No weight loss

[LolitaLempicka]

I have been low carbing for 12 days (is that all..?) but I have not lost anything. My face (double chin) and stomach (massive problem area) have both shrunk, but absolutely no weight off according to my scales. This confuses me and makes me feel disheartened. How can this be? I think I look a bit better and my sleep has regulated and I definitely don’t get a mid afternoon slump, but I am just so bored and want a massive glass of wine.

Keep on keeping on. I have been low carbing for 8 months and have had many stalls along the way. Your weight on the scales can be very dependent on your level of hydration, for one thing - also (if applicable) your monthly cycle. If you like, you could join the low carb bootcamp thread and post the meals you've been having so the experts there can advise if there's anything that might be hindering your weightloss.

I know 12 days is nothing, but I read on here that people lose pounds initially. I know this is just water often, but I don’t even have that! 😂

How much weight do you have to lose? The massive losses tend to happen to people who have lots to lose and who have gone straight from not dieting at all, to low carbing. If you have been on an alternative restrictive diet, or have simply not been eating a in a particularly high carb way, it's likely you won't have a huge glucose stock to deplete to give a massive week 1 loss. As with any diet, if you don't have masses to lose, the loss in number of lbs will be slower.

It might simply be that you're more hydrated now than when you first began weighing yourself. If you are seeing a loss of inches, you are definitely losing fat, and should see this on the scales before long.

Can you let us know in detail what you have been eating and drinking in a typical day.

I have 35lbs to lose to get back into healthy bmi. I have a smoothie in the morning, with almond milk and super green powder (3g carbs) then I have tuna mayo or egg mayo wraps (lettuce not bread) then in the evenings I have been having chicken, beef, or salmon with steamed spinach or a huge salad (mainly lettuce and cucumber and a small amount of tomato) My snacks have been tinned fish with avocado, large bowl of salad, hard boiled eggs, full fat yoghurt and small amounts of cheese. I tend to eat every few hours out of boredom.
I do drink 4 cups of tea a day with full milk but then lots of water and chamomile tea. No alcohol.

I also don’t exercise (yet) but am trying to walk more, I always take the stairs instead of lift at work and walk the long way to the car park. I know this is not enough.

I also walk the dog twice a day.

What low carb diet are you following? Most don’t allow any milk or yogurt unless it’s Greek. I assume the yogurt you have been having isn’t a fruit one?

What make super green powder are you having? I had a quick look and the two I saw were 5.2g and 7g per serving. Might be worth double checking.

Is your mayo full fat? Do you add butter to your veg and dressings to your salad. Advacado is a great fat source.

Most low carb diets allow around 20g of carbs in the first couple of weeks and most of those ie around 15g should come from veg.

Do also drink plenty of water.

I tend to eat every few hours out of boredom.

This. I lost 35lbs in 12 weeks on the Blood Sugar Diet. One of the principles is to reduce insulin release by eating as infrequently as possible.

Ps And when you say I want a big glass of wine do you end up having one?

I am not following a strict plan, just trying to keep under 25g per day. I do think the tea may be problematic, but I literally have a splash of milk. The yoghurt is full fat plain Greek. I have always liked it plain, or I make it into a lassi with loads of ice and water. My super green is 5g carb but I am using half a scoop. I have had one (very large) glass of prosecco in the last 2.5 weeks and did not actually enjoy it, which is very unusual but also very good. Do you think the cheese is a problem? I will also cut back on the multiple mini meals I have each day, I no longer eat late at night, but will make the effort during the day. Thank you for your responses.

This is an example of the Atkins Phase 1 rules

Eat 3 regular sized meals a day or 4-5 smaller meals
Don’t skip meals or go for longer than 6 hours during the day without eating
Eat at least 115-175 grams of protein-rich food for every meal (up to 225g for taller men)
Eat 20g of carbs per day
12-15g of your carb total should come from cooked vegetables and salad
You can also take a daily iron-free multivitamin/multimineral tablet and an omega-3 fatty acid supplement to make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need
Drink 8 glasses of water (or other acceptable drinks) per day

Also here is the full list including quantities for cheese.

uk.atkins.com/static/default/files/documents/pdf/Atkins%20Food%20List.pdf

Just to give you an idea so you can double check. It’s not much different from the boot camp rules.

Remember fat is your friend, maybe try upping it and see if that makes a difference. Also check your protein sizes.