Low carb didn't work for me

wearynurse

So I tried the LCHF thing (70% fat/25% protein/5% carbs) on advice of my trainer. Followed it to the letter. Measured and weighed everything (yes, everything including seasoning, dressing, teas etc...). Counted carbs, fats and proteins and stayed between 10-20g carbs per day. I was in caloric deficit also - had calculated my BMR, TDEE - all the numbers were checked by my trainer and nutritionist.

After 1 month I put on 500g! Haven't lost any centimetres either. Other girls in our training group are reporting massive losses in short time periods... But it didn't work for me. I know I was in ketosis because I tested. Maybe low carb just isn't for me? Anyone else had this experience?

I have around 15kg to lose (or the equivalent in centimetres to drop a couple of dress sizes).

TimothyFish

A few people here aren't going to want to hear this, but there are inaccuracies when you weigh food. Those inaccuracies can result in you eating more than you think you are. There are also inaccuracies in how we estimate calories burned. That can also be a problem. Whatever you are currently eating, you need to eat less.

wearynurse

I was on 1200-1300 cals per day and entering calories and nutritional values based on lists provided by my dietician (not what MFP calculates as these are often grossly inaccurate and variable). I NEVER enter exercise into MFP because I agree with you that these are always overestimated. I don't think I could eat less than 1200 cals per day as I have a physical job and work out 4x per week.

healthygreek

Physically, I did not do well on low carb. I didn't feel well at all and normal bodily functions just stopped; couldn't go to the bathroom!
I was also frustrated by not being to eat my favorite foods like chocolate among other things.
I do much better on eating everything I want in moderation.
Basically, chicken, fish, beef, pasta (whole wheat AND white), bread, lots of veggies, olive oil, ect., ect. plus chocolate;-)!

wearynurse

Thanks @healthygreek‌. I felt pretty awful too - the 'carb flu' never seemed to go away. I think I'll go back to just counting calories and eating well.

kikityme

Some things work for some people. Some things don't. The problem is when you take that "failure" and let it stop you from trying something else.

Low-carb works for me, while IIFYM absolutely did not. So, hang in there until you find what does work for you.

ogmomma2012

Low-carb was working for me, but not sustainable in my house. I liked it, but I have been successful just doing moderation so it wasn't a problem going back to what I was already doing. Good luck!

yarwell

TDEE calcs etc are +/10% at best and plenty of people fall outside that range especially when dieting. How much were you eating (closed diary) ?

Insulin sensitive people can do better on low fat / high carb compared to LCHF but not to the extent of not losing at all on LCHF.

Foamroller

You're right, keto is not for all, maybe not for you.

1. The ketostix are unreliable for measuring ketones. So you don't really know if you were "in ketosis".
2. If you gained during 4 weeks it means you weren't in deficit. Keto is NOT a magic pill for weight loss. CICO are all estimates with lots of variables to miscalculate: TDEE, intake, exercise burn. Although you thought you were in deficit according to the numbers, it does not mean those numbers apply to YOUR body.
3. If you kept feeling crappy, it sounds like you never made the transition from being a sugarburner into becoming a fatburner. 4 weeks sounds like a lot, but for some people it might take longer.
4. Did you supply with enough electrolytes ? Usually too low on those and people feel like ****.
5. If you want to apply the diet correctly I recommend doing some more reading on reddit/keto

Good luck

Edit: If your body is in a very bad hormonal imbalance, that might explain your lack of weight loss despite heroic efforts to do everything "right".

Sued0nim

low carb worked for me .. 3 times it worked for me .. until I twigged that actually it only works when you stick to it and there's no way I can stick to low carb for life

calorie counting and not cutting out any food works for me

it's down to the individual if you can stay LC for life then fine - me, I like my carbs

Foamroller

rabbitjb wrote: »

low carb worked for me .. 3 times it worked for me .. until I twigged that actually it only works when you stick to it and there's no way I can stick to low carb for life

calorie counting and not cutting out any food works for me

it's down to the individual if you can stay LC for life then fine - me, I like my carbs

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/82/1/222S.long

About 8/10 fail at maintaining their weight loss in general. Keeping the weight off is for life and is probably not about which diet plan a person chose originally. As stated MANY times on these boards: A successful dieting plan is the permanent lifestyle change you can stick to.

Good for you, you found your key

Edit: A phrasing.

SergeantSausage

wearynurse wrote: »

I was in caloric deficit also - had calculated my BMR, TDEE - all the numbers were checked by my trainer and nutritionist.

If you didn't lose weight, then BY DEFINITION, you were not in a Caloric Deficit... no matter what you or anyone thinks.

dopeysmelly

If it didn't work for you, try something else. As @foamroller states, the lifestyle/diet/exercise routines which work for you are the ones you can stick with in the long term. Just because someone tells you to try a plan, or just because others are finding it works for them, doesn't mean it'll work for you, and it doesn't make you a failure, it just means you weren't suited to it.

girlviernes

wearynurse wrote: »

I was on 1200-1300 cals per day and entering calories and nutritional values based on lists provided by my dietician (not what MFP calculates as these are often grossly inaccurate and variable). I NEVER enter exercise into MFP because I agree with you that these are always overestimated. I don't think I could eat less than 1200 cals per day as I have a physical job and work out 4x per week.

I actually think you might do better on a few more calories per day. Maybe bump yourself to 1400 and see how that goes. I definitely wouldn't cut back further. There is no need to eat low carb to lose weight, and it does not sound like something you personally would want to do long term so I would stay away from that.

wearynurse

Thanks guys for your responses. You've given me plenty to think about.

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LAWoman72

Just low-carbing, without calorie restriction, didn't work for me. I lost water weight in the beginning (about 7 lbs. each time I tried it), then my weight completely halted until I also restricted calories.

The eating style wasn't sustainable for me (not saying that's true for all people) so I'd rebound and end up fatter each time.

Since it was all going to come down to a calorie deficit anyway, I went middle of the road, about 100g/day of carbs (which keeps my appetite more in check than higher-carb) but still eating the foods I enjoy, and maintaining a calorie deficit.

mustgetmuscles1

If you were not losing weight then you were not in a deficit.

There is always some margin of error when calculating calorie intake and exercising. Eating a high percentage of your calories from fat can make any mistakes in counting worse because they are more calorie dense.

If you dont like going low carb then pick a different approach to eating. There is nothing magical about low carb or keto. You can get the same results from other methods so pick one that fits your goals and preferences.

oscarsson

Yes, I am having an experience to yours. I have been low/no bad carb for 3 weeks now and although I only have 5-6 kg to lose I had hoped to see a small difference by now. My husband has eaten low carb for years with great success and maintence but I was always wary as for me a calorie is a calorie regardless of how it is packaged. When calorie restriction was not giving the results I was going for I started to do some reading on blood sugar and insulin levels. This convinced me to give a low carb lifestyle a try.

I did not experience any initial water weight loss despite carb and calorie restriction, and today I was also 500g above my start weight 3 weeks ago. I understand that the process takes time and that regardless of what one eats one still has to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. I have experienced a healthy loss of apetite and no longer crave sugar every day as I used to, so low carb is in many ways working for me. I have not, however, experienced the typical symptoms and am somewhat disappointed that the process is not faster but I will stick with it.

oscarsson

I should add that I am in the normal range BMI and am looking to lose vanity kgs only. I have for years eaten anything I wanted without significant gain so I assumed (wrongly, obviously!) that with a few tweaks I could easily shed the last couple. I find it curious that I have cut my daily calorie intake by at least 1000 calories and am not registering and significant changes.

tim579

Like some others have said, low carb worked for me but I found it impossible to stick to because of the restrictions. MFP and counting calories is so easy to track and enables me to enjoy all foods. The first few days were a little difficult while my body adjusted to the lower calorie intake but since then all has been great. Losing weight and still eating the foods I love.

girlviernes

Oscarsson - You're probably in your healthy weight range, and body is going to resist losing.

manthonyw

I'm sure it's already been said, but there are no "one size fits all," diets.

fit_mama30

healthygreek wrote: »

Physically, I did not do well on low carb. I didn't feel well at all and normal bodily functions just stopped; couldn't go to the bathroom!
I was also frustrated by not being to eat my favorite foods like chocolate among other things.
I do much better on eating everything I want in moderation.
Basically, chicken, fish, beef, pasta (whole wheat AND white), bread, lots of veggies, olive oil, ect., ect. plus chocolate;-)!

Same here. I didn't do well on low carb I had migraines, couldn't concentrate at work, felt like I was going to pass out, etc. I felt like I was "out of it".

I do much better on a moderate carb diet. Actually, I could go higher carbs and it doesn't change anything when it comes to my weight loss or gain. I guess I'm not sensitive to carbs at all? As long as I'm in a calorie deficit, I'll drop weight, even on a high carb diet. Low carb doesn't guarantee weight loss, from what I've seen.

I love my carbs, and they love me as well

wearynurse

oscarsson wrote: »

I should add that I am in the normal range BMI and am looking to lose vanity kgs only. I have for years eaten anything I wanted without significant gain so I assumed (wrongly, obviously!) that with a few tweaks I could easily shed the last couple. I find it curious that I have cut my daily calorie intake by at least 1000 calories and am not registering and significant changes.

Thanks - it's nice to hear from someone who has had a similar experience. My body fat percentage is in the "normal" range but I'm looking to be leaner. I thought I'd at least have SOME change, even if minor, but after reading some of the other posts, perhaps somewhere in between is where I should be aiming.

wearynurse

LAWoman72 wrote: »

Just low-carbing, without calorie restriction, didn't work for me. I lost water weight in the beginning (about 7 lbs. each time I tried it), then my weight completely halted until I also restricted calories.

The eating style wasn't sustainable for me (not saying that's true for all people) so I'd rebound and end up fatter each time.

Since it was all going to come down to a calorie deficit anyway, I went middle of the road, about 100g/day of carbs (which keeps my appetite more in check than higher-carb) but still eating the foods I enjoy, and maintaining a calorie deficit.

Thank you! This sounds sensible and I think more sustainable for me, too. I've upped carbs over the last couple of days (mainly from green leafy vegetables) and feel so much better for it. Still staying under 100g. I'll see how I go over the next week or so! Trial and error I guess...

sofaking6

wearynurse wrote: »

Thanks @healthygreek‌. I felt pretty awful too - the 'carb flu' never seemed to go away. I think I'll go back to just counting calories and eating well.

There is a reason that low carb is called "The Couch Potato Diet".

miklamx

wearynurse wrote: »

Thanks @healthygreek‌. I felt pretty awful too - the 'carb flu' never seemed to go away. I think I'll go back to just counting calories and eating well.

Hey don't give up because of the carb flu, i've been doing this for sometime and read a nice study on fatigue, I experience the same thing hearing that it would end in two weeks. Sometimes that happens sometimes it didn't and then I learned where the fatigue comes from.

MrGonzo05

Low carb works for me. And by works, I mean it makes me feel like a fish with no water, reduces my exercise performance, makes me look deflated, makes nutritional deficiencies more likely due to avoiding vast swaths of perfectly healthy food, and has absolutely no positive impact on fat loss versus a balanced diet. Yep. Works great.

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Ironman162

Low carb works for me. I lost 30 kg and kept it off for 3 years down the track. It did not work at all for a friend of mine. As a challenge I offered to prepare all for so that we could compare. I lost a kilo that week while she gained one.
My theory is that it depends on your blood group Im O+ and thrive on low carb high protein. I don't eat any dairy products bread or milk.
Hope this is of use to someone! The art is to try a few options and find one that works for you. There are so many diets available to choose from.