LCHF plateau

roxus123

Hi All,

I have been following a LCHF diet for the past month as I have always struggled to lose weight on any other diet other than low carb so thought I would give this a go.

For the first week I lost, 3 or 4 lbs - but assumed this was glycogen.water weight so didn't get too excited. Week two was a 2lb loss... I thought... finally a diet that is going to work... and then since then I have maintained.

I know it's still early days into the diet, but I am averaging 30-40g carbs (even less net carbs) so I thought I would lose. I guess I don't have much to lose in the grand scheme of things so I know it's going to be harder (probably another 10lbs), but I exercise regularly (3 or 4 times a week - occasionally more depending on work). I do weights, and HIIT training so am always mixing it up exercise wise.

I didn't know if there was anything else I could be doing to alter my macros to actually get the weight to move downwards? I'm currently aiming for 10 or 15% carbs, 15 or 20% protein and 65 or 70% fat. I usually hit the macros on a daily basis but sometimes go over (not by much) on my protein - this ultimately depends on whether I have an avocado or some other veg in the fridge for my lunchtime salad or whether I end up having to have meat/fish.

I haven't cheated at all (apart from yesterday when I had an icecream). I tracked it and it didnt affect macro levels (in fact I hit them all fine)... I know it would have been loaded with sugar and was totally the wrong thing to eat... but apart from that moment of weakness I've stuck to LCHF 100% so am just feeling a little deflated.

If there are any LCHF diet goers out there who can offer any advice i'd be most grateful.

Thank you!

malibu927

I don't do LCHF, but a few things: if it's only been two weeks since you've lost, you're not in a plateau yet. There could be a number of reasons why you've stalled. And you have to ensure you're eating in a calorie deficit to lose weight...that may mean purchasing a food scale to weigh everything, as without it most people tend to eat more than they think.

roxus123

Hi Malibu927,

I was just about to edit the post to say that I am weighing everything, tracking everything exactly, even when MFP doesn't quite have the right details of a food I'm re-adding it.

I am averaging 1400 calories a day, and am eating "until I am comfortably full", so not overeating. Yesterday I wasn't hungry all day, so only had half of my breakfast, a mackerel salad for lunch (and then the naughty ice cream), but that didn't even hit 1000 cals.

StaciMarie1974

The last 2 weeks could be due to TOM/hormones. Compare weight now to weight 30 days ago: you're down, so that is good. As women our monthly cycle has a big influence. If you go by the scale #s it might just be your cycle to retain water that masks your true weight loss for 1/2 the month.

And sodium, new or increased intensity workout, stress, etc. can also be factors for water weight.

taentea

I can't say anything about LCHF in particular but I had similar pattern to yours when I started to lose weight. First 2 weeks I've lost what I planned to and even a bit more, then I completely stalled for 3 weeks (at 1200cals/day + few miles of walking). I dropped 3-4lbs a week in the 2 weeks following the stall and been losing steady ever since. So if you are confident you are doing everything right, just wait it out. Maybe our bodies just need a break to acknowledge the new reality after initial shock

Liftng4Lis

Give it another month and reevaluate, as two weeks isn't long enough.

roxus123

Thanks all, I'll ride it out and I may be back in a month for advice