[BostonDoctorTTT]

Hi all,

Its great to have found this forum since i started Atkins a month back.

Previous to this, about 4 years back i had lost about 40 pounds successfully and have been off and on the diet till now. I didnt gain back any of the lost weight except for maybe 4-5 pounds occassionally up or down.

Now i want to loose all the excess weight and actually become skinny.I would have about 20 pounds to lose to get there.

Problem is, that this time my weight loss seems to be extremely slow...!Has my body kinda got used to atkins so it wont lose weight faster anymore?I still remember i could see signficant weight loss in a month previously but now i jst feel...toned.

My ketostix are at moderate level and i do intense brisk walking everyday.
Iam on induction right now.

Anyone any idea about the body adaptation thing? Or do i just go on for another 2-3 months and watch. Its depressing because its taking me nowhere...Could it be that those last 20 pounds are the toughest to lose the say, and thats why the slow progress?

Any insight would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

Shai

[career-builder]

I've heard a lot of people say that the last part of the diet can take a long time. It seems that the nearere you get to your ideal weight the slower the progress. It would make sense as it prepares us to eat and maintain the loss for life.

Have you read through the posts on 'how to break a stall'?

Good lcuk and I look forwad to reading your posts

Helen

[Flankrene]

It's true, the last pounds are the most difficult to budge. It makes sense, though... the less you weigh, the less your body needs to maintain. So the smaller you get, the smaller the deficit you can create. At the end, 1 to 2# a MONTH is good. You can help it along by cutting back on added fats (just be careful... think about not adding butter or cheese sauces to veggies, for example) and controlling your protein choices (stick with leaner cuts like chicken, fish and pork loin... avoid bacon, sausage, too much cheese, etc). Upping the intesity of your workouts or the frequency will help, too. In the end, though... expect it to take a while and to take a lot of effort. The best part? Losing 5# when you're close to goal will feel/show like losing 15-20# on someone very overweight.

Tril

[BostonDoctorTTT]

Thanks Tril and Spirit...

I can do this without getting anxious now.

I was including a some cream and 2 ounces of cheese so would cut down on them a bit. Iam in moderate ketosis and take 3 liters of water (phew!).
So iam sure iam in deep ketosis.

Well lets see. I shall report back progress at the end of jan 2009!Hopefully the scales would have moved!Although a secret is that ive never been fond of weighing myself regularily. I just go by the inch loss.

The new year parties would definately be a MAJOR temptation..!But iam seeing the 'Before/after' pics on this forum and iam totally charged and motivated!

Hats off to the ones who have achieved the target. Waiting to join you soon!

Regards
Shai

[Flankrene]

"So iam sure iam in deep ketosis."

Just so you know, there are no levels of ketosis... it's like being pregnant, either you are or you aren't. Yes, by the end of 9 months it's obvious if a woman is pg, but a she is no more pg the day before she gives birth than the day she got pg. Ketosis is like that... either you're metabolizing fat for energy, or you're metabolizing glucose.

Tril

[BostonDoctorTTT]

Oh ok...thanks for the info tril.

Which means that even if iam showing trace on the ketostix iam actually burning fat?

Also, if iam having fat based products and the energy for my body is coming from these, the keto might be reading the fat eaten and not the fat stored. So how do i know when my body is burning the stored fat?

Regards
Shai

[Flankrene]

That's right... if there are any ketones in your urine it means you body is metabolizing fat. Unfortunately, as you realized, you can't tell if it's adipose tissue (body fat) or dietary fat you've burned to produce those ketones. The best advice I could give you would be to test once a day (if that often) with your first urine of the day. You're fasting while sleeping so there shouldn't be any dietary fat to cause a "false positive" on the stix. Eating a very fatty meal before bed might not be a good idea, though. lol

Also, you might be in ketosis and burning fat like crazy but not have the stix change color at all. That simply means that you're USING all of the ketones your body is producing and there weren't enough left over to show up in your urine. Extra ketones are also released through breathing... not all of them are in your urine. So if you see the stix at a trace or less, evaluate your diet and your progress with a different tool, like the scale, your clothes, the way you feel, your skin, your energy level, your cholesterol results, etc. Don't rely on just the stix as proof you're doing this right.

Tril