No Carb- Need help!

1965maggie1965

I've been on an absolutely no carb diet for about 6 weeks and have not lost weight. The diet I'm following is the Wheat Belly Plan. Would it be because the plan allows me to eat unlimited nuts and seeds, cheese? They say I should have lost weight even with eating all these unlimited foods. I'm thinking that it's fooling me and that just because I'm not eating bread and pasta doesn;'t necessarily mean I'll lose weight. I need some clarification or assurance on whether I should limit my nuts and cheese.
:grumble:

Alissakae

Nuts and cheese have lots of calories.....so......

thatonegirlwiththestuff

If you want to follow a diet plan I recommend The 17 day diet. I lost 15 on it last year. It was centered around low carbs but also included lots of lean proteins, veggies and Greek yogurt some fruits. It was very easy to follow and the protein kept me feeling full. I've pretty much adopted the principles of the book and eat that way most of the time.

kw85296

MFP has a great diary to track calories. Use it. You may be quite surprised at how many calories you are eating. If you are not eating less calories than your body needs, carbs or not, you will not lose. It takes a deficit of 3500 calories of what your body needs over time to equal 1 pound of weight loss.

jess6742

It doesn't sound very balanced or healthy diet. Fruits and veggies are carbs. And those are extremely important. Nuts, cheese, and seeds are great but they are really high in calories. Are you tracking how many calories you are consuming?

PepperWorm

Eat less, move more.

Log everything. Honestly and accurately. Cheese and nuts are verrrry calorie dense. Not agood idea to just graze on those mindlessly. Weigh your food.

Carbs aren't the enemy.

simplynaturalfarm

My husband does well on low carb - lost 36lbs since March. Me, I was strict with him for 5 weeks and didn't lose a pound - I didn't break the diet once (which is a first for me LOL). Talk about frustrating when my hubby is melting weight off!
I switched it up to low carb with 20/40/40, 1300 per day maintenance and eating back my exercise calories and have lost 27lbs since march. For some reason low carb like him does not work well for me. I eat tons of fat now and that makes a big difference (tons of fat plus low carb that is)

BandB1979

I am on the Keto diet. It is low carb high fat and I have lost a lot of weight. It switches your body to burn fat instead of glycogen. You should look into that. You don't eat a lot of nuts but they are allowed within reason but cheese and bacon (among tons of other things) are on the list to eat. And of course you still don't get to eat all the calories that you want but you won't need to.

cmriverside

What the Actual What?

You still need to log food/calories. You can't eat "unlimited" anything.

So start logging. And if you insist on zero carbs (WTAW?) then you had better buy a $20 digital food scale on Amazon and weight e v e r y t h i n g. Cheeses and nuts are very calorie dense.

1965maggie1965

Yes. Thanks I just Love the Principles of the book. I have totally cut out bread and all pasta - no problem. I will cut out nuts and all the big servings of cheese. I guess I was fooling myself when I thought that it didn't matter how much I ate. After all it still is calories in - calories out.
Thanks for you help and Motivation

1965maggie1965

Thanks I needed the reminder. I guess I was fooling myself. Going back to logging and still low carb( lots of veggies)

Thanks You:blushing:

1965maggie1965

I eat fruits and vegetables and only cut out the bread and pasta. I wasn't tracking my calories. Thanks for the reminder.

BevBasil

Nuts have carbs.

7opoundsin16weeks

nuts and cheese have lots of calories. whoever created that diet is an idiot

PlflGzzr

A pal on a low-carb diet had great success then stalled -- to his great frustration. Despite bicycling hundreds of miles a week, he wasn't losing anymore. His go-to snack was almonds -- lots of 'em. Raw almonds are healthy, low-carb, good sources of protein and fat -- what's not to love? He'd even hand them out on our bike rides. Then one day he checked the calorie content of almonds and realized he was eating about 2,000 calories a day in almonds alone -- plus of course his other food. He quit the almonds and immediately his weight resumed dropping fast . Now he keeps hitting new lows, every week or so.

A bunch of friends (and I) are on low carb diets, and find this diet can make for nearly effortless weight loss -- at first. Then we all stall, stubbornly, frustratingly, interminably. (The upside, though, is on low-carbs none of us gain back, however.) We all have found that to get beyond the stall requires giving something additional up. (For me, it's lite beer & wine.) Once you hit the stall, it is a sign your calorie burn (especially if you've lost weight) has regained balance with intake. So at that point, you have to roll up your sleeves and check your calories -- and then make sure your daily total consumed is below your daily total burned.

If you have not even had the initial success (which I think is true in your case) you may be relying on food categories too much. It is definitely a huge help to cut way back on carbs but calories (unfortunately) still DO count.

Good luck.

S_Arr_Uh

As yummy as cheese is, can't say its a food I'd want to eat absolutely loads of every day O_o; 50% of my daily intake is carbs (can come to almost 300g of it on a heavy exercise day) and I've lost weight just fine. Obviously it's different for all of us but I suggest you count your calories diligently if you're going low-carb. Just a little 1oz piece of cheese can be over 100 calories!

ninerbuff

Just a quick note:

Low carbing (keto) depletes glycogen stores. So IF one decides to eat an ample amount, weight will invariably sky rocket due to glycogen being reintroduced to the cells and the need of water to help store it.
I've personally met/know competitive bodybuilders and fitness competitors who carb deplete, carb load, then after the show they have their "victory" meal which usually consists of pizza, pasta, bread etc. It's not uncommon for many of them to gain 10lbs to 20lbs on the scale the next day.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

macchiatto

I read the Wheat Belly book but didn't really follow the diet. I've had a lot of success with the Dukan Diet though. Weight Watchers, MFP or any form of calorie counting, etc., weren't working for me anymore. I tried a lot of variations (more calories, less calories, eat exercise calories, don't eat them, more protein, less carbs, no wheat, etc.) and after many months I still hadn't lost anything. Very frustrating. I tried Dukan and finally lost the last 11 lbs my body was hanging on to, managed to reverse my prediabetes, and my blood work at my next annual physical was excellent. (And pre-Dukan, I already had a fairly healthy diet and lifestyle and a BMI of about 23 so I wasn't expecting dramatic results.) At any rate, it might not hurt to give that a try. I completely disagree that counting calories is always necessary for weight loss; it's true for most people but not for me. But I also agree that "unlimited" nuts and cheese does not seem like the best recipe for weight loss.

shannashannabobana

RE the cheese, I eat cheese most days but I figure it into my calorie goals as well (usually I'll eat a cheese stick (110 cals) + occasionally some on food like mexican). You should probably do both, calorie count and low carb (if you're doing low carb) if for no other reason than to better determine where the problem lies when you are not losing. I have heard many people have trouble losing weight when they go crazy with nuts and nut butters so you might want to watch those first, although that also might be the biased cheese lover in me.

I have no experience with the wheat belly plan, but you can avoid wheat without avoiding all carbs. Potatoes in particular and also rice work just as well. My carb count is generally between 70 and 150 most days and I have been losing weight so far. Just something to consider. Some people do great on a low carb diet and some people need a few more.

wilsoje74

Is it something you can sustain long term?? If not, I wouldn't recommend something so strict. Why completely cut out carbs? Nuts add up super fast. Use MFP to count your calories, stay under your limit, and you will lose even with carbs!

shadus

I've been on an absolutely no carb diet for about 6 weeks and have not lost weight. The diet I'm following is the Wheat Belly Plan. Would it be because the plan allows me to eat unlimited nuts and seeds, cheese? They say I should have lost weight even with eating all these unlimited foods. I'm thinking that it's fooling me and that just because I'm not eating bread and pasta doesn;'t necessarily mean I'll lose weight. I need some clarification or assurance on whether I should limit my nuts and cheese.
:grumble:

Nuts and cheese both a) have carbs b) have calories.

If you've been eating a lot then it's no shock you've not lost weight.

shannashannabobana

I completely disagree that counting calories is always necessary for weight loss

I think ideally you get to a point where your hunger is under control and you don't overeat naturally. If you are eating foods that are satiating that is much easier (protein, fat, etc). Calorie counting is kind of a useful tool while you are trying to get there. It can also help you figure out where you're going wrong...

Christy1759

I've been on a LOW carb diet (20 a day) and have been losing well on it, but nuts and seeds have an appreciable amount of carbs, and cheese even has some carbs. You may be eating way more carbs than you think you are. And even though a calorie is not just a calorie, they do count. I eat 1200 calories a day. You could eat more than that and lose if you exercise a lot.

PikaKnight

Just a quick note:

Low carbing (keto) depletes glycogen stores. So IF one decides to eat an ample amount, weight will invariably sky rocket due to glycogen being reintroduced to the cells and the need of water to help store it.
I've personally met/know competitive bodybuilders and fitness competitors who carb deplete, carb load, then after the show they have their "victory" meal which usually consists of pizza, pasta, bread etc. It's not uncommon for many of them to gain 10lbs to 20lbs on the scale the next day.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Thanks for the explanation learn something new everyday.

Christy1759

You might want to go to the Atkins site and print yourself a carb counter. It lists net carbs.

maxflie

You need more protein and some carbs. Without carbs your body will use muscle and that can get serious. I have 8 ounces of protein 4 times a day, 8 ounces of carbs for the first 2 meals then 4 ounces for the 3rd. The last meal is 8 ounces of protein. I drink 60 ounces of water and if you want you can use crystal light or MIO in your water. Meals should be 3-4 hours apart. I've lost 23 lbs in 6 weeks.

ninerbuff

You need more protein and some carbs. Without carbs your body will use muscle and that can get serious. I have 8 ounces of protein 4 times a day, 8 ounces of carbs for the first 2 meals then 4 ounces for the 3rd. The last meal is 8 ounces of protein. I drink 60 ounces of water and if you want you can use crystal light or MIO in your water. Meals should be 3-4 hours apart. I've lost 23 lbs in 6 weeks.

The body has to be in quite a depleted state (lack of glycogen) along with some high intensity or continually long endurance exercise to reach muscle loss state though.
Low carb works for fat loss, however it should be only short term IMO.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

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leighn62

I have been doing lots of research about low carb eating especially Primal. I have been scouring the Mark's daily apple website. (marksdailyapple.com) There are several discussions regarding Intermintent Fasting (IF) as well as Carb Feeding. Carb Feeding is generally for people who have stalled before they have lost the last few pounds. Basically it suggests eating a large # of carbs (preferrable primal type carbs) and lower fat for one day or so a week. Both ideas are very interesting. I haven't been doing Primal long enough to really delve into either, but these topics might be interesting as new ideas for someone who has stalled in their weight loss.