Anyone else unable to lose unless carbs are totally eliminat

Giantess
Giantess Posts: 213 Member
edited October 1 in Food and Nutrition
The only time I have lost weight in the past ten years was when I went on a disgusting, practically meat-poultry-fish only diet. I also ate lettuce, and one tomato a week.

I felt ill all the time, I had terrible full-body cramps every night that woke me up screaming and panting, I was spending tons of money--and I was losing weight.

Now? I eat healthy carbs for the most part, stay under my calorie limit, AND I work out hard six days a week--for what? Two pounds of water weight and a ZERO change in my measurements. It's been seven weeks. The doc says my blood is normal, no thyroid problems.

I dread going back to zero carbs. My stomach turns at the thought. It might just be worth staying fat for the rest of my life. : ( I have not decided. All I know is if I don't start seeing some scale or measuring tape action soon, I'm really gonna just start eating ice cream and candy and whatever else I want.

Anyone else have this experience, where you only can lose if you go to an Atkins phase 1 in perpetuity?

Replies

  • sandislim
    sandislim Posts: 264
    I was, I couldn't lose at all. I tried everything, stopped eating but the weight I lost came back on after I started eating again - I was moody and very hungry. I switched to paleo. Lots of veggies, meat/fish, fruits and no dairy or grains. I'm eating primal blueprint and finally I'm seeing some weight lost, but time will tell - its the 2 week mark that gets me usually.

    I am also exercising a lot (HIIT and weights) and fast occasionally for 16-21 hours. It seems to be working, but again, time will tell.
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    I'm sorry you're struggling like this. Personally, it sounds like you had a terrible experience last time, and I'm not sure weight loss is worth all that pain. That sounds like your body's way of telling you that you shouldn't do that.

    Could you perhaps just go to low-carb instead of no-carb?
  • Laura_beau
    Laura_beau Posts: 1,029 Member
    I'm going to keep an eye on this-

    I dont have a lot to offer in words of advice, but i have been on a nasty plateau for aaaaages. I did Atkins earlier this year and lost 26 pounds in 1 month but put most of it back on afer re-introducting carbs (Still staying withing MFP cal/carb/fat/sodium guidelines).
  • hannahcf
    hannahcf Posts: 64 Member
    Yes, low-carb would be better. Think there are some long-term health issues with cutting out carbs altogether. Good luck and I'm sorry you are having a rough time.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    Maybe remove certain types of carbs? Gluten free works for me.
  • kalilioness
    kalilioness Posts: 49 Member
    Well, I have decided to do low carb instead of no carb because it works for me. To me, that means restricting my use of carbs to one meal. Like, I decide if I want to have pasta or rice or a potato that day and then I decide which meal to have it in. Plenty of veggies, fruits and low carb items. When I did it in the past I lost weight easily and had no hunger pangs. I didn't overeat the protein because it is just too hard on my body to digest. So far so good......
  • Suedre
    Suedre Posts: 435 Member
    I can't function without carbs. For me, what worked was cutting refined sugars which pretty much means all proccessed foods. Turns out - that is the same as eating lots of fresh veggies and fruits. I eat meat, but I'm selective about it and usually only have it once a week. Redefinig what a 'meal' means was a big deal for me. It doesnt have to be a meat, veggie, and bread. It can just be scrambled eggs and snow peas, or grapes and a flat out.

    Over the last two years, I've tried tons of ways of eating. One truth that I have found is that it takes three full weeks to see if something works or doesnt work. If you've been at this for six, it's time to try something else. Are there things you could cut (soda, sugary snacks, anything with high fructose?) Things you can add (more veggies, more fruits, nuts, berries?)

    I hope you find your mojo. If you want to see my diary, feel free to friend me.
  • Giantess
    Giantess Posts: 213 Member
    I don't drink juices or sodas. There is probably some sugar in my morning yogurt that I eat before a workout for the purpose of getting some carbs before an hour long run, but I could maybe switch to lite and see if the aspartame helps. I'm sure the natural milk sugars are enough for a run.

    I dunno. If there's nothing wrong with me, I definitely might need to change. I just got so discouraged gaining back 30 lbs when I went to ph. 2 of atkins. Fruit, apparently, is too many carbs for my dumb body.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    I don't know if I'd be so quick to blame the carbs - specially after you found out the hard way that cutting a whole macronutrient group out of your diet can have some pretty dire consequences
    If your diary is accurate you don't seem t have consumed a single actual vegetable in the week or so of entries that I looked at.
    I would have a look at where your cals are coming from and try adding more nutrient rich foods like fish and veggies and chicken and nuts and lose things like tea (280 cals, is that even possible?) juices, sweetened yoghurts, sweetened ready to eat oatmeal, and over processed stuff like McDonalds.
    I hope this doesn't come across as too mean, this isn't my intention but it sounds like you are really looking for some new ideas, so why not try changing where your cals are coming from rather than taking a desperate step that will make you unwell.
    Good luck!
  • jamie31
    jamie31 Posts: 568 Member
    I recently have had a nutritionist change my way of eating around. It is like a carb/calorie cycle. For 3 days i go lower carb and lower calorie then on the fourth day i have a refeeding day, you just keep repeating this. The big thing that she changed was how much i ate at my meals. My biggest meal of the day is breakfast and the calories and carbs taper down for each following meal. You can take a look at my diary to see how its set up...

    I was having a huge problem with putting on a lil bit of weight or just being at a plateau. This has helped alot.
  • mrphil86
    mrphil86 Posts: 2,382 Member
    Well a lot of people blame carbs but most of the time it's not. Sounds like you workout a lot, maybe you are not getting enough calories?
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
    I have given up almost everything made with white flour. I eat whole grain carbs and had no trouble losing all the weight I wanted.
  • dezedeze
    dezedeze Posts: 96 Member
    I agree with Rubybelle and Mrphil...maybe try increasing your veggie intake and also eating back your exercise calories. If you're burning a lot off and not eating enough, you'll often hit a plateau (I'm currently trying to figure this out as I'm doing "Insanity" which is a heavy calorie burn).

    Also, cutting out refine carbs or things with a high glycemic index sometimes helps me. If it says "sugar" or "high fructose corn syrup," it's out.

    Along those lines, could you stand eating plain oatmeal with some fruit and truevia or splenda (or something like that) on top instead of the pre-sweetened type? And could you stand doing unsweetened tea at McD's? I know my body just hoards calories like are in the unsweetened tea, and I get no hunger relief from that type of thing at all. For me, it's just empty calories!

    If you dislike veggies let us know and folks may be able to suggest some yummy recipes for you!
  • cownancy
    cownancy Posts: 291
    To me, low carb is 100 grams of carbs per day with no more than 23 grams of carbs per serving. My protein is 80-100 grams per day. Calories 1500 per day. Getting good results, even though I have not been exercising and am going to start from a totally deconditioned state, so 10-15 minutes will be a big deal.
  • shoppie
    shoppie Posts: 618 Member
    I'd suggest low carb too, or virtually eliminating certain carbs eg I eat virtually no bread, but will eat carrots/ parsnips etc- basically any carb rich veg! :smile: Oh and also a time limit for carbs - mine is 8pm (bed 1030)
  • jpatrickwinstead
    jpatrickwinstead Posts: 43
    I think there are too many variables here to figure out your problem. Try keeping your carbs at about 100 grams a day for a while and see what happens. Once you get to your weight goal, raise them to 150 grams/day for maintenance. Also aim for about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Make up the rest of your calories in healthy fats. Healthy is the important word there.

    You might be eating too little. You might be exercising too much. If you're doing all cardio six days a weeks you're probably stalling yourself. Cut the cardio in half and lift weights 3 days.
  • CaptainMFP
    CaptainMFP Posts: 440 Member
    You may want to check out this article (http://fitnesswithnatalie.blogspot.com/2011/05/most-dreaded-word-in-weight-loss.html) which focuses on plateaus and metabolism. The premise of the article is that to break a plateau you need more of something to boost metabolism (a sound premise): either calories, cardio, or strength training. At the end of the article it goes through a means of determining that thing of which you need more. Before putting yourself through a dietary change that you know from experience will make you miserable, check to see if you are doing enough (and appropriate) cardio and strength training. Long term weight loss is about the total package (diet and all exercise) and you might be shorting your exercise in a way that's limiting weight loss.
  • jpatrickwinstead
    jpatrickwinstead Posts: 43
    ^yeah.

    Remember, your goal with exercise is NOT to do the most you can possibly do. The goal is to exercise in a way that gets you the best possible results.

    More is not always better.
  • KHaverstick
    KHaverstick Posts: 308 Member
    You may want to check out this article (http://fitnesswithnatalie.blogspot.com/2011/05/most-dreaded-word-in-weight-loss.html) which focuses on plateaus and metabolism.
    That is a great blog...definitely worth reading.
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
    Frankly, I don't see how you could do zero carbs. Everything has carbs if you eat enough of it, even the stuff that has very very low carbs, like coffee. And at zero carbs, you could never eat a vegetable. And I just don't recommend that. And I'm on a very low carb diet (10% carbs or about 30g per day).

    But cutting back on carbs, even to 100g a day, has been very successful for a lot of people.
  • Giantess
    Giantess Posts: 213 Member
    Thanks to everyone. I will try adding some weight training--though I can't fit a gym into my schedule or budget, I know there must be ways to use my body weight as resistance. Would two days a week of weights be appropriate?

    I also would like to state for the record that that sweet tea day was my worst in months!! I had a total give-up day that day. It was bad. Normally I have no sugar in my beverages, just in my oatmeal and in my yogurt in the morning. I suppose I have some sugars in the milk I put on cereal as well.

    I DO hate veggies, it is true. I tend to choose fruits over veggies every time, thus upping that dreaded sugar number again, now I think of it.. I buy veggies and they rot in my fridge. I wish I knew some easy ways to get them down my gullet--my mother is the queen of tasty veggies but they all take so long to make the way she does them, and I'm a person working two jobs. Any suggestions for tasty and EASYFAST recipes would be greatly appreciated! Maybe I'll start a new thread about it...
  • sandislim
    sandislim Posts: 264
    I was a lot like you, I could live without veggies, went on atkins - lost weight for the first 2 weeks and then didn't lose a pound for months. Now I'm paleo I get to eat lots of vegetables and although it was hard at first, I love veggies now and couldn't live without them. Try out a few recipes online, its takes a bit of effort preparing them but after a while you get used to it - plus you can cook more and freeze for later.
  • Coco_Puff
    Coco_Puff Posts: 823 Member
    Take a look at the Precision Nutrition plan, I got all the info off their website. It is lean proteins, veggies, and fruit, but also, something I've never done before, added healthy fats. The scale has started moving again after a long time of up and down 2 lbs. I drink at least 10 cups of water per day and eat every 2-3 hrs., 6 meals per day. It's working so I'll stick with it. I also do 50-60 min. of weights and cardio 5 days a week.
  • littlemili
    littlemili Posts: 625 Member
    EITHER
    You are eating too much and therefore not losing weight
    OR
    You have a medical condition that is causing you not to lose weight

    Those are your options. If you have eliminated the 2nd completely, you obviously need to reconsider your calorie intake and exercise routine. You should get checked for caeliac disease.
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
    I have to ask, what is your current weight and height? You don't look that big in your picture, yet your tracker says you need to lost over 100 pounds.
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