What am I doing wrong?????
 

I started low carb just about 5 weeks ago.

My first two weeks I did induction. It was 4 days in before I hit 20 carbs. Most of those two weeks were in the 20-25 range. I even had two days in there when I was in the hospital and had to eat carbs. Even with all that in two weeks of induction? I lost 13 lbs.

So I decided to stay on induction since it worked. I got better at it. The next week I was in the 15-20 carb range. I lost nothing. Not a single pound. I read up and ask for advice and people say "oh a stall at week three is normal, it is your body adjusting"

Okay so I keep going. Carbs are now fitting in the 12-16 daily range as I get even better at making good choices. At the 3.5 week point I finally lose 1 lb. I'm thinking "woohoo!" Now things are starting again!" At my 4 week weigh in I have no change.

Week five now. I am watching my macros, every meal is a process of measure and weigh and does it fit calorie/protein/fat/carb wise. And??? No loss.

How can I have lost 13 lbs in 2 weeks eating the worst I have this whole time, and as I get better and better at this wOE I lose less??

Maybe this is just my rate of loss? One pound every 3-4 weeks? By this rate I will make my goal weight in 5 years.

Some of you will say that maybe I am gaining muscle. After my surgery I am on exercise restriction so unless I am building muscle walking, that is not it.

Inches? I lost a few at the 2 week mark when I lost that 13 lbs. nothing since then.

What is wrong here?!! I see everyone posting these great losses, or stats that show a 50 lb loss over a few months. Most seem to be losing 1-2 lbs a week. Why is this not working for me? What am I doing wrong? How could I lose so much so easily in my first two weeks (I know it is water, but is it not supposed to be an indicator of your "resistance"? Ie. induction loss was great so I should be at least "normal" for loss?), and then go to practically nothing??

Do I need to cut out eggs and dairy? And then, IMO, change this from a WOE to a very restrictive diet? (Induction veggies and meat only)

Some will ask to see what I eat. I tend to eat the same things over and over.

B: 3 eggs, 1/4 cup spinach, 1/4 cup mushrooms, 1/4 cup cheese, cream
L: 1/2 cup zucchini, 1/2 cup mushrooms, 1/4 cup peppers sautéed in olive oil OR 2 cups greens, 1/2 avocado, dill-mayo dressing (homemade) OR 3 oz tuna with mayo on cucumber slices

S: one portion whatever meat my family is having, 1 serving cooked veggie (usually broccoli or cauliflower), 1 cup greens

I have been adding tea with coconut oil since week three to get more fat

Where is my mistake? What is wrong so I can fix it??

A few questions, do you feel like you are hungry? Sometimes not eating enough can be the problem.

I have done this WOE 3 times before and every single time I've lost, but this time it isn't moving either. I myself feel I have a metabolic problem I am diabetic type 2 and I think I have some hormonal issue going on. So I'm sticking to it just because it keeps my blood sugar levels stable and hope that once we figure out what is up with my hormones it will all start moving again.

Also at lunch it seems sometimes you are doing veggies only? Do you not like meat very much? Because in induction you are only supposed to have 2 cups of cooked induction veggies or 3 cups of greens per day.

Did you notice that the more you restricted that the less you lost?

Also just finished some surgery, could you be taking a medication that is slowing you down?

Also, are you drinking tons of water?

Thanks for the reply!! I hope you get your issues sorted soon too!!

Lunch is sometimes only veggies for a few reasons. Sometimes I have no meat prepared. The other is that it was suggested to me that I was eating too much protein, so I don't always do meat at lunch anymore.

I read DANDR, which does not put a cup restriction on veggies. Just that 10-12g of carbs should come from them daily.

I would say that the more I restricted the less I have lost. Now, I also wouldn't say that I have been restricting so much, I've just been making better choices naturally. (Ie in the beginning I ate a prepared hamburger patty worth 7 carbs for supper. Now I wouldn't do that, I would make my own)

Water I drink lots of, because I drink whenever I am feeling hungry lol. So yes I do feel hunger. Yet some days I am barely hungry at all.

And no medication, other than my BP meds that I have always taken. (And it is not on the list of meds that could be a problem.)

If I were you I would probably go back to 20-25 net carbs again to shake things up for a week, see if I lose, and then start cutting back again..

Maybe tha's your optimal carb level for weight loss?

Don't despair, almost every other post I read these days is about a stall (self included).

I lost 6 lbs in my 2 weeks of induction :lol:

Usually I'd give up by now, but I thought of hanging on, and giving it time.. Stick around, and go back to 20-25, and drink a lot of water :)

And keep us updated, I'd love to know what works for you! Looks like you have one hell of a will power :)

You may have dropped your carbs too low. Figuring out the numbers that work optimally for your weight loss can take a bit of time. We are all different and therefore we won't all be able to lose at exactly the same pace with the exact same numbers. I know it seems frustrating - the best advice I can give is to stop viewing this as a diet. Instead, view it as a healthy lifestyle change. Rather than obsessing over how much weight you have lost thus far, concentrate on tweaking it to suit your body. I have lost over 100lbs but it didn't happen quickly. I had LOTS of weeks that I didn't lose a thing! It took (and still takes!) a lot of tweaking to get my numbers right because they change as my weight decreases. Just experiment! Use a tracker of some sort (Myfitnesspal is pretty user friendly) and keep an eye on your calories and your carbs and how they correlate with your losses. You may need to eat more calories or carbs than you are currently consuming or less, etc... Hang in there, it will be worth it in the long run! :thup:

"How can I have lost 13 lbs in 2 weeks eating the worst I have this whole time, and as I get better and better at this wOE I lose less??"

people will probably response stop eating this or that, I say give it time.first thing first you need to love your woe, this is a long term commitement, I actually love all my low carb food I prepared myself, explore variety recipe and keep motivated, aim healthy as 1st priority, lean second.5 weeks is relatively short..your high carb diet is probably more than () decades..

eat and drink the allowed food and forget about you are "dieting", always feel full and merry (enough sleep and no stress), the pound will drop eventually.

wait..unless that 13 lbs is the last pound towards a model body..? that. we need different approach..

So eating more might be the key? I thought this whole thing was to eat as few carbs as possible! LOL! I do use a tracker, I'll have to take a better look at my carbs and calories and see if I can find a pattern. Now, I lost 13lbs in my first two weeks, but could that be just water? Ie: I would have lost that no matter what I did? So maybe I don't need more carbs, maybe I need even less? I really have no idea what I am supposed to do.

As for diet vs. healthy lifestyle change, in my mind, it isn't a healthy lifestyle change until I start seeing some benefits from it - whether it be weight loss, or more energy, or something. Right now it is just a pain in my butt, LOL

HA!!!! I wish!!!!!! No, I'm over 200lbs and only 5'3 so I have a lot to lose, lol.

I have to say, I don't know that I can love this WOE if I get no benefit from it. As I said in another post, the benefit doesn't have to be on the scale, but SOMETHING would be good....

As for forgetting I am "dieting" that's impossible, lol. My day revolves around it. Making myself meals separately from my family. cook. feed them. cook. feed me. clean up. Start again for next meal. Plan for meals/snacks at work and pre-prepare them, check macros and see what I need more of. budgeting and shopping for veggies and specialty stuff like coconut oil. step on scale, no change, try to figure out how to make things work. Rinse, repeat, for 5 weeks now.

I didn't lose my first 2 weeks at all :) and cheated and came back... Now after a month of no cheats and (playing with calories I cycle 1200 days with 2000 days avg 1500). I'm losing and my carbs are at like 5-12 a day :) lol I barely eat veggies but it's finally clicked I feel better! I attribute it to ketosis kicking in when I lowered my calories but I'm losing roughly a lb a week now and not miserable so it's hope! My macros are listed in my journal

I read this thread...I can feel your pain...most of us can.

The trick to this WOL is to make it work. I do all the shopping for food and cook 99% of the time. I'm a busy self-employed person with A LOT on my plate ...not to mention having house and family to take care of too...I know a lot of you out there know just what I'm saying.

I do not do a whole lot of catering to the whims of my family. I cook chicken, roasts, pork, ham, hamburger and even eggs for dinner. For them, I add a starch...rice, potatoes, french fries...sometimes a veggie, sometimes not. No cooking different meals..it adds too much stress. If dinner wasn't enough, they can root through the pantry for something else. Easy...

As I read your comments, I did the same thing when I started...checked macros, micros, coconut oil & butter...add more fat, no eat less protein....well, to tell you the truth what worked? I ditched it all!! Down to basics of meat and eggs...and the last two days, I've had a hankering for green beans...so that's what I had!!

This is really an easy way to eat...if you haven't already (or even recently) re-read the book...DADR, DANDR or NANY(I prefer the first 2) and follow it precisely ....watch the veggies, amount of cream and cheese and drink your water.

It is WAY too soon to be this stressed out about slower losses...let your body catch up while you stay the course...you will be rewarded!!!

Stressing so much could be impacting your losses as well.

Another good book.."Why We Get Fat...." Super good information and might help put this all in perspective.

Best wishes to you -
Deanna

I think you will find most ppl have to find what works for them. I do a "lower carb" woe - something I made up that works for me, which includes some grains. I eat anywhere from 50 - 150 carbs a day and have been doing so for a long time now.

When I started - I did do induction for 2 weeks and lost 4 lbs. But that time really taught me about carbs, so I didn't have to count carbs after that, because I could guesstimate. Calories do count for me and when I completely stalled at 20lbs weight loss - I bought smaller dinner plates, 9", which helped me restrict calories without me having to count them (see how I hate counting) and started losing again :)

When I was obsessing about food and cooking - someone suggested to me to start counting steps (walking steps) - so I bought a pedometer and started obsessing about how many steps I did a day instead of food.

Now, my way won't be everyone's way obviously, but the point I'm trying to make - is that everyone has to find what works for them <- and I think that is key to losing and maintaining.

Good luck, hope you find your way :)

I have been following DANDR induction - 10-12 carbs daily from veggies, no more than 2-3 tbls cream, and no more than 3oz cheese. I drink lots of water because I always have an 8oz glass before every meal or snack, plus another glass anytime I feel hungry. I've been doing this for the 5 weeks. If anything I have been low on my veggies because they are too many carbs. When I started, I would look at my paltry little portion and think "there is no way I can subsist on that!" and would add more veggies. Now? The veggies I listed above equal to about 3/4 cup when cooked. To me, that is a tiny meal, but I don't dare add more because I am not even losing with that little. I will eat greens because they are low in carb. I will eat avocado because it has fat. mushrooms and red peppers I allow because I like the taste of them and I need to have something I enjoy.

I am afraid to just "let go" because that is what got me overweight in the first place. Like I look at your food and think "if I just ate meat and eggs my body would just turn the protein into glucose instead of burning fat. LC means high fat, not high protein. And green beans! Too many carbs and not induction friendly. Not allowed."

Now, not that that is what is true for you, not saying that at all. If it is working for you, awesome! But that is what happens with everything I even think of eating. That is why meals take me forever. Measure. Check carbs. Adjust. Can I add this veggie? How much? Measure. Etc.

You also say stay the course and it's too early to stress about slow losses. Yes, it is because everything I've read says I shouldn't have slowed already. As for staying the course, how long do I do that for? A month? Two?

take a breath..relax and give it time.....work the program...

That is what I am trying to do, but I don't know what to do to make it work!

Is 1/4 cup cream cheese too much? I'm not sure.

I feel your frustration! You just have to keep going. Keep at it, and the weight WILL come off! Like you, I have had weeks/months where I weighed and counted every carb and calorie. Last month I drastically cut my caloric intake by cutting out fat and guess what? I didn't lose a single pound all month! For all of that work, GRRR!

I added back in the fats this week and quit counting numbers, carbs, cals...much more relaxed and guess what? Down 2 more lbs already!

Read, read, read all you can! And don't give up. Visit this board as much as you can and you'll learn. I've been doing LC for 8 months now and when I thought I KNEW what I was doing, I realized I didn't and was making mistakes, like cutting my calories by fat!

So read all you can, visit this board a LOT and DO NOT GIVE UP!