Hello all that were giving me some great advice on my first (hopefully only) attempt at the low card diet. :wave:

I am just shy of a month of doing this now and I have lost about 12lbs or so. Im sure I'd be loosing more if I were working out, but I just cant make the time for that right now.

I have gone down a pant size and I have been getting comments from people who have noticed, so that is pleasing. It is satisfying to see that when I step on the scale now, no matter what time of day I am under 160. I weighed 165 when i started this, the last time I weighed myself offically was a few days ago and Im just under 155, that is in the AM on an empty stomach. I try not to make it a "habit'' to step on every time i enter the bathroom, but its exciting.

I stopped taking my vitamins out of lazyness and have since caught back up on taking them since my "functions'' kinda of holted on me! So I will try to refrain from doing that!

Also I found these neat snack packs so to speak at walmart. They are for the south beach diet which is similar to low carb. They are 9 or 10 for one pack, but you get two low carb tortillas with chicken, cheese and dressing with a small cup of sugar free jello! It's a nice little meal for 9 or 10carbs i'll take it.

I guess Im just wondering, do/can you hit a plateau on the low carb diet? I'd assume you can since it's like any other diet or somethiing you go on, since a lot of the weight you lose first is water weight...so is there a plateau or if i keep it at 20 will i keep going down? :confused:

The answer to your question is "yes", you will hit a plateau on a low carb diet. No matter what we do, our bodies will adjust to it. I recently had jaw surgery and wasn't allowed to chew for 2 months and I had to go on a liquid diet. All I ate was soups and shakes and had absolutely no carbs. I lost 13lbs in 2 weeks and after that it just stopped. I plateaued and my metabolism slowed down. When I was fully recovered it was time to start eating normal again. I would only eat carbs for breakfast or lunch ( 1-2 slices of bread/day) and since I hadn't eaten carbs in so long, all the fat went to my stomach. I ended up having to immediately start working out again to stop it from happening. Just be careful what you do with the whole low-carb thing. Our bodies will natuarlly plateau and the only way to stop that from happening is t add change.

""I would only eat carbs for breakfast or lunch ( 1-2 slices of bread/day) and since I hadn't eaten carbs in so long, all the fat went to my stomach. I ended up having to immediately start working out again to stop it from happening""

Actually when you gain weight, it usually goes to your stomach first, then redistributes to other parts of your body naturally. Some people, of course, gain it on their thighs/hips first. It all depends on your body shape...but it as nothing to do with eating carbs to gain weight or anything like that.

I have been on a low carb way of eating for over a year. Yes you can stall if you eat too many carbs. Did you buy the Atkins book? Or if your doing South Beach get that one. You can get them at your local library too. Read them! It will this way of eating make sense. Another good one is Protein Power that isn't really a "diet" book as explaining why this works.

Reading will make you informed. My husband was stalled and realized he was eating too many peanuts. He stopped and started losing again.

Ok I am gonna yell at you like your Mama! DO NOT STOP TAKING YOUR VITAMINS! Ok yelling over! Seriously they are so vital in doing low carb. Especially the potassium one.You need to take more than what is in a multivitamin. Cause if you do not take potassium one night you are going to get a leg cramp and you will remember Mama Anita fussin at you. :nono: :)

The magnesium keeps you happy in the potty department too.

Oh yes,

When I tried Atkins for a 18 months, after the first 25 pounds, I plateaued SOOO bad. I lost NOTHING for 5 months. I jettisoned Atkins in favor of calorie counting and I resumed a very slow weight loss.
There's a LOT of weight tied up in glycogen and the water that is tied to it. Any super-low carb diet willtake that off quickly but only total food restriction will pare off any serious amount of bodyfat.

That's why the Atkins diet runs in fad-cycles, people catch on to the fact that food restiction IS needed ...no free lunch...and then most people abandons the diet for 15 more years. Atkins, after outrageous popularity, has been going into it's down cycle for the last couple years...since the death of Robert Atkins. (Atkins Nutritionals filed for bankrupcy protection last month.)

Piranna,
Cut your calories and your weight loss will resume...adding more carbs into the mix will help too.

Atkins, after outrageous popularity, has been going into it's down cycle for the last couple years...since the death of Robert Atkins. (Atkins Nutritionals filed for bankrupcy protection last month.)

The Atkins company went bankrupt for promoting junk foods that Dr. Atkins disagreed with. These foods were so high priced and the average person couldn't afford this.

Low carb does work. Sometimes people combine calorie counting with low carb but I do not believe this is necessary. If you stall then just cut the carbs down to 20 grams. Many find that eating just meat and eggs for a week or so will cause them to lose in a whoosh and jump start them, but I couldn't stand that as eggs are not my favorite. On a forum I go too there are thousands and thousands of people who do low carb. If you went to this forum you would see where one post can have up to 15,000 replies. It isn't dead as the media would like people to think. There are folks on this board who weighed 300 or more pounds and have lost every pound they wished to lose and look amazing and they are very healthy.

thanks again anitak. I know I stopped taking them a QUICKLY regreted it haha. I am a back on track with that and I know i've lost some more weight. I figured there would be a plateau just didnt know when to expect it. I actually love this diet. You know anitak, Im actually feeling like it's a sin to eat carbs haha. A little lecture is good for me. I almost caved in and ate something I shouldnt have the other day because I was frustrated with having to work around buns and stuff but my boyfriend gave me the friendly reminder that what im doing is noticible and that i've been doing well so I corrected myself. :)

I dont want to do the low calorie diet, it is too hard for me to do that. I've tried it and done well at first but then I get lazy to the idea of counting and give up.

Agreed Anitak. I dont think just because they declaired bankrupcy that the low carb fad is over. I still buy the low carb bars. And i have found a few that i think are great. They are pricey that's for sure. But if you want the weight to keep coming off and people to keep noticing you find a way to make this work.

I went out of town this past weekend (why i havent responded) and it was hard for me to stick with things but I did. I have yet to weigh myself, it has been a couple of weeks since I have. But I dont think this is something I'd want to give up. I started this diet at 165 and I know I am around 15lbs or so for losing. That makes me sooo excited.

The food part is difficult. I am sick of eggs and salads thats for sure. I love chicken but buying a lot of it is hard for me since im young, going to school, working and paying for things. Blah.

I have yet to get my hands on that atkins book. I'll check it out tomorrow I plan on getting some more of those bars hopefully tomorrow or something. thanks again anitak!

If you go to Burger King and ask for any of their meal deals (except breaded ones like the chicken and fish)and ask for no bun for the sandwiches, replace the fries with a salad and a diet drink that makes for a terrific meal. The sandwich is put in a bowl like the salad comes in which you eat with a knife and fork. You don't miss the bread after a while.

Remember you can eat mayo and mustard with no limit but watch the catsup as that has sugar in it. That might help with the cost. There are lots of low carb recipes available just search for them.

your right. that is how i have been doing it so far when i go to burger joints. I ususally get a chicken sandwich and something else maybe a salad or a hamburger, obviously not eating the bun.

i limit myself on the ketchup which is hard for me because i love ketchup haha. I know mustard is a free for all ina sense i use that more so on things now. I like it but not as much as my ketchup haha.

I do the diet drinks from time time to time when im craving something sweet. Those atkins bars have been a godsend because I love the chocolate peanut butter ones, 2 net carbs. And I found a peanut butter carmel nut kind made my power bar that is 2 net carbs also. Those are my fav by far.

I've been eating a lot of chicken which I love. Veggies have been good but tiering. I know corn is a no no. I check everything now it's great haha.

I havent been charting my intake, i probably should again just to get back on track I probably am having more then what I use to, but I am still loosing. I did hit a block, but I was happy to see im under 155 now in the a.m. A couple weeks ago i'd weigh in at 160 at any given time, now im 155 at any given time. :)

i limit myself on the ketchup which is hard for me because i love ketchup haha. I know mustard is a free for all ina sense i use that more so on things now. I like it but not as much as my ketchup haha.

Have you tried Heniz 1 carb Ketchup? My favorite! I pour this stuff on. I've been thinking of taking it with me to restaurants. Wouldn't that be odd? :eek:

no i havent, i didnt even know they make it!!! I will have to search for a bottle at the grocery store this weekend! I'd buy a little bottle and keep it in my purse if i knew I was going out to eat lol.

They probably think we are odd already for picking off the bread and croutons haha. I did go buy some chicken breasts today that come marinated so that should be yummy, and some low carb tortillas, i was really craving a quesadilla. so I made a tiny one, it only had 4 carbs per tortilla so it worked out okay. Not bad torts either.