Putting on weight instead of losing LCHF

[willitbe]

I started with the boot camp uber menus and have continued since but with a few more good carbs, yet I am putting on weight, first couple of days was feeling rough and drank loads.

I have continued drinking plenty of water but still putting on weight!

Does this WOE sometimes not work for some people, or what am I doing wrong? I was hoping for the real confidence boost in the first week.

[willitbe]

Sorry forgot to say I am on day 5. I have never tried low carb dieting before.

[miffy49]

If you are only on day 5 then its far to early to make any assumptions about your weight. You also seem not to be following the instructions if you are adding in supposed 'good carbs'.

You have already answered your question in saying that your weight is all over the place and you are drinking loads. In the early days of low carb your liver first uses up glycogen stores. For every gram of glycogen you will lose another 3 of water. If you read the instructions on the Boot Camp page you will see that its suggested that you don't touch the scales for two weeks. this gives you chance to stabilise your weight and eating habits so you don't get any nasty shocks!

You feel rough because you have to train your body to go over to burning fat as its primary fuel. If you have eaten a fairly high carb diet in the past it does mean you will struggle for a few days. Stick with the Boot Camp food list, drink lots of water and increase the amount of salt in your diet.

You shouldn't be even thinking about Uber Camp at this stage. that is for those who have been on LC for ages and need little boost. Even then its only for 3-5 days to get you back on track.

Give it a fair crack following the BootCamp food lists religiously or the food lists on the Diet Doctor web site. Theres more support on the BootCamp forum and theres a link on the M/net low carb page.

[willitbe]

I did not say my weight was all over the place, I have only gained weight! I have switched from the uber diet which I did for the first three days to the boot camp rules, but consistently gained weight. All I read from others is initially having huge weight losses (mostly water) in the early stages. I am questioning why my clothes are much tighter and the scales showing increase in weight.

Theoretically surely I should at least be losing water weight and not bloating!

[yeahokthen]

Don't give up.
I did BCamp about 18 months ago. Despite being really quite strict I don't lose anything for a week then, at 10 days, I lost 4lbs & continued to lose.

[willitbe]

Thank you that is encouraging

[BIWI]

I have answered you on the other thread, but would also say, given your posts here, that you really shouldn't compare yourself to other people. It's not a competition!

Everyone does differently low carbing - sometimes people lose a huge amount straight away and then nothing for the next few weeks. Sometimes people lose a small amount regularly and sometimes people don't lose anything to start with and suddenly have a whoosh.

But you need to be consistent. You've already switched from uber to Bootcamp, and now - less than a week later - you're already thinking about jacking it in!

Stick to one thing, and stick to it for at least two weeks.

[willitbe]

I thought that the uber was part of the bootcamp, sorry for my mistake.

I was not aware that there were differences in the way low-carbing affects people, I was under the impression that everyone lost weight quickly at the start as they lost water weight. I am pleased to hear this is not the case, and that low-carb might still be able to work for me.

[BIWI]

Uber is part of Bootcamp, but it's really only designed as a really strict, dairy-free three days.

The weight that you lose on a low carb diet is different from other diets. On all diets there's some water loss. What's different on a low carb diet is that you use up your glycogen stores. This is why some people see a really significant loss in their first week or two weeks.

[willitbe]

I am still learning!

Can you tell me if by starting on the uber, and maintaining low carb levels (between 3-5% according to MFP calculator) over the last few days, that maybe I am going wrong with this?

I find it all confusing, trying to alter my way of thinking is proving more difficult than I naively thought it would be.

[BIWI]

No you won't be going wrong.

But ubercamp is really strict - so it is likely to be hard to stick to for very long, that's the only thing.

I really recommend that you do some reading about low carbing; it's important to know about the science behind it. Get hold of a copy of "Escape the Diet Trap" by Dr John Briffa.

[willitbe]

Thank you, I will see if I can get a copy of that book.

[BIWI]

... and come and join us on Bootcamp, from 11 May! It's designed to be easy to follow, as well as providing lots of support on the chat threads.