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Hello Everybody, I started Atkins 15 months ago and had immediate success. Between May and November I lost 36 pounds, then went bonkers between Thanksgiving and Christmas and gained 12 pounds back, but then went right back on the diet and recovered most of my lost ground. I have had three significant "stalls" along the way. I found the cause of two of them and will pass it on, it could possibly be helpful to some of you. For the first stall I went back and reread some of the fine print in Atkins's book. He mentions at one point that diuretics can prevent weight loss. Just prior to the stall my doctor had prescribed a diuretic. Atkins suggested switching to L-Taurine ("a natural amino acid that is a powerful diuretic"). I asked my doctor, who is extremely anti-Atkins, about switching diuretics. Not surprisingly he told me not to. I did it anyway. I found some L-taurine in a health food store and bingo, I started losing weight again immediately. Then some months later I had another stall, and in some other low carb book (can't remember which) the author said the first thing he looks for on a stall is a thyroid problem. Well, guess what--I just had a blood test and it showed I had a thyroid problem. My doctor (same doctor, but this time there was no conflict) put me on synthroid and I started losing again. Now I am currently on my third big stall and I have no clue what the problem is. I did run across an article ("Why Can't I Lose Weight?") in the Sept. issue of "Low Carb Energy" (Great magazine! If you're doing low carbs you oughta get it!)--and it said that "sugar alcohols are...the biggest cause of stalls." This was not good news since all of the great candy bars, cookies, and ice creams that I've been inhaling have a lot of sugar alcohols. (Noxcema, is this what you mean by "Malitols are evil"--is that a sugar alcohol?). I have perhaps not been off sugar alcohols for a long enough time and in the last two weeks I did cheat on two meals (bread and pizza only), but I seem to be rapidly charging back to square one. Of the original 36 pounds that I lost I have now regained 14 pounds. Anybody have any advice?
Thanks, Andrew
Posts: 7 | From: Boulder, CO | Registered: Jul 2004
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36 pounds is wonderful! Let's see if we can get that total back! I have a few suggestions that may help.
First of all, tell us how many carbs per day you are limiting yourself to, and what foods you are eating on a daily basis. Either one or both of those things could be causing the problem.
Now for some suggestions that have worked for me when I "stall". Maybe they will help you, too.
Try drinking more water. I don't really care for plain tap water, so I drink flavored water. There are several different flavors, and you may enjoy the ones that are carbonated, as I do. I have heard that carbonation causes "stalls", but in my case, it helped end the "stall". You mentioned in your post that you are taking a diuretic, so retaining water shouldn't be a problem. Also, it's my understanding that people who retain water are those who don't drink enough of it. So by drinking more water, you're body will be getting what it needs and will rid itself of the extra.
Satisfy your sweet tooth by eating more low-carb desserts and less low-carb candy. *(See Note)
Change up your daily menu. I get in a so-called "rut" of eating the same foods week after week. I have found that if I begin eating different foods it seems to help me move past the "stall". In the low-carb way of eating, it helps to be inventive with meals and snacks.
You mentioned "cheating" on bread and pizza. Have you tried the low-carb bread, tortillas and pizza crust? I use the low-carb tortillas as my "bread". They're great for sandwiches and mini pizzas and when you use the low-carb pizza crust mix to make your own pizza, you can add whatever you like.. no extra charge!
Change up your meal routine. If you're accustomed to eating 3 regular meals a day, try eating 5 or 6 (including snacks). I would suggest making your largest meal breakfast, then a normal sized lunch and a smaller meal for supper, with no-carb or very low-carb snacks in between. *(For example: snack on ham and cheese roll-ups, lil smokies with low-carb barbeque sauce or sliced weiners with low-carb ketchup or ranch dressing.)
Try eating foods that are low-carb and low-fat. (These are a little bit harder to find, but they do exist.) Of course doing this will reduce the number of foods you can eat, but you won't have to do it forever. Doing it for a week should put an end to the "stall", then you can go back to eating what you normally would.
Keep in close contact with others who are also eating low-carb. (Here is a good place to do that! ) It's alot easier to revert back to old eating habits, or even talk yourself into eating "just one bite" of something you shouldn't, if you dont surround yourself with others in the same boat. Most importantly, you ALWAYS help yourself when you help others. By you simply sharing your story here with us in this post, you will help more people than you realize. I can guarantee there are many people who can relate to you and the problem that you're dealing with, and talking about it prompts others to offer suggestions for you to try, which, when productive, instills you with confidence that you can overcome this eating addiction. Plus, it makes you feel better about yourself to help someone else. Whatta deal!
Try these suggestions and see if they work for you, too. Let us know how things are going, and if you need more help, we're always here for you.
(Check out the "Low-Carb Recipe" section of this forum. You'll find lots of simple, great-tasting meals, snacks, desserts and more!
*Note: Many people have found their "stalls" to be attributed to Malitol, and sometimes it can also cause painful gas and diarrhea. In my experience, some kinds of low-carb candy affect me in that way, while other kinds don't. Find the kind that doesn't have adverse effects for you, and save it as a "now and then treat", using the low-carb desserts you can prepare yourself, using Splenda, as your main source of sweets.
Good Luck! Angie
-------------------- New Beginning Date: 03-05-06 Current: Size 18 Starting weight: 199 Current weight: 192.5 (as of 3/15) 1st Goal: 185 2nd Goal: 160 End Goal: 140 (Gained back 23 pounds in 16 months) Posts: 62 | From: Quanah, Texas | Registered: Jul 2004
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I have a few suggestions that may help.![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
) It's alot easier to revert back to old eating habits, or even talk yourself into eating "just one bite" of something you shouldn't, if you dont surround yourself with others in the same boat. Most importantly, you ALWAYS help yourself when you help others. By you simply sharing your story here with us in this post, you will help more people than you realize. I can guarantee there are many people who can relate to you and the problem that you're dealing with, and talking about it prompts others to offer suggestions for you to try, which, when productive, instills you with confidence that you can overcome this eating addiction. Plus, it makes you feel better about yourself to help someone else. Whatta deal! 
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