LCHF, why am I not losing weight?

[briped]

Hello all,
I was first diagnosed in 2005, but have had a few ups and downs since then. My last 'down' lasted from February 2016 (my mum's passing away) till March 22nd 2018 when my endochrinologist threatened me with insulin. This made me take notice.
BGwise I'm a success story, sort of. Since March 23rd 2018 my BG has come down to an estimated A1C of 5.5 from a whopping 13.4. That's the good news. Please see attached screendump for the last month.
FYI, I'm on Victoza, Jardiance, Metformin, Atorvastatin and Zarelto (blood thinner). I've been on this cocktail for more than 3 years, so I'm confident it's my LCHF diet I can thank for this, and my ambition is to ditch at least some of my dedication erhm... Medication. I'm 57 and female. Have tackled great weight loss before, and gained it all back on.
The bad news is that I seem to be gaining weight. Since April 29th I've gained almost 2 kgs (4.4 pounds). Now, this could be due to my wonky scales, my fluid retentioned lower legs and feet or both - or it could be because I'm not doing this right? I've been reading so much about LCHF. For 4 days I weighed every morsel of food and calculated my carbs and stayed below 20g/day. This gave me an idea of how little 20g actually is - and I was hungry non-stop, which I know is not how it should be.
I quit weighing everything, because I know it's not do-able for me in the long run.
This is what I am doing: No starchy food. Potatoes, rice, fruit, bread, pasta or root veggies, as in none at all!
Full fat cream in my tea. Very small amounts of above ground veggies. I eat eggs, bacon, meat, fish, one avocado a day, full fat cheese, occasionally full fat Greek youghurt and I still feel hungry most of the time, and when I'm hungry my BG will drop to below 5. Oh, and no alcohol. Once even 3.8. I'm also very stubborn!
So there we are. I read so many success stories about weight loss, but I seem to be gaining, and I am beginning to feel a little desperate. The BG is certainly great, but I really do need to lose weight. About 40 kgs or 6'ish stone, but what am I doing wrong? I'd really appreciate a few pointers. Thanks.
Edited to add meat and fish to food list.

 

[Boo1979]

Some people find that calories are irrelevant, at least initially, on lchf and they lose weight easily, others dont and need to pay close attention to calories in order not to gain weight
I find low carb is good for blood sugars but that I gain weight unless I keep a watch on calories
Men, people with a lot of weight to lose and without common food intolerances are reported to find it easier to lose weight on lchf
https://blog.bulletproof.com/not-losing-weight-on-keto/
Edited to add link

 

[briped]

Some people find that calories are irrelevant, at least initially, on lchf and they lose weight easily, others dont and need to pay close attention to calories in order not to gain weight
I find low carb is good for blood sugars but that I gain weight unless I keep a watch on calories
Men, people with a lot of weight to lose and without common food intolerances are reported to find it easier to lose weight on lchf
https://blog.bulletproof.com/not-losing-weight-on-keto/
Edited to add link

Thanks Boo. That article was very helpful and informative. I better go back to my old way of losing weight. I just don't think LCHF is for me

 

[flexi06]

Hello @briped, I’m pretty new to lchf and Diabetes ( diagnosed Feb ) I’m about 6 stone overweight ( was 7.5 st overweight) but I am losing weight-stone and a half probably since March. At first I did not really count cals and was only interested in lowering bg-which I have done significantly- so I give advice not as an expert but just a newbie who has found something that works for me. I have a Fitbit Alta and log everything I eat, I do sometimes weigh food but not often now- more in the beginning to get my “eye” for portions. I do between 15 to 20000 steps a day. My Fitbit tells me my macros- and I try for
65-75% fat
15-30% protein
5-10 % or under carbs
21g fibre per day - at least - I rarely count my carbs as I have got used to what are low, but I check the macros on my fone app all the time. Now- but only recently- 3 weeks tops- I have approx 1,500 cals a day but again I’m not counting the cals I just eat the same stuff a lot. But I log everything sorry this was long. But I’m losing weight without trying for the first time in my life and I wanna share it. Good luck. I will answer any questions u have.

 

[flexi06]

Oh I’m on about 50g to 100g carbs a day- usually 60 to 70 but I’m not hungry. I am exhausted but I think this is to do with menopause hormones ( I’m unusually sensitive and cannot get the hrt balanced well) but I eat loads of cream, cheese 2 eggs a day. Oily fish twice a week but not getting enough fibre- im working on that one.

 

[bulkbiker]

Thanks Boo. That article was very helpful and informative. I better go back to my old way of losing weight. I just don't think LCHF is for me

I think that your body is probably concerning itself with healing itself first. You haven't been doing LCHF for long and you haven't said how much weight you want/have to lose? If it's not a huge amount then its unlikely you will see large drops. As @Boo1979 says men seem to find it easier to lose fast whereas some women seem to take longer and lose slower. As your blood sugars are responding well then why would you want to give up already? I can go up 2 kgs between one day and the next so wouldn't say you have gained that much.

 

[Beefeater]

Hi Briped

I have been doing LCHF for 9 months now and in the first three months lost three stone ( down from well above 21 stone to just a fraction over eighteen @ 6ft . I keep within the LCHF regime, control my portion sizes and keep my alcohol consumption to a minimum. It is difficult to see a way forward, but I know in my heart of hearts that it is lack of exercise that is my problem.

Although retired I never seem to have enough time to dedicate to carry out excercise. My wife on the other hand (also type 2) goes to the gym three times a week with my daughters which to be quite honest I detest. No not the wife and kids, but the gym. I tried to drag out the Wii fit but the wife had spilt water on it cleaning out her goldfish so I've been waiting on a second hand replacement. My intention is to on top of walking 2 miles a day do 3000 steps on the Wii and various strength exercises. I don't want to look like Adonis I just want to lose weight. I have come to the conclusion that without some form of an hour a day of excercise it's not going to happen.

I'm sure that if you think creatively you will discover a way to attack the problem to put you back on the road to weight loss.

P.S.

I have a cooked breakfast every morning consisting of two fried eggs, one thick slice of black pudding (superfood), 300g of mushrooms and one extra thick rasher of bacon all fried in dripping. All I have for lunch is normally a tin of sardines in brine. For dinner either cauliflower mash, veg and meat or some other meat veg combination. I just pick the veg I like, mines brussel sprouts and cabbage. No hunger pangs at all.

 

[briped]

Hello @briped, I’m pretty new to lchf and Diabetes ( diagnosed Feb ) I’m about 6 stone overweight ( was 7.5 st overweight) but I am losing weight-stone and a half probably since March. At first I did not really count cals and was only interested in lowering bg-which I have done significantly- so I give advice not as an expert but just a newbie who has found something that works for me. I have a Fitbit Alta and log everything I eat, I do sometimes weigh food but not often now- more in the beginning to get my “eye” for portions. I do between 15 to 20000 steps a day. My Fitbit tells me my macros- and I try for
65-75% fat
15-30% protein
5-10 % or under carbs
21g fibre per day - at least - I rarely count my carbs as I have got used to what are low, but I check the macros on my fone app all the time. Now- but only recently- 3 weeks tops- I have approx 1,500 cals a day but again I’m not counting the cals I just eat the same stuff a lot. But I log everything sorry this was long. But I’m losing weight without trying for the first time in my life and I wanna share it. Good luck. I will answer any questions u have.

Thanks, flexi. I appreciate that you want to share your success, and believe me, I'm so happy for you and for all the other 'losers'. Right now I'm just feeling down in the dumps, and have lost faith in my weight loss project, at least the LCHF way. In 2005-06 I lost 35 kg/5.5 stone. It was sort of low fat high carb, and I lost about 1 - 1,5kg pr. week. The carbs were all from veggies, 300g x 2/day, and the proteins were restricted to lean meat/fish and 120g for lunch and 170g for supper. I believe that all these veggies kept my metabolism running at full speed, and that perhaps at least my approach to LCHF kills it off, as I'm so hungry most of the time. I finished my supper about 30 min ago. about 100g of steak, and a small'ish portion of butter fried mushrooms and squash, maybe 100g. I didn't feel satiated so had a handful of plain almonds too. The almonds, an avocado I had for lunch and the fried veggies are the only carby foods I had today.
I have to be realistic about this, and counting, calculating and keeping track of everything just isn't me, but I wish it were.

 

[Beefeater]

Another thought. It is important on an LCHF diet to eat a fair amount of protein (notice my breakfast is all protein and fat). I have in my research found articles stating that up to 20% more energy is required to process protein than carbs hence extra calorie loss. Also it has been shown that certain drugs like statins increase your risk of diabetes and weight gain as published in the Lancet magazine.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/he...ugar-and-raise-diabetes-risk-study-finds.html

 

[briped]

Also it has been shown that certain drugs like statins increase your risk of diabetes and weight gain as published in the Lancet magazine.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/he...ugar-and-raise-diabetes-risk-study-finds.html

Why am I not surprised? The same goes for insulin, which I pointed out to my endo doc at my last consultation. She looked a little surprised, but didn't agree.

 

[briped]

I think that your body is probably concerning itself with healing itself first. You haven't been doing LCHF for long and you haven't said how much weight you want/have to lose? If it's not a huge amount then its unlikely you will see large drops. As @Boo1979 says men seem to find it easier to lose fast whereas some women seem to take longer and lose slower. As your blood sugars are responding well then why would you want to give up already? I can go up 2 kgs between one day and the next so wouldn't say you have gained that much.

Hi Bulkbiker,
Yes, I did mention it in my first post. "The BG is certainly great, but I really do need to lose weight. About 40 kgs or 6'ish stone, but what am I doing wrong?". I started lowering my carb intake on March 23rd and lost almost a stone in about one month. The funny thing is that things went haywire weightwise when I had a serious stab at LCHF from May 1st to May 4th, and went right below 20g. At around May 1st I suddenly retained fluid (puffed up lower legs and feet) and gained a couple of kgs. Since then it's been up a little, then down a fraction etc. etc. Is that a normal 'side effect' to LCHF, the fluid retention? I'm still eating very LC, probably still under 20g, but I've stopped weighing as I have a very good eye for amounts and grammes. I still check the carb contents of foods I'm unsure of, but I have to admit that I'm not as optimistic as I was, and am really worried that this will aggravate my weight problem.
I know that men are at an advantage when it comes to weight loss, but that's the case no matter which diet you lucky guys are following.

 

[CherryAA]

Thanks Boo. That article was very helpful and informative. I better go back to my old way of losing weight. I just don't think LCHF is for me

The thing to remember is that you have two goals , a) to regain metabolic health and b) to lose weight.
The two are not completely dependent on each other. Eating LCHF will still give you many metabolic health improvements. Its then perfectly possible to go back to low calorie eating as well but still using LCHF foods.


Once you restrict the foods and the ketosis kicks in you will lose the hunger pangs . so give it a go !

 

[briped]

The thing to remember is that you have two goals , a) to regain metabolic health and b) to lose weight.
The two are not completely dependent on each other. Eating LCHF will still give you many metabolic health improvements. Its then perfectly possible to go back to low calorie eating as well but still using LCHF foods.


Once you restrict the foods and the ketosis kicks in you will lose the hunger pangs . so give it a go !

I seem to have reached my first goal. that happened within a couple of weeks after cutting back on carbs, and has improved even more after becoming very strict on the carb-issue, but I have to admit that weight loss is also very important to me. If I were a bit more awake I'd sum up how many calories I had today. I'm sure I'd be way below my limit.

 

[bulkbiker]

If I were a bit more awake I'd sum up how many calories I had today. I'm sure I'd be way below my limit.

So you could well end up starving yourself which isn't good either. You shouldn't really be calorie restricting while eating keto and I would guess you are hungry because you aren't eating enough fat. 100g of steak is a mouthful or two not a decent portion size why are you eating so little? its no wonder you are hungry which will probably tempt you to eat more and of the wrong things.
Keto is limit carbs to fewer than 20g moderate protein and fat to satiety. I'm guessing you are restricting all three.

 

[briped]

So you could well end up starving yourself which isn't good either. You shouldn't really be calorie restricting while eating keto and I would guess you are hungry because you aren't eating enough fat.

I agree. I can cope with starving for a few days, but it won't do in the long run. I know it's likely to put an ABS break on my metabolism, which is why I had success with having 250 - 300 g of veggies with 2 main meals every day when I lost loads of weight on a low fat diet back in 2005 - 6. I wasn't calorie counting back then, and I'm not now. I'm not good at counting and calculating everything I put into my mouth, but I understand that one of the points of a keto diet is that if you get enough fat and protein, you're supposed to feel satiated, and stay below your recommended calorie intake.

100g of steak is a mouthful or two not a decent portion size why are you eating so little? its no wonder you are hungry which will probably tempt you to eat more and of the wrong things.

I was wrong. It was actually 125g of lean steak. I'd consider that a normal size steak for most people, but no doubt I have some re-thinking to do? At the moment I'm not prone to go carb-hunting for the wrong things. I'm just not in that frame of mind, so my hunger pangs are shooed away with a glass of water or chai.

Keto is limit carbs to fewer than 20g moderate protein and fat to satiety. I'm guessing you are restricting all three.

I know, and that's why I don't get how LCHF people can eat so many veggies, even if they are the kind with the smallest carb content? Those amounts would send me way over the 20g/day limit. I'm not restricting fat and protein on purpose. 2 days ago my husband and I shared 1,5 kg of blue mussels. I have no idea how much their net weight would be, but for once I felt satiated. My body wasn't too keen on the full fat cream/white wine soup, though. Anyway, I've reconstructed yesterday's food 'input'. It's quite typical, I believe.

breakfast/lunch late morning: 38g of cheese spread, approx. 30g of cheddar, 1 avocado. 4 mugs of homemade chai (not the store bought sugary stuff they call chai). 44g of full fat cream in chai = 1,4 carb

Late afternoon: A handful of pork rinds.

Tea at 8:30PM: 125g of steak fried in butter. 5 mushrooms and 1/3 courgette fried in butter (copious amounts) with one clove of garlic.

I took pre- and post prandial readings for my evening meal.
Pre prandial = 4.8 mmol/L
Post prandial = 4.4 mmol/L

 

[bulkbiker]

@briped
What's in the cheese spread? check the label on the back "spreads" usually have horrible seed oils added to make them spread real cheese may be better.
Food sounds fine I'm just guessing not enough. "1 avocado" can mean lots of things from anywhere between 75g if its a small one to 350g if its extra large.
I'm guessing you are in Canada? are you using total carbs or net carbs for your veg.
This is where measuring everything comes in handy if you want to still have carbs because if you don't measure then you simply can't know how much you are having ... sorry but that's what I have found over many months of experience.

On the plus side your sugars are great take that as a victory and just carry on... the weight loss will happen but your body may just be having a longer adaptation phase.

 

[Brunneria]

That 5 oz steak (125g) is a starter sized one for me. I would have 8 or 10 oz.
Likewise, the 5 mushrooms and 1/3 courgette wouldn't fill me up.

After a meal like that my body would be asking for more food within a couple of hours.

You may be smaller, lighter (likely) and less active than I (unlikely), but I would suggest that you eat more.

I don't like using calorie calculations as a weight loss tool, because I find calories are pretty useless for my body and my weight loss. However, if you calculate the number of calories you have eaten in a day, it is often very useful to indicate whether you are switching on your body's 'starvation mode'. This is a mistake I have made repeatedly over the years, to the point that I now deliberately aim for over 2,000 calories a day (made up almost entirely of fat and protein). I know from bitter experience that if my calories drop below around 1,500 a day then my body stubbornly, rapidly and wilfully downgrades its metabolic rate and halts all weight loss.

 

[briped]

@briped
What's in the cheese spread? check the label on the back "spreads" usually have horrible seed oils added to make them spread real cheese may be better.
Food sounds fine I'm just guessing not enough. "1 avocado" can mean lots of things from anywhere between 75g if its a small one to 350g if its extra large.

About the cheese spread, I only checked the carb content, and was happy with that, but I also eat Gouda, cheddar and whatever takes my fancy. The avocado was a small one, about 70 g.

I'm guessing you are in Canada? are you using total carbs or net carbs for your veg.

Close. I'm in Denmark Well, a simple google search for 'avocado' will give me 9 carbs/100g, but when I check a different source it gives me a total of 11,7 g/100g, but available carb content 6.5g. Till now I've used the simple google search, but I guess I'm better off using 'available carb content'. Is that correct?

This is where measuring everything comes in handy if you want to still have carbs because if you don't measure then you simply can't know how much you are having ... sorry but that's what I have found over many months of experience.

On the plus side your sugars are great take that as a victory and just carry on... the weight loss will happen but your body may just be having a longer adaptation phase.

I am very happy with my BG, and plan to ask for a blood test in about 1½ month time, when my old horrendous levels won't be traceable anymore - presumably. Hopefully they'll take me off the jardiance and maybe even cut down on the victoza.
I don't mind measuring carbs so much, but its the measuring and calculating everything else I really can't see myself doing.
Anyway, have you heard of others why suddenly retained fluids when going on a very low carb diet? Just wondering if that's why I'm sloshing about. Wish I could just open a tap.

 

[Dark Horse]

Your weight gain could be caused by your fluid retention. You should see your GP so the cause can be investigated.

 

[bulkbiker]

About the cheese spread, I only checked the carb content, and was happy with that, but I also eat Gouda, cheddar and whatever takes my fancy. The avocado was a small one, about 70 g.



Close. I'm in Denmark Well, a simple google search for 'avocado' will give me 9 carbs/100g, but when I check a different source it gives me a total of 11,7 g/100g, but available carb content 6.5g. Till now I've used the simple google search, but I guess I'm better off using 'available carb content'. Is that correct?



I am very happy with my BG, and plan to ask for a blood test in about 1½ month time, when my old horrendous levels won't be traceable anymore - presumably. Hopefully they'll take me off the jardiance and maybe even cut down on the victoza.
I don't mind measuring carbs so much, but its the measuring and calculating everything else I really can't see myself doing.
Anyway, have you heard of others why suddenly retained fluids when going on a very low carb diet? Just wondering if that's why I'm sloshing about. Wish I could just open a tap.

It's quite unusual as almost everyone who goes low carb sees a sudden loss of water weight when they start.
There must be something that is causing the retention but I'm afraid I don't know what it could be.. hormonal, monthly visitor? I would say tho that it would explain your weight gain and should be temporary.. are you having extra salt?
I tend to use UK supermarket websites for food data. Googling stuff can give you US info which includes fibre in the total carb count which can be misleading also they are very dubious on "portion" size whereas the UK supermarkets use grammes of carbs per 100g so you can easily see carb percentages (as well as excluding fibre so you just get a net carb figure). No idea what Danish supermarkets do though...