Cannot Lose Weight!!!

[pands45]

I give up!!! I have 25 more pounds to lose and I can NOT lose an ounce!!! Following Dr Bernstein's diet.

Breakfast: 2 eggs fried in coconut oil, 2 pcs bacon, decaf coffee with cream and 1/2 splenda

1 hour spin class at gym
with1 water bottle

Lunch: salad( romaine, baby spinach, shallots, cuccumber), 1 can tunaor 1 chicken breast , olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing or caesar dressing, 1 glass water

mid afternoon: 1/4 c mixed nuts

Dinner:steamed or cooked veg( broccoli, kale, green bean), sometime butter added, chicken fish or beef( about 6 oz)
Diet 7 up ( twice per week)

Before 10 p.m. insulin shot I have a snack.1/2 c nuts, 2 dates in almond milk.

Is there something wrong with me? I thought the high fat high protein, NO carbs would do it for me. I have excellent BS levels but I am NOT losing weight!!!!I think I should give up. It is almost 2 weeks. I thought I would lose at least 1 POUND!!!!

[jer.lawrence]

I'm not familiar with Bernstein, but here's what Atkins suggests to get over a plateau. I've been reading it lately but haven't really started it yet.. so, take this with a grain of salt.

1. DON'T GIVE UP - Your continued search will probably find the problem and correct it.

2. CHECK FOR HIDDEN SOURCES OF SUGAR - Sugar goes under many different names & in many cases does NOT appear on the label. Many vitamin tablets have sugar fillers. CHECK!

3. PERHAPS YOU'RE CHEATING ON THE DIET - If you think it's too small to matter, better check again. (Even one M&M)

4. OR YOU MAY STILL BE KEEPING YOUR FOOD INTAKE TOO LOW - Many times you carry over habits from other diets & eat too little. EAT UP... The right things & don't skip meals.

5. ARE YOU EATING SIX SMALL MEALS OR SNACKS A DAY? - A frequent eating schedule will provide a constant source of energy without the insulin rebound. Six small feedings a day are better than 3 large meals to break the energy/weight loss barrier.

6. YOU MAY NOT HAVE FOUND YOUR PROPER LEVEL YET - Reduce carbos still further, works in 4 out of 5 people, or ADD carbos while still remaining in ketosis. Try it and see.

7. CHECK YOUR MINERAL BALANCE - You may have a mineral imbalance. Such as zinc/copper. Or a trace mineral shortage.

8. YOU MAY BE LOSING TOO MUCH SALT - Salt or potassium shortages are common in the first stages of the diet. Eat salty foods & take potassium supplements.

9. TRY TO EXERCISE MORE - Exercise can improve circulation, stabilize blood sugar & other important metabolic benefits.

10. FOOD ALLERGY--A NEW CONCEPT - May cause all sorts of problems, fatigue, headche, Check possibility in your diet.

11. FOOD ADDITIVES MAY BE YOUR PROBLEM - Over a billion lbs of chemicals added to our food every year. (1977 data) You may be allergic to some of them. Check dyes in soft drinks.

12. YOU MAY BE DRINKING TOO MUCH COFFEE OR TEA - Coffee, cola & tea stimulate release of insulin with a temporary lift in energy followed by hunger, fatigue & slower weight loss.

13. IT MAY BE BECAUSE YOU ARE SMOKING - Some people will not respond to the diet unless smoking is stopped. Smoking uses up vitamin C & stimulates the adrenal gland.

14. HOW MUCH ARE YOU DRINKING? - Alcohol stimulates insulin.

15. IT MAY BE THE MEDICINES YOU ARE TAKING - Many drugs, even aspirin, can cause hypoglycemia. Watch out for hormones, amphetamines, diuretics, antihistamines, antiinflammatory drugs, analgesics, anticoagulants, antidiabetics, antibiotics, tranquilizers, clofibrate, acetaminophen, and propanolol.

16. LAST MONTH'S DIET PILLS MAY BE SLOWING YOU DOWN - Sometimes it isn't what you are taking but what you were taking that slows you down.

17. SEX HORMONES - Will slow down weight loss and stimulate the production of insulin. Estrogen (used in birth control pills) and Testosterone have much the same effect.

18. TOO MUCH SALT MAY BE CAUSING RETENTION OF WATER - After 2 to 3 weeks on the diet, the body partially adapts and excessive salt can cause some water retention.

19. WHAT ABOUT QUANTITIES? - If weight loss stops short of your ideal weight, even though you are producing ketones, you must conclude that the quantities within the diet are too great. The diet usually works best with just enough calories to stave off hunger. Too many people misinterpret the instructions regarding the diet as "Eat unrestrictedly." When they do this they will still lose weight in the beginning, which will reinforce their assurance that no heed whatever need be paid to quantities. In most cases, this practice will lead to a stalemate partway to the desired goal.

20. YOU MAY HAVE TO COUNT CALORIES IN ADDITION TO CARBOHYDRATES - I have never said that calories don't count because I know of course that they do. I say that carbohydrates count more. If your case is especially difficult, you may have to count both. There is no question that a 1,500-calorie, 10-gram diet will take more weight off, and more quickly, than a 2,000-calorie 10-gram diet.

I hope nobody has to get to item 19 or 20 to solve their problem but still, if you have a metabolic resistance to losing weight, you must consider everything except giving up and admitting defeat.

Addendum:
1. Your problem may be a low thyroid.
2. A systemic YEAST infestation may be part of your problem. Read chapter 13 of "Dr Atkins' New Diet Revolution"

[foxl]

I've also always heard (and SEEN) that you tend to retain water and then the weight appears to come off in "chunks," of about 4 - 8 lb. so give it a couple months and see if you still haven ot lost ...

[pands45]

But is the food intake okay? I still can't fathom that eating all this high fat and proteins will enable me to lose weight.!!! I work out 5 days a week. Take vitamins and minerals. I can't eat less or more. Any less and I will cheat because I will be too hungry. Any more and I certainly NOT be able to lose. I can definately NOT see myself continuing this without any results. I think my body has been way too abused with all my paST POOR HABITS. I was diagnosed 1 year ago August and have been at least 5 different meds!!! Now I take 4x diamicron MR, 1x 500ml Glumetza, 6 units of Levemir. I am T1.5 LADA

[foxl]

But is the food intake okay? I still can't fathom that eating all this high fat and proteins will enable me to lose weight.!!! I work out 5 days a week. Take vitamins and minerals. I can't eat less or more. Any less and I will cheat because I will be too hungry. Any more and I certainly NOT be able to lose. I can definately NOT see myself continuing this without any results. I think my body has been way too abused with all my paST POOR HABITS. I was diagnosed 1 year ago August and have been at least 5 different meds!!! Now I take 4x diamicron MR, 1x 500ml Glumetza, 6 units of Levemir. I am T1.5 LADA

So am I, a 1.5 ... I low-er carb (60 - 100 / day, mostly 60 - 80), and while I have not lost anymore since about May, I have not regained any, either.

[pands45]

So am I, a 1.5 ... I low-er carb (60 - 100 / day, mostly 60 - 80), and while I have not lost anymore since about May, I have not regained any, either.

Does that mean that us T1.5 don't have a chance to lose??? I don't eat even a smidge of carbs. I even gave up Ketchup!!! That was like quitting smoking. What to do???

[foxl]

Does that mean that us T1.5 don't have a chance to lose??? I don't eat even a smidge of carbs. I even gave up Ketchup!!! That was like quitting smoking. What to do???

Ketchup is horrible, carb-wise ... how about the SF kind for you?

I would hang in there with the diet for a few more weeks.

[pands45]

Thanks for all the advise and support. Not sure abt SF ketchup. Never heard of it before. Not sure if sold in Canada. Does it have Maltodextrin? What is it sweetened with? How long should I give this until I know it is NOT working. I wouldn't go off bandwagon, only add some carbs.

[foxl]

I dunno as I am not a fiend for ketchup, but heck, even Heinz makes one ... and so do several "organic cos." so maybe a health food store would have one?

Good luck!

I would give any diet at least 2 months. As someone who has dieted a few times ... sigh.

[fgummett]

OK, as a "super-low-carb elitist" I'm expected to chime in here and to be honest when I read your daily diet it sounds to me more like a calorie restricted regime, or at best a low-carb "maintenance" diet... not a low-carb weight loss regime. Sorry but there ARE carbs in there... maybe not as many as you were eating before but you are deceiving yourself if you think that this diet is "NO carbs". Look to the veggies and even I suspect the bacon has a few... most of the bacon I find has 1 or 2g carbs per rasher, from the stuff they use when smoking/curing it. Maybe a small point but to me "a salad with some tuna" is not the same approach as "tuna with some salad" :) You say "sometime butter added".. I'd suggest it should be "always butter added" and that maybe you are just not eating enough... especially of fat. And yes I know that can be hard to accept after so many years of indoctrination but fat has gotten am undeserved bad rap. ;)

I'm a firm believer in the "induction" phase -- a la Atkins -- as I think this helps to kick-start the body back into a "fat burning" mode.

You also state this is your last 25 lbs... I had always understood that the last few pounds of excess fat mass are traditionally the hardest to lose?

[fgummett]

...and I am NOT advocating that you skip the bacon or even all the veggies, just that you do need to recognise that they contain carbs which need to be factored into your daily regime. :)

[pands45]

I am feeling a BIT better now that you all have educated me a bit further, Thank you all. That is why I love this site.

[cdebracy]

If you're low-carbing, try using the Ketone strips. The induction phase should cause you to slip into ketosis, but if you're not there yet, just be patient and keep trying. You may just be very insulin resistant at this point.

Before I was diagnosed in 2006, I could generally get into ketosis within a few days of low-carbing. After being diagnosed, it took me at least 3 weeks of following the induction plan before I finally kicked into ketosis.

I can share some of your frustrations. I've finally been able to lose 20 lbs this year, which has been the largest weight loss I've sustained without stimulants in a lot of years.

My blood sugar has been a little screwy lately, so I'm back to low-carbing again so I can see if I can kick the weight loss back into gear.

Hang in there.

[slewpnj]

I am brand new to this and T2, also struggling with moving the scale but my doc has told me to mix it up at the gym and be sure to get in some weights and not all aerobics. It sounds like you have great routine going, hope you see some results soon!