Still struggling on weight and inches loss

[tinab232]

I'm 2 months in and pretty much where I started out. It's so depressing! I've gotten past all the cravings and honestly don't struggle with cravings. I stick to kind of the same meal plan each week because it's easier to plan and I need some fast go to meals with a sometimes crazy schedule. I exercise very regularly, walking at least 2 miles per day and doing more if I can. I'm not on any medications and have really worked on maintaining portion control. And no change whatsoever...I've gone down and up a little week to week but as of today there is no net change.

Below is a typical plan

Breakfast - 1 cup coffee with liquid splenda and 0 carb cream, either OMM or egg/turkey bacon or a muffin fritatta. I try to keep breakfast at or below 2 carb

Lunch - usually 1/2 cup of the sausage stew recipe which I love and I try to keep the tomato as low as I can and get the flavor and add in black soy beans. I will sometimes serve that over 1/2 cup raw spinach.

Dinner - blackened fix with cauliflower or tofu noodles with shrimp and alfredo or Doug's southern pork chop with asparagus or some form of cauli or brocoli  or the turnip au gratin maybe

Snack - homemade beef jerky, small handful of almonds (I keep to 2net carb serving size limit) or GG brancrisp with cream cheese or a bit of whatever cheese is in the fridge

I've been weighing my veggies so keep the portions correct there. I know that cheese is my weakness so I'm going to cut that out except for what I need in cooking.

I don't eat out much but when I do I'll either get sashimi, no rice, or yesterday I had blackened fish no sauce and steamed brocoli at a restaurant.

I'm just flummoxed over what is going on. I definitely feel much better and finally got past cravings so kept feeling I was going well. I stopped weighing frequently so this is my first weigh in for 3 weeks. And nothing. I was so disgusted, I can't even describe. If I were struggling with the plan I would take my lumps but I love the substitutions, it's going well. At Easter dinner I carried turnips au gratin, had just a little, maybe 1/4 cup steamed broc and a small serving of turkey breast. And it was great. My extended family were all over incorporating low carb options at dinner so I only missed out on the candied sweet potatoes.

Any suggestions would be great. I'm starting to really despair I'll not be able to lose the weight again. It's not causing me to fall off the plan because I have been enjoying it very much but would love to figure out how I can be on the plan and lose weight. I know it works. I know there's some trigger I'm missing somewhere, I just need to find it. 

[Andrea]

My favorite question:  How much water are you drinking?  In my opinion, it is really important to drink enough water and 64 ounces is the minimum.

Now, take a minute to pat yourself on the back for making the commitment to an FTS livestyle and for taking the steps to stay on the right track.  This could be a stall and all you need is patience and it could be an issue that someone will recognize and help you correct.  Keep up the positive attitude and good things will happen.

[mouseissue]

Hi Tina!

Andrea gave you some great advice!
Even mild dehydration can cause a stall out.
So be sure you're drinking lots of water and getting sufficient sleep.
Sleep deprivation can cause problems too.

Your meal plan looks good.
I'm assuming that your measurements have remained unchanged for a long time too.
And If you are losing size, be patient with the scale, it will follow in due time.

If you know you're not eating more than your body needs, it's quite possible that you'll need to cut your daily carb allowance to get things humming.
A number of other FTS members have had to cut down to 10-12 net carbs a day to get results.

Although I do understand, you don't need be discouraged!
Each of us must find that "magic" balance that allows weight loss without deprivation.
That's part of the challenge (and I believe fun) of learning about our body's responses to food.
Since no two of us are alike, your solution may be quite different than another's.

I also suggest that you reread the section in Doug's book about plateaus.
I'm sure there's something there that will do the trick for you!

[tinab232]

Thanks both...I typically stay under 12 carbs per day and I drink plain water constantly. I'm really sensitive to dehydration so I tend to drink quite a bit of water. Usually at least 100 ounces per day. My measurements had dropped for a short time but from 2 months ago are unchanged. It's bizarre. I refer to the book constantly, it stays on my kitchen counter. I just don't know what else to cut. If I have OMM for breakfast, that's the only 'bread' that I have all day. I cut out the low carb tortillas in favor of the soup and keep my veggie portions down by measuring or weighing.

[Andrea]

Your determination is your best friend right now.  My experience has been that a long period without movement on the scale is followed by a big drop (a couple of pounds all at once).  It seems that my body just holds on to what it's got until it's absolutely sure I mean for it to go. 

[florenceroberts]

You are really having a tough time and I always believe it is hard to manage a diet plan. But there are a few things you must do and that is you need to do exercise so that you will start sweating. Sweating definitely reduces weight.

[Doug Varrieur]

Somebody hasn't read the book