Trying so hard

Ruskinbarb

Hey! I've been really trying to do Atkins/lchf for the past 3 weeks and I've only lost 3 lbs. I feel like giving up already. It's so discouraging to read about others' great results while I seem to be stuck. I'm staying within the allotted carb allowance and I'm even exercising. I feel like I've really screwed up my metabolism from all the yo-yo dieting I've done in the past. Anyone else experience slow and minimal results? I actually gained 1.5 lbs since last week. How is this possible? My exercise is strictly cardio so I'm not building muscle and I'm 55 so I can't blame it on pms. Anyone have suggestions to help me?

angela_carreen

I've always given myself 2 weeks on Atkins before adding excercise. Make sure you're eating enough calories also. When I only counted carbs and made sure I had my veggies in the beginning I only had around 1000 cals and I gained weight. Once I added fat bombs and more protein I was fine and lost very quickly. It's so different from HCLF! Good luck and I hope this was some help.

Ruskinbarb

Thanks, Angela! My calorie intake really fluctuates, sometimes as low as 1200 and other days 1700 or more, although never 2000. Maybe I pay too much attention to calories. I just don't feel right having so many calories and I'm not used to eating so much fat but I guess that's key. I'm going to try not to have any vegetable carbs for the next couple of days to see what happens. Today I had bulletproof coffee, 2 eggs and 2 strips of bacon. It sure tasted good but it feels odd to eat that much fat. Thanks again for your help.

volfan22

For me the 3rd week was awful - I felt bad (keto flu) and just plain wanted to give up, but I didn't and when I was in about my 5th week everything just started clicking. I felt great, energy up, clothes were a little looser, skin cleared up and I was sleeping like a rock. That was 7 months ago. Take your measurements - while your scale may not be your friend right now, you may find that you're shrinking in other ways. All of my friends who are trying to adopt LCHF that I work with - I have told them, if you're not going to give it at least 8 weeks, don't bother. It will take at least that long to truly see a benefit. Good luck!

Dragonwolf

Stop. Breathe. Relax.

3lb in 3 weeks is not nothing. That's a pound a week and is generally accepted fat loss rate. This is good.

All the "great results" you hear of people seeing double-digit scale losses in a week's time are losing water weight, and even the people losing 3+ pounds of fat a week are 400 pounds to start with.

In fact, that same water weight is likely what caused your "gain" that you saw on the scale. Hormones still fluctuate, too, and the female hormones aren't the only ones that can cause water weight gain. Cortisol is actually another big contributor, so your stressing over it is actually making matters "worse."

According to your ticker, you want to lose about 25lb, and from the looks of your profile picture, even that much seems pushing it. In other words, you don't have much to lose to begin with. This is also a good thing, but it does mean that you won't see the big number changes on the scale. That's okay.

Don't starve yourself, either. Work out how much you should be eating for a minor deficit (no more than 1lb per week) and strive to average that over the course of a week. Do LCHF for the health benefits, and the fat will shift as a byproduct.

Also, consider doing some strength training. Weight lifting is phenomenal for preventing osteoporosis, and muscle mass will help further reduce body fat. (Just keep in mind that strength training will mean the scale won't always move down. That's okay. The scale is only a small part of the picture.)

Sajyana

I'd like to echo Dragonwolf's words regarding fluctuating weight.

I've been LC for 2 months now. I had a really big loss in the first few weeks and since then I've been up and down the same few kg's. It's incredibly disheartening and frustrating but I'm sticking to it because I know that whatever I was doing previously wasn't working.

angela_carreen

I'm actually doing a month challenge to focus on my food and not weight myself at all. I'm measuring/weighing myself before and after. We get so stuck on numbers and not focus on how we feel. I'm trying that for once. I'm really in for the long haul, my old habits weren't healthy or helpful. I'm not counting calories so much either. More like a base number, and more on the healthy carbs. It's such a different way of life. But I'm loving it. I hope you see the benifits as well.

Ruskinbarb

Thank you volfan22, Dragonwolf, Sajyana and angela_careen for the sound advice and encouragement. I'm still up and down the same 1/2 lb but I'll keep focuse on your advice and forward.

Ruskinbarb

Ruskinbarb wrote: »

Thank you volfan22, Dragonwolf, Sajyana and angela_careen for the sound advice and encouragement. I'm still up and down the same 1/2 lb but I'll keep focuse on your advice and forward.