Wife needs help

Bob1020

My wife and I started Atkins on June 8th. Today I am down 19.7 and she is stuck at 7.6-8.5. We have been very religious about keeping track of everything we eat. Both of us have 20 carbs or less each day. The only difference between us is that she is terribly constipated and I am not. She is showing in her clothes but the scale does not show improvement. I want to help her get off the plateau and start dropping. Can anyone help with ideas?

Alatariel75

If she's terribly constipated, she needs to deal with that.

jonalu1234

Ugh! I can totally relate! Not to be gross but my mom says I was constipated since the day I was born. The way I handled it when was not on a diet was to eat prunes and raisin bran...now I take a couple of stool softeners at least once a week. That's pretty much the only time I go. I know I shouldn't weigh myself everyday but I do. I just don't count the weight I am everyday. I only count the one after my BM. I hope this helped. Is she a member on MFP? I would love to be her friend.

intruhvurt

I would suggest just eating at a reasonable deficit and not worrying about carbs unless there is a medical issue. She should be aiming for 25g of fiber per day to avoid constipation issues. 7-8 lb loss in 4 weeks is great. She shouldn't expect to lose more than 2 lbs per week. A fair amount of your loss was probably just water weight.

schandler1011

I'm not familiar with the Atkins diet, however with my program when people get stuck there are ways to "trick" your body and us off the weight loss plateau. Maybe you have something like that?

CSARdiver

Far too many variables left out to make any sort of recommendations. Need to be specific on your respective heights, weights, exercise regimen, etc. You both need to focus on the positive gains - tone, endurance, stamina, etc.

Don't focus on the scale - it will adjust over time on its own once you adjust your diet and training regimen. You two are in this for the long haul, so make small adjustments and simply stay in a caloric deficit.

If there's no medical condition, get off Atkins as it is simply not sustainable in the long term.

intruhvurt

The point people seem to be missing is that she is not actually in a plateau. She's losing a steady 2 lbs a week. Hubs seems to have unhealthy expectations for his wife's weight loss.

DancingMoosie

If more fiber and water don't help, try a probiotic. I use the Vitacost Super 8 acidophilus or Swanson's l.gasseri and they help me stay regular. Dr. Schulze (herbdoc.com) also has a formula 1 and 2 for that. I've used all of these products(not all at once), and they work for me:)

urloved33

she needs to do something that will throw her systems off balance. they adapted to what she IS doing...do that and throw in something new...take a longer walk or lift a bit heavier or an extra set.

smotheredincheese

What's your fibre intake like on the atkins?

urloved33

men lose faster than women. jsyk

hypotrochoid

Losing around 8 pounds in four weeks is not a plateau. I really hope you're not pressuring her to lose more faster just because you are. Males and females do no respond to weight loss the same way. She's doing great! Lighten up!

whmscll

She should get off Atkins and simply eat less than she burns. She probably needs more fiber, aka fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. There is absolutely no reason to be on Atkins or any other diet plan to lose weight, you will lose if you are in a caloric deficit. The way to ensure this is to weigh, measure and log everything you eat, not to restrict whole food groups.

Bob1020

Thanks for some positive input. Most of the fiber in our diet is from vegetables and fruits. We are watching our calorie intake and are keeping it under the recommended level. I am pleased with her progress. Certain types of diets work for some, not for others. We are carb addicts and we both feel a lot better getting off the bad carbs. For those of you who are not familiar with Atkins, it is simply a way to reduce the amount of bad carbs in your daily routine. We have also increased our exercise by walking daily along with more golf and outside work. Will post progress in a month.

kendalslimmer

Bob1020 wrote: »

My wife and I started Atkins on June 8th. Today I am down 19.7 and she is stuck at 7.6-8.5. We have been very religious about keeping track of everything we eat. Both of us have 20 carbs or less each day. The only difference between us is that she is terribly constipated and I am not. She is showing in her clothes but the scale does not show improvement. I want to help her get off the plateau and start dropping. Can anyone help with ideas?

My first suggestion? Ditch the Atkins. Use MFP's recommended macros (fat, carbs, fibre, protein) and calories - they'll work just as well and she won't have to deal with constipation...

RodaRose

Bob1020 wrote: »

Thanks for some positive input. Most of the fiber in our diet is from vegetables and fruits. We are watching our calorie intake and are keeping it under the recommended level. I am pleased with her progress. Certain types of diets work for some, not for others. We are carb addicts and we both feel a lot better getting off the bad carbs. For those of you who are not familiar with Atkins, it is simply a way to reduce the amount of bad carbs in your daily routine. We have also increased our exercise by walking daily along with more golf and outside work. Will post progress in a month.

You could eat less fruit and double up on the veggies. Most of them have more fiber.
For constipation: oil, fiber, water, magnesium oxide, or check with a pharmacist.