I started out great, losing a lot of weight in a short amount of time (probably more than I should have) on Atkins. I know the initial drop on Atkins is water weight, but I consistently lost for a few months and then just kinda stopped.

When I left on a trip about a month ago, I was at 249ish. When I got home, I was at 239. I hadn't eaten much at all (one meal a day or so) on the trip. Once I got home, I went back up to 245 and then dropped quickly back down to 238. Now I'm stuck here and have been zigzagging in the high 230's for a while.

Before I left on my trip, I was stuck in the high 240s for about a month as well. I don't know what it is. I follow the plan and I drink water etc.
The only thing I can think of is emotional stress, which I have a lot of right now. Can stress really play that big of a part in weight loss? Right now my diet and weight loss is really the only thing I have that I am happy about. I'm hanging in there but not seeing the scale go down is discouraging.

It could be stress. It goes both ways- my aunt lost a staggering amount of weight due to stress. Me? I put on when I'm stressed, but who knows, you might've just hit a plataeu.. I've hit 3. Normally a day or two of eating how I used to jumpstarts things, but if your problem is emotional, that won't help you. Try focusing on relaxing for 10 or 20 minutes a day, take a long bath, sleep in, something like that. Hope things start picking up soon.

Are you exercising?

It could be emotional. I also think it could be loss of muscle. Eating only once a day can make that happen. If I were you, I'd eat consistent small meals (low carb), lots of veggies and drink lots of water. I'd lift weights and do cardio (not sure how much you're doing....but I'd put more emphasis on the weights). Finally, maybe you could do a yoga dvd or some meditation for your stress. I hope you figure it out. It could just be a plateau..it's a huge reason why lots of people give up on their weight loss. Please don't give up. You have done so much....just hang in there. I've seen people on here who have lost 1 lb. in a month after losing large amounts like you have in short periods of time. It takes time for your body to adjust. Just make healthy choices and eventually, you'll start losing again. Oh and I forgot to mention that you could be losing inches but not lbs.....especially if you are working out.

Oh, I'm not eating 1 meal a day anymore. I did for a week or two because I was staying with a friend out of state and didn't have much on-plan food I could eat so I made due. I have been eating regular meals ever since I got home 2-3 weeks ago.

I've suspected for some time that it might be the aspartame in the Crystal Light that I drink. Dr. Atkins recommends not using aspartame, and using Splenda instead. I think the fact that I'm posting this thread is enough to make me realize that I should probably give up my drink if it's a staller. How long do you think it would take to figure out if it's the drink or not once I stop having it? 1 week? 2 weeks?

What plan are you on? Could it be time to decrease your calories since you've lost so much you're in a different weight zone?

aspartame is a man-made chemical that has the same ingredients as formaldehyde. that could be the reason for the recommendation not to use it. splenda isnt' the same thing but it's a man-made chemical too, not a natural sweetener. i don't know that either one of these chemicals would stop weight loss per se though. the weight loss stoppage could be due to any of the reasons mentioned, maybe.

I am also doing low carb diet (not Atkins though) and I find that when I cut out cheese and do low fat for a couple of days, my weight drops. Give that a try. Eat low fat protein (like lean beef, fish and tuna) and cut dairy out and see what happens. I generally see drop in weight in about two days or so. Also are you losing size? Sometimes the weight doesnt budge but size continues to reduce and it can be hard on motivation until you realise that your clothes are getting loser on you.

Aspartame was recommended against because Atkins saw weight stalls in his patients who used it. Even splenda can only be used sparingly. I have read countless stories of people who restarted their loss on Atkins by doing one (or more) of three things:

1) Cut out aspartame
2) Decrease cheese consumption
3) Drink more water

I'd definitely look at the aspartame as your issue. Shouldn't take long to notice an effect if you are drinking enough water.

Thanks for posting this. This is good for me to know for when I have hit a plateau.