Low Carb Diet (unwanted Weight Loss)

[Gareth689]

Hi all,

I have asked to see a dietitian but can’t until I’ve been referred at my next clinic appointment in November.

I have always struggled to maintain my weight, I am quite slim at 5’10” tall and now only weigh 10st7lbs. Since going low carb I am losing even more weight that I don’t want to!

Does anyone have any idea how I can increase my calorie intake to make up for low carbs?

I see the benefit in terms of diabetic control, I’m now getting mostly straight lines on libre but don’t want to lose any more weight!

How do you guys manage it? Ideally I would like to put on some more weight but seems so difficult with a low carb diet!

 

[Moggely]

Hi and i'm quite new myself but maybe you can add fats in your diet like avocado's, almond nuts and coconut, butter and so forth. I lost a lot of weight and now finding it difficult to maintain as i don't want to lose anymore, so i went full on the fats and Viola...it works, it might be worth a try and for you, as your are quite tall,wouldn't hurt at all. OH don't forget the cream,cheese ext.. Enjoy.

 

[Metabolism_Boss]

If you like nuts, these are very high in calories and the great thing is, a lot of the carbohydrate is insoluble fibre making them ideal if you are following a low carb diet. Brazils are my favourite, but it's best not to have too many of these as they are very high in selenium. This is an essential mineral, but can be toxic in excess. I've only got to look at macadamias to put on weight. They are seriously calorie packed at 204 KCal per 25 gram with a net carb count of 1.5g (4g including fibre). So lots of scope for extra calories with nuts. It's also worth looking at seeds as they are packed with helathy oils as well.

 

[Gareth689]

Thank you both, will definitely try the nuts, do you have any good suppliers for macadamia nuts? Just ordered 1kg almonds and 500g Brazil nuts but macadamia seem very pricey for the same quantity!

 

[carty]

Full fat yoghurt double cream avocados ,walnuts and blue cheese as a snack ,butter on vegetables are all helping me to put on weight without putting up my BGs
Carol

 

[Guzzler]

Two things which really helped me with excess weight loss were/are Fat Bombs (recipes on Dietdoctor.com and YouTube) and Bulletproof coffee.

 

[Diakat]

Hi @Gareth579 it might help a bit if you update your details about type of diabetes and any medication.

 

[Jaylee]

Being on a low carb diet does not mean you have to be on a LOW FAT diet. Milk, meat, cheese et cetera are high in fat which would keep your weight correct and be fine to eat and is low in carbs that would not affect your blood sugar levels.

Hi,
Milk can be high in fat, but due to the lactose content is a little bit like liquid pizza.. Great for a hypo. & can aid stop a possible recurring double dip? (unlike lucozade used for a low.) But unfortunately not low carb.

 

[Alexandra100]

Hi,
Milk can be high in fat, but due to the lactose content is a little bit like liquid pizza.. Great for a hypo. & can aid stop a possible recurring double dip? (unlike lucozade used for a low.) But unfortunately not low carb.

However double cream makes a super-acceptable substitute for milk. I now even like it in tea. I think the taste reminds me of how tea used to taste in my childhood, when milk still came with thin cream on top and "top of the milk" was a recognised treat.

 

[Alexandra100]

I’m now getting mostly straight lines on libre but don’t want to lose any more weight!

Fantastic success getting straight lines on your Libre!!!

I have the same problem as you in that I am under weight. I have settled for just not losing any more. I do consume lots of protein and fat, but if I go too heavy on the fat I start to feel sick and don't want to eat anything, which is not the idea at all. You are not nearly as under-weight as me and in your place I would just glory in my slimness. I also recommend putting on some muscle through resistance training, making sure to eat plenty of protein after your workouts. Given you have always been slim, you aren't likely to turn into a Schwartzenegger overnight, but you could still build a great body.

 

[Metabolism_Boss]

Thank you both, will definitely try the nuts, do you have any good suppliers for macadamia nuts? Just ordered 1kg almonds and 500g Brazil nuts but macadamia seem very pricey for the same quantity!

Yes, I'm afraid they are expensive. They tend to be "cheaper" when you buy larger packs, Amazon have 500g at £17.09, which works out at £3.42 /100g, but not much different from Grape Tree which sell 150g for £4.99 and you get discounts from Grape Tree. Macadamias are so moreish as well. I roast my own nuts and seeds and pack them into containers that give me one ounce portions and stick in a macadamia or two as I'm packing them into the little jars.

 

[Ledzeptt]

Hi Gareth688

I have the same problem. While strawberries are cheap, I’m eating them with double cream every day

 

[gabi67]

I never had something like this. Hope you will find a solution.

 

[Marce_47]

I have the same problem but to increase your fat intake you have to consider your cholesterol as you do not want to get that to get too higher are in a no win situation. Marce

 

[bulkbiker]

I have the same problem but to increase your fat intake you have to consider your cholesterol as you do not want to get that to get too higher are in a no win situation. Marce

Not really...Cholesterol is a bit of a red herring. There has been a lot of misinformation published about it. As it is essential for life its highly unlikely that it would cause too many problems.
You may be interested in a recent paper..
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pybuhn9wp...lar Disease - a comprehensive review.pdf?dl=0

 

[Hairydavid]

Hi all,

I have asked to see a dietitian but can’t until I’ve been referred at my next clinic appointment in November.

I have always struggled to maintain my weight, I am quite slim at 5’10” tall and now only weigh 10st7lbs. Since going low carb I am losing even more weight that I don’t want to!

Does anyone have any idea how I can increase my calorie intake to make up for low carbs?

I see the benefit in terms of diabetic control, I’m now getting mostly straight lines on libre but don’t want to lose any more weight!

How do you guys manage it? Ideally I would like to put on some more weight but seems so difficult with a low carb diet!

Gareth, I'm a T1 as well, I had exactly this problem when I first went LCHF in spring last year - and was already slim - I am 6 foot and was then ten and a half stone which was just within the healthy BMI range and I was quite happy with (you can check yours, just Google NHS BMI calculator)..

So I cut the carbs to max 50g per day - flattened blood sugar readings amazingly. But it didn't occur to me to get the calories from some other source, and the weight just fell off.

So now I still have 50g carbs or less per day but as well as carbohydrate counting I also Calorie count to make sure I am taking on the BMI recommended levels.

So don't have a two egg omelette, have 5 eggs,
Don't have 3 low carb sausages, have 6.
Don't have chicken breast, have roast belly pork
etc.

Very satisfying, very Low Carb, and my cholesterol is still better than average.

 

[Alexandra100]

Don't have chicken breast, have roast belly pork

There are some advantages to swimming against the low-fat tide. Morrisons offers very nice free range chicken legs at a reasonable price, while charging much more for their chicken breasts.

 

[Alexandra100]

I have the same problem but to increase your fat intake you have to consider your cholesterol as you do not want to get that to get too higher are in a no win situation. Marce

The harmful effects of dietary fat, saturated fat and raised cholesterol are all controversial. The harmful effects of raised bg levels are both dire and uncontested.

 

[Hairydavid]

Having gone LCHF 18 months ago, as an example for my main evening meal, instead of having bangers and mash with say 3 cheap sausages and a huge pile of mash as I would have done previously( = carbs 150 odd grams) I now do, say, 6 ASDA Extra Special Leek and Black Pepper pork sausages (= carbs <0.5g per sausage) and, say, ASDA Root Veg Mash 400 gram pack (= carbs 28.8g).

Energy in terms of calories is
6 sausages (400g) = 1,032 kcal
mash (400g) = 232 kcal

Total calories 1,264 which is nearly two thirds of my recommended BMI daily calorie intake, and total carbs about 30g which gives me leeway to have, say, some courgettes and tomatoes and butter with it, and a low carb lunch or breakfast or snacks and still be within my self-imposed limit of 50 grams of carbs per day.

Ok so it's more expensive, but it's totally yummy and really filling/satisfying. If you're getting unwanted weight loss, then calorie count as well as carbohydrate count, and make sure you select low carb but high calorie foods to get the energy coming in.

P.S I'm a Type 1. My latest Hba1c was 42. My BMI is about 19.

P.P.S. on the cholesterol front, the above evening meal is total 100.8 grams of fat. But when I last saw the DSN she said that my overall cholesterol level was well within recommended limits and my 'bad' cholesterol was the lowest she had ever seen!

 

[Dixon1995]

Hello, I need some advice, above the consensus seems to be eating high fat foods such as avocados nuts etc put weight on and I need to put weight on, are these bad for your health as I want to do more Low carb High fat, are there any side effects on heart or liver etc? Thanks