Why am I gaining weight????
TXBelle1174
Posts: 615 Member
Ok, so I have been doing low carb for a little over a month and I have lost almost 20 lbs. However, this past week, I seem to be gaining weight. I am still on my low carb menu (I have PCOS with IR) and I will be forever so I cant figure out what I am doing wrong. I havent exercised as much this week due to being sick but still.... my caloric intake is pretty low. All I do know is that I am super frustrated. Can anyone offer some insight as to why this might be happening?
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I'm no expert, but I can tell you my opinion. I took a peek at your diary,,,,
I'm not sure which low carb plan you are following, but your protein seems low and your carbs seem high - especially if you are not able to get much exercise right now...
You could try to lower your daily carbs to a max of 50 and eat a lot more protein.
Maybe someone else will have some insight!0 -
I don't eat "low carb" persay- but I try to keep my carbs between 50-100 g daily (per the Primal Blueprint). Yours are within these parameters. That being said, I don't eat grain in any form (unless I have a breakdown and cave- and then I immediately regret it). I would suggest subbing out all of the processed things you eat (i.e Adkins bars) for whole fruits and veggies. Eliminately anything refined may be exactly what your body needs to continue to lose weight.0
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I am choosing to eat "low carb" from now on and I do not need wheat or sugar in my diet.
That being said, the fluctuations really bother me too, I go down then go up 2 pounds overnight - stay there for a week, and then finally the weight goes back down. Results are the scale is creeping slowly downward.
20 Pounds in a month is a lot of weight for a body to drop, and I think yours is just adjusting, the scale will move down again just keep up what you are doing!0 -
Just based on your diary I see that you eat quite a few products that are likely to contain wheat. While these products are technically low carb the wheat in them may be playing hell with your insulin resistance. I know they are pretty tasty and make convenient wraps, but cut them out for a month and see what happens.
I also saw your other post about pasta, if you are referring to Dream Fields, just proceed with caution. You have to make the pasta EXACTLY as the box states otherwise you loose the protective "coating" that binds the wheat gluten and keeps it low carb. If they say boil for 8 minutes you have to make sure that you are doing exactly that or you will change 5g a serving or so to 30-50 per serving. I like the stuff, most like real pasta of anything I've tried, but I consider it a catalyst to my weight gain after loosing a ton on Atkins years ago. It's not a free food to chow on all the time. Maybe use that as a treat 1x a month or so?
Also, never cook the pasta further after boiling (such as putting it to bake in a casserole) or reheat it. If you do you also negate any benefit that it had.0 -
Being sick can just mess your body up.
Hormonal issues, your cycle etc can cause you to retain water or even fat.
Your body could just be stabilizing after losing 20 lbs.
Continue to watch what you eat and when you feel better go back to exercising. It does come back off. I lost 5 lbs, gained back 2, lost 1, just lost the other, so now I'm back to where I was about 3 weeks ago. I know that I've built muscle but it is still discouraging to see the scale going up rather than down or even staying the same.0 -
I would lower your sugar, and raise the amount of water0
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I have PCOS and IR too and I have learned that low carb eating does NOT work for me when I use any of the pre packaged low carb products from the grocery store like dreamfield pasta, mission low carb tortillas, low carb yogurt, low carb ice cream, Atkins bars. Also I don't eat fruit yet either.....although, I will work my way up to that eventually. Personally, I can't eat too much protein and still lose weight. The body can only breakdown so much protein before it starts to turn it into glucose. You'd be better off eating extra egg yolks instead of extra egg whites. Don't shy away from healthy fats like coconut oil, olive oil, avocados, and macadamia nuts. And find the oldest copy you can find of Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution and read it cover to cover. It explains how you need fat for ketosis and the proper way to do low carb eating. Good luck!0
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And find the oldest copy you can find of Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution and read it cover to cover. It explains how you need fat for ketosis and the proper way to do low carb eating. Good luck!
This^^
While I'm sure the current authors of the Atkins diet think that they are doing things right, I don't trust the new books and prefer to refer to the last edition that Dr. Atkins himself wrote, which I believe is the 2002 edition. Some say that the 1970s edition is even better in that it teaches you to be more strict and therefor it works faster.0 -
When I was sick I took some medacine that constapated me and made me retain water I ate the same as I had been while losing weight. I gained 7 pounds for a few days. When I stopped taking the medacine I dropped it right away and got right back to losing. I think I do not burn as much when sick also. We all know if you burn more than you consume you will lose. So my eating was staying the same but my burning of calories was not as high. Good luck.0
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Regarding the wheat, I read 'Wheat Belly' and immediately cut it out.
I think this has been the single biggest driver of my weight loss (and I've been trying to lose these last 'few' kg for a while). I also lost a rather irritating skin complaint that was bugging me, coincidence? I think not.
I also watch the sugar in everything (including sauces and the like) and try not to eat processed food, especially anything labelled 'low carb' or low anything for that matter.
Come to that if it has a label then I think twice
Regarding Sugar, I recommend watching 'Sugar The Bitter Truth (Short Version)' on YouTube, it taught me a bit.
Sub the packaged stuff with Real Food and I reckon your body will thank you.0 -
I spent some time reviewing several weeks of your diary...
I say this with sincerity so please do not get offended:
When was the last time you actually made a meal from real foods and not something from a container, bag or can?
You have days where you either didnt eat or you didnt log your meal. Inconsistency is your worst enemy.
You do not eat enough fresh vegetables in fact, there are days you ate none at all.
Even though you have found low-carb options for crackers, breads and such - they are still appearing on your daily meals way too often.
The 'quality' of the carbohydrate can still be a problem even with whole grains. Them food labels will shock the hell out of you if you read the different types of sugars/sugar alternatives they use just to make the bread (HFCS especially).
Get rid of the prepackaged products... that is a big enemy.
I dont know if you are under the advisement of an Endocrinologist but it wouldnt hurt to consider having some blood work done to get a baseline of your A1C, fasting blood sugar, creatinine, calcium, D3, follicle stimulating, cholesterol panel, testosterone, androgen, liver enzyme #9, thyroid, etc. It would require a 12 hour fasting and they can get a good reading that way.
Unfortunately some folks might have a misconception with low-carb intakes thinking it means its ok to have the prepackaged items available. The killer in that is the fact there is more replacement junk ingredients to make up for what they take out - and that means trouble for you or anyone who is trying to lose weight.
Just consider some of these things... and reunite yourself with your kitchen and create some real meals with real foods....0
