What to do when low carb stops working

[Deb_l]

For weight control that is - it's still working absolutely fine and dandy for my BG control.

Back at the start of my low carb journey (January 2023), I weighed 1lb shy of 20 stone and my HbA1c was 96.........yikes!!

Long story short, turned over a new leaf, went low carb, lost 7 stone, HbA1c now 38.........fabulous

That was until May of this year, when nothing significant changed, apart from having my cataract done but I've slowly started to put weight back on. My weight plateaued at just under 13 stone and while that isn't 'ideal', it was OK with me and I was happy with that. I'm now back up to 14 stone and not a happy bunny

Hand on heart, I am not doing anything different. If anything I am now eating considerably less every day because I'm terrified of putting all the weight back on. Why would things change so much? My cholesterol has also gone through the roof and I've also now had gout so something is going a bit bonkers! I would gladly pay for private blood tests (regular ones show nothing abnormal apart from high urea and high cholesterol) but I don't know what to ask for.

I walk at least 5 miles a day with the dogs and swim 4 times a week. When I say I swim, I do actually swim. I'm not a pool floater / chatter!

Typical day's food - now
Breakfast - melon and Greek yogurt or omelette or grilled bacon and scrambled eggs
Lunch - small chicken salad
Tea - handful of nuts, couple of slices of cheese
Snacks - none
Treats - yes, occasional slice of cake to keep me from going insane

Typical day's food - before (when I was losing weight)
Breakfast - melon and Greek yogurt or omelette or grilled bacon and scrambled eggs
Lunch - HUGE pile of salad with chicken, chorizo, cheese, olives
Tea - veggies with pork steak or maybe chicken again
Snacks - nuts, olives, cheese
Treats - yes, slice of cake maybe every couple of weeks

I know people are going to say, maybe I'm not eating enough but if I continued to eat what I was eating before, I suspect I would already be back up to 15 stone, never mind 14. The saving grace here is my BG is still the same and hasn't risen.

Sorry this has turned into War and Peace but I'm totally at a loss. Low carb seemed to be the weight loss nirvana I had been waiting for but now my little bubble has burst.

 

[littlevoice359]

Hopefully this is not stating the obvious, but it is important to remember that with regards to weight management, it’s not so much carb quantity that is important but calorie intake.

 

[snowball12]

You are not eating enough. When we don't eat enough the body goes into famine mode and will hold on to any fat in your body for energy. Go back to what you were eating when you were losing weight. You are definitely not eating enough right now. You have to feed the fire I was once told. Good luck

 

[s'nic]

My garmin watch tracks estimated calories used. One thing I have noticed as I lost weight is that my daily calories used has been decreasing again and again. This is based on needing less energy just to do anything (think how much energy is expended going up a staircase with a 20 stone body compared to a 9 stone body).

My internet readings indicated an advised 500 calorie deficit if wishing to lose weight. IMO any deficit will eventually produce weight loss, with the size of the deficit impacting the speed of weight loss.
However weight loss is a fickle thing leading people to talk of such things as bodies going into starvation mode to prevent further weight loss (I can't comment on the validity of that).

I would eat as normally as possible, but maybe take a look at the total days calories to check if your calorie intake is reducing as your weight reduces. Based on calories, I would not view salad / veg as needing reduction.

There have been times I have eaten more but lost weight, other times I have eaten less and not lost weight.
As in all my dietary habits I focus on broad brushstrokes designed to get me where I want to go. Eat in a way that should lose me the weight and keep blood sugars low, but also not care about going over here or there. Hard and fast rules would not be enjoyable for me.

 

[s'nic]

You've done brilliantly with your weight loss, and I'm sure you can get it moving in the right direction again.
Treats are fine, I totally approve of treats on a diet - for me that's something to factor in, not to count as 'rule breaking'

It seems your current diet will be lower in fibre at the moment. Higher salad/veg/fibre may be a step in the right direction.
I prefer a strong cheddar, but as it's high in fat I go for a 50% fat cheddar - I find it bland, but I like cheese, so it's better than nothing.
I use the Fage yogurts, they do a 5% fat greek yogurt - no additives or crap in it. i don't know how that would compare to your normal yogurt?

 

[Deb_l]

You are not eating enough. When we don't eat enough the body goes into famine mode and will hold on to any fat in your body for energy. Go back to what you were eating when you were losing weight. You are definitely not eating enough right now. You have to feed the fire I was once told. Good luck

Yes, I'm definitely not eating enough - I am absolutely starving all of the time now!!

I think I need to address exactly what I'm eating and I think that's possibly way too much fat, albeit good fat like yogurt, avocado etc. I absolutely LOVE yogurt and have cut down a lot recently but I suspect it may be time to ditch it completely from my diet for a while a concentrate on protein and fibre more.

 

[Deb_l]

It seems your current diet will be lower in fibre at the moment. Higher salad/veg/fibre may be a step in the right direction.
I prefer a strong cheddar, but as it's high in fat I go for a 50% fat cheddar - I find it bland, but I like cheese, so it's better than nothing.
I use the Fage yogurts, they do a 5% fat greek yogurt - no additives or crap in it. i don't know how that would compare to your normal yogurt?

I have definitely dropped my fibre intake recently. Not through choice but through needing to take in fewer calories but this has had a negative effect on everything, including my digestion!!

I think I'm going to have to reduce my fat intake, even though it's not particularly high fat, just full fat. I might try the Fage yogurt. The low fat supermarket Greek yogurt is rank and too sour to eat.

 

[Jasmin2000]

I have definitely dropped my fibre intake recently. Not through choice but through needing to take in fewer calories but this has had a negative effect on everything, including my digestion!!

I think I'm going to have to reduce my fat intake, even though it's not particularly high fat, just full fat. I might try the Fage yogurt. The low fat supermarket Greek yogurt is rank and too sour to eat.

Fiber has zero (insoluble fiber) or negligible (soluble fiber) calorie content and doesn't contribute to weight gain. Leaving it out will affect cholesterol control and make stable BG control more difficult. I throw a spoonful into soups, breads, and all sorts.

This might be helpful, https://www.eatingwell.com/article/8070018/fiber-and-weight-gain/

 

[s'nic]

Fiber has zero (insoluble fiber) or negligible (soluble fiber) calorie content and doesn't contribute to weight gain.

Agreed, fibre is a good thing in your diet, and will not impact weight
Your calories are in fats, carbs and proteins. Approx 9 in fats, 4 in carbs and 4 in proteins.

I don't count calories for my weight loss, I just remain aware of what foods are higher.
For the yogurt I have it with oats and fruit, and I mash the fruit a bit with a fork so it's juice naturally flavours the yogurt.
Fage do a 5% and a 0% fat version (both with zero additives). I have both in my fridge - if I want I can do a 2.5% fat yogurt (50/50), or if I know I'll eat quite a few fats later I can just have the zero fat one.

These are the ingredients, all natural and like proper yogurt (I'm not on commission honest, I just like it )
Fage 5%
Pasteurised Skimmed Milk, Cream (Milk), Live Active Yoghurt Cultures (L. Bulgaricus, S. Thermophilus L. Acidophilus, Bifidus, L. Casei)
Fage 0%
Pasteurised Skimmed Milk, Live Active Yoghurt Cultures (L. Bulgaricus, S. Thermophilus, L. Acidophilus, Bifidus, L. Casei)

 

[silver minion]

Hi Deb, you have achieved a lot getting your diabetes under control and losing weight. I agree with the thoughts already posted. Your current diet sounds quite restricted and not enough. Maybe try your original eating plan for 10 days and see if that makes a difference. Also if you are getting fitter you should lose fat and gain muscle. Muscle is heavier than fat. Try using a tape measure instead of scales. If you are losing inches (or not gaining inches) then you could be in better condition than you thought. Wishing you success with your goals

 

[s'nic]

@Deb_l What I said about a lighter body requiring less calories just for day to day life remains true, but my mind keeps coming back to your one stone gain.
With no changes at all, I would expect weight to plateau when calories in/out were very close, and your gain is a significant amount. These are some things I would be looking at if it happened to me

Thinking back, although scheduled exercise did not decrease, was there any decrease in other daily activity levels?
Again, thinking back - had the amount of higher calorie foods changed (eg items like cheese/nuts) between the time the weight loss stopped and the weight gain first started?
Approximately how many pounds weight gain a week were you seeing before / after your recent changes to diet?

As I said, it's a bit concerning (on the basis of absolutely nothing changing) - I did a bit of reading today, you may find this list useful, it's things which medical pages include as a potential cause of unexpected weight gain...

thyroid disorders​

medication side effect​

hormonal issues​

insufficient / poor sleep​

not drinking enough fluids​

bacteria in digestive tract out of balance (may get gas, bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhoea)​

excessive stress (where your body isn't able to relax/recharge regularly or sleep well enough)​

One web page did say "If you're unexpectedly gaining one to two pounds or more a week, and you don't see the numbers going down, then it might be time to see a doctor."
It also said a food log (everything eaten) and exercise log (including activities outside of workouts) may be helpful when speaking to a doc. Even a few days may be helpful.

 

[Deb_l]

@Deb_l What I said about a lighter body requiring less calories just for day to day life remains true, but my mind keeps coming back to your one stone gain.
With no changes at all, I would expect weight to plateau when calories in/out were very close, and your gain is a significant amount. These are some things I would be looking at if it happened to me

Thinking back, although scheduled exercise did not decrease, was there any decrease in other daily activity levels?
Again, thinking back - had the amount of higher calorie foods changed (eg items like cheese/nuts) between the time the weight loss stopped and the weight gain first started?
Approximately how many pounds weight gain a week were you seeing before / after your recent changes to diet?

As I said, it's a bit concerning (on the basis of absolutely nothing changing) - I did a bit of reading today, you may find this list useful, it's things which medical pages include as a potential cause of unexpected weight gain...

thyroid disorders​

medication side effect​

hormonal issues​

insufficient / poor sleep​

not drinking enough fluids​

bacteria in digestive tract out of balance (may get gas, bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhoea)​

excessive stress (where your body isn't able to relax/recharge regularly or sleep well enough)​

One web page did say "If you're unexpectedly gaining one to two pounds or more a week, and you don't see the numbers going down, then it might be time to see a doctor."
It also said a food log (everything eaten) and exercise log (including activities outside of workouts) may be helpful when speaking to a doc. Even a few days may be helpful.

Thank you for your reply. Yes, I’ve got a few unexpected things going on. Despite losing all this weight, my cholesterol has gone up and up. I then went and got gout a few weeks ago too!!

Back in May, I was running, swimming and walking regularly. I’m still swimming and walking but both activities are, quite honestly, exhausting me. Doctor has asked me to go for blood tests for my uric acid (gout), cholesterol, HbA1c but I can’t get booked in for several weeks yet.

I’ve not slept properly for many, many months due to hot flushes. This is getting better now I’ve started HRT again.

I’ve even contemplated having a go at the ‘ZOE’ thing but I’ve no idea if it will give me the diet answers I’m looking for and I don’t really want to waste my money. For now, I’m ditching the yogurt (so sad) and other full fat foods, like nuts.

 

[s'nic]

I'm glad you are getting checked out properly.
I've got a lifetime habit of not sleeping properly - at the very start my mother thought I was teething ... after trying every resolution she cottoned on to the truth. I'd decided I'd slept enough and wanted to get up and play! 😎
I slept real bad last night - could not sleep again after waking, I got about 4.5 hrs sleep.

For sleeping my understanding is that if you can properly rest and relax, then it's almost as good as sleeping. I'm sure I read that long ago - but I can't say whether physicians have changed their minds on that like they do sometimes.
But I'd certainly concentrate on relaxing fully if you can't sleep. Even if that means getting back up and relaxing on the sofa with a hot drink before trying sleep again.
Be wary of running yourself into the ground trying to do all you were before, the main thing for now is to eat sensibly, focus on your health and ensure you have the energy for daily stuff and chasing up doctors appointments.