Is this weight issue all in my head or is there something to it?

[Gaiad]

Over the last few years I have lost 50 pounds through diet and exercise. No jabs. I didn’t need them. I was eating out of pure boredom and literally would eat when full. I have given myself simple rules like eggs for breakfast, salad for lunch etc and whatever I want for dinner (within reason). Don’t follow any diet plan as such.

I have noticed that weight loss/maintenance is SO much easier when I don’t eat carbs. In theory it should make no difference- calories in vs calories out.

But if I cut carbs I notice weight loss straight away even when I’m consuming similar calories to when I do eat them. I did two weeks of no carbs, still ate my maintenance calories and lost weight. The week prior I had been eating to a deficit (with carbs) and didn’t lose a pound.

Why is this?

I don’t particularly want to cut carbs as I remember reading an article years ago about someone who said their hair and skin became dull when they cut carbs. Plus who wants to eat soup without a nice buttery slice of homemade bread??

But is this all in my head? Is there science behind this? I have maintained for about 8 months now and it’s far easier when I cut carbs.

I do have pcos. But I think it’s well managed via diet. I have extremely regular periods, no hair loss and my blood sugars are always good.

This is my experience too. I'm 7 stone down over 18 months and notice that I lose more weight if I dramatically reduce carbs even if I am eating the same number of calories overall. It doesn't seem to be just calories that work, but also what the calories are drawn from

It’s interesting because this is never mentioned. I’ve tried doing my own experimenting as I assumed it was water weight or similar. But even when I try to account for that it seems to be the case. Ie actual weight loss

In a (very simplified) nutshell -

When you eat carbs, your body produces insulin to burn them up. (Processed simple carbs =more insulin, quicker; complex carbs = slower release of insulin into the blood stream).

High levels of insulin encourage your body to lay down fat. (I did say this was oversimplified!).

So it's true- not all calories are equal.

Although you're right that calories in / out is the basic formula for weight loss, carbs have a profound effect on blood sugar, which can affect lots of things relating to weight loss (like appetite etc.), so it could well be related to that.

I read somewhere that for each gram of carbs we eat, the body holds 3/4 grams of water.

If you are consistently in a deficit, this will generally continue to trend downwards, but in your small scale sample the weight fluctuation on the scale will show up.

I generally always weigh less on a Sunday morning if I’ve had a few glasses of wine the night before, even though my calories were higher, my body is dehydrated and holding less water weight which reflect on the scale.

Carbs are sugar, aren’t they ?! I have pcos and insulin resistance, carbs are my enemy but i can’t stop eating them!

I was borderline insulin resistant before I started my weight loss. I’m sure it’s all connected

Glycogen stores. For every gram of carbs, your body stores three grams of water (intramuscular). So when you stop eating carbs, glycogen stores deplete and the water is lost resulting in change in scale weight without any change to fat stores.

Low carb means more protein and or fibre, both stabilisd blood sugar and keep you full longer. It's easy not to overeat because your blood sugar is stable so your brain is quiet and happy its not urging you to eat more.

Protein gets used up for muscles and cells and fibre pooped out. Carbs convert to sugar and are for immediate brief bursts of energy followed by an energy crash caused by spike and drop in blood sugar.

This makes the body worried and makes you crave more sugary carbs to bring blood sugar back up and you get trapped in carbs and cravings cycle. People tend to eat too much carbs and sugars because it tastes nice and is an easy and quick pick me up however our bodies cannot use it all up for the day so it gets stored for later but too much stored for later means weight gain.

Btw my skin and hair become dull from carbs..
All the good things for skin and hair are in animal protein and veg.

See I’ve had that explained to me a lot. But I’ve seen dramatic weight loss throughout my 50 pound weight loss when I cut carbs. Not just that initial dramatic loss.

If you are not monitoring your food you have no way of knowing if you eat the same amount of calories with and without carb
if you sugar spike and crash with carbs you will eat a little more because you feel hungry - it doesn’t have to be much to make a notable difference

But you were presumably also in calorie deficit. Were you replacing carbs calories with protein and fat or just cutting carbs out (thus creating a larger deficit overall)?
Human bodies are obviously not closed system so there will never be a predictable response to anything, really.

There is a book called 'Glucose Revolution' written by a biochemist called Jessie Inchauspe, she explains this really well. Understanding food groups, rather than calories in / out (which i don't believe works, as not all calories are equal) has really helped me.

It's worth reading the original Atkins book. Not the newer ones which peddle all the fake food. It explains a lot of the science. You may find it second hand somewhere.

Yes, it is (very sadly) my experience too. I can steadily lose weight if I cut out carbs, but to do so I find I have to think about what I eat much more and I find that a bit dull. I also love roast potatoes and bread though can now take or leave pasta and rice.

carbs and alcohol - quit them loose weight.