New here... need help

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-10-2005
New here... need help
9
Fri, 06-10-2005 - 12:16pm

Hi all, I used to post here years ago. I weighed 320 and lost 90 pounds on Atkins. I then went through a divorce, put back on almost 30 pounds. I am currently at 250. I keep losing the same 5-7 pounds over and over again.

I am very discouraged this morning about my weight. Up 1.5 pounds this morning. I am working my butt off and getting nowhere. I recently joined a gym. I am very motivated to exercise, in fact I love going to the gym and have been going for a month now.

I get up at 4am every morning to go and I have worked out every day for 2 weeks straight. I worked out 6 days a week the 2 weeks before.

I guess my concern would be with eating. I keep getting conflicting info on how much I should be eating.I am averaging 1700 calories a day. Trainer says that is too little, other say that is too much. I am really confused right now as to why the weight isn't coming off. I read all these success stories that say people started exercising and cutting calories and the weight just kept coming off.

Me, it's been a month and I have a total weight loss of 2.5 pounds! I feel like I am wasting my time trying to lose this weight. I know I can't give up but I just don't know what else I can do. Having PCOS makes it so much more difficult to lose weight, I know this but I have to be able to do something!!!

I am thinking I should go back to Atkins again.

Has this happen to anyone else? I just need someone to help me figure this out before I go nuts!

Thanks........

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-14-2005
Fri, 06-10-2005 - 2:42pm


Hi don't despair.. I got my a$$ kicked for getting all flustered over a Bad spell.. These girls are great and welcome back for help.. Its always a life long battle.. Atkins I have done with remarkable success but you KNOW that it is lifetime commitement to stay forever low carb and that is so hard. If you don't,the pounds just come back. I know I have been there. It's fast but I could not ever do it again. The choice is yours . Why don't you relax,take a deep breath, one day at a time. do a 1200-1500 cal a day diet (most of us do here) and watch as little by little the pounds go away ...Dont rush they will stay off. Good Luck and dont panic like I do, but if you do, there is always someone here who is optimistic when you are down ..

Claudette P.S.- Everyday you get a little bit thinner than the day before...

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-22-2005
Fri, 06-10-2005 - 3:06pm
Welcome back. I agree with Claudette - the weight will come off with time and committment. Hang around with this great group to stay motivated. LK
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-02-2005
Fri, 06-10-2005 - 6:08pm
if you don't mind me asking, how long did it take you to lose 90 lbs on atkins? i've been doing it for the past 4 days and have already dropped like 7 pounds... i'm trying to see if it is something i can stick with first though. i'm hoping it'll help me lose like 45 pounds before the end of the summer (that'll be like 3.5 pounds a week). So I can start off my next college semester feeling awesome. all together i have like 170 lbs to lose.
-kristin!
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-10-2004
Sun, 06-12-2005 - 10:28pm
You'll always hear different advice, even from the professionals. Most of the professionals agree that a moderately active woman trying to lose weight should definitely not go under 1500 calories, as the brain thinks the body is starving and does its best to conserve weight by slowing the metabolism. As active as you are, with going to the gym everyday, I concur with your trainer. Below 1700 would probably not have your metabolism in good shape. I also have PCOS. My endocrinologist told me that with PCOS and hyperthyroidism losing weight would be like swimming upstream for me. Probably the same for you. But our bodies do respond to a good balance. If your trainer is certified, you can probably be comfortable with his/her advice. Overall it sounds to me like a trip to a nutritionist would be a great visit to give you something solid to go on :o) Kristi <><
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-31-2004
Mon, 06-13-2005 - 9:12am
Hello :)
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-25-2005
Mon, 06-13-2005 - 11:29am

HI there and welcome back!


I'm not sure what advice I have for your situation other than to ask if you have discussed this with your doctor?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-10-2005
Mon, 06-13-2005 - 11:33am

Well, I lost the majority of the weight within a year. I hit many plateus though and then finally lost the rest within another year. I was going through a lot of stress in my marriage so I think that is why it took so long to lose.

Good luck. I am back on it myself now.

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-10-2005
Mon, 06-13-2005 - 11:38am

Thanks all for your advice. I am going back on Atkins because it did work for me before. I'm feeling much more confidant now! I was thinking of speaking to a nutritionist and will go ahead now and see if they can give me the correct number of calories I should be eating.

Thanks again, I am glad to be back. I can't post much or often but I certainly will when I can.

Avatar for gypsy51
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-31-1998
Mon, 06-13-2005 - 1:13pm

Just keep in mind that Atkins or any other program must be a lifestyle change. It has to be forever or you will gain back the weight. It's one reason diets don't work. People go on a program, lose the weight then go back to their old way of eating.

I have a number of friends who have lost a lot of weight on Atkins. Make sure you follow the directions, read the book and get your greens. One friend, a man, has lost over 85 pounds on low-carb and kept it off for about 2 years now.

As my doctor has told me, the best diet for you, is one you can live with for the rest of your life. The most successful weight losers seems to be ones who combine a number of different programs and ideas to form a program that is strictly theirs.

Susanne