Your Best Tips for Consistent Weight Loss?
jetsamflotsam
Posts: 170 Member
So... this is my first real attempt at doing low carb long term. I have only done it for once before and I only lasted a month before I got sick of eating meat and gave up... That was 17 years ago!
I want to know what you wish you had known when you first started doing LC? What are your best tips for a newb? Thanks!
I want to know what you wish you had known when you first started doing LC? What are your best tips for a newb? Thanks!
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(1) It is impossible to get enough salt (sodium/potassium) following this Way of Eating (WOE) by heavily salting your food;
(2) Dissolve and drink a bouillon cube twice daily - it will help you avoid the Keto Flu;
(3) Weigh your food on a digital scale religiously;
(4) Log your food every single day;
(5) Above all else, listen to your body.13 -
That you will lose fat without seeing weight loss on the scale at some point.9
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(1) It is impossible to get enough salt (sodium/potassium) following this Way of Eating (WOE) by heavily salting your food;
(2) Dissolve and drink a bouillon cube twice daily - it will help you avoid the Keto Flu;
(3) Weigh your food on a digital scale religiously;
(4) Log your food every single day;
(5) Above all else, listen to your body.
I just did your 2nd tip. Day 2 here and feeling headache-y and flu-y.
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Unfortunately there's no such thing as consistent scale weight loss. Know the difference between scale weight fluctuations due to water weight, BM etc. that are TRANSIENT and true loss from STORED fat (mobilizing energy from adipose tissue).
In other words there's no need to go insane from rapid overnight fluctuations
For more consistent fat loss, vigilance and a mentality of troubleshooting when stalling is needed, IME. If nothing changes over some weeks (including measurements in body and clothes fitting) it's time to take a closer look at how you're executing your chosen protocols.2 -
A few things helped me over this couple year journey
For me, calories matter. I get my calories from good fats and proteins, and carbs from fibrous veggies. Those are the big 3. My body works better with a consistent veggie intake. Fiber is good for most people it seems and it is good for me. If I stay on that type of eating plan it is usually pretty easy to stay under 2000 calories a day. But for me it is possible to eat too much on a LC diet and gain weight.
Find a physical activity you enjoy and make it part of your life. Activity helped my attitude and outlook on life! I became more of the active and involved person I wanted to be as I lost weight! The first 50 pounds was mainly by diet and walking. The second 50 I started jogging in little spurts while walking and riding a bike. The last 50 I added swimming and started triathlon training. Now it is part of my lifestyle.
Having an eating plan for life that is balanced and easy to live with, and a fun group of activities to keep enjoying are my two keys to long term success.6 -
@Working2BLean You've really made great progress on the fitness! I'm going to be homeschooling my son in the fall and we've already made a plan to walk together everyday as part of his PE program. I just need to get through my PT so I'm ABLE to walk by then.1
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I've never had consistent weight loss. It's always been a matter of losing weight, reaching a plateau, then losing more and plateauing out again, for me. Overall, my only strategy is to stick with your plan, and double down.1
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My biggest advice (which I have not always followed) do not get discouraged by plateaus and small gains and say F-it. Hang in there, the weight will keep coming off and u will always regret it if u quit and it comes back on4
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yes... don't let the scale rule your life, let the benefits of feeling better, moving better, thinking better and improving health sink in.3
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I still freak out when the scale doesn't move, but I don't give up, I double down.1
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A long time ago, I read The Hacker's Diet. This book is an ode to the CICO model, so I don't recommend it as a quality resource for how to lose and maintain weight, but it is an excellent resource when it comes to understanding the scale and why the idea of "consistent weight loss" is a fool's goal.
At one point (page 54) he quotes a NASA statistic that the total mass of input/output for a human is about 13.5 pounds a day. The majority of that input and output is water, but there are a bunch of other things and nearly all of them are hard or impossible to account for outside of a strict laboratory setting. Now, that's an average. Some things take longer to get through than others. And, your numbers could even be higher. It is not unusual to see 2-3 pound changes on the scale, or even more, each day. That amount is nothing when viewed against the total input/output. Call it a 20% range of "noise" you're looking at. If you're losing 1.4 pounds a week, you are experiencing a 0.2 pound a day loss of body mass. That's a change of 1.5% of the input/output amounts, which is easily lost in the 20% noise.
You're not going to see steady and perfect loss on the scale. This is a reason that even a month is considered too short of a time-period to say anything about your weight loss. Really, you should look at things over a 3-6 month perspective. And, that only tells you how well things worked back then. It may not tell you what is going to happen in the future. There's no need to lose hope though. Be consistent and if your average weight is going down over weeks and months, it is working.2 -
A long time ago, I read The Hacker's Diet. This book is an ode to the CICO model, so I don't recommend it as a quality resource for how to lose and maintain weight, but it is an excellent resource when it comes to understanding the scale and why the idea of "consistent weight loss" is a fool's goal.
I use his web app, that averages the total non-consistent weight loss into a more meaningful graph. E>g this morning I weighted 5 lbs more than Friday - I see a spike on the graph and a re-assuring curve - that says- don't worry
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A long time ago, I read The Hacker's Diet. This book is an ode to the CICO model, so I don't recommend it as a quality resource for how to lose and maintain weight, but it is an excellent resource when it comes to understanding the scale and why the idea of "consistent weight loss" is a fool's goal.
I use his web app, that averages the total non-consistent weight loss into a more meaningful graph. E>g this morning I weighted 5 lbs more than Friday - I see a spike on the graph and a re-assuring curve - that says- don't worry
I used to use his web app. I use the libra android app now. It does the same thing, but is on my phone. Way back in the day (when I first tried CICO), I used his spreadsheet to track my weight. I've used his spreadsheet. I actually have my original keto weight loss on it and some of my graphs that I've posted are from it. It is a good tool. It really helps people see through the noise.0 -
I find that my weightloss has consistent patterns, but not consistent weight loss. I weigh daily, and see fluctuations throughout the month (I'm a woman, so it's tied to the menstrual cycle), but also throughout the week. I get some medical treatments that affect fluid shifts, too.
From what I've learned from long-term maintainers and those who have lost large amounts of weight, consistency in your efforts and habits are more important than consistency of change in the number on the scale. Come back to your goals every day, every meal, every workout and the results will follow.4 -
I've stuck to it through this:
Many of the increases were countered with inches lost instead! Making the choice to show up for yourself, everyday, is sooooo worth it! Many times I chose not to run for the cookie jar, when I would have before LCHF! Every time you succeed in not allowing the scale to dictate your food choice makes you stronger!
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Focus on maintaining reasonable sleep quality/quantity for your needs. If this starts to suffer, address it.
Focus on managing your food environment to the best of your ability.
For most people, learn how to prepare your own food the majority of the time so that you are in better control of your overall diet.
This ties in to food environment but doing some advanced food prep in some capacity will help you manage your food environment because the food prep provides you with options that are readily available. Failure to do this tends to put people in a position where they eat things that are more convenient (or they eat whatever ELSE is available and often that's not a great choice in comparison).
Be a part of a social network of people who have similar goals. Lift them up, and let them lift you up.
Be patient.4 -
Eat in a way that is sustainable. If you aren't a big meat eater, don't force it. Get your protein needs met and then add fats or "good" veggies carbs.
I'm not a huge meat eater so I add some protein powder to my coffee (with coconut cream or coconut oil) and feel much happier than if I forced myself to eat more meat. I also rely on a lot of eggs, nuts, seafood, and full fat dairy to get my protein. It keeps me happy.
For "keto flu", I resorted to a teaspoon of salt in a glass of water everyday. It sounds extreme but it worked well for me.
And good luck with the homeschooling. I've had my boys at home for 9 years, and we've been really happy with how it has helped their social and academic skills. I hope it works well for your family. 2 -
The trend is awesome... but if you look closely you can see variability on a day to day basis.
The big jump was a cruise I took. Put me back a month.
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@Vowder That's a beautiful trend!Eat in a way that is sustainable. If you aren't a big meat eater, don't force it. Get your protein needs met and then add fats or "good" veggies carbs.
I'm not a huge meat eater so I add some protein powder to my coffee (with coconut cream or coconut oil) and feel much happier than if I forced myself to eat more meat. I also rely on a lot of eggs, nuts, seafood, and full fat dairy to get my protein. It keeps me happy.
For "keto flu", I resorted to a teaspoon of salt in a glass of water everyday. It sounds extreme but it worked well for me.
And good luck with the homeschooling. I've had my boys at home for 9 years, and we've been really happy with how it has helped their social and academic skills. I hope it works well for your family.
That's a good reminder about protein. I'm doing Protein Power, which is more of a reasonable amount of protein, lower carb, and higher fat. I find it easy to "meat" and exceed the protein requirements.
Thanks for the best wishes on the homeschooling. We live in a rural area that doesn't have a high school and I don't want my son to waste hours of his day commuting back and forth to the closest HS. We're both very excited about this new chapter in our life.
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jetsamflotsam wrote: »I just did your 2nd tip. Day 2 here and feeling headache-y and flu-y.
Doing it one day isn't going to fix the problem. you have to be consistent and do it every day. The fact that you feel like crap me and your electrolytes are out of balance! Do you supplement magnesium? Or potassium?
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jetsamflotsam wrote: »I just did your 2nd tip. Day 2 here and feeling headache-y and flu-y.
Doing it one day isn't going to fix the problem. you have to be consistent and do it every day. The fact that you feel like crap me and your electrolytes are out of balance! Do you supplement magnesium? Or potassium?
I haven't had a headache again since and I feel fine now, finishing day 5 today... I'm not supplementing magnesium or potassium.1 -
jetsamflotsam wrote: »I haven't had a headache again since and I feel fine now, finishing day 5 today... I'm not supplementing magnesium or potassium.
That's great news then!! Keep up the great work and carry on! lol
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I'm not a LC'er myself so I'm probably not the best to ask.
That being said: I do tend to find that I do a lot of proteins in bulk, so that would be applicable to low carb folks most likely.
Just for example, if I'm going to make fish or chicken, I'm going to make a lot of it at once. Same with any time I light the grill -- I'm going to fill the grate with protein so that I can reheat leftovers for a few days.
Basically any time I'm going to bother cooking something, I'm going to evaluate whether or not I can just make a few extra meals out of it so that I'm saving a LOT of time (it's way easier to cook in bulk) and also providing future convenient meals.
Sorry I can't be of more help on specific food items.
Well, other than bacon. Because it's bacon.
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