WHy is oatmeal ok??? I don't have an answer for that one.

I'm curious though

I have been looking around the forum to find out about being stuck or stalled. Wow, there are lots of possibilities. I just started my 23 week of LC and feel very frustrated that I've been sitting at a 31 pound loss for weeks. I do know in the past 8 weeks, I've made protein bars and protein shakes a daily staple, with treats of Enduldge Ice-cream or Endulge candy. Being single sometimes it's just such a bother to cook something for myself. For the entire time I've had not one bite of rice, pasta, sugar, breads or anything else not on my WOE. And, here I thought I was being so good.... Sounds like maybe I need to go back to the basics and see if I start losing again. Thanks for this topic and all the great posts!

Back to basics always seems to be the answer. I had set a goal for losing 50 pounds this year and was doing so well, now I'
I've really slowed down. I"m thinking along the same lines. I don't do the protien shakes but I do have a lot of the sugar free type of stuff lately. Atkins candy bars, Low Carb ice cream and sugar free jelly bellies. I too need to be back to the basics. I'm down just over 25 for my first half of the year... but it was going so much quicker. I"ve decided too that I should get off the other stuff... and now my house is pretty much empty of the stuff, I should be able to do it easier. I also have been trying to down as much water as possible and remember to take my vitamins every day. I do well during the week... but not the weekends.

Question, Does Anyone Seem To Have Hi's And Low's When They Begin Low Carbing With There Energy Level?

1. Have you read the book for, several and followed your chosen plan to the letter for at least a month? Yes. No digression in the food front at all? Nope. No skipping meals? He~= no.


2. Do you figure out your carbs/calories each day? Yup. Do you use a carb counter or a program like fitday.com? Or if you can’t be bothered with micro-managing, do you know what your critical carbohydrate level is and eat accordingly? Yes also.

3. Do you regularly drink alcohol? What is regularly? On the weekend only(now). Not in induction.

4. Are you scale or Ketostix obsessed? I like to use both. Compulsively weighing or using Ketostix will make the process seem slower and more erratic than it actually is. If you must weigh yourself everyday, chart your daily weight and figure out a weekly average. Don’t take it personally. It’s only a hunk of metal and a piece of plastic.

5. Are you trying to do a low fat version of your chosen plan? NO!

6. Have you been a yo-yo dieter? Yes! People who have severely restricted their calories in the past due to low-fat or calorie restricted dieting may find it difficult to lose weight initially. In this case, using low-carb as part of the process of metabolic healing will help. You will lose fat once your body learns to trust what you’re doing. Persistence will pay off.

7. Are you consuming any or all of these items on a regular basis? If you are, stop consuming them one at a time, for at least two weeks to see if it initiates weight loss.

• Processed meats, including bacon Once a week maybe.
• Caffeine Usually 2-3 times a week but not always.
• Cheese and dairy products An oz. of cheese every other day for a snack. An oz. every eve. in my salad. Cream (2 T.) in my 2 coffees on Sat. and Sun.
• Alcohol 5-6 on a weekend, Vodka or Rum w/ Diet Rite Cola
• Nuts and Nut Butters Quit these for the most part
• Peanuts and Peanut Butter Same.
• Artificial Sweeteners 1/2 a tsp. in my coffee
• Diet Drinks When I drink liquor, and 1-2 a day of Hansen's

• Protein Bars Atkins

• Low carb food products that imitate high carb food Atkins

• Eating a wide combination of food in one day As much as I can wth the limited number of carbs I can get away with

• Overly salty foods? Gave em' up. For example pork rinds? Processed meats? Hot links once in awhile.

• Sugar Alcohols Very little - go thru too fast.

8. Are you drinking at least 64 oz. of water a day, plus 8 more ounces for every 25 pounds you want to lose? Atleast 132 oz.

9.. Prescription drugs or hormones which impede weight loss:
• estrogens and most synthetic HRT's including birth control pills
• Anti-depressant drugs - Insulin and insulin stimulating drugs
• Anti-arthritis medications including steroids
• Diuretics and beta blockers

10. Underactive thyroid (hypothyroid) function which can be present when blood tests indicate no abnormalities Been tested

11. Ovewrgrowth of the yeast organism Candida albicans. Been tested

For more details on overcoming metabolic resistance, read Metabolic Resistance: Causes and Solutions, Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, 2002 edition. Have

12. Often overlooked but are you getting enough sleep? Yes. Or, are you going through an unusually stressful period? Stressing over what is perceived as lack of progress, being to hard on yourself and obsessing on scales or Ketostix is stressful. ?

After going through this list, contemplate your answers and work out a strategy for yourself. Learning to low-carb is a steep learning curve and will reward you richly by becoming educated and more aware of your body and how it will function optimally.

Don’t be discouraged! Look at overall health and well-being instead of using your plan as a diet just to lose weight. Keep learning about what works for you. You’ll be better able to deal with all the “forks in the road” and “speed bumps” along your low-carb journey.[/QUOTE]

I know I need to go back to the basics, so I can start losing. I miss bread, that is my downfall.

Well, thanks for the info..it does help alot. I do drink alcohol and have shakes. I am going to cut out both and see if the weight loss increases.

Thanks!

Hi Karen,
I feel like one of your 'followers' -hahaha-but I want to jump in and say Thank you for your wonderful post...
I NEVER thought of Bacon as a culprit-but I DID NOTICE I cant lose weight when I eat it everyday (but I THOUGHT it was just to much sodium) ! & I defiently dont drink enough water!
I have been trying since December to lose 60 pounds & constantly keep stalling !
~I will definetly use some of your wonderful advice!

I agree with you ladies on L-Carnitine and Water. I was not aware of the Caffeine thing though, but it makes sense. I have drinking the heck out of tea and cannot seem to lose more than a pound or two. Bye-bye Lipton teabags. It is too bad though, H2O can get BORING real fast. If I remember right Atkins states to take 500 mg of L-Carnitine before each meal. I just picked some up today at GNC because I am getting back on the program again.

I went from 292 down to 223 in about 4 months a few years ago. Oh my goodness. I felt like a new man. I WAS a new man. The wife couldn’t keep hers hands off me. But then routine crept up on me. I subconsciously started thinking "oh I think I am thin again" and I starting eating things that were bad for my Gila-monster like sloooooow metabolism. Well here I am again at almost 260 and more devoted than ever.

I did the basal test and sometimes my body temp will be 94 or 95 degrees in the morning. Seems kind of low to me but my doctors have sworn that there is nothing wrong with my T3 or T4 thyroid hormone counts. I just need to watch what I eat like a prison warden and not cheat myself. Discipline Grasshopper! Snatch the asparagus spear from my hand and advance to the 37th level.

I am glad I found this forum. Very inspiring. Thanks. LK

Hey Karen...if you spot this....

I saw some interesting questions about losing weight with l/c being harder the second time around. Couldn't find where that was answered anywhere here. Can you help me understand that?

I'm here again after nearly getting to goal...and gaining it all back again. I've been back on the wagon for 7 weeks with no loss. I can see that I may have to consider some of the issues you list in your sticky but would love to hear if there's an answer to that question.

Thanks a bunch!

Does this board still exist? I'm definitely a turtle searching desperately for help!

Me too. I've seen your posts too, Kisal. I was hoping that you were doing better, but I guess not.

I'm feeling rather discouraged at this point. In the past month I've lost less than half a pound. It's like my body has decided to weight what I do no matter what I eat. Seriously, I could eat carbs and weigh what I do. I'm actually thinking about going back to that as it makes no difference.

i was thinking i could be a turtle too but since i read the post most likely not. i drink diet soda everyday and i am hypothyroid so i must try to change my ways and see thanks.

I think I have to declare myself as a turtle, and as a 2nd or 3rd or 4th timer as well. I keep looking for inspiration from the many people who are maintaining this woe and really knowing how much better it feels to have some level of control over your diet even tho not nessesarily over the weight loss. Faith is a big issue and commitment, I will survive.