hard kick to the weight loss Low Carb Approach. Thoughts?

My thoughts are that your expectations are off. Your current plan is working.

since 6/06 I have lost like 1 1/2 lbs. How is it working?

Weight loss is non linear. You shouldn't expect to lose at a static pace and moreover, you had a great loss the previous month without (presumably) making any drastic changes since then.

Keep doing what you are doing and be patient. That's my opinion on this anyways.

since 6/06 I have lost like 1 1/2 lbs. How is it working?

I workout six days a week and eat 1200-1500 calories per day (so kinda close to what you do). I've been tracking my progress in an excel spreadsheet. I noticed that I lost a bunch in the beginning, then I went down to losing 0-.5 pounds per week (for like a month), then went back to losing 1-1.5 pounds per week. Like Sidesteal said, weight loss isn't linear. Just keep doing what you are doing and eventually the weight will come off. BTW- 1.5 pounds in 3 weeks is an average of .5 pounds per week. That's a good amount to lose in a week. Good luck!

I just looked at your profile. 13 pounds is great! Weight loss takes time. I'd up my exercise before I cut back on carbs. I did have to cut back on bread. I still have a sandwich or two... but I could eat 6 or more slices a day. I love bread. I also have a problem with sweets (my daughter keeps bringing ice cream into the house). I love ice cream. I'm sad. I was texting one of my running buddies last night. We were both eating ice cream and looking at weight loss forums. What a way to spend the evening! And I'd just swam almost 2 hours. So much for the swim. : )

I don't know what to tell you about carbs. I love my carbs. I need them or I'd conk out during my runs. I really think 1200 calories isn't enough. When I first started losing I was taking in 1500-1900 calories. I snack all day. Love those Luna bars! I try to keep those to 1 a day. : ) I've gotta have my oranges, too. I crave them. For me I didn't see much weight loss until I made myself get active an hour a day. I had to have that hour. It helped that I got that happy feel good feeling when I got in an hour. If it was less I didn't get that feeling for the rest of the day. So I craved that activity. To get that better feeling I had to push harder as my workout got easier. If you get the right amount of activity you won't believe how it effects the rest of your day!

I can pretty much eat what I want now. I do try to watch it some because of how it effects my running. If I eat ice cream or have diet sodas it makes me sluggish when it comes to running. I won't eat ice cream when I have a race coming up. I need to get more picky because I'm trying to get some muscle definition. I love how my back is starting to look from all the swimming. Soooo, I really really really need to quit the ice cream and pizza. : ) I like kidney beans, rice and corn the days before racing. Oatmeal in the mornings with my orange or banana. Make sure you drink a lot of water.

This lady went to a Health and Fitness Bloggers Conference and wrote about it in her blog. I thought she had some good information. http://www.shutupandrun.net/

Looking at your profile pic you aren't very big, so to be honest you shouldn't expect to lose more than .5 a week. The closer you get to goal weight the SLOWER it comes off, especially if you want it to come off, stay off and stay healthy.

My thoughts are that your expectations are off. Your current plan is working.

Agree with Sidesteal. I started this thing in earnest back in February, and to date have lost 17 lbs. Would faster/more be great? Of course. But I'm happy with my progress because I know it is in direct proportion to my effort. Patience, grasshopper!

since 6/06 I have lost like 1 1/2 lbs. How is it working?

Weight loss is non linear. You shouldn't expect to lose at a static pace and moreover, you had a great loss the previous month without (presumably) making any drastic changes since then.

Keep doing what you are doing and be patient. That's my opinion on this anyways.

I totally agree with this. It is fairly typical for weight loss to slow after an initial drop. One thing to bear in mind should you opt to try low carb is that you will initially drop some water weight. This water weight will come back when you eat carbs again. Low carb can be appropriate for some to jump start a stall or lose some stubborn pounds. But you are still losing. I'd stay the course. You've lost 1.5 lbs in 19 days. There is nothing wrong here that needs to be fixed.

My BFF and I have been doing the weight loss thing together and we are very, very different in sizes. I started out around 330 and she started out around 230. My weight loss was very quick and steady at about 2.3 lbs most weeks and I almost never yo-yoed up and down until I hit 33 lbs and then I plateaued when I kicked up my weight training. Then I gained a few lbs back but lost a lot more in inches. She, on the other hand, lost every other week or so and most weeks she lost the numbers were small. She'd have big losses of like 3-4 lbs every once in a while.

Here's the thing - she's been staying at my house this year and so we've eaten almost the same foods, splurged almost the same days on the same food, we go to the gym together on the same day for the same amount of time 5 days a week. But our bodies are just different. Our weight loss is different. You'll drive yourself bonkers if you try to compare your weight loss to everyone else.

My personal philosophy is that any particular diet plan that restricts a certain food a lot is bound to be trouble eventually. People generally can't cut certain foods out of their diet forever, and your body (and your brain especially!) still needs carbs to function. Controlling how much and what kind is the important factor. Incorporating all kinds of food into our life teaches us how to manage it properly, how not to be afraid of certain kinds of foods, and how not to obsess that we've somehow "been bad" when we eat them. Beating yourself up over being bad, or wrong, or a cheat, or a failure is not healthy either. Balance is key.

Good luck! I hope you find a place you're comfortable with in your eating/exercising. I personally found taking pictures once a week of my front, side, and back to be particularly motivating, especially when I plateaued. You get to see a visual change even when the scale doesn't seem to be moving.

since 6/06 I have lost like 1 1/2 lbs. How is it working?

I workout six days a week and eat 1200-1500 calories per day (so kinda close to what you do). I've been tracking my progress in an excel spreadsheet. I noticed that I lost a bunch in the beginning, then I went down to losing 0-.5 pounds per week (for like a month), then went back to losing 1-1.5 pounds per week. Like Sidesteal said, weight loss isn't linear. Just keep doing what you are doing and eventually the weight will come off. BTW- 1.5 pounds in 3 weeks is an average of .5 pounds per week. That's a good amount to lose in a week. Good luck!

Weight loss will fluctuate. Some weeks I'd lose nothing. Then it would show up as a 3-5 pound loss a couple weeks later. Just keep going. Listen to your body and stay active. The weight will come off!

I agree. I had a month where I lost like 7 lbs and it was awesome! Then a month where I only lost 3. Not a big deal, are you measuring yourself as well? When the scale isn't moving, I do still notice my measurements going in the right direction.

Changing up your diet and/or workout routine can help you bust through a plateau, for sure. However going low carb *just* to jump start the weight loss won't work in the long run. And by that I mean if you cut out carbs drastically, lose 5 lbs, then re-introduce the carbs, chances are your weight loss will stall out again.

In my original post, I wasn't asking for a pep talk or the explanation why am I not losing fast enough , I was asking if anybody used a Low Carb Approach/Atkins diet to kick stubborn weight lol

I have, and am. Its been really good for me so far but, my bmi is like 40... and I am eating close to what you are as far as calories are concerned.

In my original post, I wasn't asking for a pep talk or the explanation why am I not losing fast enough , I was asking if anybody used a Low Carb Approach/Atkins diet to kick stubborn weight lol

Low carb and high carb both can lead to insulin resistance. If you do choose to do low carb, do something similar to CKD, 5 days low carb 2 days high carb.

I have done low carb in the past, nothing special about it. I find myself leaning towards low carb right now. Not for the weight loss benefits but more for the satiety benefits. My workouts are different and my calories are a bit lower, I feel it would help to do low carb in my situation.

Same here, I'm pretty low carb but not for weight loss reasons. I stay more satisfied when my diet focuses more on protein (I eat a ratio of 40% protein, 30% carbs, 30% fats, but I'm usually under on carbs). Also, I have a gluten intolerance, but even gluten-free starches like rice and potatoes (and GF bread/pasta products) tend to upset my stomach or make me feel lethargic so I just stay away from them. If you'd like some ideas of what is commonly referred to as a "slow carb" diet looks like, take a look at my diary (although ignore this past weekend...beer and tacos were involved...).