Can't drop a pound. Legit frustrated. Help! page

[CarlaC]

I know. I have read these threads, too. If I wasn't so completely desperate I wouldn't be begging for help... But I am.

Variables:

Just finished 70 days of Atkins induction-level carbs (under 30g).
Lost 20 initially, have not lost a pound in 5 weeks.
49 year old, peri menopausal woman.
Switched to primal two weeks ago, added fruits, throttled calories back to 1800 (I am 5'9", 208 pounds).
Dairy: 3T HWC, occasional plain Greek yogurt
Fat 70%, carb 10%, protein 20%
Drinking CO with coffee
Walking, lifting small hand weights and "sprinting" (lol) 3x a week
Still in ketosis (sticks dark pink)

Sample day:
Coffee with CO and HWC, 3 eggs
Salad with leftover meat or fish, oil and vinegar
Meat or fish, spinach
Greek yogurt with strawberries, squares of 85% coffee
Snacks: 1 ounce almonds, diet coke, some grapes or berries, had a few Atkins bars over the last two weeks

If you are still listening, I have had two twelve day rounds of progesterone during this time.

Thank you so much for helping me out if you can. My back is against the wall.

[teach2183]

Not everyone does well low carb for so long. You might consider adding in more carbs, or carb cycling. Start lifting REAL weights. Small hand weights won't do you any good. Get rid of the diet coke, so many bad things in that for you.

Turning sticks dark pink would suggest your body is not USING the ketones for energy and signifies a problem.

Your body may also be in a rest phase before losing more weight, as 20lbs is a lot to lose.

[primalrob]

you've been low carbing it for a while. see what happens with a little refeed. go high carb (sweet potatoes, rice, squashes, fruit, etc.)/low fat for a couple of days, then switch back. that might be the little kick that you need.

[sbhikes]

I blame the prednisone. Nasty stuff. Not to mention whatever the prednisone was prescribed for.

[tfarny]

Why not try lifting heavy things - it's definitely a major part of PB. I'd recommend learning barbell lifts, but YAYOG by Mark Lauren is pretty highly recommended, too, and requires no money or gym. I also think you might want to switch it up - load up on primal carbs for a day then go straight back to LC, and don't weigh yourself during that period.

[CarlaC]

Thanks, guys. I guess I am just terrified of losing control again and chowing down for days (weeks). Also afraid of the weight gain when the glucagon and water comes back on. Also... Afraid of induction flu again.

I actually 86'd the diet coke for a few days and now it's down to one a day. Easy enough to get rid of. I just think there is a systemic problem here. WTH. I have always been able to lose before when I stopped eating junk and gorging. I cannot believe I have stalled like this- boggles my mind. I don't believe nuts and dairy have magical stalling powers, but I have limited them to such a minor amount. Also- obviously- as I increase carbs the appetite increases.

Well.... I guess I know what I have to do. Increasing exercise and carbs is going to make me starving. I am so worried about blood sugar as my fasting was 119 three months ago (pushed me into this WOE).

Question: increasing carbs in my mind would mean more Greek yogurt with berries and almonds on top. Not good, correct? I guess I could gag down a sweet potato.

Sorry to obsess like this but it's gone beyond comical and into the depressing stage for me.

[CarlaC]

I blame the prednisone. Nasty stuff. Not to mention whatever the prednisone was prescribed for.

Progesterone, specifically Prometrium. This was supposed to bring on a TOM, but: fail. Weight gain is a huge side effect, but supposedly because it stimulates appetite, which it hasn't.

[emmie]

If weight gain is a side effect of the progesterone, you might gain even if it doesn't stimulate your appetite. I'm hypothyroid, and if my T3 drops very low, I will gain weight eating exactly the amount of food on which I was losing. It's all hormonal--and uncontrollable until I get my hormones regulated.

But if it's not the meds, I'd suggest it's the calories. You say that you 'throttled back' to 1800 cal. Even though you're tall, you're perimenopausal, and that's a lot of calories for most women.

When I was over 300 lbs (I'm currently 146), a nutritionist told me that the 'minimum' I should eat daily to lose is 1800 cal. But I have a metabolic dysfunction (which is how I got to over 300 lbs in the first place), and I knew that I could not lose on more than 1200 cal. That's what I did, and lost the first 80 lbs. Eventually I had to drop to 1000 cal to lose the rest. I am very carb sensitive (part of my dysfunction), and all this was on no more than 20g carbs, which is still the level I eat.

I'm not telling you what's 'right' for you, but when you're not losing, the most common reason is the lack of a sufficient caloric deficit.

[tfarny]

Lifting heavy will raise your metabolism for 24 hours beyond the exercise period itself, thus burning more calories than your basic cardio. It also increases your insulin sensitivity. I'd highly recommend you take the lifting advice seriously as part of solving this problem.

[ivelosttheweight]

I'd cut out the diet coke and Atkins bars. They are notorious for stalling people.

Also take measurements as you may be losing inches and not pounds on the scale.

Having lost a lot of weight on Atkins, I've often had 3-4 weeks of no weight loss, especially right after Induction. I'd often be losing inches, or needed to tweak my eating to cut out common stallers like too many sweeteners (Diet Coke), too many nuts, too much cheese, and more veggies and carbs to keep the weight lost happening.

There's tons of other veggies than potatoes to choose from. I like jicama, pumpkin, brussel sprouts, and squash.

Medications or injury/illness may also cause a stall. Eat cleanly and exercise and give it some time.