I really need some help.

I've been lo-carbing and in ketosis for a month. I've lost three pounds!
I'm drinking my water, not eating frankenfoods, 1st time low-carb diet.

I know it's working because I feel great, better than I have in a long time. I really don't want to quit.

My typical day is- Breakfast- a three egg omlete, 1/4 c. mushrooms, 1/4 c. shredded ched. cheese, maybe a strawberry or two (no more), maybe sausage or bacon. Coffee once every two or three days.
Lunch- Tuna salad (with celery and mayo), or some sliced meat (home cooked- not deli) 1/2 cucumber or 1/2 tomatoe.
Snack- measured macadamia nuts- no more than 1/4 cup.
Dinner- Meat and green veggies w/blue cheese dressing (no carbs), no desert
Snack- two or three deviled eggs.
Drinking mostly water, occasionally diet soda or unsweet iced tea (decaf).

I really don't know what to do. Please help!

Sassy, your menu's look good - I wouldnt think you're under eating or over eating

Are you taking any meds that might be interfering with fat loss?

How much water are you drinking daily?

Are you exercising ?

Do you have any history of yo-yo dieting? If so, your body may just need a little longer to get used to all this food.

A little more info would be helpful in helping you

Nat

Sassy:

A couple of things that might help... I don't see a lot of fat in your diet. The more fat the better so try adding in some bacon or pork rinds? Also, see if you can make breakfast the biggest meal of the day and the dinner the smallest and see if that helps.
You obviously are doing a lot of things right... a little tweaking here and there should do the trick! mad

That's a lot of breakfast.

I had a LONG stall that started moving when I came to terms with the fact that Atkins IS calorie-restricted, although at a much higher level than I have ever been able to eat before. Eating less is scary--my breakfast started with 4 eggs and 4 sausage patties, and now it's 3 eggs and one sausage patty and funny, I'm just as full, and the full feeling lasts long enough to get me to lunch.

I also had to start exercising more; the 20 minutes of yoga just wasn't doing it. Daily dog walking makes the dogs happier and I lost a little more. Looks like I might need to add more, or subtract some more food now, and I'm resisting. At least my weight is stable, which it would not be if I were not eating LC.

And I have the same "clear head" feeling, which also makes it worth while.

Thanks for your help guys! Just knowing there is someone who cares means a lot!

I'm not taking any meds. I'm drinking about 8 glasses of water a day. I'm not exercising as much as I could, but I'm not sedentary. I wanted to wait before I started a walking program again because last time I really messed up my ankles with all this weight.

My diet history is that I haven't dieted in the past 5 years. As an active teen and young married woman I had to really cut calories (below 800) to lose any weight. I had medical work ups at the time and they just determined my body hated to give up it's fat reserve. No thyroid problem or anything like that. It's all very frustrating.

Breakfast is one of the biggest, if not the biggest meal of the day for me.

If there is anything else I can tell you let me know.

Thanks again,
Sassy

Sassy, this alone could be what's effecting your slow losses this time around. Studies have demonstrated that women who lower calories below 1300 a day for extended periods can permanently slow their metabolisms. You may be eating enough, or rather you may not be over eating, for the average person your size and weight, but it may be overeating for your particular metabolism.

What you could do to see if this is the case is track calories for a few days just to see how many you're eating and try doing your plan a few hundred below that for a while. If your losses start up then you know this is the case. I wouldn't recommend going too low, however.

-Nat

Nat,
I went over to your journal only to find that it is available only for review. So I will ask you here. You stated:

Studies have demonstrated that women who lower calories below 1300 a day for extended periods can permanently slow their metabolisms.

I am curious, do these studies show that this effect is permanent or is it possible to reverse this?

I only ask because over the last 5 years I have consistently kept my calories that low or usually lower. I have decided to up my calories to see if I can convince my body that I am not starving and possibly get it to be a little more cooperative. Perhaps this isn't such a good idea in light of the studies that you cite? Believe me its much easier for me to get 1000 or less calories a day than the 1400 - 1500 I've recently increased to.

Thanks in advance for your response!
Lori

Lori, the research in question was posted by a member named Razzle over a year ago - it was a topic of great interest to her as she had done that very thing to herself - eating under 600 calories over the course of years.

The effects can be permanent, and frankly any fat loss of great signifigance is going to lower metabolism at least for a few months, that's just how our bodies respond to restricted caloric intake. It doesnt mean that 1300 calories is the number you're going to be 'stuck' eating, though. The slow down will be from your Maintenance level.

To take me for example; My Maintenance level of calories is somewhere around 2700 calories right now - this is what I could eat w/o gaining fat. Had I achieved fat loss with extend periods of low calories, well below my BMR, then that number would be lower, anywhere from 10% to 25%, but still a respectible 2000 ish. This is based on my activity level and my considerable lean mass, which is why it's rather high.

Take someone who's Maintenance Level is closer to 2000 calories and subtract that 25% and you're talking 1500 calories to Maintain. While it may seem like an OK number, it's quite a bit lower than I'd be comfortable with.

IMHO, raising your calories, slowly and with good healthy fats and proteins, is the way to go. While it's possible your losses may slow initially you may be able to repair some of the damage that eating below your BMR has caused. Your body will definitely appreciate the added fuel and the protein. (This would be a good time to focus more on measurements rather than on scale weight - more food and more protein = rebuilding muscle tissue = a smaller, more compact you.)

Cheers,
-Nat

Nat,
Thank you so much for your response.

I have decided to increase my calories simply because my fitday says that I burn between 2500 to over 2700 calories a day and I can't see how my body shouldn't need more than a 1000 calories a day. And I intend to do a major increase my fitness program soon. I had to slow down a little during induction because my strength and stamina suffered at first. I've just now finally gotten my weights back to pre-atkins levels ... but not quite to the same number of reps as before.

Obviously my metabolism is a little messed up otherwise with a 1500+ calorie deficit a day I would have been skin and bones a long time ago!

Again thanks,
Lori

You're welcome, Toots

Theoretically, you'd think this would be the case. In fact, it tends to be just the opposite. A deficit too great puts too much pressure and stress on your body - the result is fat loss slows, then halts and you're stuck. So that result is normal, albeit, unwanted!

I try to increase calories slightly whenever I increase activity while losing - the total deficit, be it from exercise or calorie restritction, shouldn't be greater than 1000 calories.

N

OK Nat,

I'm really trying not to get too upset.

So what you're suggesting is I begin to cut back on my calorie consumption and increase my exercise until I start to lose weight. T

Then I can add back some calories, a little at a time, to see how low I actually have to stay to lose weight. Is this right?

Also, are there any supplements that can help boost metabolism?

Thanks again,
Sassy

Hi Sassy,

I was browsing the forum and your post caught my eye. I can't tell from your profile how old you are, but that could be a factor in your slower weight loss. I'm 45, and I have found that in order to lose weight consistently, I need to be quite active. I simply cannot lose as fast as many of the younger women or the men. I've also found that I need to watch quantities very carefully. I don't count calories, and I have no idea how many calories I eat each day, but I need to very carefully monitor my appetite and stop eating the second I am full, even if that means throwing out part of an omelette or a piece of meat. I have a tendency to finish whatever I put on my plate and if I want to lose more than two or three pounds a month, I can't make a habit of doing that -- I need to consciously stop eating when I am full. Even with all the exercise I am getting (an hour a day or swimming or walking five days a week), it has taken me fourteen months to lose 92 pounds. I never seem to lose big chunks of weight all at once like some other people do, but the pounds have added up over the period of time I have been low carbing.

I couldn't walk much when I started low carbing over a year ago (at 360 pounds!) because it hurt my knees and ankles, so I started out mostly swimming for exercise. Do you have access to a pool? Being in the water makes exercise a lot easier on your joints.

I want to invite you to check out the Triple Digits Club. It's listed under Lowcarb Support Focus Groups and is for people with 100 or more pounds to lose. You might find some people there who are able to help you.