Potential Causes of Plateauing on Very Carbohydrate-Restricted Diets
 

Steve Hamley, author of the Paleo Premise blog, has posted an entry "Troubleshooting Weight Loss on Low Carb Diets." It's rather long to post here, so I'll post just the conclusion:

Hmmmm....
Dr. A had it right all along.
CLIMB the F'n carb ladder!

This is what many of the successful LCrs have figured out. You'd think when we advise this to people who are stalled out and been keeping to induction levels the whole time, you'd think we had suggested boiling kittens. And do they listen??? Nooooooooo...they thrash and whine and knash there teeth until maybe they finally try it and begin to lose again. Sometimes it just makes my palm itch:p (did that come off as cranky?!)

Just call me cranky pants this morning:)

OK cranky pants! :lol: :p
But you're right! and it is crazy making!:daze:

AJ- good post and point! :thup: :agree:

Hmmm, very interesting post - and responses. As one who 1) has been stalled for a while and 2) does not believe in boiling kittens, you've got my attention. Lots to think about......

The fact that Judy and Lisa have lost >100% of what they set out to lose makes this idea that much more interesting.

Why is it that going the opposite way--dropping or even eliminating carbs--isn't suggested?

Then there's this:



No, Steve, his weight increased because he's addicted to LC frankenfoods. I think he did manage to get off diet soda--he no longer posts his menus, claiming that they'd served their purpose, but in reality it was because people were getting on him about the frankenfoods, which he eats in quantity.

Great! I like your attitude! :thup: :agree:


Really? You want to go there? :p :lol:

OK, how about adrenal fatigue and low thyroid function.
I've seen women doing M&E for years not losing anything and remain sure that they will. :rolleyes: Whats the definition of insanity?

I believe that upping carb levels(with good carbs) when stalled out for a long time will actually ignite metabolism.
Its like stoking a fire, it needs fuel and oxygen to burn. Take away the oxygen and it goes out, take away the fuel and it goes out. But with both, it ignites. :idea:

I've been stalled at both higher and lower carb levels, so while perhaps this is true for some, it doesn't apply to everyone.

And I would also suggest that what works now, may not work down the road. I've done lower and higher carbs as well on this journey. But I found more success lowering carbs after having them high than the other way around.

Well, I purposely ate vegetable 26 carbs today to test this theory. Sure hope I won't regret it tomorrow morning when I weigh!

I assume that you don't reduce the normal level of fats when you do this - or that you don't increase calories drastically?

when you raise your carbohydrate level, you must drop your fat/protein level..
otherwise you'll gain weight.
you can't have both...

that's why low carb is unforgiving...
and as Nancy said, "what works for some, may not work for others."

when i raise my carb level, i balloon! :agree:

He mentions this pretty early..

Yet often I see adamant statements from some that HIIT on almost zero carb works just fine. They must have a special physiology that can replenish glycogen fast without carbs, Peter Attia comes to mind as having this ability.

So, are you saying that I should keep the same number of CALORIES as I normally use - but just get more carbs in there WHICH WOULD OFFSET both protein and fat levels?

Or are you saying to eat enough carbs to get out of ketosis AND TOTALLY SKIP THE FAT?

Not Pilot Gal,but my understanding is that everyone's body needs a certain level of calories per day - and of course that may vary from day to day according to activity. The advantage of low carb is that it takes you off of the blood glucose/insulin roller coaster that results in eating before you have used up all the fuel from your last meal - in other words you are eating for reasons other than true hunger. Once you eliminate that extra eating, you are back down to levels of food needed to fuel yourself, not to satisfy hunger brought on by low blood sugar. Less food and fewer calories without hunger allows weight loss.

What do you mean by totally skip the fat? It doesn't take much to keep you out of ketosis - >50 total carbs per day. There is still room for plenty of fat.

Thanks for pointing out that interesting blog post. I suspect that different reasons for plateauing are relevant to different people and at different times in their lives.

I think the cortisol connection is what's relevant to me right now, along with the adrenal fatigue and low thyroid function that Judy mentioned. I keep thinking if I drop my carbs, I'll lose faster but I don't.

Excess cortisol can hinder your weight loss efforts. Cortisol/stress increases ghrelin, a hormone that increases appetite [1]. ... Cortisol also increases intestinal permeability and inflammation [3], which are both major factors in obesity.

Some forms of exercise don’t agree with VLC diets. VLC dieters tend to have low glycogen stores, which are needed for intense exercise. This is simply because glycolysis (glucose) has a faster turnover rate of ATP compared with beta-oxidation (fat). In the same podcast Mat discusses how carb restriction and intense exercise cause a rise in cortisol and later, a fall in testosterone.

What about in women?

The last time I failed to keep weight off, it was during tax season as usual when I work long hours for a CPA, have a long commute and in general experience more stress. To counteract it I was exercising more to reduce stress when in hindsight, I think I only made things worse.

If you wait enough days between HIIT, glycogen stores get refilled with the glucose made from gluconeogenesis. Dr. Eades mentioned some research that showed that the first place "new glucose" went, was to glycogen.

Also, the amount of glycogen an athlete can store, you can train for it so you have more glycogen storage for explosive exercise. It's a training adaptation. Plus people vary according to their mix of muscle type and glycogen storage to begin with.

HIIT every day would be just as glucose-demanding as long hard cardio every day. I seem to remember most HIIT advocates also advocate days between sessions. Something that appealed to me :)