Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 02-12-2010, 06:21 PM   #1  
agility-nut
Thread Starter
 
Janis427's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Holland, NY Just south of Buffalo, NY
Posts: 193

S/C/G: 258/see ticker/170

Height: 5'9

Default low carb not for me?

I have been doing low carb for 3 months now. No sweetners, no flour, no rice. not even any kind of friut. Just meat, eggs, green veggies.
I work out everyday at the gym, 20 minutes hard cardio, 40 minutes of weight lifting. Well, the scale hasnt moved at all!! My clotes fit the same they did 3 weeks ago. I am 50 years old and have yo-yo dieted basically for the last 30 years. Is it possible low carb, just isnt for me? I hate the fact that this is not working for me, cause I know what low fat items that contain HFCS can kill you. Does anyone have this problem?
Janis427 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-12-2010, 06:37 PM   #2  
is determined!
 
evoo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 140

S/C/G: 208/194.5/130

Height: 5'6"

Default

Are you counting calories too, or just carbs?
evoo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-12-2010, 06:39 PM   #3  
Senior Member
 
Thighs Be Gone's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 5,629

S/C/G: HW/232 SW 215/ CW 133/GW 120's

Height: 5.7 and 1/2

Default

Janis, how many carbs do you eat each day?
Thighs Be Gone is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-12-2010, 06:52 PM   #4  
agility-nut
Thread Starter
 
Janis427's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Holland, NY Just south of Buffalo, NY
Posts: 193

S/C/G: 258/see ticker/170

Height: 5'9

Default

The only carbs I am getting is from the veggies (mostly spinch) and there is 3 carbs in my protien powder that I have once a day after my workout. I dont count calories.
Janis427 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-12-2010, 10:06 PM   #5  
Senior Member
 
kaplods's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Wausau, WI
Posts: 13,383

S/C/G: SW:394/310/180

Height: 5'6"

Default

It's possible, but I think the more likely explanation is that 30 years of yoyo dieting has made your body more resistant to weight loss (that's my theory based on my own experience).

I've been dieting since I was 5, and have never been entirely successful (was never able to reach goal weight. Got close once when taking prescription amphetemine diet pills in high school).

My metabolism has steadily declined with each diet. I don't know if metabolic decline is an inevitable result of crash dieting, but it seems to be a common one. I also have health issues that are believed or known to reduce metabolism (borderline hypothyroid and insulin resistance).

I can only lose weight by counting calories AND carbohydrates (and even then I can go several weeks without a loss). Though usually when I have no loss for more than three weeks, it's because I've either exceeded my calories or my carbs (or both).

I have even maintained my weight on Atkins induction by eating too much of the allowed foods. On South Beach, I lost for a few weeks, but then stabilized.

I ended up choosing a low-carb exchange plan, but I don't lose quickly. Even on very few calories, I don't loss quickly. My body just doesn't pull the big numbers any more.

You may have to tweak similarly (or in another way).
kaplods is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-12-2010, 10:33 PM   #6  
Results Are Typical
 
honeybjones's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Austin, Tx
Posts: 240

S/C/G: 232/217/180

Height: 5' 1.5"

Default

Are you following a specific low-carb plan?
honeybjones is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2010, 05:34 PM   #7  
Senior Member
 
giselley's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: New Mexico
Posts: 538

Height: 6-1.5

Default

Ketosis seems to be difficult for some people to start. Some people are extremely sensitive of any form of carb. You can accidently eat anything and shut it off. Before giving in totally, I'd go through the food list again and see if you might be accidently letting some sugar through.
giselley is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2010, 08:29 PM   #8  
Ironman in Training
 
Idealmuse's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Chicago
Posts: 1,780

S/C/G: 302/205/150

Height: 5'5

Default

I'd start with looking at your calories. You can do low-carb and still overeat for your activity level. An hour at the gym probably isn't burning at much as you may think.

BTW You can do moderate carb without including things like HFCS. Just add in more veggies and fruits not packaged goods... and try keeping things like sugars, grains etc still on the low side.
Idealmuse is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-14-2010, 09:16 AM   #9  
Moderator & Happy Chick
 
Leenie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Northern New Jersey
Posts: 12,125

Height: 5' 10"

Default

When I stalled it was because I was not paying attention to my calories. For some people (like me) I had to watch carb as well as calories.

.
Leenie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-14-2010, 09:30 AM   #10  
Larry's Angel
 
JerseyGyrl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: NW New Jersey But, My Heart's In Pittsburgh!! GO STEELERS & PENGUINS!!!
Posts: 3,060

S/C/G: 245/143/145

Default

Would you mind posting a typical menu of exactly what you are eating? Also, how much water are you drinking everyday?
JerseyGyrl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-15-2010, 07:49 AM   #11  
Senior Member
 
sarahinparis's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Paris, France
Posts: 757

S/C/G: 235 / 189 / 165

Default

I agree with the others that sometimes you have to accept that your body loses slowly. 3 week plateaus are pretty normal for me - in the past year I've had several, and just being patient and getting carb counts even lower and actually counting (carbs and calories) has always worked in the end - but I do need to be patient. I think there are more than a few of us who lose weight in spurts. I've learned that if I lose more than one pound a week I'll stall and in the end my average will be less than one pound a week. I could stress out about slow weight loss or being on a plateau or I can do what I do -- just suck it up and keep at it, and it always breaks. I've lost 35 pounds in about 11 months, and those pounds feel like they are gone permanently. Not fast, but steady, and really FOREVER.

I've also come to believe that for many of us carb-counters, calories DO COUNT. There may be some lucky ones who can eat thousands of calories a day, but I think that the thinking in the medical sphere around carb restriction today has moved on from Atkins and no longer believes unlimited calories works for weight loss. Still, low carb calories are very satisfying, and I do believe in keeping calories as high as possible while you lose (to not damage your metabolism). I still lose on 1700 cals a day, and on low carb that's a LOT of food.

The food journal is another of my plateau weapons. Like you I don't keep one most of the time, but as soon as things get stuck it's my first line of defense, mainly because it makes me much more aware and I have to face facts. I can see that the celery I nibbled on all day did contain x grams of carbs, and added to cheese maybe it's too much. Basically I think we often eat more than we think we do, and often there are carbs you don't think about and if you're trying to break a plateau and be in ketosis often you need to be back in the 20 gram range of carbs, and wow, those little grams add up fast once you start to count.

Bottom line : be patient. Be willing to re-think what you're doing, be a bit more strict and objective about what's going on.

Can you commit to 3 weeks of really counting carbs? Maybe also making sure your calories are low enough so you can lose? If you can get carbs to 20-30 grams for 3 weeks and get calories in the 1400-1700 range and you're STILL not losing then you can reasonably ask whether low-carb can work for you -- but from what I see right now you need PATIENCE more than you need a new plan.

Good luck -- and hang in there!
sarahinparis is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-04-2010, 12:49 PM   #12  
Caroline
 
thistoo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Knoxville, TN
Posts: 2,317

Height: 5'0"

Default

I've been having the same trouble, and I think it's because I'm just starving all the time on Atkins if I keep my calories low enough to actually lose weight. I've been reading Metabolism Miracle and I think I'm going to try that instead; it's more or less Atkins, at least in the first 8 weeks, only lower fat and calories. I'm hopeful that will work for me, but time will tell.
thistoo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-22-2010, 08:40 AM   #13  
Member
 
Catmandu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 40

S/C/G: Goal: 140

Height: 5'7"

Default

Hi thistoo.

You should not be hungry on Atkins if you are following the plan. The minimum amount of calories for a woman is 1500-1800 but depending on your weight and other factors it's often many more.

The general rule on Atkins is, if you are hungry - eat, just make sure you are eating on plan. That's the benefit of low carb vs. low fat )
Catmandu is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Related Topics
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
low carb challenge for the week of Jan 1-6 nasus40 Support Groups 13 01-05-2002 10:34 AM


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:06 AM.


We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.