The Last 20 pounds

I figured if anybody can help me, you guys can! Certainly my doc has been no help (he never believed I could get to this point anyway, since my MS precludes me from exercising) and the dietician that currently comes for my husband wasn't much help and my own experience from here on is bad, bad, bad!!
So... here is my question... HOW do you lose the last 20 lbs.? That's how much I have to go to reach my doc's goal and my weight loss has slowed down to a crawl!  I am not overeating. In the past 4 months I have adopted an Atkins-style type of diet at about 1100 calories a day. I was excited about it when I started, I thought it would do the trick but it hasn't.... not yet. In the past 3 months I have lost a grand total of 2kg.!
I realize the last part of weight loss is the hardest and I should be happy with the 110lbs I've already lost and I am! On the other hand, I'm scared that if I don't reach my goal, I will regain as I have done so many times  before in my life.
If you have any insights to my problem, I would appreciate your input.
Amalia

HI Amalia,

Congratulations on the 110 pounds!!  That is really incredible if you think about it.  You've done fantastic given your physical limitations with exercise.

The last 20 pounds were killer for me too.  Last January I was at 167 pounds and adopted an atkins type eating plan as well.  Some months I didn't shed a pound and then I did.  It was very slow going, but I got there.  My only advice is to keep those carbs low, try to keep calories to around 900 if possible.  You might see a big change between 1100 and 900 calories (if that is medically acceptable with your MS).  I don't lose at 1000 calories, but i can see small changes at 800-900.  I lose best when my carbs are under 20 a day and it's from meat and veggie sources.

Please let us know how you're doing.

Thank you for your response Lee. I guess I can try lowering both my calories and my carbs for a while and see what happens. Not an easy thing, because the only way I can lower both of these is by limiting my one vice left - my coffee! I can only drink cappuccino, and I limit it's calories and carbs to a minimum but I guess I can cut down from 3 cups a day to 1 or 2 max and see if it helps. I don't see how I can cut down to 800 calories though, I think it only happened right after the surgery when I couldn't eat much of anything. Unfortunately, my appetite is fine now!

Amalia

Amalia, can you purchase things like Almond Breeze (40 calories, 2 carbs per cup) in Greece?  I know that having that vice feels like heaven but maybe you can have 1 regular cappucino and then have another made lower carb.  I have 1 cup of decaf in the morning (just started last summer) and I put 1/2 and 1/2 in it.  Then the rest of the day it's on to other beverages.  I really look forward to having it as I read my morning email at 5:30 am.  Funny that I didn't start on it until after I returned from Spain this summer but I'm not wanting to let it go.

Our surgery dates are very close so I can relate to be hungry etc.  It's filling up on dense protein that makes this easier for me as I try to shed more weight.  I'm still at around 1000 calories but need to bring that down.  My program never talked about calories but told us to keep to protein as the mainstay of our food plan.

We can all do this and be successful!

Now THAT is a GREAT idea Lee! Why didn't I think of it??  LOL  I have NO idea what Almond Breeze is, but there is no reason why I can't replace my 2nd and 3rd cup of coffee with Nescafe or something without calories!! Geez, I spoil myself rotten with all those cappuccinos! Thanks!!!

Hi Amalia, Almond Breeze is a beverage made from Almonds.  It's another dairy alternative like Soy Milk or Rice Milk.  I like it because it's even lower carb and calories than soy milk.

It's funny how it can take someone else pointing out something that in the end seems relatively simple, like replacing the beverage with something lower calorie/carb.   I'm the same way and always feel like it was a DUH!  moment when someone else says it.

I think you're doing great!

Amalia, I agree--you've done terrifically. And those last pounds often do come off very slowly--they did for me too. I agree with Lee about lowering calories if you can. My doctor recommended between 600-800 during the losing phase. At the end I was at about 800-900. At 1100, you might lose, but it will be very slow going, unfortunately...

Lizanne

Thanks for the feedback Lizanne. My surgeon recommended a minimum 1200 calorie diet although I bet I never ate that much until well after the first year. He would freak out if I even mentioned 800 calories! LOL I like following Atkins now and I rarely (if ever) get out of track. I guess I'll cut down a bit and have patience.
Amalia

ARRRGH !!! I know exactly where you are coming from !!! My weight has plauteaued and just won't budge. I haven't lost anything in weeks....and keep losing and gaining the same pound over and over again.....which I guess is how it looks when one is maintaining one's weight ...... I keep telling myself this is a good thing....I'm not GAINING weight --- and I'm learning what maintaining a weight is like !!!

I'm wearning my clothes that I bought a month ago, and they still fit nicely....and I have lost 117 pounds on this journey; but I don't want to be done !!!!

I'm frustrated too, but I keep telling myself that this is just another body "adjustment" -- and when it adjusts....I WILL start losing again !!! But it IS frustration city !!!!!

Good luck to you !!!

Good luck to you too, Briar Rose. You have lost an incredible amount of weight. I guess we both have to be patient and keep on keeping on!