Help! I've gained weight on my low carb diet!

How are you measuring your food? I see a mix of cups/spoon and ounce/gram measures. Since high-carb diets tend to include relatively more fats, precision becomes even more important. I'm sure you realize that fats are around 9 calories per gram, whereas proteins/carbs are 4 calories per gram. Being a bit off on measurements of fat can add up.

Also, when you use compound entries, are they ones you entered yourself as recipes/foods? For example, I see "Coffee with Heavy Cream - 1 C". If that's your measured-out database item, that can be fine. If it's someone else, it becomes important to know how much coffee vs. cream that includes, since heavy cream is around 50 calories per tablespoon.

If things are working, rough logging can be fine. But if things aren't working, and one is rough logging, that can make it hard to tell where the issue is.

It's actually more common for people newly eating low carb to see a big drop at first (from glycogen depletion, basically, so reduced water weight). That's what's making me ask questions about the calorie details. I could be wrong. Your calorie goal doesn't appear to be unusually high, and your exercise calories aren't large (overestimating exercise is a common problem, but not likely for you). So, I'm wondering about the food logging details.

Have you been eating at a calorie deficit? Do you log your calories?

Weight loss always comes down to taking in fewer calories than maintenance calories. Some people can naturally reduce calories by eating low carb. Some people can naturally reduce calories by reducing their eating window. But others find they still need to count calories.

How long have you been trying to lose weight? There are many things that can cause water weight - natural fluctuations in weight. Weight loss won't be linear. If you are sure you are in a calorie deficit, maybe you just haven't given it enough time.

dragon_girl26 wrote: »

^^^ in addition to the above, what is your calorie goal? Are you making sure, in addition to counting carbs, that you are in a calorie deficit?
If you've only been doing this for a couple of weeks or less, I wouldn't be too discouraged over it yet. Sometimes results take a few weeks to appear on the scale. When it comes to losing weight, patience is definitely a virtue. You're going to need it.

TeaBea wrote: »

Have you been eating at a calorie deficit? Do you log your calories?

Weight loss always comes down to taking in fewer calories than maintenance calories. Some people can naturally reduce calories by eating low carb. Some people can naturally reduce calories by reducing their eating window. But others find they still need to count calories.

How long have you been trying to lose weight? There are many things that can cause water weight - natural fluctuations in weight. Weight loss won't be linear. If you are sure you are in a calorie deficit, maybe you just haven't given it enough time.

FWIW: Her diary is open, as her post implied. She appears to have a calorie goal of 1500 (which could be wrong, but wouldn't be crazy for a lot of people), and appears to be logging pretty close to it. Very few exercise calories are logged, and they appear to be coming from a synched tracker of some type, possibly Apple which could be a problem in itself . . . but again, few calories.

OP, further questions: What activity level did you pick on MFP to get the 1500 calorie goal (and why), and what is your current height/weight? Do you have negative calories enabled for your tracker?

How do people see each other's food diary? Is it not possible to do that on the app? I see people mention they're looking at someone's diary but I see nothing. Does it have to be the web version or what? Just curious.

P.S. I'm sorry if all this questioning and poking is not what you expected or hoped, vs. some kind of insight particular to low carb diets. I, and others, really are trying to help, I promise. Many of us here have lost weight calorie counting, and have come to believe that weight management is pretty much all about calories (though nutrition is very important for a variety of reasons, some of which can affect weight indirectly through things like health or energy level, especially in the long term). I"m for sure in that camp. Usually, most actual problems turn out to be issues with logging practices, too high an initial calorie goal (the "calculators" aren't gospel), overestimated exercise calories, misunderstandings about how water weight affects the process, and that sort of thing. Prosaic, but IMO true.

Best wishes - I do want to see you succeed!

SquareDeal wrote: »

Ann, I have no problem with the questions. I am not exercising as I have a ruptured Achilles tendon, floating bone in my knees which causes a lot of pain and lower back pain from 7 months of covid lockdown and total inactivity. I also gave up smoking in March after 40 years smoking so my lung fitness is shocking. We have only just come out of hard lockdown and when Aqua aerobics classes start again I plan to go.
I'm almost 56, 119.7kgs (264 pounds) and 5ft 8 inches I

Good, and thank you for the details. The 1500 should be reasonable for a moderate weight loss, in theory maybe around a pound a week, could be a little more or a little less depending on how much your physical challenges limit your activity. (Even going about normal daily life, fixing food & doing mild home chores and such, does burn some calories.) It is true, though, that at that rate, water weight fluctuations could hide losses on the scale for a period of time. (For example, even as a smaller person, my weight will vary by a couple of pounds pretty much randomly from day to day. If I were losing a pound a week, it could take two weeks or more, depending on surrounding circumstances, to see that clearly on the scale.)

In the longer run, if and as you're able to be more active, and if you really are using an Apple watch as your tracker, you might find it more accurate to link it through the Pacer app rather than directly: Some users report the direct Apple interface to have some issues. While you're less active, though, don't worry too much about that.

Our usual general guidance is to stick with a new calorie level for 4-6 weeks (full menstrual cycles, comparing same relative point in each, if you're not menopausal yet) to see the average weekly result on scale weight over at least that timespan. With at least that much data, and logging practices that are accurate (without it making you crazy!), you should then be able to adjust your calorie goal up or down based on experience, as needed.

If you're feeling OK about low carb as per medical advice, for sure stick with it, as there's no real down side (from a calorie standpoint). Ditto for IF: If it helps you stick with calorie goal and feel good, stick with it. If it makes things harder, it's a nonessential complication. (Some people argue that it has "other benefits" besides weight loss. I don't personally feel there's strong evidence for that . . . but even if true, it's secondary to calorie management for weight loss, and weight loss alone has pretty big health benefits when we're substantially over a healthy weight, so I think that's the top priority. If IF makes calorie compliance easier, it's a plus; if it makes it harder, it's not; in that context.)

Wishing you good outcomes!

When did you start? It may be too soon to really tell if you are losing or gaining. Most people
who begin low carb diets lose a few lbs of water weight.

There is no reason to be on a low carb diet for most people. Hypothyroidism, menopausal status, and post cholecystectomy are not good reasons. Most people lacking a gallbladder should instead avoid too much fat, because some still get flare ups similar to when they had a gallbladder because they don’t have the bile reserve. Low carb diets tend to be higher in fat and protein so I’m not sure if that’s the right move for you.

I’m a PA and honestly most providers don’t know much about diet beyond the basics. The exception to this is GI and Cardiology specialists who tend to focus on diet more.