So I'm loving it, but I'm not losing weight.

[SleepFreeZone]

I've been low carbing for three weeks. I did drop a pound and a half initially but nothing for the last week.

I'm eating veggies that grow above the ground. Cheese, eggs, meat (moderately). I'm having oils, mayonnaise. I am allowing myself a couple of glasses of full fat milk a day as I'm still breast feeding morning and evening and once through the night. I'm wondering if that's what's scuppering me?

I have about 12lbs to lose. Have a BMI of under 25 so not overweight.

My day might look like:

Cup of tea
2 x fried eggs on a heap of salad with mayo

Glass milk
Cup of tea
Some stir fried vegetables with prawns and salad

Cup of tea
Half avocado, some roast beef, salad, sprinkling cheese.

No fruit, no yogurt, loads of leaves. What do you think?

[Vagndidit]

There's a lot of sugar in milk, even the full fat variety. If you're bf-ing, you just need to stay hydrated...milk isn't necessary. And you can get calcium from other food sources.

[SleepFreeZone]

I take a good multi cut daily. Do you think I should just cut the milk out?

[SleepFreeZone]

*vit

[Yellowcups]

You still need to count calories. Do you keep a record? I'm guessing your close to ideal weight so maybe try 1050-1200 cals a day. measure the oil in the pan, mayonnaise, avocado and cheese as these will be your culprits.

Your breakfast of eggs is nearing 600 cals. That's half your calories for one day.

[Yellowcups]

missed the bf bit. you really don't need to drink a glass of milk. I thought it was there as a filler.

[SleepFreeZone]

See I'm not counting calories. I honestly thought if you were restricting carbs enough you didn't have to 😩

[HumphreyCobblers]

You don't have to count calories when low carbing.

You could be retaining water but still losing fat. That happens to me when I am low carbing. Have you measured yourself? That often shows a loss even if the scales don't. Drink more water. Stop the milk, if you are eating lots of leafy green veg you will be getting calcium and iron from that. If you are really wanting to have some dairy do full fat yoghurt instead.

[HumphreyCobblers]

Apart from the milk, your food sounds excellent.

You could check the list of low carb veg, peas and sweetcorn grow above the ground but are v carb

[misscph1973]

Low carb doesn't work for everyone. It does not work for me. I have carbs with dinner only, and I IF. Works great.

Have you thought about waiting with dieting till you are no longer breastfeeding? Just to give yourself a break?

Also, there are other factors to weight loss. How do you sleep?

[SleepFreeZone]

My sleep isn't brilliant but to be honest it's been like that for years now. The baby sometimes doesn't wake at all but often wakes once or twice. The toddler often wakes once which also wakes me up.

I don't eat any peas or sweet corn. The veg is predominantly leafy. I can definitely cut down on the milk although I may allow myself a small amount. I can also cut down on the oil and the cheese and the mayo.

I'm on my period at the moment which won't be helping. I'm also in my forties which is a time when I know losing weight becomes more difficult and I can't get into an exercise regime st the moment but will be starting at the gym again once the toddler goes to school in sept (it has a crèche so the baby can go in there while I do a couple of classes each day).

I definitely feel slimmer. My stomach is starting to flatten and I can feel my hip bones again so mentally I feel like something is happening. The scales are just being a bitch.

[HumphreyCobblers]

Oh I don't EVER lost weight in the week before or during my period.

Don't cut down on the fat. You need to have a lot of fat in a low carb high fat diet or it won't work. It is NOT calorie counting!

If you feel slimmer it will be water retention. Make sure you drink 2L per day (I never actually manage this) You will see a loss soon I am sure.

[wizzywig]

I too thought you can just eat as much high fat/ low carb/ high protein stuff as you wanted.

[SleepFreeZone]

It feels like the reason everyone gives up on dieting is basically because you follow a diet principle, it doesn't work or stops working and then you basically just end up having to accept we need to exist on very little food to be slim. It's just a pain in the arse 😩

[HumphreyCobblers]

You CAN! You really can.

PP who said you needed to calorie count was incorrect.

[HumphreyCobblers]

The reason LCHF works when so many other diets don't, is that you don't feel hungry thanks to all the lovely fat.

You enjoy it OP, you FEEL better and look better. Stick with it and you will lost weight.

It is a very healthy way to eat.

[ofudginghell]

I low carb but still tot up roughly what's going in.

I've cut 90% of the meat out of my diet now and eat lots of beans and pulses and veggi burgers etc.

I eat a banana at breakfast with a coffee. Lunch is sometimes a banana and apple or small bowl of veggi chilli and a piece of fruit.
Evening meal is piles of steamed veg,a veggi burger or stuffed mushrooms and sometimes a falafel ball or two.
Fills me up but not bloating.
Don't forget also you can lose no weight on the scales but your body shape will change.
Go by how clothes are feeling or how your energy levels are.

Going back to basics works great for our family.
I don't eat a lot of cheese or mayo etc as they are massive calories with my sized helpings lol but a sprinkle of grated on some cauli sometimes just kills that urge 😀

[HumphreyCobblers]

ofudghinghell, your diet sounds great and very healthy but it is not low carbing, more like restricting some carbs.

Low carbing means high fat too, and would never encompass bananas and pulses in a weight loss phase.

[CloudPerson]

I never lose weight to start off with, it takes a while, I start to feel a bit less like I'm wearing a fat suit, then I start losing.
If you're starting to feel a difference I'd stick with it, give it at least a few weeks to see how it's going.

[ASDismynormality]

Your diet sounds really good except for the milk. Ditch the milk and drink plenty of water. Also it's quite normal for weight loss to stall on a LCHF diet in week 3/4 - I did but am losing well now.

[SleepFreeZone]

I'm feeling some health benefits as my body hates sugar and I was previously eating a ton of bread and loads of artificial sweetener.

The diet I'm trying to follow is the Scandinavian diet. I am trying to read the book but the kids and tiredness make that a work in progress 😬

I'm eating lots of steamed fish too. My gut instinct is it's the milk but I'm also going to keep more if a check on the cheese and the mayo.

[misscph1973]

OP, if you feel slimmer on your waist and hips, then you ARE loosing weight. Weighing yourself is not actually a very good indicator of diet succes, it's just easier to step on the scales than get out the measuring tape.

I have recently lost weight (according to the scales), but it's not what I want, it's loss of muscle, as I haven't been exercising. I will put on weight again now that I am exercising again, but my clothes will feel less tight and I will be more toned.

[standingroomonly]

You don't need to count calories and you absolutely don't need to cut back on the oil or mayo or avocado. Lots of people don't understand how low carb actually works, as evidenced by some posts here!

Lose the milk though, it's totally unnecessary for breastfeeding and even if it's full fat, two glasses a day is a lot of carbs.

You don't have a lot to lose so that can make things slower, plus totm won't be helping either. But your meals look fine so keep at it - often with lchf you notice changes in your shape/fit of your clothes before much change on the scales. It's all good though!

[SleepFreeZone]

Ok, I shall keep going and maybe join one of the LCHF boot camp threads on here for motivation. We are on holiday from Sunday so I'm hoping I don't just throw the towel and and eat a loaf of bread 😩

[ohthegoats]

How about not weighing yourself? Judge 'weight' loss or shape change from a specific item of clothing?

I haven't weighed myself for over a year. I prefer it, makes me less obsessed.

[picklemepopcorn]

Use a tape measure on your waist, back, upper arm, hips and thigh. You'll see it going there, even if the scales don't go down straight away. It's possible you aren't eating enough, so don't change yet. Cut out the milk. You can water down heavy cream if you actually want it. See what happens when you measure.

If you plateau later, then try reducing cheese and cream a bit.