I'm stalling - critique my diet!

[GertrudeBell]

I've just finished week 3 of fairly strict low carbing. Week 1 was a breeze and I lost 6 pounds. Then 2 more pounds pretty rapidly in week 2, then ... zilch, nada for the last 10 days.

I'm trying pretty hard and it's dispiriting. Where am I going wrong?

Here's an example of my diet for the last 3 days:

Today

B: 100g Total full fat yoghurt
L: Ham hock and boiled egg salad with mustard mayo dressing
D: sea bass with cauliflower cheese, buttered baby sweet corn and green beans

1,000 calories, 28g carbs, 71g fat, 67g protein

Yesterday

B: 2 scrambled eggs with butter and creme fraiche
L: Sautéed aubergine, courgette and mushrooms (cooked in butter) with grilled cheese
D: Chicken wrapped in bacon, with buttered asparagus, baby sweetcorn and mayonnaise
S: 1 x babybel

1,500 calories, 25g carbs, 117g fat, 100g protein

Thursday

B: 3x babybel
L: Pret Italian salad
D: Garlic prawns with aubergine/courgette/mushroom combo with butter and cheese

1,200 calories, 15g carbs, 79g fat, 93g protein

This is perfectly normal. When you start a low carb diet one of the effects is that you lose a lot of water that's bound up with glycogen in your liver. In weeks 3 and 4 your body attempts to put the brakes on this loss of water by releasing a hormone. So if you continue eating low carb you will still be losing fat but you will retain water so your weight won't change. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water, and I mean on the order of five pints a day. You may need to add a bit more salt to your food as well. That will allow the levels of hormone to drop and you will likely see a 'whoosh' of weight loss around week 5 as the retained water disappears.

Another thing you may need to consider is that your calorie intake may be too low. Unless you are very short, eating less than 1500 calories a day is very bad for weight loss. You need a certain amount of calories just to keep your body running and if you regularly eat less than this then your body will break down its own muscle to provide fuel. Your muscle is metabolically very active so the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn without doing anything at all. Also if you come off the diet the first thing your body will do after refilling it's glycogen stores is to start replacing that muscle so you would see a big jump on the scales.

By the way your menus look delicious. :)

If you want more information look up vasopressin anti-diuretic hormone.

Thanks StuntNun, that's really helpful - I didn't know about the hormone. It makes sense - I've been feeling bloated even when I'm hungry.

Good timing too for a bit of a pep talk - I've put on a pound this morning which otherwise makes no sense! But I won't throw the towel in just yet .

Actually it was useful setting out what I've eaten - I saw that my calories were on the low side, so snaffled some extra cauliflower cheese and bacon last night. I think I've been subconsciously holding back as my weight loss has decelerated. I need to believe!

One of the big advantages of low carb high fat is that you don't need to restrict your calorie intake. It depends how much weight you have to lose but if you're a stone or more overweight then just eat when your hungry. It's good to try and eat mindfully and relearn your body's signals for hunger and satiety. I used to be so afraid of feeling hungry that I would eat extra just to be sure that I would make it to the next meal. It was a revelation to me the first time I left half a meal uneaten because I had had enough. The steady blood glucose level on low carb means that I can wait to eat or miss a meal without getting all ragey because I'm starving and have to eat something right away.

I lost 30 lb in five months last year on low carb, and another 6 lb since then (over nine months) to reach my target weight of 9 st. The graph shows my weight loss over the past year. This is classic for weight loss on any sort of effective diet, your weight goes up and down or stays the same for weeks on end. I firmly believe though that my rate of fat loss was pretty steady at around a pound a week but my weight went all over the place depending on what I'd eaten, how much water I was retaining, activity level, time of the month etc. One way around falling into the trap of getting fixated on your weight is to take measurements as well. When my weight stayed the same but my waist or hips shrank half an inch then I knew I was still losing fat.

Another thing you can do is to use an app that calculates your average weight. I use the True Weight app which shows my daily weigh ins on the dotted line and my moving average weight for the last 30 days on the solid line. This graph of the last month evens out the daily fluctuations and you can see that my average weight has decreased slightly over that time much more clearly than the somewhat random daily weights shown by the dotted line. (I gained a few pounds on holiday which I lost again over the last five weeks.)

Wow, well done you! That's terrific. You must feel like a new woman.

I'm 9'12, so would like to lose around a stone but not much more. I'll aim for 1,500 calories - ie to check I'm eating enough, as opposed to calorie counting in the traditional sense. It's funny when I enter what I've eaten into MFP. I can have eaten a massive plate of food but because it's mainly veg, the calories are surprisingly measly!

While I've got you, what do you think of low carb bread? I have some which is 3g of carbs for a small slice...

I don't tend to go for low carb versions of carby foods such as cauliflower pizza. I'd rather have some high quality bread such as homemade nan or a slice of wheaten or rye bread. I'm comfortable with the occasional mindful cheat though, and usually eat very low carb ~20g so a slice of bread now and then doesn't impact me so much.

I use an app with a trend line too. I'd have chucked the towel in long since if I'd relied on a normal weight chart. I think True Weight is an Apple app. I'm on Android and use Libra.

Loving all this info as I'm on a low carb diet too. I've lost 14 so far and I'm worried to weigh myself tomorrow as I'm worried I feel as though I haven't lost anything. I'm going to do measurements too. (At last check id lost 9.5 inches.

Ps - if you cut out the sweet corn wouldn't that be better? (I was under the impression it was full of Carbs?)

Well done to you all.

Dear God let there be a whoosh soon!

I've dropped a whole 1lb since I last posted. Just about to start week 5, having lost practically nothing for the last 3 weeks.

Are there some people this just doesn't work for? Or is this still within the bounds of normal?

Weeks 3 & 4 are absolutely notorious for not losing. Its as though your body has a bit of a rethink! Hopefully it will start up again as long as you don't let the carbs creep back. Your body has spent years using glucose for fuel and its got a bit lazy. You've given it a bit of a shock by only giving it fat to burn. Its harder work burning fat so its having a little sulk! You just have to stick to your guns and it will give in.

Gertrude - it's really, really, really common for this to happen to people in weeks 3, 4 and sometimes 5 - as StuntNun explains.

Just keep on keeping on, and the scales will start to shift soon.

Ah hello BIWI, thanks for stopping in on my thread.

I must admit that I'm really struggling. No whoosh - the scales are contemplating another 1lb drop to 9st 10 - but I was first 9st 11 more than 3 weeks ago. I am losing interest in this type of food and the faff involved in shopping or cooking for it.

Are there some people this diet just doesn't work for? Without huge modifications (eg cutting out dairy)?

I'd love to know the answer to this as well. Been IPDing for 4 weeks, the last 2 tweaked to cut out (almost all) nuts and cheese.

Pounds lost: 0.
Inches lost 1/2 (off boobs - all other measurements unchanged)

WTF?

If I didn't a) like the food and b) feel better on this WOE (energy, skin etc) I'd be packing it in. As it is I feel I'm just getting stubborn and petulant.

Read what I've posted, and what StuntNun has posted

You are in the famous week 3. It happens very frequently - you aren't doing anything wrong!

However, that said, why are you counting calories? You don't need to on a low carb WOE - and you're not eating enough fat relative to your protein intake. Up the fat and eat more.

What about water? How much water are you drinking each day?

Ah, well actually I'm at the end of week 5. I've been stalling for 3+ weeks.

Not counting calories as such - certainly not avoiding them - but using MFP to tracks carbs and I provided the extra detail in my OP to help any analysis.

I'n the light of StuntNun's advice I upped food/fat intake so I'm now averaging 1600 calories per day at 70% fat. But it's not making any difference seemingly.

Not a huge amount of water but endless mugs of green tea...

Very common in weeks 3, 4 and sometimes 5 - honestly! It's not a stall until you've seen no loss for 4 weeks.

You haven't got a massive amount to lose, so loss from here will be slow - and don't forget that you did lose more than half a stone in the first two weeks.

Sustainable weight loss, approaching target, is likely to be in the region of 1-2lbs (max) per week. This is the same whatever diet you're following.

If you're enjoying your food, don't feel deprived and feel well - just keep on with it.

Things will start to move again. Just don't expect another 6lb loss!

But what if you haven't lost any weight at all? I'm just entering week 5 of serious low carbing with literally 0 results. so no initial weight lost followed by a stall, just havent lost anything in terms of weight or inches in 4 weeks of doing it properly. Weirdly, from May - July I did vague low carbing in terms of cutting out bread, rice, pasta, spuds etc, but still had lattes, chocolate, fruit and alcohol pretty much daily - weirdly I lost 3kg in the first month of that!

I'd like to lose 10kg; currently 5'3'' and 71kg

What are you eating/drinking?

List out for me your last few days' menus, see if I can help!

Ooh, thanks BIWI!

Friday
Breakfast: 2 Bacon and 2 eggs, redbush tea
Black coffee
Lunch: burger, guacamole, salad, water
Supper: cant remember for the life of me, but it would have been meat and veg with oil or butter

Saturday
Breakfast: 2 fried eggs, redbush
coffee with double cream
Lunch: salad with chicken, ham and mozzarella, green tea
Black coffee
Supper: steak with herb butter

Sunday:
Breakfast: Leftover liver dipped in homemade mayonnaise (nicer than it sounds), coffee with double cream
Lunch: eggs, spinach, ham, hollandaise sauce
Slice orange cake and crème fraiche (my one major cheat in 4 weeks, made specially for me and too socially awkward to decline)
Supper: roast pork belly, kale and lemon juice
2 home-made Low-carb chocolate bites ( ground almonds, eggs, stevia, coconut, cream, small amount 85% cocoa chocolate)

Monday:
2 fried eggs
Chorizo slices
Lunch: liver, avocado, green pepper and mayonnaise
Coffee with double cream
2 low-carb bites (as above)
Supper: ham, prawns and fried cheese, then pork chop, grilled tomatoes, salad, 1/2 glass of wine, coffee with cream (work do)

Start every day with 2 pints water and then swig pints through the day. Still have dark wee in the mornings so trying to up it more. For snacks at home I cut off slices of butter; when out I try to eat enough at mealtimes to not want snacks, but have coffee with cream between meals if I'm hungry or a few times have had 6 almonds.

I feel like I'm caning it (apart from the cake incident), enjoying the food and the energy, but zilch nada nein niet weight or inch loss is demotivating me a bit. Help and advice gratefully received!

Friday
Breakfast: 2 Bacon and 2 eggs, redbush tea
Black coffee
Lunch: burger, guacamole, salad, water
Supper: cant remember for the life of me, but it would have been meat and veg with oil or butter

Sounds fine!

Saturday
Breakfast: 2 fried eggs, redbush
coffee with double cream
Lunch: salad with chicken, ham and mozzarella, green tea
Black coffee
Supper: steak with herb butter

Not much veg going on here

Sunday:
Breakfast: Leftover liver dipped in homemade mayonnaise (nicer than it sounds), coffee with double cream
Lunch: eggs, spinach, ham, hollandaise sauce
Slice orange cake and crème fraiche (my one major cheat in 4 weeks, made specially for me and too socially awkward to decline)
Supper: roast pork belly, kale and lemon juice
2 home-made Low-carb chocolate bites ( ground almonds, eggs, stevia, coconut, cream, small amount 85% cocoa chocolate)

Well, orange cake does mean that you're not doing low carb properly! This isn't a very forgiving way of eating - as you're discovering - especially in the initial period where you're trying to switch your body from burning carbs to burning fat. By 'feeding' it with more carbs, you're delaying this process.

Why are you eating 'low carb chocolate bites?' The aim of low carbing (or rather, Bootcamp!) is to use the first two weeks to break the desire for sweet things, as well as to reduce your carbs. Almonds, chocolate and coconut will all be adding carbs to your diet that you should be getting from veg/salad.

The rest sounds OK, but beware the dairy and ham - dairy can impede weight loss, and ideally we should be avoiding processed meats

Monday:
2 fried eggs
Chorizo slices
Lunch: liver, avocado, green pepper and mayonnaise
Coffee with double cream
2 low-carb bites (as above)
Supper: ham, prawns and fried cheese, then pork chop, grilled tomatoes, salad, 1/2 glass of wine, coffee with cream (work do)

Again, dairy might be an issue - and more low carb bites! Chorizo is also a processed meat, along with the ham. And why are you grilling things?

Start every day with 2 pints water and then swig pints through the day. Still have dark wee in the mornings so trying to up it more.

You are almost certainly not drinking enough water if this is still the case. The first wee of the morning probably will be darker, but it shouldn't be that dark

For snacks at home I cut off slices of butter; when out I try to eat enough at mealtimes to not want snacks, but have coffee with cream between meals if I'm hungry or a few times have had 6 almonds.

Again, dairy.

Overall it's not a bad diet, but given that you're not losing anything I'd say:

• cut out totally the sweet stuff
• try cutting out the dairy
• make sure you drink plenty of water
• how much fat are you eating? Are you frying, and are you adding an oily dressing to your salads?

I know it must be frustrating, and these things might individually only be small tweaks, but it could be the combination of all of them that is causing a problem.

HTH!

I totally agree with Biwi over the low carb bites. I've low carbed for a very long time now and I know that low carb imitations of high carb foods are so often the downfall. You just have to decide that those are foods you don't need any more and go for something totally different. The first two weeks are hard. I was a total sugar and chocolate freak but its amazing how quickly you will lose the taste for it if you persevere. The weight loss will bring its own rewards!

Try and make sure you eat a decent quantity at meals so you feel nicely full. That will cut the need to snack.

Low carb is a brilliant way to eat but it doesn't tolerate cheats. It could just be the cake that took you off track with it coming so early on in the change over. Just draw a line under it and start fresh.

Thanks BIWI!

(please don't think I don't get the orange cake thing - I felt cornered! But that was the only one in 4 1/2 weeks so the other things you've pointed out seem more likely to be the reason why I'm not losing)

OK will drop the dairy and nuts completely. Been following the IDP which allows them and various threads which encourage snacking on butter - but obviously not working for me. Will read up on the Bootcamp rules instead. (The low carb bites were a bit of rebellion against not having anything like that for 5 weeks, but in all honesty weren't very nice so no loss!)

Yes, most things are fried, roasted or covered in olive oil (grilled things were my best option in a restaurant for a work do).

Onwards!

Thanks Miffy . I think I lost my grip a bit there with the almondy bites. Lesson learned...