Low carb & low calorie?

Hi All,

I've been doing the 5:2 for about 2 months now and have only lost about 5lbs. So after some research i've seen that others have started doing low carb and low calorie and also for 4 days a week?

Just wondered if anyone was doing it and could give some tips/ does this bloody diet actually work?

I have about a stone and a half to lose and I want it gone fast!

Thanks in advance

Ali

You have 17 lbs to go and have lost 5 lbs in 2 months. Eat the carbs, stick with a reasonable deficit that keeps you around a .5 a week weight loss. Weight loss isn't a fast process if you don't want to be back doing it again in 6 months.

The notion that once you start eating at a higher calorie level you will gain the weight back is completely false. As long as when you raise your calories it does not exceed your BMR, you will not gain FAT. If you gain, it will most likely be water.

I have almost a year of experience keeping both low-calorie and low-carb. I had weight loss surgery (gastric sleeve) last November, and I have gone from super morbidly obese to just 19 pounds overweight in 9 months. First, before you dismiss me as being 'different', let me say that my surgery was not like the bypass; the only way it works is through restriction of food intake (i.e. I have a limited amount of calories I am physically able to consume in a day). There is no other magic to it; the surgery itself does NOT cause weight loss, it is a tool.

That said, I have lost 142 pounds in 8 months. I keep around 650 calories per day with approximately 30g of fat, 40 net carbs (from all natural sources; no grains or added sugars), and about 70g of protein per day. This last month, I purposely took a break from weight loss and raised my calories to just below my BMR and I didn't gain an ounce; in fact I still lost a few pounds.

I suggest if you're looking to drop calories and carbs at the same time, start off with 1200 calories per day and no more than 30 net carbs. Every week, drop 100 calories until you get down to about 800. Stay at around 800 until you have lost 75% of your excess weight, then every week increase your calories by 50 until you stop losing. When you have hit the weight you want to be at, gradually increase calories again by 50 per week until you are eating your approximate BMR.

The last thing I can't stress enough is DO NOT WEIGH YOURSELF DAILY!!! Weigh only twice per month or you will get discouraged. For example, if I was going to take my weight from yesterday to today, it looks like I'm only losing 0.2 pounds per day, which would be a little more than a pound per week, which looks pretty discouraging. However, if you look at my trend since the week before last, I've lost a cumulative total of 6, which is much more significant. Weighing yourself regularly does not keep you 'in check' or 'accountable,' it is simply a way to end up punishing yourself for your perceived failures and you are much more likely to give up than if you see a big drop twice per month. Remember that weight loss is like a staircase: you will have plateaus and sudden drops, but if you are weighing yourself daily you won't be able to see those big drops as well.

Hope this helps!

The notion that once you start eating at a higher calorie level you will gain the weight back is completely false. As long as when you raise your calories it does not exceed your BMR, you will not gain FAT. If you gain, it will most likely be water.

I have almost a year of experience keeping both low-calorie and low-carb. I had weight loss surgery (gastric sleeve) last November, and I have gone from super morbidly obese to just 19 pounds overweight in 9 months. First, before you dismiss me as being 'different', let me say that my surgery was not like the bypass; the only way it works is through restriction of food intake (i.e. I have a limited amount of calories I am physically able to consume in a day). There is no other magic to it; the surgery itself does NOT cause weight loss, it is a tool.

That said, I have lost 142 pounds in 8 months. I keep around 650 calories per day with approximately 30g of fat, 40 net carbs (from all natural sources; no grains or added sugars), and about 70g of protein per day. This last month, I purposely took a break from weight loss and raised my calories to just below my BMR and I didn't gain an ounce; in fact I still lost a few pounds.

I suggest if you're looking to drop calories and carbs at the same time, start off with 1200 calories per day and no more than 30 net carbs. Every week, drop 100 calories until you get down to about 800. Stay at around 800 until you have lost 75% of your excess weight, then every week increase your calories by 50 until you stop losing. When you have hit the weight you want to be at, gradually increase calories again by 50 per week until you are eating your approximate BMR.

The last thing I can't stress enough is DO NOT WEIGH YOURSELF DAILY!!! Weigh only twice per month or you will get discouraged. For example, if I was going to take my weight from yesterday to today, it looks like I'm only losing 0.2 pounds per day, which would be a little more than a pound per week, which looks pretty discouraging. However, if you look at my trend since the week before last, I've lost a cumulative total of 6, which is much more significant. Weighing yourself regularly does not keep you 'in check' or 'accountable,' it is simply a way to end up punishing yourself for your perceived failures and you are much more likely to give up than if you see a big drop twice per month. Remember that weight loss is like a staircase: you will have plateaus and sudden drops, but if you are weighing yourself daily you won't be able to see those big drops as well.

Hope this helps!

Telling someone that started with 22 lbs to lose to drop their calories to 800 is absolutely horrible advice. You had surgery you were under a doctor's supervision, and you had a hell of a lot more weight to lose.

I tried the 5:2 diet. It worked well to start with and i lost about 10lbs in four weeks, however for it to work i really had to be strict on the 500 kcals the 2 days plus i found i had to still stick to my usual limit on the other days for it to be effective. I wouldn't reccomend it long term, but i did find it usual to kick start my weight loss motivation by a few weeks good results and does help you to learn when you are hungry.
I have also tried the low carb diet which again had fast results but not really long term one.
In both cases they were diets i couldnt maintain for long and i ended up feeling rubbish, falling off the wagon, gaining weight again and losing motivaiton. I think they result you in gaining the weight because of how hard it is mentally to do as much as any of the physical effects.
At the moment i am doing the sensible thing. Eating a healthy varied diet, logging everything I eat and sticking to my kcal limit. I feel great!! And while you dont get the fast quick results i do feel better for baring with it and waiting for results.
Interestingly a couple of days week now, rather than fasting intentionally i find i am able to eat a lot less just because i have learnt to realise when i am hungry and when i'm not. so now a couple of days a week i eat less naturally. I am also finding that if you try and make healthy choices you naturally eat less carbs anyway, or healthier cabrs such as wholemeal etc.