Weight GAIN on LCHF?

sassycat

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Type 1
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Hi there, hope someone can help.

For the last few days I've been lowering carbs (carefully as T1) then today I bit the bullet and went full on low carb. BGs have been great, even when I forgot the small amount of insulin I thought I'd need for small amount of carbs I only went up to 10, normally I'd hit 12 or 13 before I could blink .

My question is, am I likely to gain weight (at first, maybe?) when low carbing? Or is it just because I've stupidly weighed myself around midnight ‍♀️

I'm mainly low carbing to gain some control over my BGs which seems to be working, but I'm not gonna lie, I'm hoping to lose some weight too!
 

HSSS

Expert
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7,465
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Type 2
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Weighing at the end of the day is hugely affected by food and digestion. First thing in the morning after a pee is the most consistent but doing it too often will show up fluctuations. For women hormonal variations often mean a monthly weigh in is best for comparison. If you weigh daily expect a bumpy path even though the trend might be good.

cant see any reason for a gain. Insulin aids fat storage. Carbs hold fluid so it might be water loss as opposed to fat loss initially but not gain.
 
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pdmjoker

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417
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Prediabetes
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I can't think of an obvious reason why weight gain would result, unless you have been consuming a large amount of fat.

Consistency with when/how you weigh yourself is important and weekly is probably about as frequent as makes sense.

As @HSSS said, often water is lost initially, which includes precious electrolytes and the reason why supplements are needed on Low Carb. Pls see Practical Tips pdf in my sig for more info...
 
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pdmjoker

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Prediabetes
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My understanding is excess insulin aids fat store.
Everyone has always used insulin (either injected or self created) but we haven't all stored excess fat. I know many people with type 1 that are not overweight.
I may seem pedantic but this is very important when you consider the risk of diabulimia as a very dangerous method for T1s to lose weight.
I agree - one role of insulin is to regulate the storage of fat.
 

HSSS

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My understanding is excess insulin aids fat store.
Everyone has always used insulin (either injected or self created) but we haven't all stored excess fat. I know many people with type 1 that are not overweight.
I may seem pedantic but this is very important when you consider the risk of diabulimia as a very dangerous method for T1s to lose weight.
Fair point. I did said aids not causes but the clarification doesn’t hurt.
 

DCUKMod

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I reversed my Type 2
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Hi there, hope someone can help.

For the last few days I've been lowering carbs (carefully as T1) then today I bit the bullet and went full on low carb. BGs have been great, even when I forgot the small amount of insulin I thought I'd need for small amount of carbs I only went up to 10, normally I'd hit 12 or 13 before I could blink .

My question is, am I likely to gain weight (at first, maybe?) when low carbing? Or is it just because I've stupidly weighed myself around midnight ‍♀️

I'm mainly low carbing to gain some control over my BGs which seems to be working, but I'm not gonna lie, I'm hoping to lose some weight too!

Prefacing this by stating I'm neither t1, nor an insulin user.

If you are keen to track your weight through this, I don't think midnight is the best time to get a consistent view of things.

Personally, I weigh each morning, as soon as I wake, after my first wee, and before tea. I just step on and step off the scales. Easy.

I have some fairly posh scales that do some measurements of fat, muscle, visceral fat and so on, and I use those aspects every few weeks - more to ensure I'm not losing muscle mass, or gaining visceral fat, than anything else.

That works for me, for a consistent set of circumstances, but even then, as a low carber, with stable weight, my weight canvary by +/-1kg on a daily basis. That variation is just by virtue of how much and what I ate the day before, and quite simple, how much waste I have on board. (Sorry to be impolite!)

If you are keen to track your weight, don't make any decisions on weight too quickly, until you learn how your body works.

Many folks lose weight when they start on a low carb way of eating, but for a million reasons, some don't.

I've been using this way of eating for a few years now and maintain fairly easily.

Good luck with it all.
 
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Andydragon

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I didn't know about weighing first thing in the morning. I did that this morning and was a good kg less than weighing myself at other times.

Just goes to show how much weight can fluctuate during the day
 
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MrsA2

Expert
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5,575
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another measure of health is waist size. So get a belt, mark which hole you are on now and then see how many more holes you can reduce by. I've gone down 6 holes fairly rapidly when weight loss itself was very variable.
I like the visual proof the belt gives me.
If no suitable belt, tie a knot in a piece of string, then further knots as your waist trims down
 

bulkbiker

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I didn't know about weighing first thing in the morning. I did that this morning and was a good kg less than weighing myself at other times.

Just goes to show how much weight can fluctuate during the day

That's why its a good idea to have a consistent time of weighing.. something I do every day.
Mine is first thing in the morning after a pee and just before measuring my FBG.
 

sassycat

Active Member
Messages
38
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Many thanks to everyone for their advice, I did then weigh myself this morning and was back to my normal weight - had no idea there could be that much difference over the course of the day!
 

DCUKMod

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14,298
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
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Many thanks to everyone for their advice, I did then weigh myself this morning and was back to my normal weight - had no idea there could be that much difference over the course of the day!

Jolly good. Those variations are quite normal and very usual.

Good luck with your low carbing. I hope you safely achieve your objective .
 
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