Hello
I’m looking for a little advice here years ago I lost quite a bit of weight with low carb and did quite well and was quite happy with the eating some things started happening to my body and my third pregnancy and I decided to change my eating to plant-based it turned out I had a condition called lipedema and for some reason at that time with the hormonal changes of my pregnancy my body just started to gain a lot of weight so again I went to plant-based and I was that way for over six years and I did quite well in the beginning I got down to my lowest weight of 126 I believe At one point but started to feel unwell after so many years of being plant-based my iron levels were nonexistent and my body was so weak and tired all the time I could barely get out of bed in the morning without feeling exhausted and then on top of it I started to gain weight I gained 30 pounds in a half a year if even that it was horrible my knees are giving out and my bodies and happy my legs are heavy from the lipedema where the weed is being packed on on. I had gone back-and-forth and back-and-forth with the idea of going back on low carb I knew that meat would give me my iron back and then I know that I felt healthy eating low-carb so after a year of going back-and-forth I talked with my husband and he I was actually excited.

I decided to go back low carb on September 1 and since then all I’ve done is gain weight. At first I thought I made a mistake with my cheese eating too much but I was wrong after I converted grams to ounces and I had been eating under my 4 ounces of cheese I did make a mistake of eating some macadamia nuts for I believe it was two days it was less than half a cup each day but then when I realized that I shouldn’t have it at the beginning of Adkins stop to eating them. I woke up this morning and the scale said 164 I can’t believe it why am I gaining weight? I’m not keeping my plan at the moment just lack of time with the kids but I am eating under my 20 carbs most days it’s eggs and homemade sausage or bacon or ham for breakfast with tea sometimes with a tablespoon or so of heavy whipping cream. Lunch some days as a salad some days it’s leftover chicken with mayonnaise some days it’s eggs again like the same breakfast some days it’s just my lunch meat with mayonnaise under my maximum amount of cheese and sometimes hard boiled eggs with mayonnaise and then dinners are similar.

I’m not getting crazy and doing a bunch of recipes I’m pretty much basic meat cheeses eggs some low carb veggies mostly just salads at this point because I want to try to get way under my carb try to get my body jumpstarted but nothings working and I’m not sure what to do but go up 8 pounds in a week is horrendous and I’m about to just have a breakdown!
Sorry for the typing and the missing punctuation’s I’m trying to quickly get this post up while waiting for my kids at school before I run out of time I could really use any help! I’m wondering if my more high carb way of eating before it’s affecting the way that my body is adjusting to the low-carb at this point

Thank you

The quick suggestion is start with 3 meals a day. A protein and a cup of low carb veggies or salad greens.

While I understand veggetarian, it is a huge challenge to get enough of certain nutrients without careful and diligent perserverence. Too easy to starve the body of critical nutrients.Looks like building up your vitamins and minerals and other nutrients is important . Add some good meats like beef, and salmon to boost the nutrient profile.



Weight loss can be complicated, so start with a simple program to maximize nutrients and then modify it as needed.

The Atkins program is located at the Atkins section of all the lowcarb plans.

My teens can make a steak and a veg meal. Fry up meat; pur salad greens in bowl and douse eith dressing or put a plate of veg in microwave then add butter and salt. If my teens can do it, You can, too.

I guess my issue is unclear?
Yes of course I know how to cook. I did not say I was unable to cook. I have been eating steak, chicken, pork, hamburger and zucchini, green beans, broccoli and cauliflower often. Salad often as well too but trying not to eat veggies as I did before . I am keeping cars under 20 which means veggies are limited a lot from plant based.
I was on atkin many years ago I am aware of how it works, I lost a lot of weight in it too.yes I know the plant based Dilemma as well. I am still trying to feel well again.
The issue I am here for is this; I am gaining weight!
8 lbs in a week!
I am keeping carbs under 20 grams.

Im sorry I didnt understand. Im sure someone else will have a suggestion soon.

Thank you 😊

Hey Candice, welcome back! I'm sorry it's under stressful circumstances.

Did a doctor diagnose your lipedema? If so, you're probably lucky - from what I've read, it's one of those things docs tend not to "believe" in. Either way, that's a tough go. From what I hear, that makes it difficult to lose fat.

However: I'd stick with what you're doing, for the most part. You've described a terrible outcome of veg/nism and your body has a LOT of healing to do. You're gaining scale weight? I would bet money that your body is trying to replace necessary lean body mass. You're also trying to reset your brain chemistry that tells you when you're hungry - be patient with your appetite.

Because of the lipedema, I think you might be one of the people who might benefit from a slight focus-shift from Atkins/high-fat to more of a protein-centric WOE. I like Dr Ted Naiman's philosophy because he does NOT encourage calorie counting or starvation: it's about achieving satiety so that your body can release the extra energy that's sitting there in your fat stores. Cute little mantra: Prioritize Protein, Cut Carbs, Fill in with Fats. He was raised in the Seventh Day Adventist church, grew up vegetarian, and, shall we say, has done a 180... although he's supportive of his patients who still choose veg/nism.

If you're having pain and inflammation issues (your knees?) consider backing off on inflammatory foods. I know, I know, this is too complicated when you've got three kids to look after. But it can make a big difference. Seed oils are a big one - I had to cut the mayo and commercial salad dressings. I'll save you the novel, but I described it a bit in this Collagen thread. (That's something else you might want to try.) And I know I beat this horse to death, but if you're not already, try going gluten-free. Atkins/LC gets you 95% of the way there without trying, but you just have to read labels a bit more carefully. Luckily, it's easier now than it used to be.

Good luck, and keep us posted. Hang in there.

Candice, for what it's worth, I agree with Kristine that your body is going through a healing phase right now. You have been lacking necessary nutrients for so long that now that your body is finally getting those nutrients, it wants to hang on to every last bit. I know it's hard, but hang in there, keep doing what you're doing, and let your body heal. You might gain a bit more weight, but then it WILL begin to come down again.

I know nothing about lipedema, so can't help you there.

And do keep posting here and listen to all the advice. Again I agree with Kristine in that more of a high protein approach (ala Naiman) might be EXACTLY what you need right now since you starved your body of those essential amino acids for so long.

Also, the reason you lost so much weight and got down to that low, low number is that you starved yourself of essential nutrients. Essential amino acids (all of which are found in animal protein, whereas only some are found in plant proteins) are called "essential" because that's what they are. Essential. There are no essential carbs.

PS: GOOD LUCK!!!! You're obviously a smart woman for having the courage to take charge of your life when things were not working for you. You're a great example for your kids!

Thank you
Yes I was officially dx with lipedema in 2014 by a specialist. Other then the dx, I have gotten no help unless you count being told to keep my weight down is best 🤦‍♀️.
Thank you, I feel I am being protein centric, since September 1st I’ve done a complete 180. I had missed meat over the years but felt I was doing the right thing by switching to plant based. Being low carb many years I knew breads, pasta, rice were never good for me and Did NOT eat them even when plant based. All my carbs came from fruit, veggies and beans.
I will look up Ted Naiman. Thank you

Thank you, will look up Ted Naiman 💙

Have you tried intermittent fasting?

I quit eating from 7PM to 7AM and lost another 10 pounds doing nothing else different.

My plan is simple, fewer than 20 carbs/day and twice as much fat as protein. I top out at 1600 calories/day.

I don't know if this helps or not, but I do hope you find something to solve your current problem.

Bob

Thanks bob, I think that is a good and easy to do suggestion. I’ve never been able to do the intermediate fasting during the day but the 7 PM to 7 AM is definitely doable!

Welcome back Candi!

The Lipedema project has had summits for many years https://lipedemasummit.lipedemaproject.org . There will be a Virtual Symposium this November too.
Previous talks are still available as is Dr. Westman's diet. https://lipedemasummit.lipedemaproj...dout-134067.pdf It also is a "protein first" keto diet like Dr Naiman.

The Lipedema organization primary website has a huge Resources section. https://lipedemaproject.org/resources/ They have used a simple ketogenic diet (Dr. Westman's clinic diet, he spoke at the summit years ago and will again on Keto for Lymphatic Disorders) and there are other versions of keto with more focus on nutrients.
https://keto.lipedema-simplified.org

Agree with Kristine and others, the vegetarian diet likely led to a loss of muscle/lean body mass so more protein and other missing nutrients are needed to rebuild your muscle. This weight gain is may be part of regaining your health...Even this "high" weight that is so concerning to you is just a few pounds into the overweight BMI category. There are lists of the nutrients that can be lacking in vegetarian foods (eg protein, B12, D, Zinc, Omega 3s, etc.) ...think about replenishing those and add some resistance training. Focus on protein and nutrient dense foods...this is likely not a situation for a high-fat therapeutic keto diet or EDit Add: longer IF. 2 or 3 good meals without snacks.

CF, I don't know how much you've gained since starting LC, but if you started Sept 1st, this is only the 12th day since you did a complete 180 on your WOE. I agree with the others that you're going to need to give this time for your body to recover, while you replenish the nutrients it's lacked for so many years.

About the IF - I think that's a great idea for once you start to feel truly healed, but honestly, other than upping the protein, I'd hold off on tweaking your diet any more right now. We often see good results with a combination of LC and IF, but because you're still recovering from 6 years of plant based eating, you need to give your body every chance to replenish those nutrients, which means providing the nutrients it needs, any time it "asks" for them, even if it's in the middle of the night.

(Those who do IF regularly please feel free to chime in on this, because this is just my opinion, and I could be completely off the mark.)

I 100% agree. IF sounds intimidating, but it can start out as simply moving from grazing to eating proper, filling meals and cut the snacking, especially if it's out of boredom or just a bad habit (*raises hand sheepishly*). But most of the LC docs and other smart people tend to agree that that's one of the later levers to pull. Concentrate on nourishing your body first.

Here's Dr Ted's website. Short, sweet n' to-the-point. I bought his book and enjoyed it, but you don't really need it to adopt some of his ideas.

I got more interested in his philosophy because shortly after my pandemic layoff started, I was bored and started weighing and measuring my food, for the heck of it. No restrictions (other than obvious junk carbs), just observation of my usual maintenance eating. I was shocked at how little protein I was getting, and I'm concerned about muscle and bone loss as I age (I'm approaching menopause.) Most seniors get woefully inadequate protein. So, here I am riding on that bandwagon.

You are getting some good advice on your body needing to go thru a healing phase, but a rapid weight gain warrants a trip to the doc just to rule out anything else going on, especially if most of the gain is in your abdominal area. If the doc finds nothing then you may just need to be patient for a month or so til your body heals a bit and adjust to your new way of eating. Also keep in mind that childbearing and age mean that what worked before may need some tweaking -- the older I get the less cheese my body can tolerate without gaining. Just something to think about