I am convinced by the science, but worried in case I turn out to be a "special case".
The back ground is that I have lost a stone and 3in off my waist since January, by eating my own version of extra veg, reduced carbs, and full fat, natural, everything (and haven't eaten sugar for years). At the start of this, my BMI (which I don't really believe in) was towards the top end of healthy, and my weight had been stable for 10 years, since I lost a lot of weight. The reason for trying to lose weight this year is my waist measurement, which even after losing 3in is much too big.
I started eating LCHF "properly " almost 4 weeks ago, and did the 2 week induction, which I stuck to religiously. In that time, I have gained nearly 3lb instead of losing 1 or 2 has I have been. So my question is, does this mean that my body thinks I should be heavier, and blow the waist measurement/ internal fat danger? If so, what can I do about it, because I feel much healthier and happier at my new lower weight - I don't want to go back. Or does it mean that I am just being too greedy, and overdoing the fat or possibly the protein? I am eating more meat than I was, because I was eating bean casseroles twice a week and diluting my meat with lentils on other days, and I have cut those out to reduce carbs.
Any advice about where I go from here will be very welcome.
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Whydothis
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That’s too bad you gained a few pounds, have you changed other things? I know muscle weighs more.
You mentioned you stuck to the 2 week induction plan religiously. Do you mean you ate everything on the plan, down to the last mouthful of omelette?
I found it too much food for me, so I swapped out most of the breakfasts for something lighter, like just a boiled egg and a cup of tea, or even a cup of bouillon, and sometimes ate less, like 2/3 of the “official” portion of the lunch or dinners, and if I was full just put it in the fridge.
Do you feel full after meals? Sometimes this mechanism is “out of whack” and it takes time to get it working again. It’s not about being greedy, but perhaps you are multitasking and rushing your meals.
There are other members on the forum who will have some more ideas to help you.
Thank you for your thoughts. The only other change is that I have been doing C25K for the last 9 weeks, so have been running for the first time. If I had gained muscle though, I would expect to lose a little waist measurement, and no such luck! In any case, the running has reduced my walking mileage each week, so I don't think it will have made much difference.
No - I didn't use the plan, I just stuck very firmly to eating very low carb - veg from the garden and my friend's allotment (mainly cauli, courgettes and runner beans) with butter, oil, cheese, eggs and meat, to appetite. I feel now as though it is my appetite letting me down!
I have always had a bad habit of eating much too quickly, but I have worked hard on that over the last few months, and I do sit down and relax, and don't allow myself to eat anything standing up, or while concentrating on something else.
Have you become constipated by any chance? I was seriously constipated last year and felt very full and must have weighed a few pounds more, although I didn't actually put that to the test.
Trouble is my belly fat is the only fat I have - I am very extreme, and put all my weight on round my waist while I keep stick thin arms and legs! Never had a bum big enough to fill a pair of trousers properly if they are big enough round the middle!
Honestly, I don't think 4 weeks is enough to conclude anything. You're not going to suddenly balloon up to being fat again. Your body is still adjusting. 3lb is a meaningless number unless that's a de-noised figure that you've calculated from daily readings; most bodies fluctuate in weight by at least a pound or two every day.
Stick with it for a couple of months and then take a look in the mirror. If it's still not having the desired effect, you may well be doing something wrong, but I'm pretty confident it'll all come out in the wash.
Whatever's going on here, it has absolutely nothing to do with "calories", or "too much fat". My best guess is that it's just taking a bit longer than usual for things to kick in, as Sarah mentioned back there. Dr Berg discusses this in one of his videos. Apparently he had one patient who stayed the same weight for about two months, and then for no apparent reason the fat started dropping off.
Do you want to post a couple of days worth of meals, just for a quick sanity check?
How old are you, and what's your exercise routine look like? People do tend to have rather high expectations of LCHF. It does what it says, but it won't give you a catwalk-model body without putting in the same effort that catwalk models do (ie., about 12 hours a week of hard workouts). A protruding belly can be excess fat, but it can also be caused by very poor abdominal musculature; basically, your insides are hanging out.
Thank you. The 3lb concerned me because it is a change from the direction I have been going in recently, which was losing an average of 2lb a month, based on weighing myself once a week. I don't mind if I stay the same for a while, but I can't cope with the idea of putting an inch back on (weekly measurement stable at the moment)
I have never counted calories and won't start- never fear on that one, I just panicked in case I am badly overdoing the fat. I will stick with it, but if the tape measure frightens me next week it will be more difficult!
Breakfast yesterday was stir-fried cabbage, and leftover steamed cauli with a duck egg.
Lunch yesterday was mushrooms fried in butter, a mix of marrow, onion and tomato cooked with a little olive oil and their own juices, and grated cheese, followed by several fresh plums and a serving of Greek yogurt
Dinner was a pork chop cooked with cooking apple in the slow cooker with roast veg (courgette, aubergine, onion)
Today's breakfast was similar, with mushrooms rather than cauli.
Lunch today was a box of salad and a hard boiled egg, and two smallish rolls made with a keto bread recipe from dietdoctor, based on almond flour with butter and cheese. I also had a banana mid morning as I was out for a 14 mile walk and that is what I always take to sustain me until we stop for lunch.
Dinner tonight - a salmon fillet cooked in the oven with courgette and tomato and olive oil.
Other days I have got hungry in between and had a piece of cheese or yogurt, and I have eaten several plums this week while bottling them.
At 66 and 5ft2 I have no expectation of ever being a catwalk model! I walk regularly (three times a week before lockdown, every day since, between 5 and 7 miles, more on Sundays now that Ramblers are starting to meet again. I have recently started running 3 days a week, and I am up to 30 minutes a time, and I have just restarted a Pilates class once a week.
Yes, my abs do need a lot of development, but it is definitely also fat. When I was badly overweight, 15 years ago, I weighed over 3 stone more than now and still had slim arms and legs - I come from a family of apples!
Sounds fine to me. The plums are probably not a big deal. There's absolutely no chance you're eating "too much fat". Possibly too little. A bit of extra protein couldn't hurt either, given your activity level - say, 2-3 eggs at breakfast instead of one. Make sure you're always properly full at mealtimes. Clearly, you're not consciously counting calories, so that's good, but you might be subconsciously limiting your portion sizes?
Your cardio workouts will do a lot of good for your general fitness, but probably won't build much muscle. I would suggest investing in a pull-up bar so you can do some bodyweight exercises, particularly leg raises (check youtube to learn how to do it properly; there's a technique to it).
Apart from that, I'd say just stick with it for a few weeks and see what happens. I wouldn't normally advise the following because it messes with people's heads, but since you seem to be a pretty level-headed guy you could weigh daily and record the numbers in Excel. Do a simple linear fit and you'll get a meaningful trendline.
For most of my life I was blessed with a narrow waist but that faded towards menopause. It means we have different body types, but this still might be useful to you.
When I go low calorie (and low carb) or I fast, the waist measure drops spectacularly (or at least it did, I may have reached the smallest waist can have now, which is still about 5cm bigger than 5 years ago 😔).
But straight LCHF seems preserve my belly fat. Over several months I lost 5kg, yet only one centimetre off my belly.
That's interesting. I find fasting difficult, but I did temporarily lose my belly when I couldn't eat for a fortnight due to shock a few years ago, so I am sure it would work.
Fasting becomes easier and easier as your body adjusts to low carb, and you become fat adapted. Skipping breakfast becomes normal, and even one meal a day isn't a hardship.
So if you are new to LCHF, you may find your body responds to fasting differently than it did in the past.
(I was a natural faster on occasion. More than once at university I passed out or felt very ill mid afternoon, because I forgot to eat breakfast and lunch. My body is better adapted now, so I don't pass out any more)
I too am convinced by the science. I also began on LCHF. Now I'm nearer to Keto. I'm stuck at my current weight, wanting to lose a little more. I find that reading and re-reading the books that helped me in the beginning, help me to stay focused. May I suggest you read "The Obesity Code" by Dr Jason Fung, a Nephrologist who treats both obese and diabetic patients? I think you're doing fine. Just keep yourself motivated.
Yep, the reason I've gone down this route is because of the Blood Glucose readings I get on very low carbs. For me, it confirms what I learned on the course I attended last year. X-Pert Diabetes Prevention and Management, provided by NHS via GP referrel. This caused me to research the subjects of obesity and diabetes. And so, I've learned the science behind what happens to us with what and when we eat. I think I mentioned some of my sources? In addition to the X-Pert course, I've read a lot of info, including, "The Diabetes Code", "The Obesity Code", both by Dr Jason Fung. Also content via Podcast and U-Tube by Dr David Unwin and Dr Eric Berg.
It's amazing how empowering knowledge becomes. Learn as much as you can, and best wishes to you on your journey
That is what I was thinking when I posted the question! I don't think I can have been far out. I need to sort out the best bits of my old system, the best bits of the new one, and improve my exercise
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