OK Super Discouraged... Help
collegefbfan
Posts: 346 Member
Ok it was my wife's idea to do this diet. We both love it. However she has been very strict as I have, but the weight is just not coming off her. She has been doing it for about 5 weeks, maybe 4 weeks. She lost a little, but she is getting very discouraged. She does have Crohn's. Is that a factor. She is about to lose all motivation. Her macros are on point and she has had no carbs outside of veggies and healthy stuff. No bread, pastas, etc.
She welcomes any suggestions.
She welcomes any suggestions.
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Sometimes a person can lose fat while not losing weight... is it possible she has gotten smaller?
Keep in mind, that where the fat is lost from is all over and often it first goes in the places we are less concerned about. I had lost almost 1/3 of my goal without noticing much difference around my waist and hips but I luckily had measured right after starting and then compared the new measurements and had lost like 2" from around my rib area! A place that want really obvious and didn't affect how my clothes fit me. I had also lost from my neck and arms much more than waist and hips.
I advise your wife to take measurements and photos to compare against and ignore the scale. I know it doesn't sound like it makes sense but you can lose fat, without gaining muscle necessarily and not see any difference on the scale. And it seems like your wife doesn't participate in the forum, but definitely have her read the motivations from the launch pad in the open threads section.
I'll get you a direct link to some.5 -
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10353600/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-stall#latest
This will show how body composition can change even when the scale does not.3 -
Here, people discuss why they continue this woe when others give up.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10194648/whats-your-secret/p14 -
And here are tons of reasons to stay committed that have nothing to do with scale weight.
Non scale victories
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10108792/nsvs#latest
Creating a new lifestyle simply cannot be solely motivated by scale weight reduction.
It absolutely must mean more than that to stick long term.
There are too many other benefits, especially long term preventative benefits that are far more important than scale weight reduction. I would never in a million years decide to give those up for carbs just because the scale doesn't move.
I haven't lost a single pound in almost a year but I have lost body fat and had to buy smaller clothes. All without exercise, so muscle gain doesn't explain it.
Don't let her get caught up by some arbitrary number that doesn't mean much.5 -
Hi
Chrohns is a serious condition and I have heard of some people doing great on keto with it but only a doctor can really answer.
IF she is doing everything right and maintaining a good deficit without weight-loss there may be something to it. A doctor can look at the medication she is taking in case that has any effect.
In any case please remember that serious chronic conditions like Chrohns cause all kinds of havoc in the body and it is important to have a good doctor. Avoid undernourishment for the sake of meeting 20 carbs or less. Avoid foods that trigger issues even if they are keto friendly
Sorry if that is not very definitive. Good luck.2 -
She is on Humira. Someone else posted that they were also. They were doing fine. Either a doctor's visit or a lot of research or both is in the future I guess.0
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collegefbfan wrote: »Ok it was my wife's idea to do this diet. We both love it. However she has been very strict as I have, but the weight is just not coming off her. She has been doing it for about 5 weeks, maybe 4 weeks. She lost a little, but she is getting very discouraged. She does have Crohn's. Is that a factor. She is about to lose all motivation. Her macros are on point and she has had no carbs outside of veggies and healthy stuff. No bread, pastas, etc.
She welcomes any suggestions.
Women generally don't lose as fast as men. She should not use your loss as a barometer for what she thinks she should be losing.6 -
I have found timing of eating is also important. I have found having the biggest meal of the day earlier and having nothing to eat for the last 3-4 hours before bed makes a big difference. That goes against most American culture where we tend to eat big evening meal (dinner or supper depending on where you live) and eat late. Those early bird dinners that senior citizens seem to like really are a good idea for more than just the reduced price.
Also, @RowdysLady is absolutely right. I really irritate my wife and some of the women at work because of how much quicker I can lose weight - especially the first 15-20 lbs - than any of them can.1 -
Crohn's is an inflammatory condition so she might not see losses as dramatically as a healthy person. I have RA and I lost my weight very slowly and basically anytime the condition flares up I can expect to see the scale go up. It's not "true" weight so I don't worry about it.
A lot of others on here with chronic conditions have noticed slower losses. Sometimes the body prioritizes healing itself over weight loss. The loss part will eventually catch up! I stuck with keto even when I was not seeing much change on the scale because it really does help my RA symptoms. Less pain is more important than an arbitrary scale reading!
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When I ran/run into periods of frustration, I really had/have to get honest with myself about what I was/am eating. A few peanuts, a piece of cheese, licking the spoon I put in the peanut butter jar, sampling what I am cooking. That stuff adds up calorie wise especially when eating high fat. Oops!
I actually found/find myself placing something on the food scale, seeing it is too much, taking it off and popping in my mouth rather than putting it back in the container for another time. Oops!
<sigh>
That said, I really don't recommend challenging your wife's integrity. Perhaps she will view this comment and it will be helpful.
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She could try do a search in r/keto about "crohn's". It's regularly mentioned there in some way. Or she could post there and ask for tips/protocols that helped other people? Be mindful that Chron's is a complex disease and finding others with very similar symptoms as hers might be more useful. r/keto is a much bigger community than our lil cosy corner here Good luck! 0
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I have a few autoimmune issues too. When they flare up it becomes harder to lose weight. I swear calories stick to me like a glue. Conversely, if am well, I lose easier, but still not linearly. One week I may lose 3 lbs, the next 1 lbs and the one after that I may be up a pound or two. As long as the overall trend is down, she is doing it right.
What do you consider a bit of weight? If she has lost 2-3 pounds in a month, I'd say that is fine. Sure 6 or more pounds would be more satifying but that doesn't always happen.
Rechecking food logging accuracy may help, as other's suggested. Sometimes that 4 oz steak is actually closer to 6oz or you forget to log that teaspoon of butter on the eggs. Little things can add up. If it is all spot on, all you can do is keep going... and maybe take picture and measurements like @Sunny_Bunny suggested.
Best wishes.2 -
Would she consider joining MFP and this forum or to read the NSV thread? The thread has some amazing stories and great victories off the scale whilst following LCHF that are truly inspiring and motivational.4
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RowdysLady wrote: »collegefbfan wrote: »Ok it was my wife's idea to do this diet. We both love it. However she has been very strict as I have, but the weight is just not coming off her. She has been doing it for about 5 weeks, maybe 4 weeks. She lost a little, but she is getting very discouraged. She does have Crohn's. Is that a factor. She is about to lose all motivation. Her macros are on point and she has had no carbs outside of veggies and healthy stuff. No bread, pastas, etc.
She welcomes any suggestions.
Women generally don't lose as fast as men. She should not use your loss as a barometer for what she thinks she should be losing.Crohn's is an inflammatory condition so she might not see losses as dramatically as a healthy person. I have RA and I lost my weight very slowly and basically anytime the condition flares up I can expect to see the scale go up. It's not "true" weight so I don't worry about it.
A lot of others on here with chronic conditions have noticed slower losses. Sometimes the body prioritizes healing itself over weight loss. The loss part will eventually catch up! I stuck with keto even when I was not seeing much change on the scale because it really does help my RA symptoms. Less pain is more important than an arbitrary scale reading!
These two things. Print them out and post them just about everywhere.
I've dealt with chronic inflammation issues, too. Nothing diagnosed, but I found by chance that my headaches were inflammation based, and I found out my triggers. It's actually so predictable that I can predict what the scale will say, based on how I feel and what I ate the day before.1 -
She needs to realize that her body is going to heal itself first! Weight loss will come after the healing is done!.
Another thing to consider is artificial sweeteners. For me they created more inflammation that prevented weight loss (Splenda was the culprit, and it's in a lot of sugar free products!), and even a gain that took a while to overcome! It was a four month period of no new weight loss, but I lost 4 inches off my waist during that time!
Please tell her to not compare her weight loss with anyone else's! We all lose differently! And to hang in there!! It's soooo worth it!0 -
My first thot is men lose faster than women in my house! It's really unfair.
My second is, is she eating more than 20 net carbs a day? If she's not losing on induction (20 carbs), then that's a mystery.
My third is are there hidden carbs she's missing? Do you use ketostix to see if you're in ketosis (fat burning mode)?0 -
The healing part is really important. And so much of our damage we can't see! I'm a perfect example. I was dropping at a steady rate over the last month and then this past week I got sick, both my weight and my fasting blood glucose popped up -- my weight by 4lbs and my FBG by 20+ pts. I feel a little better today, not totally well but better, and both those things are moving down again but very slowly. I would actually suggest mediation to her to help control her stress levels.0
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She eats below 20 grams of carbs a day... she is down 3 more pounds1
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collegefbfan wrote: »Ok it was my wife's idea to do this diet. We both love it. However she has been very strict as I have, but the weight is just not coming off her. She has been doing it for about 5 weeks, maybe 4 weeks. She lost a little, but she is getting very discouraged. She does have Crohn's. Is that a factor. She is about to lose all motivation. Her macros are on point and she has had no carbs outside of veggies and healthy stuff. No bread, pastas, etc.
She welcomes any suggestions.collegefbfan wrote: »She eats below 20 grams of carbs a day... she is down 3 more pounds
So, in 5 weeks, she is down more than 3 pounds? This is perfectly acceptable. It's not a bad rate to lose weight at.
The Crohn's is going to play a role here. I know some people who have Crohn's and the high-fiber/low-carb veggies cause them problems. For them, they needed to cut nearly all the veggies out. Sure, sure, this could just be that crazy carnivore guy saying that veggies are evil (again). But, it's something to consider. If she finds the veggies are causing flare ups or other issues, reducing or eliminating them might help a lot. A lot of keto people push high-fiber foods, which can wreak havoc on those with digestive issues.4 -
https://www.reddit.com/r/zerocarb/comments/531fr2/i_have_crohns_disease_i_cant_eat_dairy_fruits_or/
In case you want to hear some people who eat zerocarb (that is meat only... no plant foods) to help with Crohn's, this is a recent thread on reddit. You'll see a couple people who talk about how it helps them. Your wife may be interested in checking it out.
Here is a case study that found the same thing: http://www.ijcasereportsandimages.com/archive/early_view_articles/early-view-pdfs/773_Z01_2016040099_CR_EV.pdf
My favorite quote from that study: "(Line 298) The significant improvement seen in the last laboratory exam also indicates that the paleolithic ketogenic diet is most effective when containing no plant components at all."
Now, just a word of warning. I love all people who are interested in carnivorism, even if it's just a sick fascination that is awaiting our painful deaths and oncoming bouts of scurvy, but not everyone on reddit is as nice as I am. 99% of the people on r/zerocarb are awesome. Maybe 5-10% offer what I consider bad advice (like "you have to eat organs" or "track your macros and make sure you don't get too much protein"). Still, it's a great place. And, even though I could shut-down and remove all the nasty comments or bad advice (I'm one of the mods), I believe more in free speech and allowing the different opinions. In short, I can't promise that everything there will be helpful or nice. I can say that several people on there have reported it helping with digestive disorders that are usually considered incurable.1 -
I'm going to second that fiber is inflammatory for some people. I don't have crohns, but I've had stomach issues since I was a small child including having my gall bladder out at 16 years old with over 100 stones. And it took at least 2 years to get diagnosed...
I've had IBS since I was about 12 too.
Low carb immediately improved my symptoms but going carnivore makes things even better. I was always dealing with some degree of constipation until I stopped eating veggies.
Then, all better!2
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