut butter on the nut rung. However, they are NOTORIOUS trigger foods that start the cravings and keep us out of ketosis. They are notoriously hard for portion control.

I have to say that you haven't fully followed the plan according to the way Dr. Atkins says to do it in his New Diet Revolution book. With that in mind, you've still done a FABULOUS job. So, tweaking the diet in the right direction should get you the results you want.

I would suggest immediately move into the Ongoing Weight Loss phases so that you can start to add those foods back into your diet (in the proper order) legally. The first step of Ongoing Weight Loss phase is to add more vegetables. Vegetables are very very very important for getting us our needed dietary fiber and lots of vitamins and nutrients. Don't be afraid of veggies.

[CATBLUE]

Re: Stuck .. Bored . and almost ready to quit

pipee .. good to know someone else in "central" Europe is in a similar boat .. there's no splenda, no lo-cal drinks other than coke/pepsi and water .. etc etc. There's no diet food infrastructure.

I'll read all the comments again and take on board yr suggestions.
Thanks !!

I was about to comment about the peanut butter and liquor... If I drink a glass of wine I'm stalled for at lease a week. If I eat nuts, about a week again. And they are my down fall. Nuts have always been my snack food. I don't care about chips or crisps... but nuts... oh man!

Anyhow When I drop them out I loose much better. I just sub cheese or sliced peppers to get that crunch.

As for diet food. They really don't help on Atkins.. Most of them are geared towards LOW fat. The are full of carbs and sugars. Which we can't have!

It is interesting that you mention they aren't available there... I sense a business opportunity.. Think I'll look into importing some diet things into "central" Europe... ??? No Splenda in Europe... ummmmm... it was available in europe years before it came to the USA.. it may be marketed under a different name.