Ok, I've been following Atkins for almost 5 weeks, overall loss 9 lbs but....these are my weights for the last 4 weeks:

129.4
127.2
126.0
127.0

that's 2.4 in 4 weeks..and my measurements have not changed either in the last 2 weeks. I don't eat enough veggies and I'm working on increasing water intake, but otherwise I think my eating is great!

Typical day:

breakfast -MIM
snack - celery with laughing cow cheese
lunch - hamburger (w/o bun) or lunchmeat
snack - cheese stick
dinner - large salad with grilled chicken and ranch drsg
snack - Atkins bar (advantage, not endluge...those killed me!)
sometimes I'll have a cup of hot chocolate with 4 g carb.

I just started working out too. Anyway, I know the scale isn't the only way to rate progress, but my measurements aren't going anywhere either. In 5 weeks, I had 2 cheats...Sunday's was big, 8 girl scout cookies in a matter of minutes!! Otherwise, it's a small miracle for me to even be able to eat this way but still......Oh, I would like to be down to 115, that's 12 more pounds.

Any suggestions, or just keep plugging away? Another side note, several days ago I was actually down to 125, but then went back up to 127.
Thanks!

Hi uppercase lady,

As I'm sure you know, "cheats" on Atkins aren't like cheats on other WOEs. The way I understand it, once you introduce a bunch of sugar back into your system suddenly, it triggers the production of glycogen which then grabs all kinds of water and hangs on to it. Were the girl scout cookies after the 125 but before the 127? This is why one "cheat" can be such a setback on the Atkins program. It might take several days to get rid of that glycogen and get your body back to burning fat instead of carbs for energy.

9 pounds in 5 weeks is pretty great at ay rate, particularly because you don't have a huge amount of weight to lose. I know it is hard to see the big losses at the beginning taper off, but it is certainly an experience shared by many.

Some people can tolerate the Atkins Advantage bars and still lose; others cannot. Have you experimented by cutting them out and seeing if that makes a difference?

Anyway, it sounds like you are doing great and have identified the things you want to work on (veggies, water, etc).

Sadly, I can't seem to lose using the Atkins products. I'm not sure why, but I just can't. I tried using them about 2 or 3 years ago, and unless they were just a once in a blue moon treat, I would stall out. Another thing is, you seem to be eating a lot of cheese. I can't do more than 2oz. per day or I get bogged down. I'm not sure if it is the actual food, salt, or what. And last but not least, it looks like you aren't eating enough... if you add that all up, the calorie count looks really low. You just need to pad your meals out a bit more. You said you know you needed to add more veg, so that's a great way to start. Like, at lunch. And then for your snack, you could do some veggies or add some lunch meat. You're also allowed more fats like olives and avocado, so that could be something to add to either lunch or snacks. Just don't get discouraged and give up. You'll find what works for you and get there! Everybody's body works differently and sometimes it's those little tweaks that make the difference.

I've read that lots of people have a 3rd week stall, where the scale doesn't move but the body loses inches. Have you been keeping track of your measurements? Tweak your diet as stated above, and keep on keeping on

Look at your weekly average - its about 2 lbs per week! That's great. It is normal to slow as you get closer to goal. You are probably retaining water from the cookies as well.

Try to go back to induction basics - 12 carbs min from veggies, 3 oz of cheese max per day.

I am back on it for about the 50th time hope this one takes. I need 20 lbs off.

I will be weigthing in again on wednesday for the 15 lbs off by july 4th I hope i didnt blow it on my Mothers day out. good luck to all.

I'm with you on this one I wonder if its the sweetness in the bars that don't agree with us.