https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10353600/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-stall#latest

This will show how body composition can change even when the scale does not.

I have found timing of eating is also important. I have found having the biggest meal of the day earlier and having nothing to eat for the last 3-4 hours before bed makes a big difference. That goes against most American culture where we tend to eat big evening meal (dinner or supper depending on where you live) and eat late. Those early bird dinners that senior citizens seem to like really are a good idea for more than just the reduced price.

Also, @RowdysLady is absolutely right. I really irritate my wife and some of the women at work because of how much quicker I can lose weight - especially the first 15-20 lbs - than any of them can.

When I ran/run into periods of frustration, I really had/have to get honest with myself about what I was/am eating. A few peanuts, a piece of cheese, licking the spoon I put in the peanut butter jar, sampling what I am cooking. That stuff adds up calorie wise especially when eating high fat. Oops!

I actually found/find myself placing something on the food scale, seeing it is too much, taking it off and popping in my mouth rather than putting it back in the container for another time. Oops! <sigh>

That said, I really don't recommend challenging your wife's integrity. Perhaps she will view this comment and it will be helpful.

I have a few autoimmune issues too. When they flare up it becomes harder to lose weight. I swear calories stick to me like a glue. Conversely, if am well, I lose easier, but still not linearly. One week I may lose 3 lbs, the next 1 lbs and the one after that I may be up a pound or two. As long as the overall trend is down, she is doing it right.

What do you consider a bit of weight? If she has lost 2-3 pounds in a month, I'd say that is fine. Sure 6 or more pounds would be more satifying but that doesn't always happen.

Rechecking food logging accuracy may help, as other's suggested. Sometimes that 4 oz steak is actually closer to 6oz or you forget to log that teaspoon of butter on the eggs. Little things can add up. If it is all spot on, all you can do is keep going... and maybe take picture and measurements like @Sunny_Bunny suggested.

Best wishes.

RowdysLady wrote: »

collegefbfan wrote: »

Ok it was my wife's idea to do this diet. We both love it. However she has been very strict as I have, but the weight is just not coming off her. She has been doing it for about 5 weeks, maybe 4 weeks. She lost a little, but she is getting very discouraged. She does have Crohn's. Is that a factor. She is about to lose all motivation. Her macros are on point and she has had no carbs outside of veggies and healthy stuff. No bread, pastas, etc.

She welcomes any suggestions.

Women generally don't lose as fast as men. She should not use your loss as a barometer for what she thinks she should be losing.

anglyn1 wrote: »

Crohn's is an inflammatory condition so she might not see losses as dramatically as a healthy person. I have RA and I lost my weight very slowly and basically anytime the condition flares up I can expect to see the scale go up. It's not "true" weight so I don't worry about it.

A lot of others on here with chronic conditions have noticed slower losses. Sometimes the body prioritizes healing itself over weight loss. The loss part will eventually catch up! I stuck with keto even when I was not seeing much change on the scale because it really does help my RA symptoms. Less pain is more important than an arbitrary scale reading!

These two things. Print them out and post them just about everywhere.

I've dealt with chronic inflammation issues, too. Nothing diagnosed, but I found by chance that my headaches were inflammation based, and I found out my triggers. It's actually so predictable that I can predict what the scale will say, based on how I feel and what I ate the day before.

My first thot is men lose faster than women in my house! It's really unfair.

My second is, is she eating more than 20 net carbs a day? If she's not losing on induction (20 carbs), then that's a mystery.

My third is are there hidden carbs she's missing? Do you use ketostix to see if you're in ketosis (fat burning mode)?

https://www.reddit.com/r/zerocarb/comments/531fr2/i_have_crohns_disease_i_cant_eat_dairy_fruits_or/

In case you want to hear some people who eat zerocarb (that is meat only... no plant foods) to help with Crohn's, this is a recent thread on reddit. You'll see a couple people who talk about how it helps them. Your wife may be interested in checking it out.

Here is a case study that found the same thing: http://www.ijcasereportsandimages.com/archive/early_view_articles/early-view-pdfs/773_Z01_2016040099_CR_EV.pdf

My favorite quote from that study: "(Line 298) The significant improvement seen in the last laboratory exam also indicates that the paleolithic ketogenic diet is most effective when containing no plant components at all."

Now, just a word of warning. I love all people who are interested in carnivorism, even if it's just a sick fascination that is awaiting our painful deaths and oncoming bouts of scurvy, but not everyone on reddit is as nice as I am. 99% of the people on r/zerocarb are awesome. Maybe 5-10% offer what I consider bad advice (like "you have to eat organs" or "track your macros and make sure you don't get too much protein"). Still, it's a great place. And, even though I could shut-down and remove all the nasty comments or bad advice (I'm one of the mods), I believe more in free speech and allowing the different opinions. In short, I can't promise that everything there will be helpful or nice. I can say that several people on there have reported it helping with digestive disorders that are usually considered incurable.