Are carbs the problem?

HI

Having made a large weight loss and lifestyle change a little while ago, I am now experiencing similar problems - low-level fluctuation and inability to get down any lower!

I've tried a variety of different schemes, from 5:2, low carb and six small meals, all of which show an initial drop then I go back up again!

I have to say, I've learned something new from each, and one thing I have noticed is how much better I feel without carbs - so I've pretty much cut them out of my diet (bread, pasta, rice etc) and fill up on veg. When I do give in and have carbs now, I feel a bit rubbish for a few days.

I think one of my issues is sticking to the diet for longer than five weeks and my desire to see quick results. I have said to myself I will continue with the healthy stuff I'm eating now (high protein, exercise etc) and sustain it for three months at least, rather than changing my food about too much. I will give myself something else to focus on - eg increasing my cycling distances weekly or heavier weights - and try not to scale watch!

I read something about people reaching a 'natural weight' - which I guess I am at 11st/5'8'' but I aspire to be very slim, and that's half my battle. People also say the last five-ten pounds to lose is the hardest.

Good luck!

KM

Hey,

I am in a somewhat similar situation.

I have been trying since the beginning of the year, so a good 3 months now. I have some bad days, but we are all human.

I am 5'7, 21 years and was 147lb at the beginning of the year. I am now about 140lb and apparnetly 32% body fat? I got a proper scan and was HORRIFIED because there is no F*CKING WAY I look like that according to pictures in charts. My BMR is 1400, so I will be increasing cals soon, even though I find it hard for some reason emotionally. Unlike you, I don't weigh every day... I weigh every few weeks. Only ever in the morning, after a good visit to the bathroom and before breakfast. Anyway...

I started at 1200, eating back *if* I exercised. I am quite sedentary as a student but ride my bicycle for 20~40mins a day to/from class. I have increased to 1400 for the past 3 weeks, and can say that the only time I really lost was when I was on a 2 week snowboarding trip (I didn't follow strictly then, but goal was meant to be 1200), burning some ridiculous calories daily, drinking protein twice a day and eating a fair bit but within reason. No limiting carbs there, I had rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. You can look at my diary March1~14

Something useful to you: I have Hashimoto's syndrome. This means my thyroid is hypo i.e. under-active. I am not currently on meds, but had been for some years since I was about 14. Apparently (acording to blood tests) all is good now, but I don't believe it.

GET YOUR THYROID CHECKED! This is why I think I battle like a crazy cat lazy to lose weight, hence why I don't beat myself up over it.

Furthermore, I am on the contraceptive pill HOWEVER I feel bloated and **** all the time when on it and cannot wait to get off it again (I recently took a couple of months off and it was great). I feel this makes me hungry like a crazy lady and very bloated. I can see it, I can feel it, I know it.
GET OFF THE PILL (IF YOU'RE ON IT)

Next, I started being (as much as possible) gluten free. Helped a lot with bloating, energy, stomach aches, headaches.. so yeah, everything? Acne I have had since I was 13 and had strong meds for (which didn't work) has reduced significantly. I would have gluten once a week though and also in some smaller things (I love a bit of chocolate or pudding, and I do have hand made pasta when I'm treated somewhere fancy).
CUT OUT ALL GLUTEN

However, I have a different approach to you. In the end, my goal is to feel good about myself, see some SLOW weight loss (which has happened gradually) and be happy with gaining some nice muscle. Current goal: bigger arm muscles than boyfriend, which is totally achievable, he's a skinny thread and makes me look like an elephant so I will be repping that

In the end I know there are some bad days for me. Yes I like to share a nice bottle of wine with my boy or have some nice pudding on the weekends. But my main diet is ridiculously heathy, I'd like to think. I don't any longer buy ANY processed foods. ZERO. I don't remember the last time I walked through the aisles except for tooth paste!

Today I had chicken with fresh tomatoes and onion for lunch, banana snack, brown rice and egg at breakfast, salmon sashimi for dinner, some yummy grapefruit and strawberries and 100cals of chocolate for dessert. So the chocolate was processed, shoot me, but that's it.

Any way, this was a long ramble, but just to let you know that you should calm down and not make this the centre of your existence. You should see being healthy and full of energy as the purpose (which I have found now I'm exercising more and it's great!) not just losing inches. This is a LIFESTYLE, NOT A DIET!

I personally need to not have those bad days, but it's so hard living in the best city (Tokyo) where there is f*ucking amazing food everywhere, amazing value, amazing chefs and amazing boyfriend feeding me this. Once I get off my birth control and don't have these bad days I know I can get to my goal but until then, while I'm here, I am happy with where I'm at

I know for myself, I lose not just more weight but fat doing low carbs. I especially pay attention the amount of sugar as well. The problem with bread and all that stuff is, it's not made the way it use to be made. The way it is processed makes most people allergic (not break out in hives kind) but just the way out bodies are naturally meant to process food, it interferes with it. And any allergic response can hinder weight loss, it throws the body out of whack. If you want to learn more I'd suggest a book called "Wheat Belly". I try to stick to rice for some carbs. Gluten free "made" foods usually have a lot of sugar or corn added. Corn is usually GMO which is another very bad, unnatural thing.

I done a low carb diet last year, no carbs at all for 7days, I lost 7lb that week. The next week I had 50gr of carbs everyday, and I still lost 3lb.
I then went to 100gr of carbs and started exercising everyday only 20mins and a short swim 10 mins and I continued to lose 2lb each week.

It was HARD and I feel ill the 1st week with headaches and moody, but by the 3rd week I was cruising.
I made sure that I was eating 200gr of protein everyday too, it really is the key.

I was really strict as I was impatient and wanted to lose really quickly, which I did, but I put the majority of it back on after 6 months of no exercise and not watching my food.

I've started my diet again but I'm eating 50gr of carbs everyday and exercising every other day, I've lost the exact same as I did before 7lb in the first week.

You NEED carbs, but monitoring what your intake is against protein is KEY.

What type of training are you doing? How long does each session last?

So. What type of trining are you doing? and how long does each session last?

Don't want to be rude, but do you know what the symptoms are?

Very difficult weight loss, some levels of fatigue - that could be hypothyroid. I had no symptoms at all when I was diagnosed, my ear-nose-throat doctor managed to notice my thyroid was enlarged and referred me.

It's worth just getting a thorough blood test of everything.

If you are going to reject all my suggestions (processed foods, gluten etc) then there isn't that much point being too upset over things then... it's annoying it doesn't work as easily for us than it does for others, but that is life. It isn't fair :drinker: *f*** you life*

If you are willing to restrict carbs, I highly suggest trying gluten-free. I am sure I will be attacked for saying this, but I felt so much better without it. There are simple replacements - brown rice, beans - which taste great. For starters, cereals are full of sugar and minimal protein, you're much better off with some brown rice and egg for breakfast or something!

Jess

edit: yay, we are almost bf% twins! I am 32.5% to be exact.. I almost had a heart attack when I read that hahaha

I suggest reading this -

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/910257-the-new-and-improved-asking-questions-about-your-intake

then making a post here -

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/10067-eat-train-progress-

I've seen Sarauk2sf and SideSteel help many people. Nothing's guaranteed, of course, but you've nothing to lose but weight, right?

Ah that is such a pity you don't have free health care there Aussies are lucky in regards to that!

I know where you're coming from - I have always eaten lots of vegetables growing up and just can't function without them anyway and always had good home cooked food.

I think I personally am going to start eating a bit more, really staying AWAY from the chocolate (allow one dessert on a weekend ONLY) and stick to 45mins of cardio 6 days a week. I was sick last week which was a set-back, but this is a new week Maybe you should try increase your intake (as suggested by other posters) rather than something too dramatic in your diet.

Jess

I am sorry that you aren't hearing what you want to hear. but if what you are saying is true, you are not eating enough. you said your tdee is 2100 and bmr is 1400, yet you net 1000 and don't think that is a problem. It is a problem. If you have been eating that little for all this time its no wonder you aren't losing weight. There were things I didn't want to believe were true, but science trumps bro-science every time. To lose weight it takes a calorie deficit, but it ALSO takes proper nourishment. Ill leave this for others now, Good Luck!

You might be intereste din this:

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/can-too-much-cardio-exercise-decrease-my-metabolism

From the article:

There was one interesting research paper that confirmed this. Scientists from the University of Vermont published their findings in the Journal Sports Medicine:

“A plethora of studies have examined the combined effects of diet and exercise on body composition and resting metabolic rate. The hypothesis is that combining diet and exercise will accelerate fat loss, preserve fat-free weight and prevent or decelerate the decline in resting metabolic rate more effectively than with diet restriction alone. The optimal combination of diet and exercise, however, remains elusive….

It appears that the combination of a large quantity of aerobic exercise with a very low calorie diet resulting in substantial loss of body weight may actually accelerate the decline in resting metabolic rate. These findings may cause us to re-examine the quantity of exercise and diet needed to achieve optimal fat loss and preservation of resting metabolic rate.”

These findings seem counter-intuitive, but experience seems to confirm it. Occasionally we see case studies of people doing huge amount of cardio or endurance training, yet they’re not losing weight at the rate you would expect based on the calorie math, even if they’re tracking everything carefully.