Atkins plateau help please

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dovesgate
dovesgate Posts: 894 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm trying to help my wonderful supportive husband out here by asking you guys what he needs to know. I'm attempting to slog my way through the book but I'm getting irritated that it won't just tell me what I want to know without trying to sell me on the program. HOWEVER, I love my husband enormously so if he wants to try this, I am behind him 100%.

He started Atkins' induction phase about a month ago and lost 10-15lbs in the first 2 weeks. He hasn't seen a loss in about 2 weeks now and still has 70 or so pounds left to lose. Excepting this last weekend when he had a few drinks during our getaway, he's been faithfully tracking his carbs to be under 20g per day.

Should he move on to the next phase to start losing again? I know what to do to bust through my own plateaus but because he isn't counting calories, only carbs, I have no idea what to tell him.

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  • NICOLED73
    NICOLED73 Posts: 183
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    I lost 42lbs on Atkins in 7 months.
    I was terrible about moving on to the next phase and also eating enough.
    I would hit a plateau when I wasn't eating enough!
    Your hubby probably needs to move into the next phase. Phase one is generally for just the first 2-3 weeks.
    He more than likely needs to eat more as well.

    It works if you follow it. The Atkins.com website and forums are great sources of info as well.

    I haven't lost weight since last November. But I'm also guilty of not moving into phase 3 or 4. It is essential for your intestinal health to move into the phases and reintroduce good carbs.

    I haven't lost weight, but I've lost inches. November I was a size 14 and now I'm a 12 going on a 10.

    Good luck to him and p.s., I never read the book either.
  • cbbn11
    cbbn11 Posts: 125 Member
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    I am not going to bash the low carb diet as I have done it in the past, BUT just to let you know after meeting with my nutritionist I learned that your brain requires at least 130 grams of fresh carbs a day to function. The rest of your body can live off of burning your fat but your brain can not. It needs fresh/new carbs everyday.
    Once I came off the low carb diet I put on more weight than I lost.
    I have since switched to just eating healthy and keeping carbs at around 25% of my calorie intake for the day.
    Most of my carb intake now is complex carbs from whole wheat foods.
    Just keep an eye on your husband as I know I used to get dizzy and tired when on the low carb diet.

    Hope things work out well for him and it is great that he has a great loving wife that loves and supports everything he does. You don't see that too much anymore.

    Take Care.

    Edit: Sorry forgot to mention that I lost all 34 lbs so far with my new eating habits, no more diets for me.
  • suziecue66
    suziecue66 Posts: 1,312 Member
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    Definitely up the carbs. Too many of us stuck to induction levels for too long. Get him to start tracking calories.
  • kwenghofer
    kwenghofer Posts: 3
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    I've tried atkins several times, each time I lost about 15-20 pounds and then it just stalls, have heard a few other people say the same thing...finally just gave up on that one!
  • sweet110
    sweet110 Posts: 332 Member
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    Staying at induction is the biggest mistake atkins' folks make. It almost *never* turns out well. If you're going to follow Atkins, I'd suggest getting the book and following the program. Atkins is essentially an elimination diet rather than just a low carb diet. So, its important to start adding carbs back in. The idea isn't to stay at the lowest carb to lose weight fast, but rather to find out which carbs, and what amount of carbs, you are sensitive too, by adding them back in, one at a time.

    If he's finding it too hard, I'd suggest he try other more liberal controlled-carb diets. He may find that easier. I have.
  • dovesgate
    dovesgate Posts: 894 Member
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    So it's definitely time to up his carbs. Most likely his calories as well.

    Nicole, that is an amazing loss! This is exactly why my husband is trying it - a few of the guys at work have had similar success.

    cbbn11, I'm personally not a fan of diets that won't allow people to eat certain foods. I find "everything in moderation" to be what works for me otherwise I'd personally be giving up and binging on all my favorite foods. However, this isn't about me. Thanks for the compliment - I guess I just have some good role models in my parents and married friends!

    suziecue66, I'll try getting him to come back to counting calories. He did start here when I found the app but he finds it easier to have a list of "approved" foods to eat and something simple like carbs to track rather than counting calories for everything he eats. He's just going to have to learn to count them especially if this is the culprit like I am starting to think it is.

    kweng, glad you found MFP since Atkins wasn't working out for you.

    sweet110, the book says you can stay at induction for longer than the initial couple of weeks. I just haven't gotten to where the book outlines in detail exactly how to follow the plan. Do you have any suggestions for the more liberal plans that I could show him that are easier?
  • dovesgate
    dovesgate Posts: 894 Member
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    For those that have added me looking for a low-carb friend - I'm not a low-carber, my husband is. :)

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