Stopped losing weight

[intentionally]

Hi all

Started Low carb diet about 4 months ago and weight was dropping off. Last month I have not shifted any weight but instead it seems the lbs are creeping back on! Does your body get used to this diet so you stop losing weight? What else can I do?

 

[dawnmc]

Tell us what you are eating. A typical days diet.

 

[intentionally]

Breakfast- coffee with double cream

Lunch-mackerel and avocado/salad

Dinner- chicken curry with cauliflower rice. Dessert few squares of lindt choc 85%

 

[TorqPenderloin]

I'm a newly diagnosed type 1 but have quite a bit of experience with nutrition and diet plans. What I'm going to share is general info and not diabetes specific.

The problem with low carb diets is that they can be very hard to sustain (for most) and your body may account for the diet change in a negative way (reduced levels of energy and feeling tired all the time).

The Keto (basically a modified Atkins) diet is very common among body builders. The idea is to force your body into ketosis by starving yourself of carbs. It works if you sustain it, but one meal high in carbs can bring you out of ketosis which delays results.

What many people fail to realize is that there is no middle point between a diet that manages your carbs and an(almost) no carb diet. Meaning if your body needs 200g of carbs to function, you can't just eat 100g, it would need to be the full 200g or next to zero.

Managing your carbs means consuming what you intend to burn. For me, that's the most manageable diet.
Consuming more carbs that you burn will, in most cases, mean your body stores that energy in the form of fat.
Consuming too few carbs means your body must search for other forms of energy or decrease the need for energy (slow down metabolism).

Of course, everyone is different. I'm probably a bit of an outlier on this forum as my age(27) weight (205 lbs) and activity level requires me to consume about 3400calories/day to maintain my weight.

 

[ButtterflyLady]

You may find this article helpful:
http://authoritynutrition.com/15-reasons-not-losing-weight-on-a-low-carb-diet/

 

[Robbity]

If you've lost a decent amount of weight, you'll probably need to adjust the amount you eat (calorie wise) to accommodate your new reduced size. Even on low carb diets, at some point you still need to do this otherwise you'll be continuing to eat enough to either maintain your current weight or even gain a bit.

Robbity

 

[TorqPenderloin]

As Robbity mentioned, you need to recalculate your daily macronutrient intake to account for your weight loss.

Another thing to consider is that your body is likely slowing it's metabolism during your weight loss phase. With healthy weight loss it may slow only a slight amount. With unhealthy and rapid weight loss it can slow significantly. Of note: a type 2 diabetic doesn't have this luxury, but non-diabetics generally have "Re-feed" days where they consume large amounts of calories (often carbs) in a single day to jumpstart their metabolism. Another option is to re-evaluate your fitness and exercise levels. That's a quick way to boost your metabolism and energy levels.

Another thing to remember is that you'll lose quite a bit of weight in the initial month or so largely due to the depletion of carbs that were already in your system. When I used to powerlift competitively, I would easily cut 10 pounds in a weekend by dropping carb and water weight. It can be frustrating when you've lost 15-20 pounds in your first month but only 4-6 lbs the following month.

From a calorie perspective, maintaining a 500 calorie deficit each day will yield 1 lbs of fat loss per week (in a perfect world). A 1000 calorie deficit would be 2 lbs per week. Those numbers can be extremely difficult to achieve especially for women whose daily caloric maintenance may fall well below 2000 calories/day.

Another thing to remember:
1 gram of carbohydrates= ~4 calories
1 gram of protein= ~4 calories
1 gram of fat= ~9 calories

 

[Brunneria]

Well done for 3 months of weight loss! That is brilliant. i hope you have been congratulating yourself?

The weight loss plateau is a pain, but it happens to us all, eventually. There are various options
- wait it out (and hope your wait is rewarded)
- up exercise
- lower calories
- increase water intake
- lower carbs and up the fats (doesnt look like you need to do that)
- flail around and switch diets, despite having demonstrated that this is a great diet for you.

I realise that you are disappointed by the plateau, but i have a deep skepticism for the benefits of rapid weight loss. It increases the chance of rebound weight gain, it is hard on the skin (have you noticed any loss of skin tone and sagging, with your rapid loss?).

Lost 5 stone in 6 months about 13 years ago. I was in my 30s but it still took 2 years for the skin on my arms to tighten up and stop looking baggy.

Also not a fan of calorie theories and calorie counting. It works for some people. Heck, it has worked for me. But every time i have reduced calories to lose weight, i have ended up regaining. The whole calorie theory is very questionable too, and evidence is stacking up that it simply doesnt work for everyone.

I have kept that 5 stone off, for over a decade, with no calorie counting, by cutting carbs and eating as much as i like, on low carb, enough fat. No hunger, no deprivation.

As far as i can see, the slower the weight loss, the better. It is kinder on the body in many ways, and it gives the body, and your mindset, time to adjust.

 

[Celeriac]

The Frenchman who invented the calorie, did so in order to work out how much energy it took to boil a specific amount of water to a specific temperature i.e. it's a measurement of heat and energy not a measure of nutrition.

It's easy to prove that a calorie is not equal across the board, even in 1898 they could prove that when a man ate a high carb diet he gained weight and when he ate a low carb diet he lost it, even when the number of calories remained the same.

Dr John Briffa's book 'Escape The Diet Trap' explains why diets don't work. What does work, is long-term changes to the way of eating.

I would suggest eating more veg, more fat and ensuring that you're not overdoing the protein.