Feeling frustrated....

esaucier17

Ok so I have been doing this WOE for 2 weeks now. I pretty much eat ZC. No dairy besides butter and occasionally cheese. I do not use any artificial sweeteners. I think I had 2 slips ups but got right back on track. I eat meat, fat and drink a ton of water. And yes...I have upped my sodium. I eat between 1300-1450 calories.

I am 5'3, started 2 weeks ago at 164lbs, I have 30-35 pounds to lose. I have been as low as 158lbs in the first week and now today back up to 163lbs. So in 2 weeks I've lost one pound?
I mean it's not like I only have a few pounds to go. Like I said...I have over 30 pounds to go. I expected to lose more. Oh yea...and I measured. No loss in inches either :-(
I do have a cold and haven't been feeling good, not sure if that matters. My diary is open.
Any suggestions would be great.

tcunbeliever

2 weeks is not long, you really could keep trying for another 2 weeks to see results. But it's possible zero carb just isn't going to work well for your body, everyone is different.

If it were me I would wait 2 more weeks and if I'm still not seeing results try one of these options:

1. add carbs up to 50 g per day, try to make them all vegetables rather than grains
2. carb cycle - add 1 day per week designated as "high carb" and aim for 75-100 g on that day, keep other days near zero

mskeyaj

I am frustrated as well. I did not loss much since last week. @tcunbeliever thank you for your advice! @esaucier17 hang in there!

esaucier17

tcunbeliever wrote: »

2 weeks is not long, you really could keep trying for another 2 weeks to see results. But it's possible zero carb just isn't going to work well for your body, everyone is different.

If it were me I would wait 2 more weeks and if I'm still not seeing results try one of these options:

1. add carbs up to 50 g per day, try to make them all vegetables rather than grains
2. carb cycle - add 1 day per week designated as "high carb" and aim for 75-100 g on that day, keep other days near zero

Thanks. I know 2 weeks isn't long. And I know everyone is different but I see so many people losing 5-10 pounds in their first week or 2 that one pound was kinda disappointing.
I will keep going and see what happens. Thanks for your advice!

KnitOrMiss

@esaucier17 Personally, I did well for about 3 months, then I just stopped losing, flat out. I've been struggling to regain my health stuff again, and it's been 18 months total time since the beginning. I'm 20 pounds heavier than my lowest weight 15 months ago, though I'm in the same size jeans... But the healthy factors and feeling good are still there.

I always say 4-12 weeks MINIMUM on one exact program with minimal changes to give the body a chance to adjust to and work will with a regimen... Also, since you ONLY have 30-35 pounds to lose, it may be more about building muscle and toning than specifically "losing weight."

Personally, I'd rather lose inches and fat and build muscle than lose a single pound on the scale. I bet most of us would... Whenever I get caught up in my head, I try to take a few dozen steps back and look at the big picture again. Sometimes we miss a huge progress indicator because we're only focused on specific tiny details. (HUGS)

esaucier17

KnitOrMiss wrote: »

@esaucier17 Personally, I did well for about 3 months, then I just stopped losing, flat out. I've been struggling to regain my health stuff again, and it's been 18 months total time since the beginning. I'm 20 pounds heavier than my lowest weight 15 months ago, though I'm in the same size jeans... But the healthy factors and feeling good are still there.

I always say 4-12 weeks MINIMUM on one exact program with minimal changes to give the body a chance to adjust to and work will with a regimen... Also, since you ONLY have 30-35 pounds to lose, it may be more about building muscle and toning than specifically "losing weight."

Personally, I'd rather lose inches and fat and build muscle than lose a single pound on the scale. I bet most of us would... Whenever I get caught up in my head, I try to take a few dozen steps back and look at the big picture again. Sometimes we miss a huge progress indicator because we're only focused on specific tiny details. (HUGS)

Thank you so much. I will give it time and try to be patient.

PamamaJane

This is just an observation and I have no real knowledge on this and only hope that others with more knowledge will chime in. My observation is that you have many days where your macros are protein heavy and fat light. I seem to remember reading that fat should be the main macro with protein lower than fat and carbs last and minimal. Maybe I'm confusing low carb with Keto or something so don't draw any conclusions. Can anyone else correct me or add to what I've offered?

nvmomketo

The scale is up and down for me too. It's going to bounce. For me, it could bounce a few pounds HIGHER than where it was and stay there a while.

Two steps forward and one step back is still forwards. Keep at it. I found that a particularly high bounce or slow down was often followed by a "whoosh" where 5
or more pounds seemed to disappear overnight.

PamamaJane wrote: »

This is just an observation and I have no real knowledge on this and only hope that others with more knowledge will chime in. My observation is that you have many days where your macros are protein heavy and fat light. I seem to remember reading that fat should be the main macro with protein lower than fat and carbs last and minimal. Maybe I'm confusing low carb with Keto or something so don't draw any conclusions. Can anyone else correct me or add to what I've offered?

Keto is usually high fat and moderate protein but higher protein works too. I think fat is low there because of the meat and cuts that esuacier17 is choosing. Going with red meat more often, rather than chicken and ligher fish, will make hitting fat macros easier. If wanted.

Sunny_Bunny_

A few things jump to my thoughts

You mentioned a few slip ups... These would interfere with ketosis. Which sorta take you back a few steps in regards to adapting, water loss and fat burning. If one of the slips was recent, this easily explains the increase in weight from water.
Not feeling well... Could be a cold and weight loss can certainly be stalled when not well. OR, it could be low sodium, which could cause water retention (I know that doesn't seem right, but it's true). Even though you think you're getting enough sodium, its possible tat you're not.
So there are a few possible explanations.
See it through a bit longer before deciding it's not working.
My weight goes up and down 5 pounds all week long. It doesn't mean I've gained fat or haven't lost any fat. Even when my size stays the same by measuring, my weight can fluctuate as much as 8 pounds on occasion. It's crazy how water can change so much in our bodies in such a short time period. That's also how fast sodium can change.
Any kind of illness can and will cause some degree of inflammation and water retention.
Get a sunburn, gain weight.
Get a head cold, gain weight.
Pull a muscle, gain weight.
Get a little gassy, gain weight.
Sudden scale weight gain does not mean fat gain.

Carnivorekat

One of the things I have read on the Zero Carb site I have been on, is that it is possible to not lose much or even put on in the first few months of ZC it all depends on how your body reacts and whether your body is healing itself - I totally agree with Sunny that illness causes inflammation and can be a big difference on the scale, I would suggest keep doing what you are doing and stay strong - I have had 3 bad days this week and put on 8lbs but I know by doing things properly my body will adjust I just have to keep doing what feels right

esaucier17

Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »

A few things jump to my thoughts

You mentioned a few slip ups... These would interfere with ketosis. Which sorta take you back a few steps in regards to adapting, water loss and fat burning. If one of the slips was recent, this easily explains the increase in weight from water.
Not feeling well... Could be a cold and weight loss can certainly be stalled when not well. OR, it could be low sodium, which could cause water retention (I know that doesn't seem right, but it's true). Even though you think you're getting enough sodium, its possible tat you're not.
So there are a few possible explanations.
See it through a bit longer before deciding it's not working.
My weight goes up and down 5 pounds all week long. It doesn't mean I've gained fat or haven't lost any fat. Even when my size stays the same by measuring, my weight can fluctuate as much as 8 pounds on occasion. It's crazy how water can change so much in our bodies in such a short time period. That's also how fast sodium can change.
Any kind of illness can and will cause some degree of inflammation and water retention.
Get a sunburn, gain weight.
Get a head cold, gain weight.
Pull a muscle, gain weight.
Get a little gassy, gain weight.
Sudden scale weight gain does not mean fat gain.

Thank you do much!

McShorty7

Please also consider that when you are menstruating or close to it, you can hold some weight. Mine typically clears a couple of days after it's done.

bametels

While it's hard not to, I would suggest you avoid comparing your results to the large weight losses achieved by some others. You note that you have 30-35 pounds to lose "but I see so many people losing 5-10 pounds in their first week or two that one pound was kinda disappointing." I understand and sympathize. I am five pounds less than you and three inches taller and I've not experienced such large weight losses either. The thing is that some of the people who have experienced large initial losses have more weight to lose than you do and some have medical conditions that cause inflammation leading them to hold water weight. You simply can't have a large enough deficit in week's time to lose 10 pounds of fat, so some of what they have lost is water weight. You may simply have less water to lose and most likely your deficit is lower too which will result in slower weight loss. Things that I have learned in addition to trying not to compare myself with others is that weight loss is not linear and that several weeks of low or no weight loss ends with a whoosh where suddenly multiple pounds come off. Hang in there, your persistence will be rewarded!

esaucier17

Thank you everyone. I know I just need to be patient. And I also should add more exercise in

kmn118

Very good luck on your journey. Beginning a way of life is hard and demands that you educate yourself and practice patience. Having sustainable weight loss and creating good habits take time. Give yourself a break!

bjwoodzy

How's it going now, after almost 7 months, @esaucier17 ?