It's not working

[Josiebeanie]

Please help me. I started induction 5 weeks ago and lost 7 pounds the first five days. I never changed anything since. I drink at least as much water as I should, and I never eat more than 20 grams of carbs per day, the carbs I get are from vegetables.
I am now down the same 7 pounds as I was the first week, and I am so frustrated that I have been crying for 2 days and I feel like giving up. I feel like if this doesn't work I'm doomed, I don't know what else to do. Can anybody help me?

If that isn't bad enough, my husband started at the same time. He drinks a lot of beer and occasionally eats breaded foods like chicken nuggets. He's down 22 pounds. It's so not fair.

[ThinSoon]

Re: It's not working

Josie

Don't give up. Post a menu of what your typical menu looks like so people can check it out. There may be something in there that is not right, too many or too little calories etc. do you exercise as well. Also, what is your starting weight.

Thanks! Hang in there!

Tracey

[FwL]

Re: It's not working

Sounds like you need to move into the OWL phase.

It's not uncommon for people to stall out after induction. Moving into OWL usually gets the process started again.

[mitzimarie]

Re: It's not working

I would suggest putting some info into your siggie. It will help us to help you, if you ever need some advice. You do that by going to the blue bar at the top, and clicking on "Quick Links". Then click on "Edit Signature" and add whatever info you wish. That way, it will show every time that you post. Some good info to include would be your age, height, start date, start weight, current weight, and goal weight.

Also, when giving us a sample menu, please include exact quantities of everything; even beverages.

[RavenP]

Re: It's not working

For me, I notice that stalls sometimes have good reasons for happening but sometimes they also happen for no good reason at all.

Here is a little list of the things that I try to avoid which could cause a stall.
Cheating on my diet
Stress or having a bad attitude
Constipation
Monthly cycle
being physically sick
not exercising
Dehydration
Sugar substitute
not measuring
not counting little bites
not making my own food
not writing everything down
eating too much salt

Sometimes also you don't loose weight, you loose inches. I'm in the habit of measuring with a tape measure. Alot of times the weight comes off after the inches.

about the men, try not to compare your weight loss to a mans. They loose weight faster because they have more lean body mass and their metabolisms work faster. The advantage you have is that you are thorough and you take it seriously. When you get closer to your goal weight, man or woman, the pounds come off slowly. Only dedicated people will get there, people who eat breaded food and beer are going to have a hard time towards the end. Slow and steady wins the race, sometimes its better to do it right rather than fast.

[Josiebeanie]

Re: It's not working

Wow, thanks everyone, that was quick. You are really great people because nobody in my life gets what I'm going through and how hard it's been for me.

A typical day is 2 eggs or egg salad for breakfast, salad with a little cheese and some ham or grilled (skin on) chicken for lunch, and steak or chicken for dinner with roasted broccoli and caulifower or grilled asparagus. I don't generally drink anything until I drank my minimum of water, but always drink at least 16 ounces more water. I may have 1 cup of coffee with half a splenda and a little heavy cream. Occasional diet soda, but maybe 8-10 ounces every 2 days or less.
I do not write down what I eat. Rarely I snackon a string cheese, but rarely snack at all because I'm not that hungry with all the water I drink.
As far as exercise, it's a big problem. I have a couple of herniated discs and back pain. I'm sure exercising would help my back and my diet, it's so hard to start. I am unemployed and have become very sedate. (I'm only 35... sounds like I'm 70, huh?)

I wonder if this just doesn't work for me. If I'm just one of those people, if I believe it actually can work, I won't give up.

[RavenP]

Re: It's not working

Don't give up. It works for everyone who is willing to stick with it.

[almond thin]

Re: It's not working

Hi Josie, this is my first post on this forum but I read about your situation and thought I'd reply. I am in the same predicament as you. I started induction 5 weeks ago, lost 3.2kg (7 pounds) in the first week and after that - no weight loss (however, measurements have reduced so I am still hopeful). Although it is tempting to give up I have decided first to try out every possible way of overcoming my stall - increase/decrease calories, carbs, fat, drink more water, increase/decrease exercise, giving each change a week to work, then, if nothing else is effective, try a meat or fat fast.

The bottom line is, I have never felt as well as on Atkins and even if my weight stays the same forever, there is so much I have already gained!! Don't give up!!

[atkinsgal08]

Re: It's not working

>> I do not write down what I eat.>>

You might try doing that for a few days ... including the net carbs. It's really the only way you're going to problem solve!

>> I wonder if this just doesn't work for me.>>

Probably not true.

Generally when I see someone stall early, it's because they're not eating enough ... carbs and/or calories.

That's why you need to track what you're doing.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: It's not working

>>hen, if nothing else is effective, try a meat or fat fast.>>

That's a very very bad idea!

Since you've lost weight, you're not a candidate for the fat fast.

And the fat fast can be dangerous if you're not severally metabolically resistant ... and doing it under the care of your doctor.

A meat fast? How exactly is that healthy?

[Rayley]

Re: It's not working

i stalled for a good few weeks after induction. i think quite a few people do. just don't give up!!! we're all here for you!

[almond thin]

Re: It's not working

Hi AtkinsGal, I am not at all suggesting I will be jumping into fasting; I did mention it may be THE very last resort (see my previous post). I believe I have a very very very long time eliminating those things that stall me, my point being that I will not stop until I succeed which is the advice I was giving to Josie.

[Aways2Go]

Re: It's not working

I would suggest writing down everything you eat for several days to a week, or logging it into fitday dot com (free to use). That way, you can see exactly everything you are eating, how many carbs it is, how many calories you might be taking in on an average day, how much sodium, etc. I use the "customize this food" button on basically everything I eat on a regular basis and adjust the amounts if needed to reflect what the package says about the food item in my hand. It's useful busywork, LOL! Once you have all your common foods under the "custom food list" it is very easy to click on that list and add them to the list of what you eat each day.

It might turn out to be that you are actually not eating ENOUGH food and your metabolism has slowed because it thinks you may need to avoid starvation. Fitday or just writing things down on paper and figuring it up might help determine that.

Sometimes changing up your menu items helps a little too. Or maybe moving on to OWL level 1, increasing your carbs by 5 carbs a day with more veggies - I was in a temporary mini-stall, and that got the pounds coming off again for me. But to increase your carbs by 5, you would need to know how many carbs you are eating right now.

Are you taking any vitamins? A multivitamin might be helpful.

Don't fear - this diet will work, you just have to figure out what is holding you up at the moment! Hang in there and let the members help you figure it out. Something will work, no doubt.

Also, pick out something from your closet that hasn't fit before or in a long time and try it on and see if it isn't fitting better. Buy a measuring tape and track your measurements (forearms, biceps, thighs, calves, waist, hips, chest) - I got one at the grocery store for less than two bucks. I lost over an inch in my waist during a spell not that long ago where I had only lost a few pounds over a few weeks... that makes it so much easier to be happy even when the scale isn't moving!

I have gained as much as 5 pounds before sort of out of the blue, which was very discouraging, but I hung in there and shortly it disappeared and several more pounds with it. You just have to wait it out.

I've had back problems too - if getting outside and getting a little sunshine and a walk isn't possible, maybe try some gentle stretching exercises on the bed. If there is a yoga show on one of your tv channels, you can sit or lie on the bed and just follow along as best you can with the movements you CAN do, even if it is just the arm movements or whatever. I have a relative with some severe disabilities who is not able to do hardly any exercise but finds it relaxing and helpful to do her own version of whatever they do on the yoga show she watches once a day. She laughs that what she is doing rarely looks much like what the folks on the show are doing, but she has found it both relaxing to her muscles and her mind and has helped reduce some of her chronic pain.

Track your foods one way or another, keep posting info and asking for help, and keep at it, it will get better!

[Georgiana]

Re: It's not working

Just so that no one gets crazy ideas from this thread...... Fasting (on meat, eggs, butter or God knows what) is not, on Atkins, the "last resort" even if you are stalled.

First, a stall is defined as four consecutive weeks without a loss of weight or inches. As long as you are losing inches, you are not stalled. Rather, you are losing fat. As Dr. Atkins wrote in DANDR, inches are a better indicator for fat loss than pounds. This is why you should take body measurements periodically instead of relying on the scale.

Second, if you are truly stalled (see above the def. of a stall), then there are several things you should check for:

• Are you honestly following the plan correctly? This does not include only eating the right foods, but also exercising, taking your supplements, drinking enough water.
• Are you eating only enough to satisfy your hunger? You might have lost weight at one point eating a 5-egg omelet with veggies for breakfast, 3 chicken drumsticks with salad for lunch, 4 cream cheese & bacon muffins for a snack, and a 9-oz steak with 2 tbsp of butter and roasted veggies for dinner. But as you get smaller, your energy needs will decrease, so you will need to either eat less or exercise more. Eating more than you burn will stop your weight loss or even cause weight gain, and Atkins does not change this.
• Are you eating enough and giving your body the micronutrients it requires to produce those chemicals that keep the metabolism running efficiently? Are you taking a multivitamin? Did you see your doctor before starting Atkins to check if you need additional supplements? Some people need things like potassium or iron.
• Are you measuring everything you eat properly or did you start pouring cream in your coffee (btw, coffee is a potential staller) straight out of the carton?
• Are you keeping track of everything you eat? You need a food journal to be able to spot possible food intolerances. Don't think that just because you are eating only Induction-legal foods you cannot have an intolerance to any of them. Some people can't deal with sweeteners (yes, that includes Splenda), while others can't lose weight while eating things like celery or celery root. Using the Blood-Sugar Symptoms Test (pp. 150-151) in DANDR 2002 will help you identify your food intolerances.
• Are you checking the ingredients in everything you eat, including spices? Hidden sugars can interfere with weight loss. Don't think, "oh, it's only one gram of HFCS... that can't hurt". That HFCS (just an example) can very well be what stalls you.
• How much weight do you have to lose? Those who have little weight to lose often seem to stall if they prolong their Induction beyond two weeks. Doing extended Induction when you only have 20-30 lbs is, in general, a bad idea and something completely unnecessary.
• Are you "treating" yourself with low carb junk foods? Diet sodas are often a culprit for slow weight loss and stalls. Same thing applies to diet Jell-O, SF candies, Atkins bars and shakes, chewing gum, etc.
• Are you using any prescription drugs or hormones?
• Did you see your doctor to check if your thyroid is working happily? Thyroid problems (which can be caused by prolonged dieting) can stop you from losing weight even if you did lose weight at the beginning of your Atkins.
• Did you test for Candida?

As for the Fat Fast, this sticky threads explains who should do it: http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...-fat-fast.html.

[Georgiana]

Re: It's not working

Wow, thanks everyone, that was quick. You are really great people because nobody in my life gets what I'm going through and how hard it's been for me.

A typical day is 2 eggs or egg salad for breakfast, salad with a little cheese and some ham or grilled (skin on) chicken for lunch, and steak or chicken for dinner with roasted broccoli and caulifower or grilled asparagus. I don't generally drink anything until I drank my minimum of water, but always drink at least 16 ounces more water. I may have 1 cup of coffee with half a splenda and a little heavy cream. Occasional diet soda, but maybe 8-10 ounces every 2 days or less.
I do not write down what I eat. Rarely I snackon a string cheese, but rarely snack at all because I'm not that hungry with all the water I drink.
As far as exercise, it's a big problem. I have a couple of herniated discs and back pain. I'm sure exercising would help my back and my diet, it's so hard to start. I am unemployed and have become very sedate. (I'm only 35... sounds like I'm 70, huh?)

I wonder if this just doesn't work for me. If I'm just one of those people, if I believe it actually can work, I won't give up.

The coffee and diet sodas might be the culprit for your lack of weight loss.

What are your stats? Height, starting weight, goal weight?

Did your clothes become looser in these past four weeks?