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4th week of lchf and not losing weight :(

S

summer dreamer

Well-Known Member
Messages
58
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi all, on my fourth week now of eating lchf, sticking to about 1200 calories a day but just not losing any weight, not sure why?!

I'm having low carb home made granola and Greek yoghurt for breakfast. Salad and either cheese or quorn or hard boiled eggs for lunch. Salad and some low carb recipe from Rose Elliott book for dinner. A few almonds to snack on.

My lifestyle is fairly sedentary due to a damaged hip, waiting for more surgery. Bmi is 30.

My daily carbs are between 30-50g. Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong to not be losing any weight please? Starting to feel a bit desperate as no clue what to eat now :(

Summer x


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:confused: what your doing seems perfect to me, its weird your not losing weight :( i think you need to tweek it maybe, a little more fat? a few more calories? i suppose trial and error, im sorry this is pretty useless, dont give up though, hopefully someone has had the same experience low carbing that can help? best of luck
 
Summer Dreamer, if you are not moving about much, perhaps 1200 calories is too much? My husband did lose weight on approximately this amount, but then he is male and he was going to the gym several days a week and was reasonably active on other days.
That aside, I have noticed, when dieting in the past, that I don't tend to lose weight over the first month, then it tends to go quickly. This applied to low carb as well as other approaches.
Sally
 
You could try staggering your calorie intake to give your metabolism a boost.
Over the week you are eating 8,400 calories. Try eating 1,400 some days and 1,000 on others. Your body does get used to a certain amount and if your mobility is an issue then this might work.
Good luck.
 
Cant help really, 2 years into low carb now and I haven't lost a pound.
 
It wasn't until my 4th week into low carb (not particularly high fat) diet that I saw any weight loss. I was getting a bit down about it, but for me the low carbing was more about controlling my BS at first and it was working brilliantly for that. This week I've adjusted my calories to 1100 a day and it's all kicking in. Have now lost 5lb.

I think moving the cals down accounts for how sedentary I tend to be. I walk the dog for half an hour each day, but it's a slow walk as I need a knee replacement. I also think I tend to eat right up to the cals, so was potentially eating more, as on weekends, when my husband is around i was going over each day. Now, if I stick to 1100 Mon to Thurs I hope to see continued loss and still be able to go a little over on the weekends.
 
I know, I know, I started at 115kg, a quick drop to 110kg sat there for a few months, then a drop to 107kg, so it's an av 1kg/2.2lb a month but the loss occurred in just 2 of those 6 months
what are your BG levels?
what drugs?
insulin resistance?
thyroid blood test?
 
It sounds like the high fat bit is not quite right ... Maybes lightly reduce calories and increase the fat .. I have lost lots of weight by reducing my carbs to 30 and don't count the calories .. But do have a fair amount of fat via cream, cheese and olive oil.
 
Thyroid not working properly? If TSH is above 2.5 this is probably the case. Have you had a thyroid test recently?

If not, try to get both TSH and FT4 tests.
 
Apparently it's very common for overweight women to be nutrient deficient, so I tend to agree that upping your fat levels could help. Prior to diagnosis, I had been trying to diet for months and didn't lose a thing. Part of my initial diagnosis was being low in Vitamin D3 - as soon as I started on supplementation and controlled my BG levels, the weight loss started. I still think it was being low in Vitamin D that was stopping weight loss.
 
I wonder if the hype around low carb raises our expectations a bit. I too started in order to regulate my BGs but looked at weight too because a decrease would have been a lovely bonus. I'm in week 4 and have suddenly shifted 4lbs in a few days (increased fibre may have helped ...).
I've also started skipping meals though. If I'm not hungry I just won't bother. I haven't been counting calories as I reckon my hunger will be honest with me and it seems to be working. Not having that deprived feeling either (as in low calorie diet) as when I am hungry I can eat nice, filling fatty things like bacon, cheese or homemade ice cream. I'd suggest maybe it's worth skipping, intermittent fasting they call it, but being less calorie conscious at other times. Whatever, give anything you try at least a month and if it isn't working do something different. ;)
 
Thanks for all your suggestions. My BG seem relatively stable now usually between 5.4 and 7, not getting the 4s any more but also never had anything above 7.3.

Trying to control BG within a healthy range is my primary aim, but I do need to lose some weight too, especially for the sake of my hip.

I have had very recent thyroid function tests as initially I thought that was the problem, weight gain, tired all the time, diagnosis came back with diabetes. It was a big shock, but I'm desperate to take control of it and be as healthy as I can. My hip problems already limit me and I'll be damned if I'll let diabetes do it too!

I'll perhaps try lowering the calories a bit and see where that gets me.

Any other ideas gratefully received!

Summer x


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I do think it's important to not be seduced by the thought that LCHF means automatic weight loss. I think that for some folk, and I include myself in this, eating till you are full is a bit of a misguided tip as we have forgotten what it feels like to be full. I'm only just starting to recognise when I'm thirsty rather than hungry and managing to not overfill plate and to leave food if I feel full. Restricting the carbs has removed that drive to overeat but if I went mad on butter , cheese and cream, I might stabilise my BS, but I'm pretty sure I'd not lose weight. It is surprising how few calories we actually need just to maintain so I try to be under 1200 as often as possible and nearer 1000 for preference.
 
Yep, I'm not losing weight either. Fairly certain it means I'm eating too much still. Need to cut down on portion size, but not worried as bg the issue at moment.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
summer dreamer said:
Thanks for all your suggestions. My BG seem relatively stable now usually between 5.4 and 7, not getting the 4s any more but also never had anything above 7.3.

Trying to control BG within a healthy range is my primary aim, but I do need to lose some weight too, especially for the sake of my hip.

I have had very recent thyroid function tests as initially I thought that was the problem, weight gain, tired all the time, diagnosis came back with diabetes. It was a big shock, but I'm desperate to take control of it and be as healthy as I can. My hip problems already limit me and I'll be damned if I'll let diabetes do it too!

I'll perhaps try lowering the calories a bit and see where that gets me.

Any other ideas gratefully received!

Summer x


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Click to expand...
So what were your thyroid results? I have seen GPs deem TSH above 10 as normal and that is certainly not true.
 
Ah, to be honest Totto I didn't ask, they just said TFTs were normal. I was so knocked out by being told I'm diabetic with my GPs added concern about my pancreas (all ok thank god) that I didn't ask.

Summer x


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summer dreamer said:
Ah, to be honest Totto I didn't ask, they just said TFTs were normal. I was so knocked out by being told I'm diabetic with my GPs added concern about my pancreas (all ok thank god) that I didn't ask.

Summer x


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There is a host of us, mostly women, who gain weight, loose hair and are chronically fatigued because Drs fail to interpret the test they order. Get a print out of the results. If it is a thyroid problem you need to know.
 
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