Its not a plateau, its a brick wall !!!

Hello all you low carb guru's.

I've been on Atkins now for
about 8 months in which time I've lost about 63lbs which is nothing short
of a miracle considering it took me 3 years to loose the same amount with a
low fat diet. However I have now hit a problem. I can't seem to get below
189lbs to reach my 175lb goal. I know your thinking its just the usual
stall/plateau that everyone gets occasionally but this one has been ongoing
now for 3 months and I just can't crack it. The 3 stalls I've had in the
past have only lasted about 2 weeks and then the weight would drop even
faster than before. In an attempt to break the stall I even put on 14lbs
whilst on holiday over Xmas by pigging out on all sorts of nasty food
stuffs, then when I returned I went back on the Atkins and lost the 14lbs in
3 weeks until I hit 189lbs and then bang,brick wall time. Even when I revert
back to a high carb/low fat diet I always stall at 189 after the usual 4-5lb
gain due to water/carb restocking. I have tried eating less/eating more.
Exercising more/exercising less. Drinking more water/ drinking less water. I
don't drink soft drinks or tea/coffee just spring water(about 3 litres a
day) and have tried cutting out each food type from my diet to see if any
one is causing a problem. I normally eat between 1800 and 2000 cals per day
but have varied it between 1500 and 2500 to try and crack this stall.
I read in this ng that your body can develop a memory of your
weight in the past and may try to stick to a weight you held for a long time
but I can't remember being 189lbs since my early teens and I'm now pushing
30.
Has anyone else out there had experience with a brick wall of a
stall like this because being only 14lbs off goal weight is infuriating.


Cheers
Andy Mc UK


(327/189/175)

In article , "Andy
Mclean" wrote:

Hello all you low carb guru's.

I've been on Atkins now for
about 8 months in which time I've lost about 63lbs which is nothing
short
of a miracle considering it took me 3 years to loose the same amount with
a
low fat diet. However I have now hit a problem. I can't seem to get below
189lbs to reach my 175lb goal. I know your thinking its just the usual
stall/plateau that everyone gets occasionally but this one has been
ongoing
now for 3 months and I just can't crack it. The 3 stalls I've had in the
past have only lasted about 2 weeks and then the weight would drop even
faster than before. In an attempt to break the stall I even put on 14lbs
whilst on holiday over Xmas by pigging out on all sorts of nasty food
stuffs, then when I returned I went back on the Atkins and lost the 14lbs
in
3 weeks until I hit 189lbs and then bang,brick wall time. Even when I
revert
back to a high carb/low fat diet I always stall at 189 after the usual
4-5lb
gain due to water/carb restocking. I have tried eating less/eating more.
Exercising more/exercising less. Drinking more water/ drinking less
water. I
don't drink soft drinks or tea/coffee just spring water(about 3 litres a
day) and have tried cutting out each food type from my diet to see if any
one is causing a problem. I normally eat between 1800 and 2000 cals per
day
but have varied it between 1500 and 2500 to try and crack this stall.
I read in this ng that your body can develop a memory of your
weight in the past and may try to stick to a weight you held for a long
time
but I can't remember being 189lbs since my early teens and I'm now
pushing
30.
Has anyone else out there had experience with a brick wall of a
stall like this because being only 14lbs off goal weight is infuriating.


Cheers
Andy Mc UK


(327/189/175)






Yes, but I'm far away from the goal still. I've been stuck more or less
for the last two months, inching downward. On the other hand, I know
that I'm metabolically resistant, that there's IR in the family, that I
have hormonal issues (I take a prescribed hormonal medication), etc.

In your case, it might be that your goal and your weight are close
enough that you've actually reached where your body wants to be? I
don't know - but if I had the success you have, I'd be thrilled, and,
while still working at it, not stressing. Because, WOW!!!

Just a thought.

347/259.75/???
Since 8/5/02

--
Nancy Howells (don't forget to switch it, and replace the to send mail).

I used to bounce off 197 and around 200 and thought that was as low as I
could get. I was not happy with that, so I just started working out harder
and it did push me through. I have been on Induction levels, but make sure
I am eating enough. I work out for 1 1/2 hours 4-5 days a week. I know that
is a tall order, but I just want to end this. I am at my current goal
weight, but want to lose some more body fat. I think you can do it if you
want and keep going. You have to be pretty strict. Maybe take a day off
and then start over on Induction and be really strict for two weeks to see
if you can break through.

Curt

--
Started low carb May '03
211/184/185 . . 6'2" 15.78% BF
Highest weight 250 5+ years ago


"Andy Mclean" wrote in message
...
Hello all you low carb guru's.

I've been on Atkins now for
about 8 months in which time I've lost about 63lbs which is nothing
short
of a miracle considering it took me 3 years to loose the same amount with
a
low fat diet. However I have now hit a problem. I can't seem to get below
189lbs to reach my 175lb goal. I know your thinking its just the usual
stall/plateau that everyone gets occasionally but this one has been
ongoing
now for 3 months and I just can't crack it. The 3 stalls I've had in the
past have only lasted about 2 weeks and then the weight would drop even
faster than before. In an attempt to break the stall I even put on 14lbs
whilst on holiday over Xmas by pigging out on all sorts of nasty food
stuffs, then when I returned I went back on the Atkins and lost the 14lbs
in
3 weeks until I hit 189lbs and then bang,brick wall time. Even when I
revert
back to a high carb/low fat diet I always stall at 189 after the usual
4-5lb
gain due to water/carb restocking. I have tried eating less/eating more.
Exercising more/exercising less. Drinking more water/ drinking less water.
I
don't drink soft drinks or tea/coffee just spring water(about 3 litres a
day) and have tried cutting out each food type from my diet to see if any
one is causing a problem. I normally eat between 1800 and 2000 cals per
day
but have varied it between 1500 and 2500 to try and crack this stall.
I read in this ng that your body can develop a memory of your
weight in the past and may try to stick to a weight you held for a long
time
but I can't remember being 189lbs since my early teens and I'm now pushing
30.
Has anyone else out there had experience with a brick wall of a
stall like this because being only 14lbs off goal weight is infuriating.


Cheers
Andy Mc UK


(327/189/175)

Try going down to 1200 calories.

--
Someone on my forum claimed to have gained 30 lbs in 3 months eating
800-1000 calories/day.

In the FFID universe, 800 cal can magically cause weight gain.

Lyle

"Andy Mclean" wrote in message
...
Hello all you low carb guru's.

I've been on Atkins now for
about 8 months in which time I've lost about 63lbs which is nothing
short
of a miracle considering it took me 3 years to loose the same amount with
a
low fat diet. However I have now hit a problem. I can't seem to get below
189lbs to reach my 175lb goal. I know your thinking its just the usual
stall/plateau that everyone gets occasionally but this one has been
ongoing
now for 3 months and I just can't crack it. The 3 stalls I've had in the
past have only lasted about 2 weeks and then the weight would drop even
faster than before. In an attempt to break the stall I even put on 14lbs
whilst on holiday over Xmas by pigging out on all sorts of nasty food
stuffs, then when I returned I went back on the Atkins and lost the 14lbs
in
3 weeks until I hit 189lbs and then bang,brick wall time. Even when I
revert
back to a high carb/low fat diet I always stall at 189 after the usual
4-5lb
gain due to water/carb restocking. I have tried eating less/eating more.
Exercising more/exercising less. Drinking more water/ drinking less water.
I
don't drink soft drinks or tea/coffee just spring water(about 3 litres a
day) and have tried cutting out each food type from my diet to see if any
one is causing a problem. I normally eat between 1800 and 2000 cals per
day
but have varied it between 1500 and 2500 to try and crack this stall.
I read in this ng that your body can develop a memory of your
weight in the past and may try to stick to a weight you held for a long
time
but I can't remember being 189lbs since my early teens and I'm now pushing
30.
Has anyone else out there had experience with a brick wall of a
stall like this because being only 14lbs off goal weight is infuriating.


Cheers
Andy Mc UK


(327/189/175)

On Sun, 29 Feb 2004 13:04:47 -0000, "Andy Mclean"
wrote:

Hello all you low carb guru's.

I've been on Atkins now for
about 8 months in which time I've lost about 63lbs which is nothing short
of a miracle considering it took me 3 years to loose the same amount with a
low fat diet. However I have now hit a problem. I can't seem to get below
189lbs to reach my 175lb goal.

[snip]

Cheers
Andy Mc UK


(327/189/175)


Fats are calorie dense so people having stalls a few pounds above
ideal weight are common, unless you can make a few calorie trade offs.

Simple calorie tradeoff like using a low fat Xanthan gum based salad
dressing instead of an oil based dressing can eliminate several
hundred calories a week without leaving you feeling deprived.

It does all boil down to calories in calories out and finding methods
that help with your appetite. With low carb if you are feeling
deprived you are doing something wrong.

Finding an exercise that you enjoy will help keep your metabolism up
and provide some muscle tone. You should still be able to break a
stall by just reducing calories though.

Andy Mclean wrote:
:: Hello all you low carb guru's.
::
:: I've been on Atkins now
:: for about 8 months in which time I've lost about 63lbs which is
:: nothing short of a miracle considering it took me 3 years to loose
:: the same amount with a low fat diet. However I have now hit a
:: problem. I can't seem to get below 189lbs to reach my 175lb goal. I
:: know your thinking its just the usual stall/plateau that everyone
:: gets occasionally but this one has been ongoing now for 3 months and
:: I just can't crack it. The 3 stalls I've had in the past have only
:: lasted about 2 weeks and then the weight would drop even faster than
:: before. In an attempt to break the stall I even put on 14lbs whilst
:: on holiday over Xmas by pigging out on all sorts of nasty food
:: stuffs, then when I returned I went back on the Atkins and lost the
:: 14lbs in 3 weeks until I hit 189lbs and then bang,brick wall time.
:: Even when I revert back to a high carb/low fat diet I always stall
:: at 189 after the usual 4-5lb gain due to water/carb restocking. I
:: have tried eating less/eating more. Exercising more/exercising less.
:: Drinking more water/ drinking less water. I don't drink soft drinks
:: or tea/coffee just spring water(about 3 litres a day) and have tried
:: cutting out each food type from my diet to see if any one is causing
:: a problem. I normally eat between 1800 and 2000 cals per
:: day but have varied it between 1500 and 2500 to try and crack this
:: stall. I read in this ng that your body can develop a memory of your
:: weight in the past and may try to stick to a weight you held for a
:: long time but I can't remember being 189lbs since my early teens and
:: I'm now pushing
:: 30.
:: Has anyone else out there had experience with a brick wall
:: of a stall like this because being only 14lbs off goal weight is
:: infuriating.
::
::
:: Cheers
:: Andy Mc UK
::
::
:: (327/189/175)


1500/189 = 7.9x.

So you're at 8x bodyweight at your lowest. I suggest you move it down to 7x
for two weeks, then 6x -- until you start losing. Also, formalize your
exercise program. Do cardio with the intent of burning X calories per day.
Do the cardio at least 6 times per week. And add in weight training, too
(and if you do, do your cardio either after or well before your weight
training). Count your calories in / out via fitday.com.

The other option is to be happy where you are. You've lost 138 lbs -- that's
great, man! Why must you weigh 175 lbs?

I'd have to pose some thoughts/questions...

Any medications? Illnesses that might be interacting with your body to
produce slightly higher body weight?
Are you taking vitamins/esential oils/supplements? Your body may need
something else to reach peak shape.
How tall are you (male apparently), and what size frame (small medium
large)?
Is your goal weight realistic?
Is your goal weight maintainable within your enjoyable lifestyle? By
this I mean, if 175 and lower BF% requires 1.5 hours a day workout 4
times a week are you prepared to do that... for years to come? If not
do you really want to go there only to bounce back up when you can't
maintain that strict level of metabolism?
Out of curiosity, what is your CCLL?


You should also consider that 1800-2000 calorie range may be the
intake level that will maintain 185 lbs for your metabolism.


I've seen estiamtes that you can only lose about 1% of body weight a
week and this number is just wrong for obvious mathematical
reasons...it assumes an eventual weight of zero pounds. I've been
running numbers and found that if I estimate a base healthy weight
(estimate of how low my body would go for my frame, 180 lbs for me) I
am losing about 2.2% of the difference each week. It has been
surprisingly accurate for the seven weeks.

(current weight - minimum healthy wt est) * 0.022 = week's loss

As you get closer to this healthy body weight your loss slows. The
last pounds may take weeks/months. I'll only know if this formula
continues to be accurate for me in the many months to come, but I
would think most weight loss would follow a decreasing pattern that is
a % of your "over-weight".


DiGiTAL_ViNYL (no email)
350/326/200
Atkins since 1/12/2004

Taking advice from someone that is 150 pounds overweight might not be your
best option.

--
Someone on my forum claimed to have gained 30 lbs in 3 months eating
800-1000 calories/day.

In the FFID universe, 800 cal can magically cause weight gain.

Lyle

"DigitalVinyl" wrote in message
...
I'd have to pose some thoughts/questions...

Any medications? Illnesses that might be interacting with your body to
produce slightly higher body weight?
Are you taking vitamins/esential oils/supplements? Your body may need
something else to reach peak shape.
How tall are you (male apparently), and what size frame (small medium
large)?
Is your goal weight realistic?
Is your goal weight maintainable within your enjoyable lifestyle? By
this I mean, if 175 and lower BF% requires 1.5 hours a day workout 4
times a week are you prepared to do that... for years to come? If not
do you really want to go there only to bounce back up when you can't
maintain that strict level of metabolism?
Out of curiosity, what is your CCLL?


You should also consider that 1800-2000 calorie range may be the
intake level that will maintain 185 lbs for your metabolism.


I've seen estiamtes that you can only lose about 1% of body weight a
week and this number is just wrong for obvious mathematical
reasons...it assumes an eventual weight of zero pounds. I've been
running numbers and found that if I estimate a base healthy weight
(estimate of how low my body would go for my frame, 180 lbs for me) I
am losing about 2.2% of the difference each week. It has been
surprisingly accurate for the seven weeks.

(current weight - minimum healthy wt est) * 0.022 = week's loss

As you get closer to this healthy body weight your loss slows. The
last pounds may take weeks/months. I'll only know if this formula
continues to be accurate for me in the many months to come, but I
would think most weight loss would follow a decreasing pattern that is
a % of your "over-weight".


DiGiTAL_ViNYL (no email)
350/326/200
Atkins since 1/12/2004

Andy,

Been there, hit that wall. Listen very carefully to what I have to say, as
you may save your ability to eat at reasonable levels.

You have most likely hit the true goal weight for your build and metabolism.
That's because once you get heavy, you put on extra bone and muscle that
increases your lean body mass and makes you heavier at a healthy weight.

If that is so, the only way you will lose any more is by severely
restricting your caloric intake. You might think, well, great, I'll be
skinny. But you will also be condemned to eat at that reduced calorie level
for the rest of your life or face gaining the weight right back because you
will slow your metabolism.

If you are eating what feels like enough (or even a lot) of food now on your
current low carb regimen, it is a much better idea to stay at that weight
maintain, and celebrate an impressive weight loss than push for that last 10
lbs.

I lost that extra 10 lbs, but only at the cost of reducing how much I could
eat on maintenance by about 300 calories a day. It sucks, because I gain
weight now when I eat at the comfortable intake level that maintained my
previous low carb loss (at a level 10 lbs "too high") for almost 3 years.



--
Jenny - Low Carbing for 4 years. At goal for weight. Type 2 diabetes, hba1c
5.2.
Cut the carbs to respond to my email address!

Low carb facts and figures, my weight-loss photos, tips, recipes,
strategies for dealing with diabetes and more at
http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/

Looking for help controlling your blood sugar?
Visit http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/...0Diagnosed.htm



"Andy Mclean" wrote in message
...
Hello all you low carb guru's.

I've been on Atkins now for
about 8 months in which time I've lost about 63lbs which is nothing
short
of a miracle considering it took me 3 years to loose the same amount with
a
low fat diet. However I have now hit a problem. I can't seem to get below
189lbs to reach my 175lb goal. I know your thinking its just the usual
stall/plateau that everyone gets occasionally but this one has been
ongoing
now for 3 months and I just can't crack it. The 3 stalls I've had in the
past have only lasted about 2 weeks and then the weight would drop even
faster than before. In an attempt to break the stall I even put on 14lbs
whilst on holiday over Xmas by pigging out on all sorts of nasty food
stuffs, then when I returned I went back on the Atkins and lost the 14lbs
in
3 weeks until I hit 189lbs and then bang,brick wall time. Even when I
revert
back to a high carb/low fat diet I always stall at 189 after the usual
4-5lb
gain due to water/carb restocking. I have tried eating less/eating more.
Exercising more/exercising less. Drinking more water/ drinking less water.
I
don't drink soft drinks or tea/coffee just spring water(about 3 litres a
day) and have tried cutting out each food type from my diet to see if any
one is causing a problem. I normally eat between 1800 and 2000 cals per
day
but have varied it between 1500 and 2500 to try and crack this stall.
I read in this ng that your body can develop a memory of your
weight in the past and may try to stick to a weight you held for a long
time
but I can't remember being 189lbs since my early teens and I'm now pushing
30.
Has anyone else out there had experience with a brick wall of a
stall like this because being only 14lbs off goal weight is infuriating.


Cheers
Andy Mc UK


(327/189/175)

And McLean wrote:
Has anyone else out there had experience with a brick wall of a stall
like this because being only 14lbs off goal weight is infuriating.

----------------------------------------

Andy I was in the same situation not too long ago. (I am now 7 lbs. from
goal) Right now it may feel like a brick wall, but it isn't, not really.
It just seem that way to you right now, in this stage of your WOE. Even
if it were, you can climb that sucker! It can be done. The closer you
get to goal the harder it will seem, but you must buck up, get in shape,
and start climbing. I don't mean to sound trite, but it is do-able. And
please keep in mind, the facts are that this has been, and will continue
to be done, over and over again.
Climb Away; Marty