Increasing Calories

[phil1966]

I've had amazing success with LCHF and in the last 5 months have lost over 30kg and got my HbA1c down to non-diabetic levels. I'm now within spitting distance of my target weight so need to think about what I need to change in order to stop losing weight (I never imagined I'd be in that position 5 months ago )

Up until now, I've stuck to around 1,300 - 1,500 calories a day with < 25g of carbs (normally < 20g) but probably need to up that to 2,000-2,500 which seems like an awful lot more calories and I'm a bit stuck on how to do it as I never feel hungry and really don't want to eat for the sake of eating and feel bloated all the time.

Can anyone suggest ways to increase the calories and how best to do it (without eating blocks of lard ) - should I increase gradually or in a single step?

 

[sanguine]

Hi Phil

Awesome weight loss, well done!

I seem to have drifted into my target area and stayed there without consciously changing much. You might just see what happens if your body decides it's comfortable with that weight or whether you still keep losing. I've maybe upped the cream and avocados a bit without thinking much about it.

Sorry that's a bit wishy-washy!

 

[phil1966]

Thanks @sanguine

I'll probably try that and just wait and see what happens rather than trying to be too organised about it (I do have a tendency to over plan things at times )

 

[Pasha]

I've had amazing success with LCHF and in the last 5 months have lost over 30kg and got my HbA1c down to non-diabetic levels. I'm now within spitting distance of my target weight so need to think about what I need to change in order to stop losing weight (I never imagined I'd be in that position 5 months ago )

Up until now, I've stuck to around 1,300 - 1,500 calories a day with < 25g of carbs (normally < 20g) but probably need to up that to 2,000-2,500 which seems like an awful lot more calories and I'm a bit stuck on how to do it as I never feel hungry and really don't want to eat for the sake of eating and feel bloated all the time.

Can anyone suggest ways to increase the calories and how best to do it (without eating blocks of lard ) - should I increase gradually or in a single step?

Great progress, it took me much longer. Whatever method you employ for adding back some energy, I would advise that you do it gradually. No surprises needed !

 

[zand]

Yes I agree do it gradually. I'm envious - well done!

 

[vintageutopia]

Wow. Fantastic progress! I am still in the losing stage, so no advice. Just wanted to give you kudos on your hard work.

 

[AndBreathe]

I would agree on an incremental approach. I found it harder to stop losing than to start. As a matter of interest, where are you pitching your target in relation to BMI/bloods?

I'd add I would suggest you take a five pronged approach:

Modify diet incrementally - one thing at a time, no less than a week between increments
Continue to test all meals, or if you have pared back on testing, reinstate it, and record all results
Keep an absolutely accurate food and exercise diary, so that you can easily identify what is making a difference (up/down or stable)
Weigh yourself daily, but do nothing with the daily readings, but use to review weekly
Review yourself weekly, and fairly formally, by allowing yourself time to review and consider any required action (then document any action you take)

All of that will allow you to fully understand what's going on. I didn't do all of that immediately I wanted to stop weight loss, but I wish I had, as it might have shortened my transition a bit.

 

[phil1966]

I would agree on an incremental approach. I found it harder to stop losing than to start. As a matter of interest, where are you pitching your target in relation to BMI/bloods?

I'd add I would suggest you take a five pronged approach:

Modify diet incrementally - one thing at a time, no less than a week between increments
Continue to test all meals, or if you have pared back on testing, reinstate it, and record all results
Keep an absolutely accurate food and exercise diary, so that you can easily identify what is making a difference (up/down or stable)
Weigh yourself daily, but do nothing with the daily readings, but use to review weekly
Review yourself weekly, and fairly formally, by allowing yourself time to review and consider any required action (then document any action you take)

All of that will allow you to fully understand what's going on. I didn't do all of that immediately I wanted to stop weight loss, but I wish I had, as it might have shortened my transition a bit.

Thanks for the great advice!

My bloods are where I want them to be (consistently below 5 in a morning and rarely rise above 5.6). Weight wise, I'm aiming for 12% body fat. I used my existing body fat percentage to work out my lean body mass and then used that to calculate my target weight. I'll still be just in the "overweight" category by BMI measurements but I'll be perfectly happy with 12% body fat: I'm in medium clothes, my waist is less than 1/2 my height and I can see my abdominal muscles (which I haven't seen for about 20 years ) so I'm not worried about getting into the "normal" BMI category

 

[AndBreathe]

Thanks for the great advice!

My bloods are where I want them to be (consistently below 5 in a morning and rarely rise above 5.6). Weight wise, I'm aiming for 12% body fat. I used my existing body fat percentage to work out my lean body mass and then used that to calculate my target weight. I'll still be just in the "overweight" category by BMI measurements but I'll be perfectly happy with 12% body fat: I'm in medium clothes, my waist is less than 1/2 my height and I can see my abdominal muscles (which I haven't seen for about 20 years ) so I'm not worried about getting into the "normal" BMI category

Excellent.

 

[Robbity]

There are various online calculators that you can use to calculate amounts of protein and fats you need when eating a specified amount of carbs; they can give you both various weight loss figures and weight maintenance figures. You could have a play around to get some idea of what proportions /quantitites to eat by trying out some different scenarios - have a look at the one on the Blood Sugar 101 site and see what you think.

Robbity

 

[phil1966]

What a great idea, @Robbity - thanks