Good morning everyone.

I have been away from low carb for quite some time now. I had cut out all animal products about a year ago and switched to vegan diet. I have been craving meat again and decided to come back to low carb.

I did not lose/gain weight during my year long Vegan Hiatus. I just maintained the weight loss that I had achieved with low carb (about 40 pound loss).

I still have about 30 pounds to go until I reach my happy weight

My body is very slowwwww at losing weight

I switched back to low carb a few days ago and my question is this:

Have you noticed that you gained weight when starting/restarting your low carb journey?

Thanks in Advance

Good question.

Personally, I haven’t noticed a regain when returning to low carb, but my most recent major diet change was to a healthy semi-low carb plan. There are new versions of LC, and carnivore has its fans as an elimination diet, though switching from vegan to carnivore might give your metabolism and digestion whip-lash.

You listed your plan as "Healthy Living" which is what many dieters are now seeking, more balanced nutrition. A focus on Diet Quality rather than pursuing Macronutrient Extremes. Both very low carb and very low fat can work for weight loss, but is it healthy and sustainable? Carbs lower than 15-20% cause many people to experience "carb hunger" and fall off the LC wagon.
Two other new popular approaches are in the Semi LC forum: https://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=138

I use both TheP:EDiet and Optimising Nutrition, my Success story summarizes how they worked me https://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=484995
It is worth your time to catch up in the News forum and General Low Carb forum. Short-term regain may be shifts in water weight, longer term may be increase in lean mass, but in the fullness of time, you will need an energy deficit to lose weight. If you want to lose fat, you need to control your appetite by finding a way to get more nutrients per calorie from the food you consume.


Welcome back, all the best

Hi Jeannette. I would almost guarantee that your weight gain is lean tissue restoration that was lost on a vegan diet. I'd think in order to avoid muscle and bone loss eating vegan, you'd have to be extremely diligent with weight training and protein supplementation. Plant proteins aren't absorbed as well as animal proteins, and I'm suspicious of vitamin/mineral absorption from plants, as well, especially grains, seeds and nuts.

Many of us over the years experienced a similar phenomenon when starting out, even without a vegan diet - most LF diets are deficient in protein. A lot of us, self included, are smaller at a higher weight. I've been skinny-fat but way leaner at a higher weight. Remember that you're not trying to lose weight per se, you're trying to lose fat.

I'd highly recommend doing some body measurements if you haven't already. I bought FitDay PC back in 2004 (!) and I have body measurements going all the way back to that time. Alternatively, the old pant-o-meter works, too. Find some clothes that don't stretch at all and see how they fit over time.

Best of luck - consider resuming your journal again.

Great advice from Kristine, using body measurements, rather than scale weight as you switch diets. A simple waist half height is a better reflection of your health.

Posting daily weights is an exercise in futility, my favorite Dr Phinney quote:

I found that if I eat more than 20 net carbs per day, I gain. It doesn't matter if I'm eating meat or not, and of course, that's just me.

My entire family is over 300 pounds, except me. I tried a few diets before I went low carb, and started on Atkins Induction, way back when Bob Atkins was still alive.

When I tried to move to maintenance, I would gain wait.

Now they call what I eat, ketogenic, or keto for short.

We all have to find out what works for us.

Personally, I don't think vegan is a healthy diet, but then neither is the S.A.D.

Good luck in your quest.