Now I am really discouraged and need some advice. I have been consuming no more than 20 grams of carbos for at least 10 days (after help I received here locating some hidden carbs I was eating my first 6 days or so. I eliminated alcohol entirely about 3 days ago (I was drinking about 2 glasses of bone dry wine almost daily the first 13 days or so). I stopped taking Prozac (10 mg) 16 days ago. The only medication I take is an inhaled steroid for asthma called Advair. Does anyone have advice for me?

KAZ

Don't be discouraged. Have you taken measurements witha tape? You've probably lost inches, even if the scales show no change, or slight % increase.

Some medications are definite stallers and outright weight-gainers; Prozac and steroids being two offenders. Inhaled steroids for asthma are not quite as bad as oral prednisone, but they are absorbed systemically, and do have a body-wide effect. Especially they cause fluid retention, because they cause the tissues to hold on to sodium (salt). Try cutting way back on salt and salty foods like processed meats, ham, pickles, etc. Use fresh or frozen veggies rather than canned, and make home-made salad dressings and vinaigrettes instead of using bottled. Look for a salt substitute called HalfSalt, LiteSalt or NoSalt. These contain potassium salt instead of (or mixed half'n'half with) sodium salt. They're fine to use in cooking and reciipes too.

Dr. Atkins talks about extreme metabolic resistance in his book. Some folks must really keep the carbs restricted. You might consider a week at a very low carb level, 10 or 15 grams ... but make absolutely sure you're eating enough protein and fat to make up for it. It's so easy to get into a "diet mentality" and we think we have to sacrifice, go without and be hungry. Not so with lowcarbing .. if you're hungry .. EAT. Eat protein .. have smaller frequent meals and snacks. Starving and/or undereating will make your metabolism slow right down to a crawl, making it nearly impossible to lose any weight at all. I know, I've been there.

Some folks find the fillers used in artificial sweeteners is a staller (especially maltodextrin) I'm finding this to be so for me. I've switched to using stevia and/or liquid cyclamate (only availabel in Canada ) but I hear rumours that liquid, filler-free, zero-carb Splenda/sucralose will be available SOON in North America.

If you have the chance, check out my articles in our Tips webpage ... Stalls and Plateaus ... just click on the red menu bar at the top of the page .. ... you might find some hints there to get things rolling again.

Stick with it; I'm sure you're experiencing other benefits from lowcarbing that you can't actually "measure" ... increased well-being, improved energy, improved blood chemistry even ..

You can do this!

Doreen

Thanks for your continuing support, Doreen. I went to the grocery store on my lunch hour and purchased Splenda and some NuSalt. I am still fighting the good fight!

I agree with Doreen..DONT GET DISCOURAGED! I encountered several plateaus while watchin me diet since I was 20 yrs old. I was always on low fat low calories diet. Whenever I hit a plateau..during LOW FAT LOW CALORIES(LFLC) WOE ..I did the balancing days as adviced by me dietician (that takes 3 agony days)..that is 1st day -I go soley high protein food..low on others..2nd Day=I go just Carbohydrate low on others and 3rd day=Just fruits, fruits fruits. Then I get back to me usual WOE. Well that worked...but only till I gave birth to me daughter at the age of 30. Imagine from an aerobics instructor as me partime activities I hardly do any medium and high impact excercise due to me duties and being fat...My weight kept increasing tho I still was at the LFLC WOE. Was like a yoyo..more gain then lossing them wt..i do scratched me head.
B4 I started my LOW CARB diet I was experincing 2 yrs plateau..no inches and wt difference. I just got this feeling that my body kinda immuned to my WOE. Its my 10th day low carbing today..i was surprised to see my wt actually budge. I dunno how to explain how my body reacted to the change in WOE but I do see that low carbing makes more sense then the LFLC WOE.
I need you to keep ya chins up with me..lets keep trying ok?!!!!

Three weeks on the Atkins Induction diet and no weight loss (no inches lost either). I was cleaning out an old purse and found the results of a blood test taken last December. (I asked for a CBC after 12 weeks of strict Weight Watchers diet and only 8 lbs lost). I have a very low T3 level. I didn't know what that was until I read it in Atkins' book yesterday and it sounded familiar, My dr. didn't know what it meant (he is a pulmonaryspecialist), but now I know...I have a thyroid problem. Can anyone offer advice until I see another dr. on 6/25? I have always had great self control and hate living in this fat body of mine. I feel so trapped and helpless! Thanks to Doreen, Wa'il and need2burn for your past support. Any and all advice is much appreciated. My husband and I are on vacation this week and I had such happy thoughts of my body back to where it was when we got married 3 years ago..........

Hi KAZ, sorry to hear that.

But look on the bright side, know you know the reason, and hopefully your doctor can treat it and things should keep going.

Don't know much about the issue, but good look with your doctor and keep us posted!

Wa'il

Wow, KAZ ... Even if the respirologist wasn't able to interpret the low T3 level, you'd think he'd at least see the lab report showing it low, and refer you to an endocrinologist for follow up. Duh.

Just be aware, a low T3 alone may not actually indicate thyroid disease, if the T4 and TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) are normal. Also, many drs. are very reluctant to treat if the TSH is below 5, even if the patient has ALL the symptoms .. .. I can vouch for this personally. Took me 2 yrs of bugging my GP, despite having many symptoms ... Even so, she has been very very slow to get the dose up to "therapeutic" levels. This spring, I convinced her to switch me from levothyroxine, which is synthetic T4, to natural dessicated thryroid ... which contains both T3 and T4, in the ideal proportions. It's been 3 months, and I think finally we may have lift-off.

Best thing to do before you see the dr. on the 25th, is arm yourself with information. I highly recommend the About.com Thyroid Site. It's excellent, up-to-date, and is written in everyday language, not medicalese. There's also a section specifically on Thyroid & Weight Loss/Diet. Insulin resistance plays a role in all this too, and a lower carb diet, such as the Zone, is recommended even for those who do not need to lose weight.

Take care, hope all works out for you. Keep us posted how you're doing.

Doreen

Wow! Great web sites, thanks, Doreen. This is the exactly the information I need to understand what is going on. I looked at your profile and noticed you've done really well (congrats!!!). How did you manage it with a thyroid problem? I have been doing the Induction diet for 3 1/2 weeks now and am still up 3 lbs!

Well, here's an update on my progress...Got my blood test results back and no thryroid problem after all (not sure if I should be happy or sad...I am still not losing weight on the induction diet...my 7th week now). After reading a lot of the posts here, I am guessing it is due to my asthma inhalers (Serevent and Flovent) that I use daily and Prozac 10 mg (I tried going off for 2 weeks and REALLY felt the difference). The good new is my HDL is 101 and my new dr. asked me if I was an althete and ran marathons (NOT!) LOL. Well, I log in here daily and find all the boards helpful and informative so I am still LCing and am going to start excercising daily...perhaps even start a journal...I am guessing I am doing SOMETHING wrong...

Hi Kaz,

It is so very easy to under estimate the carbs you are eating.... posting your menu and letting these veterin low carbors check it out is the best think you can do.

Dalene

Hi Dalene,

Well, it's been about 2 months now and no weight loss, but I feel great. Here is what I eat almost every day:

Morning: 2 eggs and 3 or 4 strips bacon, large decaf iced coffee with 2 TSPS heavy cream and Splenda

Lunch: medium salad with lettuce, 1/2 cuke, few oz. of feta cheese and small amount of ham or chicken with greek salad dressing

snack: 10 fried pork rinds

Dinner: grilled chicken breast, fish or steak with a small grilled summer squash or zucchini

Beverages: about 60 oz water and 24 oz "Keto Cooler" daily

Any help/advice is much appreciated!

Hi KAZ,
Your menu looks pretty good to me. I have two suggestions. Maybe you should eat more of the second protein source at lunchtime? (If you were following the Protein Power Plan which is very similar to Atkins, you would not be getting enough protein at that meal.) Secondly, why don't you try upping your water intake? Coffee is a diuretic so it doesn't count and the water actually has to be replaced. Could you drink at least four more cups of water a day? It might help and it couldn't hurt.

Just a thought.

Kaz,

Go to this site and plug in everything you are eating and drinking, It could be the veggies and salad dressings are adding too many carbs. Shouldn't but you never know!

http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/Index.html

Dalene

kaz, as dalene recommended, use fitday.com. i always enter everything i eat in there. and be really honest. it's private, you're the only one who'll ever see it! why don't you try on some old tight clothes. you may have a big surprise in store!

Hi KAZ,

It looks like you're not eating enough. Calories per day should be 10-12 times your current body weight.

Also, you are looking to lose 25 pounds. Generally the less weight you have to lose, the slower it comes off. Percentage wise, if one weighs 300 lbs. and wants to lose 100 lbs., they will be losing 33% of their weight. If one weighs 200 lbs. and wants to lose 65 pounds, they too will be losing 33% of their body weight. Both, if everything goes without a hitch, will probably reach their goals in the same amount of time.

Karen