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Why am I not losing weight?

Gracie204

Well-Known Member
Messages
122
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi

Sometime ago, perhaps 18 months, I had a routine blood test done and the doctor informed me that my blood glucose level was slightly high, but he appeared unconcerned and made no recommendations. Diabetes does run in my family, had a sister and mother who were diabetic. So I decided to take matters into my own hands and follow a low carb diet though have wavered a couple of times but got back onto it.

Many years ago after having two children my metabolism appeared to change. I went from a slim 8 stone to over 11 stone, and the years since have been on and off slimming diets. Weightwatchers worked the best as on 3/4 occasions I lost over three stone, but each time it went back on. I did notice, however, that although I kept within the smart points allowed if I ate potatoes or bread the weight loss stalled. I tried the Atkins diet, followed it religiously, but no weight loss. The same with the Keto diet.

Since learning that my blood sugars were slightly high I have been following the low carb diet (Keto), and yet again the weight isn't shifting. Most days I have two eggs with either spinach, homemade flaxseed crispbread (4 grams carbs), or one tiny slice of HiLo bread for breakfast. Lunch and evening meal usually consist of either meat, fish, salad, or above ground vegetables, tea with coconut milk (Koko, low in carbs) or tea with cream.

However, on this my energy levels have been zero, I've felt that life wasn't worth living. Then one day I took a ZERO electrolyte tablet (no sugar, no carbs) and if felt as though I'd been given a magic elixir, my brain fog lifted and the energy returned. But my blood glucose readings were up. However, yesterday all I'd eaten was belly pork, chicken, salad, vegetables, and taken a couple of ZERO electrolyte tablets, and my readings were even higher. So this morning decided to do a test. On rising my BG reading was 5.5. Shortly after this I took a ZERO electrolyte table, and half an hour later tested my blood sugar and it had shot up to 6.9! No food. Any thoughts on this?

And any thoughts on why I'm not losing weight? I'd love to be a couple of stones lighter. When the weather permits I do enjoy walking.
 
Hi Pipp

Thank you for your prompt reply. I've just checked the ingredients of the ZERO electrolytes and there's no maltodextrin in them. I thought for a moment that you'd solved my problem. Do you know of any electrolytes that are safe for diabetics to take?

It's a bummer about how difficult it is to lose weight.

Best wishes.
 
Sorry, @Gracie204 , I looked at ingredients of some ZERO products, that included maltodextrin. I am afraid I don’t have any solutions. Only time I would take something like this would be if I had become dehydrated after stomach bug, but then I would mist likely just drink fluids and broth with added salt.
Hope you can find some answers.
 
You mention a rise of 5.5 to 6.9 in the morning, without breakfast.

You may be experiencing dawn phenomenon, or foot on floor syndrome. They are very common indeed.
I find that eating something (usually a hot drink with cream in it, or a protein/fat breakfast) stops the rise.

the link below mentions insulin use, but the other information should still apply for you.
https://diabetesstrong.com/how-to-avoid-high-morning-blood-sugars/
 
Gracie204 said:
Do you know of any electrolytes that are safe for diabetics to take?
Click to expand...

Bone broth with salt.

Have you been testing your ketones? If you are not in ketosis that will explain things.

Watch out for carbs in vegetables. There are 6g of carbs in a cup of broccoli.

I'm surprised you're not losing weight, but remember that everyone's body is different and you may need a stricter diet or a different diet to lose weight. You may want to try fasting. (My longest fast was 5-day tea/broth only... I actually felt more energetic after the first day.)
 
Are you sure you are insulin sensitive? You will not lose weight while you are resistant.
 
I have been put on numerous diets over the decades, and I think that has just banjaxed my metabolism.
One thing I have noticed is that carbs from flour seem to shoot my blood glucose levels higher than the same amount from other sources, and my weight increases.
I experimented with some seeded bread a while ago. I ate a roll with 30 gm of carbs with a normal amount of protein and fat, rather than the 30 gm of carbs from vegetables and berries, which would not increase my weight.
My blood glucose would be in the 7s with the vegetables, with the bread it was over 10.
 
Thank you for replying to my cry for help. I find myself in a constant inner battle as to what to eat. If I cut out most of the carbs I feel like pooh, and yet when I take electrolytes or slightly increase the carbs to remedy this my blood sugars rise, and I'm not losing weight.

I quite enjoy eating high fat low carb but it's that overwhelming loss of energy that I cannot cope with.
 
Thank you for your reply. Though I followed the keto diet religiously and tested my urine for ketones I was never in ketosis. I don't know why this was.

I have made bone broth in the past, but it became a bit of a chore boiling up the bones for long periods.

Best wishes.
 
Hi @Gracie204

I have successfully used these electrolyte powders: https://www.bulkpowders.co.uk/electrolyte-powder.html without impact on BG. I bought them in powder form to add to water during or just after very long walks.

Alternatively you could try using pink Himalayan salt on your food (even a small amount in tea/coffee) and supplementing with good quality potassium and magnesium.

It could also be that you’re not giving your body time to adjust to fewer carbs. Many people go through a period of ‘keto flu’ when ditching the carbs, during which time you do feel pretty rough. Some people get over this in a few days, for others, including me it was a few weeks. If you’re switching up and down between removing carbs and adding them back, your body may not yet have adapted, so I’d say give it some time.

Getting BG under control is more important than weight loss, but you might find that using some intermittent fasting would help with weight loss as well as with the sugar levels.
 

Hi

Thank you very much for your helpful reply. I've just placed an order with Bulk Powders for the electrolyte powder, and it should be here tomorrow. I'm entirely in agreement with your comment that getting BG under control is more important than weight loss. I'll let you know if it works!

Best wishes.
 
As well as electrolytes make sure you are not hungry/lethargic by eating enough fats with your meals. No need to go mad but definitely don’t be hungry. After all if you’ve reduced carbs a lot then you need energy from somewhere still.
 
Perhaps I was lucky when I started LCH, in that since I'm a TOFI and thus thought I didn't need to lose weight, I didn't reduce overall calories. In fact I'm fairly sure that my calories actually went up for the first 2 or 3 weeks since all I did was cut back on the Carbs and eat as much Protein and Fat as I liked in order to feel full. But even this meant that my stomach shrunk, because of eating smaller overall volumes.

Later when my body had apparently adapted to using Fat, I found that I was no longer always hungry at Breakfast - so in those cases I would just skip that meal and rely on my internal body fat to supply my energy needs.

Anybody trying to do the same thing too soon - before their body is fat adapted, will suffer hunger and possibly even a slow down of their metabolic rate. That would make BG control and sustained weight loss even harder and is the reason that most crash dieters ultimately fail. I recall somebody on Twitter saying they had lost much more total weight with weightwatchers than with LCHF - because with LCHF they lost it once and kept it off, instead of losing it , gaining it and more back, losing it etc.
 

How often are you eating and what exactly are you eating?
 
try putting salt in all of your drinks?
 
Ellenor2000 said:
try putting salt in all of your drinks?
Click to expand...
Thank you Ellenor2000 for your reply. I do put salt on my food at every meal. Food without salt to me is tasteless. I use a grey unprocessed sea salt containing natural occurring minerals. But still feel lethargic and do not lose weight.

My best wishes to you.
 
have you tried also putting it in your coffee, and drinking water in which you've put a bit of salt?
 
bulkbiker said:
How often are you eating and what exactly are you eating?
Click to expand...
Hi Bulkbiker

What do I eat? Have you got six hours? I usually start the day with a cup of tea with a splash of low carb coconut milk, followed by a small cup of coffee with double cream. These are to get my motor going! For breakfast I usually have two free range organic eggs sometimes with spinach or a flaxseed crispbread or small slice of HiLo bread spread with butter. Occasionally I may have bacon, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes. If I do not feel really hungry sometimes I hang on until lunch time before eating.

Lunch usually consists of protein in the form of meat or fish accompanied by a salad or vegetables. And the same goes for the evening meal. I do tend to snack on bits and pieces, especially about nine o'clock at night. Currently, I'm into slices of cheese sandwiched around coarse pate, usually only one slice. Drinks are mainly coffee with cream or tea.

Yesterday I was tired and couldn't bother cooking so ate slices of cooked belly pork, picked at a pile of chicken wings, and then ate a portion of cod which needed eating up. But generally I do try to include vegetables and salad into my diet for health purposes.

I attempt to eat vegetables that grow above the ground, mainly cabbage, leeks, courgettes, but sometimes chop up a small carrot or have sliced green beans to add variety. Even a small slice of protein bread sends up my blood glucose.

I'm not good all the time. When I go out with friends and there's nothing on the menu which is diabetic friendly and I'm starvingly hungry (happens occasionally}, I can easily be tempted, but then when I reach home it's usually back to eating as I should be doing.

Oh yes, thought of other things I have. Sometimes I have raspberries or strawberries with double cream! And occasionally make homemade soups.

I did ask you if you'd got six hours to spare!

Thank you very much for your help.
 

OK so drinks, then breakfast, then lunch, then dinner, then snacks.
With bread and crispbread.

To me it sounds like you are spiking insulin production at least 3-4 times a day and are kind of refeeding with some carbs quite regularly.

That could explain why you don't seem to be able to get into ketosis and thus are failing to lose weight.
You might be one of the "unfortunates" that really needs to go very low carb before the benefits of ketosis start to work their magic.

If you could try for one week maybe skip breakfast entirely and have 2 or 3 coffees with double cream to start the day then have a lunchtime meal and an evening meal with no snacks but eat enough at the mealtimes to get full you may find that the weight loss will start. Maybe try and make one of your 2 meals almost zero carb.. say bacon and eggs that too might help.
Cut out the bread, crispbread, root veg and maybe even the tomatoes and see how you get on.

If breakfast is important to you then maybe just do breakfast and lunch but eat enough to feel sated.

Edit to add I'd also recommend keeping a very detailed food diary for that week including absolutely everything, ideally weighed or measured, so you can see exactly what you are having.
 
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