I guess I am stuck on fat

[gonnagetthere]

 OK I started this plan on Aug. 2 so this is the 3Rd weigh in and I gained 2.6 lbs of the 5 I had lost .  I can not understand how people or losing 20-30 lbs a month unless they are not eating any carbs at all . I am going to try this week to eat 0 carbs just to see what happens .
 I know that I went to the Chines resturant but I did not eat any carbs ,I am sure that I got some hidden sugar,but still should  not have been enough to make me gain 2.6 lbs .
 I am beginning to think I will not be a FTS success story ,or a weight loss story at all ! I feel so defeated I just dont know what to do . I see the pics , I see other peoples LBs just falling off &  though I am very happy for them I am very discouraged  for me.
Could my body be so out of whack that I cant eat any carbs at all ? What could be the problem ? I was eating probably 200-300 carbs before I started the FTS so one would think even if I ate 50 carbs I would lose something ! It is driving me crazy .
 The good side is I didnt get bigger in these 3 weeks ,I have lost 2.4 lbs & about 3-4 inchs . I also feel so much better and my cravings or gone well almost gone bread still says EAT ME , EAT ME  but I havn't .

 So I am going to eat 0 carbs this week or as close to 0 to see what happens !
 Doug have you ever had anyone that lost at this slow of a rate ? Or have had someone that had to stay way under 20 carbs ?  The lady that just put her pic on & the lady that has lost 80 lbs what carbs did they eat at the beginning ?
 Also Doreen  did you have to eat less then 20 .? I am just so discouraged .

[owensmath]

I am losing very slowly, too. I often see ups and downs on my scale, too. I've only lost 29 pounds since mid April...that's 4 months, so about 7 pounds in a month. That is hardly anything compared to the others. I am just happy that it's coming off, even if it's coming off slowly. The most exciting part for me is how my blood sugar has leveled out and I feel like a new person, not falling asleep all the time with no energy. For that reason, I don't get discouraged as much when I see the roller coaster ups and downs on the scale.
I break Doug's rule about weighing: I weigh every day. From Saturday to Sunday morning, I was down two pounds, but from Sunday morning to Monday morning, I was back up those two pounds. It's odd, but it all evens out in the long run. Overall, I'm on a downward slope, so I'm okay with it. This morning, I'm thinking about what I can do to make today a down day. Last night, I broke my own rule and ate something around 8:00. I normally don't eat anything after about 7 p.m. So, today, I'm back to that rule in case that is part of the reason for the upward motion on the scale. Don't beat yourself up.
But, I'm thinking that if you post on here what you've eaten, we can help you find some of the culprits.

[ShihTzuMom1]

I have been eating 16 to 20 net carbs per day, usually it's right around 20.  I also weigh myself every day and then average the week's weight on a chart.  Even though the dailies are up and down I do see a steady downward slope on the averages.  The weight on my Ticker is what my Monday weight is, not my weekly average.  More than the pounds it is my blood sugar and blood pressure that made a very quick change and are the most important thing that has happened since I started FTS.  I have been trying to walk 10,000 steps per day but have not done it every day.  I also have a note book and write down everything that I eat with the net carbs and add it up at the bottom.  In the beginning I was taking my blood sugar about 6 or 7 times per day and then could look at what I had eaten if my blood sugar was up and then try not to eat that on a regular basis.  It just helps me to visualize everything. 

I don't know what Doug thinks, but I don't think you should go down to 0 carbs per day because then you are not eating anything with nutritional value.  Maybe just increase your activity level a little will help give you that extra help.  Just a little at first and then increase over time.

Just keep plugging along, if you are feeling better and your inches are going down, something must be happening inside and your outside will catch up.  Keep at it and keep coming to us for moral support.
Good Luck! 

[gonnagetthere]

Thanks guys it is just so discouraging 

[beebs]

Are you eating lean meats when possible? Add some more healthy veggies to your daily intake.

[Doug Varrieur]

Jo the science is not wrong or flawed, the body works the way the body works....unless you come from another planet   The thought process of " I was eating probably 200-300 carbs before I started the FTS so one would think even if I ate 50 carbs I would lose something !" is where you're running into trouble. YES you are eating too much sugar per day....why do I know that, simple ...the weights not coming off.

I also want to comment on poopzumom's comment "I don't think you should go down to 0 carbs per day because then you are not eating anything with nutritional value" Where did that thought process come from? Meats, fish, poultry, good oils, fats, ultra low sugar veggies and fruits have tons of nutritional value WITHOUT THE CARBS.... It's actually the high carb foods with the least nutritional value.

My advice to you Jo is to eat as close to ZERO carbs per day as possible.....if you cheat you'll simply be cheating yourself. The weight loss stories you read on the forum are from people who have tweaked their food/beverage/condiment intake to fall within guidelines for their metabolism. Some can eat a bit more than others because their up and moving, those with totally sedentary lifestyles must take in less to force the body into FAT for fuel.

If you're gaining weight you're eating more sugar than you're burning. If you're not losing weight but not gaining weight you're burning what you're taking in...no more no less. If you're losing weight then you're burning all your sugar PLUS additional stored sugar (FAT) for fuel.

You have three choices if you wish to continue losing weight.

Door#1- Reduce sugar until the scale starts to drop.

Door#2- Leave your carb intake the same and increase activity until the scale starts to drop.

Door#3- Reduce sugar AND increase activity. The scale will drop faster

It's as simple as that, make some moves...pick a door and your plateau will break. Of course portion sizes should always be followed.

NOW, it's time you tell us about you. What is your life style?  Do you move at all? How large are your portions? Are you eating when you're not hungry? What are you actually eating everyday? Be honest now...help can only be given to you based on the facts you give us.

[gonnagetthere]

Hey Doug thanks . maybe  I do come from another planet ! Thats what I am starting to think anyway I am not exercising pretty much considered having a totally sedentary lifestyle  walk maybe a little but not enough to count yet. Wanted to lose a little so my feet would have a break .
 What I eat
 breakfast
2 eggs (cheese) 0 carbs
 turkey sausage 0 carbs
 Lunch
 Ham , lettuce leaf,mayo wrap 4 carbs
porkskins 0 carb
SF jello 0 carbs
 Supper this is got to be my only problem I have tried to see sugar maybe I am just not measuring right
Meat of some kind 0-2 carbs
lettuce,celery,onions,eggs,bacon bits , ranch dressing
Sugar free jello


Maybe ai need tro stay away from the salads until I can get more comfortable with the lettuce coubnts    > I know my eggs have 0 I was counting my ranch as 4 bacon bits have 0  thats pretty much it I gusee I will leave the salad off I tried waldens farm ranch & I dont like it I would rather not eat salad if that is the one I would have to use .
 Help if you can .Thanks

[ShihTzuMom1]

Sorry Doug, I guess I shouldn't have said "nothing with nutritional value", I wasn't thinking about the protein, but if she is taking in 0 carbs, does that not mean 0 vegetables.  There are vitamins in vegetables and they help your bowels move.  I don't think I would want to cut out vegetables to maintain 0 carbs.

[beebs]

Ok eggs have carbs unless they are egg whites onions have carbs. Also cheese has carbs unless you have shredded it yourself. Dont depend on us for carb counts! Read the labels on EVERYTHING YOU BUY!!

[Doug Varrieur]

Veggie choices are the key to carb control in salads...bulk up on some... reduce others...check the list in the book to build your salad. For instance, I like to add some shredded cabbage to my salads, crunchy...filling and low in sugar. Salads "snafu's" usually come from tomatoes, onions, croutons, dressings, etc... I like olive oil and red wine vinegar as a dressing...sometimes just a good extra virgin olive oil and Italian seasonings. Ranch is usually very low and I use it occasionally. One thing I always do is toss the salad in a big bowl before I plate it. That way a little dressing seems to go a long way.

Keep tweaking Jo...keep cutting back and really listen hard to your body..Don't eat unless you are truly hungry, keep portions in check and keep those carbs to as close to zero as possible. Are you taking any meds? If so what?

pooptzumom, you are correct there are carbs in veggies and a person cannot eat zero carbs, I want Jo to "start" at zero and work her way up to the absolute minimum she can get used to. I personally find it very hard to reach 20 carbs per day, my average is around 15 and I'm very happy with all the foods I eat.

MEATS AND GREENS WILL MAKE YOU LEAN.....SUGAR AND CARBS WILL MAKE YOU LARGE

[ShihTzuMom1]

Maybe when reading labels just give a glance at the sodium content.  Maybe your low carb choices are high in sodium and you are retaining water.  And Doug, I'll disreguard the pooptzumom comments.  Hopefully you are referring to my dog and not me. 

[gonnagetthere]

My eggs say 0 carbs they are the one with omega 3 my cheese says 0 carbs . I am sure it is my salad I am going to tweek tweek & tweek this week & see what happens .

[katary]

Jo....come on now ..calm down girl:) like doug said,the science works,be extremely honest with yourself,i know when i 1st started i would always think that i was doing great,when i hit my 1st plateau & reread the book i realized that i wasnt counting a bite of this or that:( in my counts,and also  noticed that in the midst of trying to come up with new recipes i was constantly "tasteing" my creations:( at that time i went back to the basics,and stuck with the simple lo/no carb meals.. and it worked:) it doesnt matter how many carbs you used to eat,all that matters is how many carbs youre eating now,and your body will not burn your stored carbs unless you stay under 20 carbs per day,see if you take in 50 and only do enough activity to burn 30... then thats 20 more that is going into the FAT bin....all that does is slow your weight GAIN,body=car>>>carbs=fuel.....drive the car more use more fuel,put less fuel in car,and either one forces your body to use the stored fuel(FAT)...thats what causes you to loose the weight,when i 1st started my knees and feet would be so sore after walking just the shortest of distances... now i am completely pain free...even after walking for hours,and its a catch 22,they hurt when you use them now, but they dont hurt after you lose the weight....does that make sense?

[toddy44]

Ok I'm going to chime in here too.

I started the same day as Jo and funnily enough we are the same weight.  I lost 4 lbs the first week, gained 1 back the next week and now I have gained 1.5 at this week’s weigh in!

I got so discouraged I had some “normal” bread this morning – big mistake – tasted good, but my stomach is not happy about it and I’m experiencing cramps.

My opinion is that I am eating too much fatty meat, ie sausages and salamis – just cos I can and they may have hidden carbs, although not according to the packaging.  I do buy salami’s from the deli, so I don’t know the carb count in them.  I sneak in a couple of slices while making hubby’s lunch etc., but this is a typical day for me:

Breakfast (if I am hungry after a half hour on the treadmill)

Omelette with spinach, mushroom and cheese – (1 carb-egg, egg whites – 1 carb per ¼ cup) mushrooms and spinach nominal, but I count as 1

Two cups of coffee, one with breakfast, one mid-morning with cream (I’m trying to like the cream to save carbs, but I don’t like it that much, trying to perservere though) 2 carbs

Snack on salami, cheeses if I snack at all then usually don’t eat “lunch”, but if I do:

Lunch = 1 mama lupe’s tortilla 3 carbs – with ham, mayo and lettuce
Last week I had some of Katary’s yoghurt – approx. 1 carb

Dinner, chicken or steak with either salad or veggies – depending on what veggies I have, count those carbs too.

So the way I see it, even if I do sneak in some cheese while I’m cooking or salami while I’m making lunch (although I know its eating when I’m not hungry), they are 0 carbs anyway.

What on earth am I missing then?  Is it the increased workout?  I thought that would make things shift quicker.

I’m about to give up, seriously, its so very, very disheartening.
Linda

[owensmath]

What are you drinking, other than coffee? Are you getting a lot of water? Are you drinking crystal light, diet sodas?