Hi!

I have a question on ketones. I have been in ketosis for several weeks and continue NOT to lose weight. I began the diet 4 weeks ago and initially lost 7.5 pounds. Even though I exercise moderately 3-4 days/week, don't gorge and have continued with eating under 20 carbs per day, I have gained back 2 of what I initially lost, the tape measure has not budged, my clothes don't feel much looser BUT I am in moderate ketosis/lipolysis. I don't plan on quitting but I am confused as to why I am stuck. I still have 24 pounds to go. Can anyone provide any insight as to what I may be doing wrong?

Really can't provide any insight on your situation except to say I'm with you. I feel your pain. I have been on macadamia nuts for 3.5 days and I havent lost a pound and can't even get into ketosis

What are you eating?

Please post a few days worth of menus (including amounts) so we can have a look...

Hi there Stdyhstry,

First of all, I'd say forget about the ketostix. They can too easily give you a false positive or a false negative reading. For more information, go to Low Carb Tips on the orange bar that runs across the top of the screen, where you'll see an excellent article called Ketosis and Ketone Test Strips.

The best way we can offer you any advice or insight is if you give us a rundown of what you normally eat. So if you show us some of your usual menus, I'm sure someone will be able to help.

Rosebud

Hi!

Thanks for looking at this for me. I am guessing that it could be too many high fat items (does the guilt EVER go away?) But here it is!!

Sample Day's Menu #1 (week 4)

Breakfast

2 boiled eggs, 1 oz sausage 1.7 carbs

Snack: Carbo-lite candy bar -- 1.1 carbs

Lunch

2 oz chicken salad w/ some onion, celery, mayo 2.5 carbs
1 cup romaine lettuce 0.7 carbs
1/2 cup raw spinach 0.5 carbs

Snack:

1 oz cheddar cheese 0.6 carbs

Dinner
Carb controlled garlic and herb tortilla 3 carbs
2 sausage links 2 carbs
mustard 0 carbs

Snack
Slim Fast carb controlled bar 2 carbs Total Carbs 14.1


#2
Breakfast

2oz sausage 1 egg 1 oz cheese 2.7 carbs

Snack:

pepperoni--2 oz 1.6 carbs

Lunch

Tuna and mayo--6 oz onion & lettuce 3.5 carbs

Snack
1 oz pepperoni
carb controlled fudgsicle 3.8 carbs

Dinner

5 oz Chicken 0.0 carbs

Snack

CarbSolutions bar 3.0 carb

Total Carbs 14.6


Note: In over 4 weeks on the diet I have only gone over 20 carbs ONE day. These are typical diet days for me. Thank you!!

"Ah," I said, as soon as I saw the frankenfoods (bars etc).

Many, many people find they cannot lose if they eat the candy and/or other bars. They contain sugar alcohols. If you go back to Low Carb Tips, you'll also see an article explaining sugar alcohols.

So, try again, this time, sticking to fresh whole foods. By that I mean, meat, fish, eggs, vegies (lots of vegies ), cream and cheese. I suspect you'll have much more success.

All the best!

Rosebud

Yep. You have ALOT of processed foods in your menu!
Have you ever read the ingredients in any of your foods?

Here's a list of ingredients in the Carbo-lite candybar:

Whatcha' suppose the odds are that there's somthing in that list of ingredients that you're reacting to?

As your weightloss has stalled, it's probably a safe assumption that your body metabolizes ALL the carbs in sugar alcohols. That doesn't mean you can't ever eat them again, it just means that you're going to have to count the FULL carb count if you want to eat them.

Thank You!!

I haven't eaten any of the "convenient" foods today--and I feel better and have more energy. Thank you for the wisdom and insight!!

Good advice from everyone. This has been my observation. The more anyone makes a diet out of lcing the easier it is to stall. Concentrate on real food just like you did before your lc journey. I don't use the sticks and I have never understood the necessity of them. Don't blame fat for any problems. We now know that fat is good for you and it aids, not hinders, weightloss.

Are you saying that the sugar alcohol acts just like carbs? So even though my ketostix are purple every day, my body is processing the carbo-lite-o-diet-bars I eat everyday just as though it was regular Snickers bars I've been munching on? The frankenfoods are actually sneaking carbs in under the purple wire? No wonder my weight hasn't pudged... I mean budged!

I'll be da*ned. Worse, I'll be fat!

I love the ketostix, I won't give them up, but I'm going to spend the next two weeks without ANY of those things going into my mouth.

I might have well have been eating cheez doodles and ho-hos...

stdyhstry--
I am in the very same boat...lost 9 on induction...added Endulge treats and gained 2-3 lbs...I ate the very last pack of Endulge Peanut Butter Cups last night! No more for me! I can do the Advantage bars fine I think, but no Endulge.
Good Luck working through it!!
A

I always gain on all the lc junk food and they more often than not trigger my cravings. Last night i gave into them and later on all I wanted is more and ended up cheating! I'm not buying anymore. When i eat them they also keep me out of ketosis and i work out!

I found a great article about being in ketosis and not losing weight. i've been in ketosis steadily for about 2 1/2 weeks but havent lost that much. this definitely answered some of my questions. you can find it at http://ir.geometaphors.com/html/010509-1.html.

Anyway, I'm going to try to clean up my act a little this week. can anyone give me a definite answer about cool whip? some say you can have it, some say no. the label is very low in carbs and sugar. is it ok for induction?

Thanks! Ali

Great article!! I saved it

This is definately a good article and just another validation of the research I am doing for my own book.

The big reason people lose little to nothing on induction (less than 10 pounds) and then gain some while still following atkins is they eat too few calories to maintain basal metabolism and stay on induction for too long.

People who eat too few calories to maintain their basal metabolism, the bare minimum body functions while at rest, they go into starvation mode in 2 to 10 days depending on how much they are actually eating. If you go into starvation mode your body actually slows down all its activities and reduces the energy it needs to function. It is kind of like your monitor in standby mode. This is why really fat people (like I was at 310 pounds) are tired all the time when they try and eat a balanced 2000 calorie diet. They don't eat enough to maintain their basal metabolism and just can't function. Dr. Atkins blows off the idea of counting calories during any phases of atkins but I think that was a big mistake. I think he should have said straight up up if you don't lose 5% of your body weight during a 2 week induction you should evaluate your diet, instead of just blaming high weight loss resistence. While I do not discount some people have a high resistence, I think just blaming it for lack of success does a great diservice to the 20% who lost little to nothing during that 2 weeks of their lives. My research as well as some others including that of the atkins institute show 80% of people lose 5% of their body weight, and 50% lose 10% or more of their body weight.


The second thing I mentioned really applies to people who gain weight. Induction as it is written is only meant to be used short term and really only has one purpose to break you of carb cravings. the reason you lose so much so quickly is your body expends a lot of energy to converting from carb burning to fat burning. Once the conversion is complete most people lose the benefits of induction and are forced to deal with the pitfalls of eating extremely low carb amounts. (Less than 20 carbs is considered an extremely low carb diet.) Those pitfalls include everything from eating too few or too many calories, eating to much fat or two much protein, not getting the right amount of vitamins and minerals, etc etc.