[Sarae878]

Hi,
I have 20 lbs to lose and have been doing Atkins for over 2 months with little results. I exercise 5 days a week with 45 cardio and 20 strength training.

My question is with such little to lose (well not little to me, this is the heaviest I have ever been) counting calories is important right? I have been eating within the induction rules but I haven't been counting calories and have been eating as much protein as I want. I keep a food journal and the calories are about 1800. Should I drop down to 1400?

[sylvia78]

Calories are not as important as how many carbs and fats you are eating. Of course, too many calories on any program will cause stalls or gains, however you can typically have more calories on a low carb plan. Determining how many calories you can eat is something you will have to work on.

The more important issues are how many grams of carbs are you eating and how much fat are you eating? On-going weight Loss [OWL] is more than 20 net grams of carbs but less than an amount that will stop your weight loss. You need to know how many net carbs you are eating now, then you can determine if maybe you need to cut down on the carbs.

Then there is the fat issue. It doesn't seem like you are watching how much fat you are eating, but an inability to feel satisfied is one sign that you are not getting enough fats.

The only rule that I have ever seen about protein is not to eat more in grams than your goal weight.

I try to stick to a 60%f/30%p/10%c ratio. As for the number of calories, I start with my BMR and add 200-300 calories.

Good luck.

[Sarae878]

Thanks. I usually eat as much fat as protein. Around 100 grams a day. I usually eat about 120 in protein. As for carb I eat about 20-30.

[sylvia78]

Well, that seems okay. That's about what I get, too.

So, maybe it's what you are eating. Do you have dairy in your diet. If so, how much per day. What about higher carb foods like fruits and squash? What about nuts?

Have you actually not lost any weight or is it coming off really slow? For me, my weight stays the same for a week or so, then goes up 2 pounds and then at the end of the week I drop 4 pounds.

You may want to consider only eating your 20-30 net carb out of the Induction acceptable foods list only for a couple of weeks. Then add back some of the other foods from OWL ladder.

Oh, and I just thought about something else. Sometimes your body just has to adjust to a new weight. Once you spend some time at this weight, you will just start losing again.

I really understand. Just stay the course, you will prevail.

[Sarae878]

Thanks Sylvia but thats just it. I dont have a new weight. This is the heaviest I have been and I need to lose 20lbs. But it hasnt come off. I havent lost any weight but I havent gained any either.
I havent eaten any fruit since Jan. and I have 1 cup of Hood Calorie Countdown Choc milk with Dinner