what to do if one is not losing weight on a low carb diet?

More information is needed. An open diary would be good. If you're not losing weight you are not creating a calorie deficit regardless of whether you eat low carb or not

How many calories are you eating?

What is your height, current weight and goal weight?

What is your macro breakdown?

Why are you doing low carb?

How long have you being dieting / doing low carb?



These will help people give you advice.

i tried low carb once..and never lost an ounce. i was on a low carb forum..and many of those there said you have to count caloire and do low carb.


I now eat a variety of foods and count calories.

I'll share my motto with you. "How you lose the weight is how you will have to maintain the weight."

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, don't do what I did!

I wasted ten years trying to lose weight on low carb. Was a member of Atkins and other forums. I constantly blamed myself (and they all blamed me) and I tried again, and again and again. Yo-yoed up and down for years. The overall loss was about 20lb and that was probably all lost in tears of frustration and guilt and self loathing.

I am now on a calorie controlled diet where I can (like Elisa) eat a wide variety of foods, nothing is banned, nothing is evil, and there is no way to screw it up because if you have too many calories one day well, that is only ONE day and you can cut back a bit for the next few days to make up for it.

I have lost as much weight in 5 WEEKS as I lost over 10 years of low carb. It's been incredibly easy and I know I can stick this for the rest of my life.

I bitterly regret wasting all those years. Had I started calorie counting ten years ago instead of 5 weeks ago I would now be a normal weight instead of 340 pounds (23 stone plus)! And at 56 years old, I'm going to be 60 by the time I have good mobility. That could have been attained at age 50 if only I had gone the low calorie way instead.

Kommodevaran said: "Every time you "mess up" on low carb, you have to start over." This is exactly what happened to me. I would exercise superhuman self control for, say, 3 or 4 days, then "crack" and eat chocolate or ice cream or something, which knocked me out of ketosis and I had to start all over again. It seems incredible but it's true that if you cheat just ONCE in every four days, on just one bar of chocolate, the good work that you do on the other days is down the pan.

So you can be perfect for 300 out of 365 days and not lose weight!

On low calorie if you stick to your calorie allowance for 300 out of 365 days, having a bar of chocolate on those 65 days you WILL lose weight.

Eliminate artificial sweeteners and focus on lean meats and veggies and unprocessed foods at meals. You know those foods that say they are low carb and low calorie but still have 20 ingredients you cant identify? Yea those are the ones that hold you back. When I felt myself plateau on low carb diets it was a result of eating too many processed foods with artificial sweeteners a going off the deep end with foods that were unhealthy.

Drink lots of water, eat clean and you'll bust through that plateau.
Also track your body measurements. Low carb diets build muscle to replace the fat and sometimes the loss shows on the measurements before you see a drop on the scales.

brb, hafta get my tools

*fetches magnifying glass*

upon close examination, i have inspected the above post and found that not a word of it contains any factual information. please disregard any and all advice given in that post

i have inspected the above post and found that not a word of it contains any factual information. please disregard any and all advice given in that post

I disagree. I have read scientific evidence that artificial sweeteners can stimulate insulin production. The body "reads" them as sugars, even though they are not, and are calorie free.

It is a scientific fact that elevated insulin causes the body to store as fat the foods we are taking in. Any doctor, dietician medical book or even Wikipedia will confirm this.

Therefore, if you drink, say, a Diet Coke with your meal, and the sweeteners are read by the body as sugar, and the pancreas releases a gush of insulin to deal with the (perceived) sugar, then whatever you are eating is going to be stored as fat on your body.

On low carb diets this is especially bad, because you are eating fatty, high-calorie foods and so THAT is what you will store if your body produces insulin. The consequences are not as bad on low calorie diets because your meal is probably only 300 calories instead of 1,000 as it might be on Atkins.

Low carb diets build muscle to replace the fat and sometimes the loss shows on the measurements before you see a drop on the scales.

Can you site your source on this?? I have never heard of low carb, or any other "diet" for that matter "build muscle". Building muscle is something down with body weight training ,resistance training, llifting weights and the like. Your body does not just build muscle based on the fuel you provide it.
WIth that said, OP I too tried a low carb diet and then I found MFP and the people I have met on here changed everything for me. You dont have to restrict your carbs, you HAVE to count your calories and eat at a deficiet in order to lose. I generally remain mindful of my carb intake for the day, but ONLY because the foods high in carbs are usually calorie dense as well. Good Luck on your journey!!!

i have inspected the above post and found that not a word of it contains any factual information. please disregard any and all advice given in that post

I disagree. I have read scientific evidence that artificial sweeteners can stimulate insulin production. The body "reads" them as sugars, even though they are not, and are calorie free.

It is a scientific fact that elevated insulin causes the body to store as fat the foods we are taking in. Any doctor, dietician medical book or even Wikipedia will confirm this.

Therefore, if you drink, say, a Diet Coke with your meal, and the sweeteners are read by the body as sugar, and the pancreas releases a gush of insulin to deal with the (perceived) sugar, then whatever you are eating is going to be stored as fat on your body.

On low carb diets this is especially bad, because you are eating fatty, high-calorie foods and so THAT is what you will store if your body produces insulin. The consequences are not as bad on low calorie diets because your meal is probably only 300 calories instead of 1,000 as it might be on Atkins.

let's look at it your way.

so let's say that i maintain on 3000 calories per day, and i'm cutting on say....2500 per day. i consume some artificial sweetners and now my body produces insulin and stores a portion of my calories into fat storage. okay, now, i *still* need 3000 cals to maintain my weight and I'm 500 short by the end of the day.

we agree that i'm still in a deficit, yes? so where does my body get those 500 calories from in order to not lose weight that's been created by my deficit?

Low carb doesn't = weight loss. Eating fewer carbs in combination with cleaner eating(fresh vegetables, diary and proteins) and regular exercise is what will result in weight loss. And carbs doesn't mean just bread, pasta and rice although those are the main key areas. You also have to keep an eye on your fruits and veggies. Some are very high carbs---apples, bananas, pears, raisens, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes. However, my trainer said that it is better to eat something like fruit and yogurt and have those carbs if it will keep you from eating processed sweets like cake, candy etc. Are you a drinker? Because you could be doing ok during the week but if you go out and drink beer all weekend you've just sabatoged everything you did during the week. Use natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, and stevia not the artificial sweeteners.

What is your work out regime? Are you doing strength training? Because if you are you could be gaining muscle, losing fat and that won't reflect in the scale.

i have inspected the above post and found that not a word of it contains any factual information. please disregard any and all advice given in that post

I disagree. I have read scientific evidence that artificial sweeteners can stimulate insulin production. The body "reads" them as sugars, even though they are not, and are calorie free.

It is a scientific fact that elevated insulin causes the body to store as fat the foods we are taking in. Any doctor, dietician medical book or even Wikipedia will confirm this.

Therefore, if you drink, say, a Diet Coke with your meal, and the sweeteners are read by the body as sugar, and the pancreas releases a gush of insulin to deal with the (perceived) sugar, then whatever you are eating is going to be stored as fat on your body.

On low carb diets this is especially bad, because you are eating fatty, high-calorie foods and so THAT is what you will store if your body produces insulin. The consequences are not as bad on low calorie diets because your meal is probably only 300 calories instead of 1,000 as it might be on Atkins.

This is so very true.

you're only saying that because it fits your little personal view of the world.

Oh look and I did it without belittling anyone else's point of view *gasp*

i have inspected the above post and found that not a word of it contains any factual information. please disregard any and all advice given in that post

I disagree. I have read scientific evidence that artificial sweeteners can stimulate insulin production. The body "reads" them as sugars, even though they are not, and are calorie free.

It is a scientific fact that elevated insulin causes the body to store as fat the foods we are taking in. Any doctor, dietician medical book or even Wikipedia will confirm this.

Therefore, if you drink, say, a Diet Coke with your meal, and the sweeteners are read by the body as sugar, and the pancreas releases a gush of insulin to deal with the (perceived) sugar, then whatever you are eating is going to be stored as fat on your body.

On low carb diets this is especially bad, because you are eating fatty, high-calorie foods and so THAT is what you will store if your body produces insulin. The consequences are not as bad on low calorie diets because your meal is probably only 300 calories instead of 1,000 as it might be on Atkins.
[/quote

And I have to disagree with you! I have been low carb for a year and for at least the last 6 months have drank diet coke and splenda in my coffee on a daily basis.. I have lost 110 pounds to date (264-154) and my blood sugar has never been better! Runs 77-84 constantly, fasting, after a meal, all the time!

Eliminate artificial sweeteners and focus on lean meats and veggies and unprocessed foods at meals. You know those foods that say they are low carb and low calorie but still have 20 ingredients you cant identify? Yea those are the ones that hold you back. When I felt myself plateau on low carb diets it was a result of eating too many processed foods with artificial sweeteners a going off the deep end with foods that were unhealthy.

Drink lots of water, eat clean and you'll bust through that plateau.
Also track your body measurements. Low carb diets build muscle to replace the fat and sometimes the loss shows on the measurements before you see a drop on the scales.

brb, hafta get my tools

*fetches magnifying glass*

upon close examination, i have inspected the above post and found that not a word of it contains any factual information. please disregard any and all advice given in that post

I can give you plenty of factual evidence and scientific studies but you'd probably not read them and no doubt you'll just make up reasons why your own way of doing things is better or why the scientific study was flawed because it doesn't fit your little personal view of the world.

As I stated what I shared is my personal experience. BTW. Love you too

I would love to read the scientific evidence that suggest artificial sweeteners, carbs, or anything else, in and of themselves, caused weight gain.

That's kind of like someone saying you can eat as much "healthy" food as you want and it won't cause you to gain weight. Um, No.

If artificial sweeteners, or any other substance, caused weight gain it was because a calorie surplus was present. The sweetener didn't cause weight gain, eating too much caused weight gain. So the opposite is true a low carb, low artificial sweetener, or low anything else diet only works because of a calorie deficit.

i have inspected the above post and found that not a word of it contains any factual information. please disregard any and all advice given in that post

I disagree. I have read scientific evidence that artificial sweeteners can stimulate insulin production. The body "reads" them as sugars, even though they are not, and are calorie free.

It is a scientific fact that elevated insulin causes the body to store as fat the foods we are taking in. Any doctor, dietician medical book or even Wikipedia will confirm this.

Therefore, if you drink, say, a Diet Coke with your meal, and the sweeteners are read by the body as sugar, and the pancreas releases a gush of insulin to deal with the (perceived) sugar, then whatever you are eating is going to be stored as fat on your body.

On low carb diets this is especially bad, because you are eating fatty, high-calorie foods and so THAT is what you will store if your body produces insulin. The consequences are not as bad on low calorie diets because your meal is probably only 300 calories instead of 1,000 as it might be on Atkins.

Hmm, then how have I lost 25 pounds since I switched from regular soda to diet?

OP, just being low carb doesn't mean anything if you aren't eating in a calorie deficit.

i have inspected the above post and found that not a word of it contains any factual information. please disregard any and all advice given in that post

I disagree. I have read scientific evidence that artificial sweeteners can stimulate insulin production. The body "reads" them as sugars, even though they are not, and are calorie free.

It is a scientific fact that elevated insulin causes the body to store as fat the foods we are taking in. Any doctor, dietician medical book or even Wikipedia will confirm this.

Therefore, if you drink, say, a Diet Coke with your meal, and the sweeteners are read by the body as sugar, and the pancreas releases a gush of insulin to deal with the (perceived) sugar, then whatever you are eating is going to be stored as fat on your body.

On low carb diets this is especially bad, because you are eating fatty, high-calorie foods and so THAT is what you will store if your body produces insulin. The consequences are not as bad on low calorie diets because your meal is probably only 300 calories instead of 1,000 as it might be on Atkins.

This is so very true.

you're only saying that because it fits your little personal view of the world.

Oh look and I did it without belittling anyone else's point of view *gasp*

perhaps, but you've yet to supply any actual facts.