Question - 3 weeks into LCHF I'm confused

bglisson

Hi, I've been doing LCHF for 21 days; using macros of 60/20/20, and a calorie max of 1250 per day. I seem to go over my protein by 3-8 grams every day, but am still under all my others. I try to get all 1250, but sometimes it's a struggle, because I'm truly not hungry and I love that. I have no problem getting 6-7 cups of water every day, and am working on getting that extra one in. So far, I lost about 8 pounds and it's been pretty easy, but all of a sudden I'm up 3 pounds and don't get where that came from? I'm slightly constipated, but what else could cause that sudden a weight gain? I've been vigilant about tracking and weighing; I don't want to get frustrated, and I get that my weight loss will slow after the initial burst, but this is demoralizing. Any ideas?

mjwhit1969

When,you say 60/20/20 are you talking percentages? So 20% of your diet is carbs instead of a total induction of 20 carbs?
Also i believe you need more water...half your weight in ounces.

homesweeths

That happened to me five years ago--for me, it turned out that MFP's recommended 1200 calories was not enough. Someone on the primal/paleo board suggested eating more calories. I did some web research and settled on a range of 1500-1800. I didn't always get that high as, just like you mentioned, this way of eating is incredibly satiating. If I just ate in response to hunger I'd be happy with 800 calories a day...

Anyhow, soon after I upped my calories above 1500 I started, losing again. Lower than that, it seems my body goes into starvation/retention mode?

The other thing that worked when I was trying to lose weight as well as eat healthy, was carb cycling. If I low-carbed for a long stretch, it was like my body got used to low-carbing. One day a week I eat something like 150g carbs--still paleo (no grains, legumes, sugar), so it would be something like adding in a serving of sweet potato and a piece of fruit. One day of higher carbs for me doesn't trigger carb cravings. Two days of eating more than 80g of carbs each day will trigger cravings for me. Go figure.

You can learn to observe and listen to your body and figure out just what works for you.

I'm pretty sedentary, too. Try to get some exercise in but am limited in what I can do.

bglisson

Thank you both for your responses. Yes, 20% is carbs, which is 63g, but I never eat that. Today, for example, I had 30g net. Most of my research had said that I needed to stay with 63g of protein, which worked out to 60% of my calories, so I think I was nervous about going too high with the fat grams. I'm so used to diets being so rigid, it's very different for me to listen to my body, but I think that is probably what I need to do. I hadn't though about carb cycling, I'm still too new, but I'll check that out. I definitely don't want to trigger any cravings. I'm working on the water too. I really only drink black coffee in the morning and water the rest of the day, but it's definitely harder for me when it's colder outside. I feel like I might float away adding another quart of water, but I think I might try it. Great suggestions, both of you - It definitely made me feel better about the increase.

lexibexi123

Hey there! If you're following LCHF then your fats should be 60% of your caloric intake with protein around 25-30% and and carbs accounting for 10-15% of your daily intake (the less the better). Also, don't forget that for calculating net carbs you subtract half of your grams of sugar and all your grams of fibre from your total carbs (example. I would also recommend that you try and get between 1400-1500 calories per day as the reason you may be gaining weight is because you are not eating enough. I know it's hard but it's very important for successful fat loss! I'm also following LCHF and you'll be much more successful in achieving ketosis (which is how LCHF helps you lose fat) if you follow this breakdown

homesweeths

Don't be afraid of fat! Just so long as it is the "healthy" fats--from pastured animals, avocados, coconut oil, palm oil, fatty fish like wild caught salmon, that sort of thing. If you can't afford grass fed meat, then cut the extra fat off conventional meat and increase the amount of other fats--for example, you can make "fat bombs" out of coconut oil (I just mix two parts coconut oil with one part carob--there are some carbs in carob but I'm not ultra low carb anymore) to add to your fat intake. It tastes to me like a chocolate truffle.

Bulletproof coffee is also helpful, good jumpstart to the day. Mix a tablespoon or two of coconut oil with hot coffee and spices if you like flavored coffee (cinnamon works, alternatively vanilla or almond extract) and blend. You have to drink it while it's hot, though, if you're like me and find the coconut oil pooling on the top unpleasant if it cools too much before you drink it. Some people use half butter and half coconut oil in their BP coffee.

I've done my best at losing weight when my macros were 60-75% fat, 20% protein (that's about 80g for me) and the rest in carbs, anywhere from 5-20% depending on if I had fruit (usually berries or grapefruit) or a starchy vegetable (parsnip, carrot, beet, sweet potato) that day. I don't eat starchy stuff every day, though.

Who would have thought it? After decades of struggling to lose weight with "healthy" low fat eating, I found success with LCHF.

homesweeths

p.s. I don't do the math for carbs, I just go with what MFP says they are in my food log. If my carb count is in reality lower than what my food log says because of fiber, it doesn't bother me.

bglisson

These is all very helpful info. I've adjusted the macros to what you've both suggested, and I've already lost weight since my initial message. I've been dieting all my life- was first taken to WW when I was 12. I've lost weight many times, but have never kept it off for more than 2 years. This is the first time I've tried LCHF, and I love how I'm not missing sugar so far. I miss fruit a little bit, and am trying to stick to the berries, or just eat less of it and that seems to be working for me. I'm working on increasing my water and as it is currently 92 degrees, I am definitely drinking more today for sure. Do you have any suggestions on increasing fiber? The foods I eat don't seem to have much.

homesweeths

Veggies and fruit (especially seeds and peels) are great sources of fiber. Salads, stir-fried veggies, roasted veggies are all ways I get veggies in. Oh, steamed with lots of butter if you can do dairy (I have come to love artichokes!).

I don't do much fruit, so most of my fiber comes from vegetables.