Low carb, no loss yet ... what am I doing wrong?
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I agree though that more water is important.
I found that I stall if my water intake is less than 10 cups per day. The 8 cup per day recommendation just doesn't work for me on LCHF style diets.
Per everyone's water advice I got it up to 13 cups yesterday! And of course working on it today.0 -
Hi Jen,
one note about sweeteners .... There's some pretty good evidence that artificial sweeteners are very problematic. Here's why:
- The sweet taste tells your body to expect carbs/sugar, so your body produces insulin to handle it
- You get no actual carbs, so your body never generates leptin, which is the chemical that signals satiety in your brain
- The insulin in your blood stream tells your body to store dietary fat
It's very possible that artificial sweeteners are contributing to your weight loss stall.
I was a sugar in coffee guy myself. What I did was wean myself off the sugar in my coffee over a few weeks. I just kept gradually reducing the sugar I put in my coffee until I got to about 1/2 teaspoon and then I cut it out altogether. Took me about 4 weeks. Once I was at black coffee, I discovered I still wanted something in my coffee. So, I put a tablespoon of heavy cream in my coffee - 60 calories, all fat! And I found that I enjoyed it, likely because my body was in ketosis, so all fat tastes much better to me.
I would really highly recommend getting rid of the artificial sweeteners AND the sugar. Also, avoid milk and yogurt, lots of sugar in there too. Enjoy cream and butter, though .... all fat, no sugar! Preferably your cream and butter will be from grass fed, pastured cows, much healthier.
Exactly this! I am the same with my coffee too. I've been drinking hi balls instead of coffee mostly since I went on this diet. (seltzer wiht some vitamins and caffeine) but I had a coffee hte other day and was like whelp... nooo sugar, what then and had them add cream instead and it was hella good. I don't know if I'd have always thought this or my taste buds have been changing this week.. but yeah.0 -
Two suggestions after looking at your diary: first, you have high sodium levels and are not drinking a lot of water. Sodium doesn't matter so much if it's not a medical issue, but sodium and inadequate water means you retain.
You want to be really cautious about reducing sodium on low carb. "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living" (Phinney and Volek) has some good info on sodium levels. In general though, on LC we need to supplement and not cut sodium. On low carb (even in range of 50-60 grams per day) your body will dump sodium. That's a key reason for many experiencing headaches and fatigue. After depleting sodium, the body will turn to potassium stores. This can then result in muscle cramps and heart arrhythmia. The general recommendation is 3-5 grams per day (which is where OP is at on most days that I saw).
I agree though that more water is important.
Thanks for clarifying. I said not to worry about the sodium, but it does need to be balanced with adequate hydration
. I took sodium off the tracker and replaced it with fiber, which is something I am more concerned about. I don't worry about sodium, just make sure I am getting plenty to potassium in my diet, and I use sea salt in cooking pretty much everything
Sea salt doesn't have iodine or potassium I think.
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/PreventionTreatmentofHighBloodPressure/Sea-Salt-Vs-Table-Salt_UCM_430992_Article.jsp
I've been using the mortons low salt salt which is mostly potassium iodide giving you a healthy dose of both iodine and potassium.0 -
I really love good cheese. Fortunately, I really detest milk. I know that's sort of a bizarre combo, but I'm sometimes a bizarre sorta guy.I'm with you on the dairy front. I love milk and cheese.
Anyhow, I think eliminating milk and yogurt from diet is really important to losing weight on any sort of low carb diet. That said, cheese is generally okay in moderation. I'd suggest that 1-2 ounces of good cheese a day could really help with the desire for dairy products and be okay from the perspective of not stalling weight loss.
I am with you on the, don't like milk but like cheese. (I actually do like other dairy products though) I don't think it contributes to stalls unless you've got a food sensitivity though. I think most of the warning labels with foods that are low carb have to do with people that are allergic or sensitive to the item in some way.
Right now I am trying to figure out what my sensitivities are. It's becoming clear I have some. Dairy doesn't appear to be a trigger. I was going along fine Gerd symptoms completely gone but then I Had turkey jerky and had major heartburn (what's in it that would trigger that?) I think the wheat tortillas might be a trigger for me. But they have a ton of stuff in them. The dr kracker crackers don't seem to have ill effect so it's probably not the wheat..
Even then the gerd is way less of a problem than it was. weight loss stall... I don't know. I just started a week ago. Not doing scales so I am waiting to see what life looks like a month from now. I expect things should start getting a lot looser. If not I'll start eliminating food groups more thoroughly.0 -
My take on milk and yogurt contributing to stalls is because of the sugars in them. I also note that Gary Taubes says to completely avoid milk and yogurt, but that moderate amounts of cheese is fine and that you should eat lots of butter.I am with you on the, don't like milk but like cheese. (I actually do like other dairy products though) I don't think it contributes to stalls unless you've got a food sensitivity though. I think most of the warning labels with foods that are low carb have to do with people that are allergic or sensitive to the item in some way.0 -
Right now I am trying to figure out what my sensitivities are. It's becoming clear I have some. Dairy doesn't appear to be a trigger. I was going along fine Gerd symptoms completely gone but then I Had turkey jerky and had major heartburn (what's in it that would trigger that?) I think the wheat tortillas might be a trigger for me. But they have a ton of stuff in them. The dr kracker crackers don't seem to have ill effect so it's probably not the wheat..
Check the spices, if you can. There are several spices that are known to cause stomach-related issues. I've seen ranch dressing also be a culprit, because of one or more of the spices in it.0 -
<---- you see my join date?? That's how long I have NEVER seen the scale drop significantly. And.....
O.M.G. hopped on the scale this morning and had a 3 pound loss since my original post. WHAAAAT??!! :noway:
I haven't seen this number in a long time. All I did was follow your advice. I can't believe this. I hope its not a fluke.
Happy.
:bigsmile: :happy: :bigsmile: :happy:0 -
Good job !0
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I added 1/2 C of plain Greek yogurt into my plan, even though I technically don't do dairy. It has the magnesium, and is protein dense. Now I just have to find a store that carries the full fat variety 0
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I added 1/2 C of plain Greek yogurt into my plan, even though I technically don't do dairy. It has the magnesium, and is protein dense. Now I just have to find a store that carries the full fat variety
http://www.amazon.com/Cuisipro-Donvier-Yogurt-Cheese-Maker/dp/B000064841/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374964613&sr=8-1&keywords=Cuisipro+Donvier+Yogurt+Cheese+Maker
if you get a full fat yogurt and put it one of these you get a very nice greek yogurt. they work great.0 -
Try 5/80/15 for a few days. You won't believe it!!0
