It worked... now it doesn't!!! Help....

[Chilver]

Help me please....

I started a serious health overhaul in July and increased my exercise (ok, started exercising again!) and went low carb (30g or less), low cal (1200). I lost 8kgs in 2 months and was feeling great. Since the 31st of August though, I have only lost half a kilo .....

A few fact and figures to throw into the mix so you could perhaps help me to figure out how to continue to lose:

• I am 5'7 and was 22kgs/ 3 stone 4lbs overweight; now 13kgs/ 2 stone overweight
• I am hitting 40 BUT have already gone through a dreadful menopause; weight gain was 4 years ago due to medical reasons (steroids, menopause and illness stopping exercise)
• I started back at work in September and am so hungry by the time I get home that my calories have increased to 1500 a day and carbs 50-60g
• Admittedly, usually the increase in calories is a post dinner snack of a few squares of 85% dark chocolate...
• Increased my exercise (am doing 3 runs a week of the C25K, week 5 now) and swim laps for 30 mins at least 1 a week. Daily activity averages around 10k steps - I feel I lead a relatively active life and am enjoying the added in runs now.
• Waist and hip measurements have decreased, just not the scale numbers...

By my calculation, even with the increase in calories this month, I am only just eating above my BMR, and nowehere near my TDEE. I also don't 'eat back' exercise calories.

So why am I not losing any weight anymore?? It worked before and now with just a little increase in calories, but also exercise, its not? I would be happier with a slower loss but just want a loss as its getting demoralising now.

You could try dropping the carbs back down without dropping the calories? Are you eating fat? You shouldn't really be hungry on LCHF. Low carb low fat is miserable and IMO unsustainable

And Google weight plateau.....

Thanks NotThere, I have really tried to drop back to 30g but for some reason can't seem to do it anymore. It could be drinking milk in coffees as now I am back at work, I get up really early some days and can't function with a coffee or two. Semi skimmed milk but it adds up so quickly but I don't think I can not coffees anymore!

Also, I struggle eating high fat - I just don't like the rich fatty stuff after decades of not eating it (chocolate aside, of course!). I was under the car of a specialist nutritionist in the past few years and it was noted that my normal diet is very low in fat - I just struggle to include typical high fat foods. I have increased my nut intake though - almonds. What type of high fat foods do you recommend?

I dropped half a kilo by switching my morning lattes to morning Americanos - far less milk

Thanks bluejelly; I've switched from flat whites to americano's too or just homemade. Not quite as nice, but healthier! Hasn't made a difference for me though, unless thats my half kilo loss!!

Double cream in coffee.

Butter on veg
Oil based dressings on salad
Full fat mayo
Double cream in yoghurt
Avocados
Oily fish
Skin on roasted chicken thighs
Fatty meat
Fat doesn't provoke an insulin response. Insulin is what causes you to lay down fat, therefore fat in the relative absence of carbs doesn't make you fat. It fills you up though!
Why not try the low carb bootcamp? There's a sign up threat in chat, starts 9th oct

Oh and there a massive on going recipe thread under the bootcamp topic!

You mentioned measurements are going down but scales. Fat takes up more mass than muscle all that exercise your doing and eating well is clearly working where it counts. I'd ditch the scales and focus on body composition, take progress pics and measurements instead

For me this happens when I follow a high protein diet. As a pp said, you need a high fat, moderate protein, low carb diet.

At your weight you probably only need about 100g of protein a day. Might be worth looking up an online calculator.

I eat olive oil on salads, mayo on everything and oily fish to keep my fat high enough. Bulletproof coffee is magical too.

I added masses of fat into my diet, reduced the protein, carbs were already low. Plateau ended within a couple of days.

Lol, all this talk of high fat makes me want to (not envy)!

Bulletproof coffee - do you really put butter or ghee in the coffee? So many of the fats you mention RunRabbit and NotThere i find difficult to eat, but I guess I will try to overcome that!

Protein I am under 90g a day, usually quite a bit less. I'll try introduce more oily fish again though and put mayo on everything. I guess its full fat mayo too??

I'll take a look at the bootcamp thread, thanks.

chilver i found the fewer carbs I ate the more I wanted fat!
Start with what you can tolerate, I started out not liking things like the fat off steak, or pork belly, but absolutely loved creamy coffee or a roasted chicken thigh.
Delouis is the lowest carb mayo, helmans not too far behind.
I've never actually done bulletproof coffee, but I think it's coconut oil and butter blended with coffee and used in intermittent fasting - for some this goes hand in hand with low carb.

Yes to more protein or more fat, whatever suits you.

You will find the weight comes off when you get towards the end of C25K and are running for 30 mins. That's my experience anyway. And your measurements are shrinking - that's a very good sign.

Right, I've just bought cream to try instead of milk in coffee and am renewed in my mental attitude!!