Low-carb diets are very effective. That is a scientific fact.
However, as with any diet, people sometimes stop losing before they reach their desired weight.
Here are the top 15 reasons why you’re not losing weight on a low-carb diet.
1. You Are Losing Fat, You Just Don’t Realize it
Weight loss isn’t a linear process.
If you weigh yourself every day, then there will be days where the scale goes down, other days where it goes up.
It doesn’t mean that the diet isn’t working, as long as the general trend is going downwards.
Many people lose a lot of weight in the first week of low-carbing, but it is mostly water weight. Weight loss will slow down significantly after that initial phase.
Of course, losing weight is not the same as losing fat.
It is possible, especially if you’re new to weight lifting, that you are gaining muscle at the same time that you’re losing fat.
To make sure that you’re losing, use something other than just the scale (which is a big, fat liar). Use a measuring tape to measure your waist circumference and have your body fat percentage measured every month or so.
Also, take pictures. Take note of how your clothes fit. If you’re looking thinner and your clothes are looser, then you ARE losing fat no matter what the scale says.
Bottom Line: Weight loss isn’t linear and there’s a lot more to weight than just body fat. Be patient and use other ways of measuring than just the scale.
2. You’re Not Cutting Back on Carbohydrates Enough
Some people are more carb sensitive than others.
If you’re eating low-carb and your weight starts to plateau, then you may want to cut back on carbs even further.
In that case, go under 50 grams of carbs per day.
When you go under 50 grams per day then you’re going to have to eliminate most fruits from your diet, although you can have berries in small amounts.
If that doesn’t work either, going under 20 grams temporarily can work… eating just protein, healthy fats and leafy green vegetables.
To make sure that you’re really eating low-carb, create a free account on Fitday and log your food intake for a while.
Bottom Line: If you are carb sensitive, then you may want to temporarily eliminate fruits and eat less than 50 grams of carbs per day.
3. You’re Stressed All The Time
Unfortunately, it isn’t always enough to just eat healthy and exercise.
We need to make sure that our bodies are functioning optimally and that our hormonal environment is favorable.
Being stressed all the time keeps the body in a constant state of “fight or flight” – with elevated levels of stress hormones like cortisol.
Having chronically elevated cortisol levels can increase your hunger and cravings for unhealthy foods (1, 2).
If you want to cut back on stress, try meditation and deep breathing exercises. Cut back on distractions like Facebook and news media, read more books instead.
Bottom Line: Chronic stress can have negative effects on your hormonal environment, making you hungrier and preventing you from losing weight.
4. You’re Not Eating Real Food
A low-carb diet is about more than just lowering your intake of carbs.
You have to replace those carbohydrates with real, nutritious foods.
Throw away all processed low-carb products like Atkins bars, they are not real food and they are NOT good for your health.
Stick to meats, fish, eggs, vegetables and healthy fats if you need to lose weight.
Also, “treats” like paleo cookies and brownies can cause problems even though they’re made with healthy ingredients. They should be considered as occasional treats, not something you eat every day.
What is also important is to eat enough FAT. If you try to cut back on carbs AND fat, you will end up ravenously hungry and feel like crap.
Eating a diet with nothing but protein is a very bad idea. Low-carb, high-fat and moderate protein is the way to go if you want to get into ketosis, which is the optimal hormonal environment to burn body fat.
Bottom Line: You need to replace the carbs with real, nutritious foods. To lose weight, stick to meats, fish, eggs, healthy fats and vegetables.
5. You’re Eating Too Many Nuts
Nuts are real foods, no doubt about that.
They are also very high in fat, almonds for example having about 70% of calories as fat.
However, nuts are very easy to overeat on.
Their crunchiness and high energy density give us the ability to eat large amounts of them without feeling full.
I personally can eat a bag of nuts and still not feel satisfied, even though that one bag contains more calories than a meal.
If you’re snacking on nuts every day (or worse, nut butters) then chances are that you’re just eating way too many calories.
Bottom Line: Nuts have a very high energy density and are easy to overeat on. If you’re constantly snacking on nuts, try eliminating them.
6. You’re Not Sleeping Enough
Sleep is incredibly important for overall health and studies show that a lack of sleep correlates with weight gain and obesity (3, 4).
A lack of sleep can make us feel hungrier (5, 6). It will also make us tired and less motivated to exercise and eat healthy.
Sleep is one of the pillars of health. If you’re doing everything right but still not getting proper sleep, then you won’t see anywhere near the results you might expect.
If you have a sleeping disorder, see a doctor. They are often easily treatable.
Some tips to improve sleep:
- Avoid caffeine after 2pm.
- Sleep in complete darkness.
- Avoid alcohol and physical exercise in the last few hours before sleep.
- Do something relaxing before sleep, like reading.
- Try to go to bed at a similar time each night.
Bottom Line: Sleep is absolutely crucial for optimal health. Studies show that a lack of sleep can make you eat more and gain weight.
7. You’re Eating Too Much Dairy
Another low-carb food that can cause problems for some people is dairy.
Some dairy products, despite being low in carbs, are still pretty high in protein.
Protein, like carbs, can raise insulin levels, which drives energy into storage.
The amino acid composition in dairy protein makes it very potent at spiking insulin. In fact, dairy proteins can spike insulin as much as white bread (7, 8).
Even though you may seem to tolerate dairy products just fine, eating them often and spiking insulin can be detrimental to the metabolic adaptation that needs to take place in order to reap the full benefits of low-carb diets.
In this case, avoid milk, cut back on the cheese, yogurt and cream. Butter is fine as it is very low in protein and lactose and therefore won’t spike insulin.
Bottom Line: The amino acid composition in dairy proteins make them spike insulin fairly effectively. Try eliminating all dairy except butter.
8. You’re Not Exercising Right (or at all)
You should NOT exercise with the goal of burning calories.
The calories burned during exercise are usually insignificant, they can easily be negated by eating a few extra bites of food at the next meal.
However, exercise is critical for both physical and mental health.
Exercise, in the long run, can help you lose weight by improving your metabolic health, increasing your muscle mass and making you feel awesome.
But it’s important to do the right kind of exercise. Nothing but cardio on the treadmill is unlikely to give you good results and doing too much may even be detrimental.
Weight lifting – this will greatly improve your hormonal environment and increase your muscle mass, which will help you lose weight over the long term.
Interval training – doing high intensity intervals is an excellent form of cardio that improves your metabolism and raises your levels of human growth hormone.
Low intensity – being active and doing some low-intensity work like walking is a great idea. The human body was designed to move around, not sit in a chair all day.
Bottom Line: The right kinds of exercise improve your hormonal environment, increase your muscle mass and make you feel awesome.
9. You’re Eating Too Many Sweeteners
Despite some sweeteners having no calories, they can affect our appetite levels.
Several studies show that artificial sweeteners can affect appetite, either negatively or positively, in some cases making people eat more overall calories (9, 10).
Additionally, consumption of artificial sweeteners is associated with weight gain in the long term (11, 12).
This probably depends on the individual, but if you’re eating a lot of sweeteners and aren’t losing weight then you may want to try removing them.
Bottom Line: Despite being calorie free, artificial sweeteners can affect our appetite, in some cases leading to a net increase in overall calories.
10. You Have a Medical Condition Getting in Your Way
There are certain medications that are known to stimulate weight gain.
If you look at the list of side effects for the medications you are taking and see “weight gain” on the list – then make an appointment with your doctor.
Perhaps there is another drug available that doesn’t cause weight gain.
If you’re doing everything right and still aren’t getting results, then perhaps you have some underlying medical problem.
Many hormonal disorders can cause problems losing weight, particularly hypothyroidism.
In that case, make an appointment with your doctor. Explain that you’re having problems losing weight and that you want to rule out any medical issues.
Bottom Line: Certain medical issues and medications can cause weight problems. See a doctor to discuss your options.
11. You’re Always Eating
It is a persistent myth in health and fitness circles that everyone should be eating many, small meals throughout the day.
This has actually been studied thoroughly. No advantage has been found to eating more frequent and smaller meals (13, 14).
It is natural for humans to eat fewer meals per day and sometimes go long time periods without food.
Some people do something called intermittent fasting, eating in an 8 hour window each day or doing 24 hour fasts 1-2 times per week. This can be very useful to break through a plateau.
Bottom Line: There is no proven benefit to eating many small meals throughout the day. Try eating fewer meals and consider giving intermittent fasting a shot.
12. You’re Cheating Too Often
For people who are able to control themselves, having cheat meals or days every now and then may be fine.
For others, especially those who are prone to food addiction, having cheat meals is likely to do more harm than good.
If you’re cheating often… either with “small cheats” here and there or entire days where you eat nothing but junk food, then it can easily ruin your progress.
Having more than 1-2 cheat meals per week (or one cheat day) is going to be excessive.
If you just can’t seem to control yourself around unhealthy foods no matter what you try, then perhaps you have food addiction. In that case, completely removing the junk foods from your life is probably a good idea.
Bottom Line: Some people can eat junk food from time to time without ruining their progress, but that doesn’t apply to everyone. For others, cheat meals will do more harm than good.
13. You’re Eating Too Many Calories
At the end of the day, calories do matter.
One of the main reasons low-carb diets are so effective is that they reduce appetite and make people eat less overall calories without trying.
If you’re not losing weight but are doing all the right things, then try counting calories for a while.
Again, create a free account on Fitday and track your intake for a few days.
Aim for a deficit of 500 calories per day, which theoretically should make you lose 1 pound of weight per week (doesn’t always work in practice).
Bottom Line: It is possible to eat so many calories that you stop losing weight. Try counting calories and aim for a 500 cal/day deficit for a while.
14. You Don’t Have Realistic Expectations
At the end of the day, weight loss takes time.
It is a marathon, not a race.
Losing 1-2 pounds per week is a realistic goal.
Some people will lose weight faster than that, others slower.
But it’s also important to keep in mind that not everyone can look like a fitness model.
At some point, you will reach a healthy set point weight, which may be above what you initially hoped for.
Bottom Line: It is important to have realistic expectations. Weight loss takes a long time and not everyone can look like a fitness model.
15. You’ve Been “Cutting” For Too Long
I don’t think it’s a good idea to be in a calorie deficit for too long at a time.
The leanest people on earth (bodybuilders and fitness models) never do this. They do cycles of “bulking” and “cutting.”
If you eat at a calorie deficit for many months (or years) then eventually your metabolic rate may slow down.
If you’ve been dieting for a long time, then a two month period where you aim to “maintain” and gain a bit of muscle may be what you need to get things started again.
Of course, this doesn’t mean eating bad foods, just more of the good stuff.
After these two months are over, you can start “dieting” again.
16. Anything else…?
Have you ever managed to break through a weight loss plateau?
Feel free to leave a comment here below if you want to add to the list!
Good point on the #11, from a weight perspective it’s true. But not from an energy perspective.
I’ve found two things to be true when working with people.
A. Having people eat more often (forced scheduled eating) prevents them from eating the wrong foods and fights off sugar cravings by keeping a more stable blood sugar and appetite.
B. Having people eat more often improves energy levels. Tons of people complain about having low energy throughout the day, and I’ve often looked at their diet and the only thing they eat in the first 6 hours of being awake is a “bagel” or something similar.
A nice piece of chicken for breakfast seems to help ;)
There’s a study were two groups of people were given the same food same calories. They were the same weight and one group ate the meals throughout the day the other 3 meals. The second group lost more weight. And when one eats every 2-3 hours you’re training your body to become a carb burner and ultimately we all want our bodies to be fat burning machines.
Wow. This one article does a fantastic job of pulling together and putting all the conflicting information all in one place. Eat enough fat, but not too many nuts because they are high in fat. Don’t eat too many calories, but don’t cut them either. Exercise is necessary, even though it’s not.
No wonder so many people like me are just Over. It. and have decided that no one has any idea why we gain or lose weight.
FTR – I did moderate and then low carb (Atkins induction level) and lost no weight. I was treated for hypothyroidism and gained weight. Exercise makes me ravenous, then I sleep for 15 hours.
I’m just going to go get a pizza and soda and forget all this nonsense.
I don’t know the reason why some people can’t lose no matter what they try. I’m sorry to hear that nothing has worked for you.
Btw I think you may be misinterpreting the article. There is always a “but” in nutrition, because it usually depends on the individual.
I have only been following your advice here for about 3 days and I have noticed a difference in my hunger for sure. However, you mention “moderate” protein, what is the range for that. This is what my nutrition stats say today…
Total calories: 842, carbs: 17, fat: 33, protein: 58, sodium: 98 sugar: 3
I do eat cheese and that concerns me. I work out 6 days a week. M,W,F I do 40 minutes of circuit training and 20 minutes on the lean program for the Bowflex.
On Tues, Thur, and Saturday I do the Jeanette Jenkins Bikini Bootcamp.
Am I on the right track here? Because I feel great. I should mention that this exercise schedule has been in place since Jan 3.
Any suggestions to ensure success? I am 41.
If you’re feeling good and seeing results then keep on doing what you’re doing. “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.”
That is a pretty low calorie intake though, in the long run you’re going to want to eat more than that.
Good!
No offense Lissa, but I think you are choosing to interpret this article as containing conflicting information because you’re looking for an excuse not to worry about your diet and lifestyle.
Lissa,
I just discovered this website, and this guy is saying everything I’ve discovered for myself and have been trying to tell everyone. I have hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto’s thyroid disease, and struggled with my weight for years.
My weight problems started when I tried to lose some beer weight by going on a low fat diet in college, eating mostly bagels. This absolutely *destroyed* my metabolism.
I starved myself more and more and kept working out on treadmills and ellipticals, only to keep gaining weight. The first time I was able to lose weight was when I did the Atkin’s diet. That worked well, but I still had to be careful not to ever eat sugar, or I’d gain weight really quickly.
The real breakthrough came for me when I changed my exercise routine from cardio to Crossfit, and to yet another new level when I fine-tuned my low carb lifestyle to paleo.
Now I eat about 60% more calories than before, I’m never hungry, I’m still slowly losing fat and fitting into my old clothes from the beginning of college (now wearing size 4 pants), and I eat low-sugar desserts all the time. I drink black coffee to keep my tastebuds calibrated so that I don’t crave sugary sweet crap anymore. Ever. Donuts are now about as tempting to me as candy floss. My favorite treat is dark chocolate with 90% cacao. (I worked my way up from 65% to 72% to 78% to 85% to 90%.) I also make ice cream and souffles with coconut milk, and eat tons of macadamia nuts.
One more thing. Gluten sensitivity is common for people with Hashimoto’s like me. Now that I’ve cut bread and flour out even more strictly, the weird aches and pains I used to get through my arms and shoulders have gone away, and my hair is growing in thicker.
The trick to the low carb diet is that your body first has to go through a sort of withdrawal phase. You feel crappy for the first 3 days (longer than that if you cheat) while your body adjusts to burning fat instead of carbs. Then it gets easier. Many people never make it past that 3-day threshold, unfortunately.
I have been on a NO carb diet for 62 days now and I always feel tired. I am diabetic and have a sensitivity to carbs. My Doc requested that I cut out carbs to try to gain control of my wacky sugar levels and since doing this I have noticed a big change…. that is until I started adding sour cream to my carrot and celery stick snacks and having read the article about dairy I now see why so I have cut out sour cream as of today.. I eat lots of carrot and celery throughout the day in between regular meals and started dipping them in Philadelphia cream cheese for variety, then moved on to sour cream to break the monotony of flavours so what can I add now? Anyone?
I have lost 11kgs and need to lose more but due to a physical impairment to my right foot find it difficult to walk etc.. I have been thinking of hydrotherapy for some time but have really been to lazy to follow it up.
That has changed now since reading all the articles today, I feel that to kick start my weight loss again I need to start hydro this week and cut out as much dairy as I can. Maybe aged, crumbly cheddar should replace sour cream? Any suggestions?
A typical day for me is a cup of coffee and eggs for breakfast, Salad with tinned salmon or tuna for lunch, some sort of meat protein with salad or veggies for dinner.
In between meals I have carrot and celery sticks (about 4 of each), lots of water and the occasional piece of fruit.
I hope I am doing the right thing? What do you think?
I am 58 now…
Try dipping the veggies in hummus or even just fresh salsa!
Tink,
I applaud you for taking charge of your diabetic condition rather than choosing to continue eating carbs and just medicating, which would only make your health worse. So many are not willing to take control of their diet that way. Kudos!
Now… if you are still feeling tired, even though by eating no carbs (I’m guessing you are actually getting at least 40-50 grams/carb or so a day in veggies), but if you are still feeling tired, I would ask how much fat are you eating? To become keto-adapted, and to stick to a low-carb diet for the long haul, you need to be getting a significant portion of your caloric intake from fat.
The temptation is to eat more protein than your body can really use, in which case your glucose-accustomed metabolism will actually convert the excess protein to sugar, and you won’t truly become a fat-burner, keto-adapted, and feeling strong and full of energy throughout the day. If you want all the nuts and bolts understandings of the whys and wherefores, I suggest a book called The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living by Volek and Phinney.
If you want to gain easy-to-understand insight into healthy, low carb eating, with tips on how much fat and protein are good for you, I recommend The Rosedale Diet, by Dr. Rosedale, which includes explanations of why it works, with a detailed way of determining how much protein is right for your body, and great recipes and meal tips.
I was like you, got super frustrated (except for the treatment thingy) lived at my mom’s place after college, since she is a vegetarian there was no meat served at the house and all my friends were gone so I wasn’t going out to eat either. In three months I lost 12 KG. I am 1m70. I was 83KG now (2 years later) I am 60KG.
Try cutting out meat. There are a lot of weight gain hormones in them designed to make the animal bulk up!
You gotta be having a laugh right? You are one of those people who eats all the wrong foods, probably have 3 sugars in your hot chocolates every day and can’t work out why you’re not losing weight. This article is easy to understand if you have a general knowledge of health.
I have hypothyroidism and I am having trouble with my weight. Thought about Atkins but Weight Watchers did not work for me. I do work out. Not sure what to do at this point.
You madam are what is known in the trade as…
A quitter!
Congratulations.
Lissa, sleeping 15 hours after binging sounds like a sugar issue maybe. I am diabetic, Type 2, and have an awful time losing weight. I am on a variety of medicines for a variety of disorders that all seem to cause weight gain. It’s ridiculous. On the other hand, since being diagnosed with diabetes, I am learning what MY body needs. One thing I’ve learned is that too many carbs at one time puts me to sleep. I have adjusted my breakfast to be low or no carbs and the 10.30am slump is avoided. I think we all just have to learn about how our individual bodies react to certain foods and diets etc and make common sense decisions: some varied and regular exercise, moderation in eating, and find a way to deal with stress. Good luck!
I don’t mean to chuckle but Lissa speaks for a vast majority of us “low carbers”. Low carb life takes a lot of time, effort and sheer discipline. Though my insides are MUCH healthier…my outside looks the same and I am not happy about it.
As for the comment about calories…didn’t Gary Taubes dispel the whole “calories in – calories out”? Isn’t Wheat Belly and Why We Get Fat all about carbs and glycemic index verses calories? If people have to worry about carbs, fats, calories and glycemic index, do you think that that alone is stressful?
I’m on Wheat Belly’s FB page and I asked a question about “cheat” foods and the response I got back from some women were “what could you possibly cheat on when you can make anything from the Wheat Belly cookbook?” I was veered as some crazy lady. My response to their question was fruit. Imagine that…eating fruit?? Lord have mercy on my soul right? I haven’t eaten a grape or banana or mango since July of 2012!
A lot of info to digest and a major dichotomy to change. This is an uphill battle…I just hope I don’t get hit by a bus instead of natural causes.
You should be able to enjoy berries or citrus everyday and stay below 100 carbs, even 50 if that is what you crave. I would rather have them than just about anything. Just watch the serving size. I love cuties… 8grams carbs, I savor every little segment… lol.
What do you eat to get potassium then Sweets?
Kris, thanks for this! I’ve been low/no-carbing since January, and started gaining after my first swerve off-course (went home to visit family for five days… oof). I got back on track, but have steadily gained 8 pounds since the beginning of the year.
I’ve seen many other GREAT changes in my health, and I’m determined to stick with it and just keep tweaking. This article gave me some really helpful ideas in that regard.
This is a great list. One additional thing to add to it is a person’s level of toxicity. Weight gain that does not respond to exercise or diet is usually due to toxicity and this can be the greatest challenge to losing weight (especially for women). Today we are overwhelmed with toxins on a daily basis through the environment, food, water, cleaning and personal care products, medication and a host of other things.
“When toxins enter your body they have an affinity for fat cells, due to the fact that they are fat soluble. When the toxins attach to the outer cell membrane which is made of a lipid bi-layer (two layers of fat), it causes the cells to continually release Leptin. And when Leptin is elevated too often, just like Insulin in Type II Diabetes, the receptors burn out and the message is not heard. Leptin is the hormone that tells the brain to burn fat for energy, therefore, weight gain that does not respond to exercise or diet is inevitably due to Leptin resistance.” http://www.maximizedliving.com/Home/MaximizedLivingBlog/tabid/772/Article/192/Default.aspx
Thanks for the comment, but that doesn’t really make sense. The article you cited doesn’t list any references.
References are at the bottom of this article:
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/detox-for-weight-loss-body-toxins-effect-hypothalamus-hormones-2433554.html
This is the only reliable source they cite: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18166376
Offspring of rats exposed to high amounts of one pesticide, chlorpyrifos, gained more weight than control rats.
The evidence is our children and their obesity and diabetes. Our Western diet as we know it now, makes us want more, more, more… So getting rid of processed, sugary foods, and white stuff is the only answer. We all have our little rubs that we have to accommodate… mine is cheese. But watching the video with the Dr. with MS, curing herself with real food and vitamins and minerals tells me… this works. The Western diet is actually starving us.
Patience is a virtue and it takes time. Not having MS, I don’t go to her extreme but I am the only one of my friends who does not have a spare tire (I’m 65) and they are noticing and asking how I do it. Especially since I eat in front of them. I feel great and it’s really been rewarding and in the meantime, I’ve given up diet coke, very happy about that. So keep on, keeping on, one day at a time.
Thanks for this article. I needed to read it.
Question. This is the first I’ve heard you say something negative about dairy (other than eating it in moderation). I’m curious to learn more about how it works with insulin, and which types do the least/most damage. (I see that butter is the least.) I try to eat a lot of yogurt for the probiotics and have never thought cheese could have an effect on insulin. Could you talk about this more? Is the Greek yogurt craze actually causing higher insulin levels than regular yogurt?
Also, regarding the proteins in dairy products… Are these proteins very different from those in meats? I’ve never heard anything negative about proteins until, so I’d love to learn more about it. I need to kick start my weight loss again.
I have nothing against dairy, it’s just one of those things that tend to cause weight loss plateaus for some people.
The proteins are slightly different. They are more insulinogenic because of a different amino acid content.
Here’s a good article on dairy and insulin: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/dairy-insulin/
I often hear that eggs is not a dairy, but for me it really does not matter whether its and meat, dairy, or poultry, the problem is the hormones in the animal and that’s what I don’t want in my body. I’m diabetic and I drink almond milk for calcium, I don’t do the dairy at all and I eat only sardines and shrimp, nuts, beans and veggies for protein!
Kris, I am very confused about Fats on low carb. What is the baseline that we should eat on fats. And please don’t give me percentages. Just tell me in measurements, 1 tablespoon per day, 2 teaspoons per day, half an avocado per day and so on. I know it will vary with each individual’s weight loss journey but I need a reference point as to where to start. I basically use olive oil, coconut oil and mayo for my fats but don’t know if I’m using too much or too little.
My protein requirements have to stay at around 100 grams per day because of health issues. But I do notice that when I don’t have enough fats I get hungry but when I have more, then I don’t lose weight, so any suggestions would be appreciated. Your articles are most informative and very much appreciated for all the research you do and that you share that research with us. Thanks much.
Just eat fatty cuts of meat and cook your foods with some healthy fats. About a tablespoon of added fat with each meal, I suppose.
If you need to eat less, a teaspoon of added fat with each meal.
You missed two of the most important factors with nutrition:
Circadian cycle and EMF…
There is a lot more than the calories you put in your mouth.
If those two factors stay in your blind spot you are doomed whatever you try.
I have been in light to moderate nutritional ketosis, 0.6-3.1 mmol for two months. I have maybe lost 8 pounds total, frustrating, yes, but, at the end of the day, I’d rather be healthy on the inside than “look good” on the outside. I would like to throw my scale out the window (but I won’t because I do use it as a vague gauge that I’m heading in the right direction) because it doesn’t give me an accurate picture of my progress.
I’m sure I’ve replaced muscle with fat–even though I’ve worked out my entire life and lifting isn’t new to me, I still think I’ve created an environment that supports muscle growth and fat burning. Even though muscle and fat weigh the same, muscle takes up less space. I like what you said about focusing on the way clothes fit.
As for the going out and grabbing pizza girl… I completely understand your frustration, however, pizza and other junk food will continue to push you further from your health goals and ultimately cause all sorts of disease.
That said, I really hope you continue to eat real food because eventually the weight takes care of itself. Making weight loss the focus is so disheartening! Focus on making your body the healthiest it can be… I have my blood work done regularly (2-3 months) by my naturopath and that is way more inspirational than my scale.
Dear Kris.
Your information above is really good. I would like to share my experience, before a few months ago I was 265 pounds & now 200 pounds. I am doing regular exercise on a tread mill every day for 30 minutes & cycling 15 minutes then abdominal for 20 minutes. I am losing on average 2 pounds per week. For food I am eating like bread & boiled eggs in morning, vegetables & Indian bread in afternoon & in evening salad like Carrot or tomatoes.
Would like to check with you, am I going on right track or will bounce back by gaining weight in near future. Need your advice.
If it’s working then I don’t see a problem.
Your mindset is the most essential thing if you wanna do anything and that includes losing weight. If you really want to lose that weight, you will make that change. You won’t succeed no matter how much superb great advice is given to you if you yourselves don’t wanna make that change.
I broke through a very very long plateau by limiting the amount of protein I eat since protein can spike your insulin production (for some people).
I also stopped eating snacks in between meals except for a snack before dinner since I usually eat dinner late. And I also added MCT oil to my morning shake.
That’s all all I did and after a while, I noticed that I was less hungry. It took some self control to not eat snacks but after not too long, I really noticed the day the “mouth hunger” went away.
Hope this helps.
Kris, I have been on a high protein, low starch, NO sugar, NO alcohol, NO Nuts nor beans, NO fruit lifestyle since October 25th, 2012. I only eat when I’m hungry — usually twice daily, sometimes 3 times, on two occasions I ate almost constantly — although all protein, and on three occasions I only ate once for the day.
Every meal I eat a different protein so to confuse my body and stay out of eating ruts. I don’t measure or count calories nor pay ANY attention to portions. I stop eating when I feel comfortable. The program that introduced me to this food style, doesn’t allow us to weigh ourselves and I have to tell you, I believe it is a major contributor to my success.
I started at a size 22 and am now between a 10 and 12 (just 4 months and 2 weeks later). I take a photo on every 25th of the month and can’t believe the differences! I don’t consume dairy except cheese and it is only as a condiment, never as a snack or entree. I am concerned that the calcium I get from vegetables and cheese isn’t enough. I seem to get an upset stomach when I take vitamins (except vitamin D).
Question 1) So, please feel free to provide other caclium sources other than vitamins. I am severely allergic to fish (yes ALL fish, not just shellfish). For 3 months I was in ketosis but now, I’m barely in ketosis (I use the test strips a couple times a week). At times I was consuming too much cheese so I back off for a week and then I drop.
My friends are concerned when they see me eating so much meat (beef, bison, pork, chicken, turkey, lamb, and eggs). Although my blood chems have proven to be impeccable (ttl chol 201, LDLs 112, HDLs 45 — I think), they said the chicken skin I eat (well cooked — crispy), is bad for me and will give me heart disease especially since I eat bacon, and lamb. I only eat chicken skin twice a week in the form of my buffalo chicken wings (non-breaded/battered).
Question 2) Do I really need to worry long-term about the chicken skin? Finally, I am exercising but have in the past had a problem gaining bulk very easily (high natural testosterone levels). I currently only do yoga, pilates, and walk on a treadmill (two times daily, 60 min each time but only 1.1mph with no incline because my calves are bulky and I am trying to lengthen them — hence no incline). I also do a ballet series of exercises to lengthen the muscles 3 times per week. Once a week I work abs (through planks). My job makes me sweat 4 days a week (sport massage therapist).
Question 3) Do I have to do formal exercise weights/interval training? I started weight training and doing Zumba for 1 week back in January and bulked up, hating how I looked– and stopped immediately. I read that jumping around and any impact exercise can also bulk you up. Once I get to my goal (size 4 or 6 waiting to see how I feel), I can’t wait to reintroduce berries and wine periodically. Hope you find time to comment. Thanks for the article I agree with ALL of it.
“Question 3) Do I have to do formal exercise weights/interval training? I started weight training and doing Zumba for 1 week back in January and bulked up, hating how I looked– and stopped immediately.”
I am dying here. You bulked up after a whole week of lifting and zumba? BS. Unless you were taking steroids, a week of lifting would do nothing other than make you sore. Women lift for years and never look bulky, men have to eat thousands of calories a day and often supplement in order to get bulk.
Lifting would cause you to lose fat, zumba would cause you to lose fat, but neither after only a week. It takes 12-16 weeks to get results from anything. Nothing happens in a week.
Hahahah amazing. I lost it when I read that part about zumba too.
Perhaps it’s all that protein that’s making you bulk up, your body will use only the protein that is needed, after that your body will store the rest as fat, you should cut back and replace the meat with beans, nuts and veggies 3 or 4 times a week to see better results !
Negative. Protein is the macronutrient that causes the greatest amount of satiety and can help boost metabolism slightly.
Generally speaking, the more protein in a diet, the easier it will be to lose weight. However, on a low-carb diet, eating too much protein can prevent someone from getting into ketosis.
I’ve seen a number of clients not losing weight on very low carb paleo diets. For some people INCREASING carbs works far better than trying to drop carbs lower. Some people get cravings and often keep adding fats and protein to try and get satiety on low carb diets. The calorie intake ratchets up.
I recommend people cut down on protein to about a palm size (leanish) in a meal, add about a cup of root veg to their meals. Then fill the rest of their plate with colourful non starch veg and add just a dash of fat. In my observation satiety improves; the starch and a little insulin make some feel far more satisfied than added fat or protein.
Plus this type of meal is limited in calories – for a female the meals adds up to 300 – 400 or so calories – yet they have a huge plateful of food that often lasts 4 – 6 hours. The large plateful makes you feel really full and satisfied as the stretch receptos in the stomach register a full tummy. I eat this way and it is by far the best way for me to feel full, and lose weight.
Low carb is NOT the best way to feel sated and lose weight for all. I have had numerous peole say they FEEL so much better on this plan too. Energy and sleep improves.
I’ve had clients completely plateued on a very low carb diet – switch to moderate carb balanced paleo diet and suddenly weight starts dropping off.
Some really useful tips here. Sometimes it’s the little things that get you. I was snacking way too much on nuts without realising I was sabotaging my diet.
So I lost about 20-25 lbs eating super low carb about a year ago and have been at the same weight since. I am extremely active (Competitive crossfitter) and workout 2-3 hours of heavy lifting and short intense cardio 5-6 days a week. I still have a little bit of fat to lose too and just don’t know what else to do.
I am thinking I might not be eating enough and so my body is holding onto the fat. Am I just making this up as an excuse? I eat eggs, lean meats, lots of veggies, wasn’t eating much fruit, and avocadoes/healthy fats with limited nuts for the past year as I train.
I just started implementing more berries, sweet potatoes, and even some oatmeal on high volume days because I was thinking maybe my metabolism has gotten too stagnant. Also, as much as I promote paleo/low carb lifestyle, I think some people just train too much that they need actual carbs other than sweet potatoes and veggies.
Just wanted an opinion on maybe if I’m doing this wrong. Thanks!
I frequently find that Crossfitters need more carbs, and need to adjust their diet to lose that last bit of weight – and not lower carbs.
I wrote 2 posts about this: http://paleozonenutrition.com/2013/02/20/low-carb-paleo-crossfit-not-losing-weight-my-recommendations/
Hi Kris – Started low-carb last month, after doing some research (which included your website). I lost 5 lbs in a month restricting carbs to 75-100g/day, but the weight loss has slowed down. Last week, when I weighed myself, I had lost 0.5 lbs when I had been losing 1-1.5lbs in the weeks before. This week, I haven’t lost any.
To help things along, I had been considering trying to be more restrictive regarding chocolate (After 10+ years of having a dessert every night, I have downgraded to about 120 calories of a 70-80% dark chocolate bar, most nights of the week).
After perusing this article, I’m wondering if I might be better served to cut down on the dairy. I love dairy! Milk, yogurt, cheese, mmhmm… I already have reduced my yogurt intake to an occasional on the go snack, but I find it very difficult to give up the cheese on my morning spinach and green pepper omelet, or the nice cold glass of organic whole milk that my toddler and I share. Thoughts?
(P.S. I was also using Fitday to help keep track of my calories and carb/protein/fat intake, but you also recently recommended cronometer… Is one better than the other? I could really do without the irritating ads on Fitday.)
I should probably add that I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant, so I am probably more sensitive to carbs than other people.
This is a great article. Some people get so frustrated with the low carb diet plan (http://www.dukandiet.com/The-Dukan-Diet/4-Phases) that they come to the brink of giving up. Low carb dieting is difficult but the best part about it is that you can go at your own pace. I’ve found that people who slowly eliminate high carb foods are more likely to lose weight than people who go off carbs overnight because the former group is less likely to binge eat.
I have been on the Medifast diet for one year. I lost 16 lbs and went to visit family over Christmas and even though I am still on the diet I have gained it all back except for 3.5 lbs. Any suggestions?
Sure, try this: http://authoritynutrition.com/low-carb-diet-meal-plan-and-menu/
I really like this article, really useful information. I have been following a low carb plan for nearly 3 months now to help with my gym plan. A way of getting leaner rather than losing weight! I haven’t lost much weight as my training consists of 3 days weights and 2 HIIT days pw.
But so far I have lost 1 3/4 inches from my waist and 1 inch from my hips so know it works. I would like to become much leaner though and reckon the elimination of nuts might be the way to go! Thanks for putting this out there!
Great list, Kris. As someone who has been on a low carb diet several times, I can relate with many of these (especially eating too many nuts).
I appreciate the things on the list. Can’t figure out which might apply to me, though. I’ve been very low carb for six months now. For the first 4 1/2 months I did really well, then hit about a 6 week (so far) plateau. But it’s not just a plateau–I’m actually gaining fat. I can see it in my more round face and feel it in my stomach.
Ye I don’t eat nuts, eat just a smidge of cheese now, eat more fat than protein and only eat about 1600-1800 calories a day (female). I never eat anything but “real foods”- in fact living in a thirld world country I have no access to Atkins bars or “low-carb” breads and pasta and that kind of garbage. I eat fresh beef, butter, vegetables, homeade olive oil salad dressing, coconut oil and occasionally some chicken. (Our choices of clean, safe meat are very, very limited). I don’t eat all the time–usually just two meals a day, never cheat. I don’t even want carby foods anymore.
At the beginning I was losing weight really fast (almost 100 pounds so far, which is great! However I’m still very overweight. I need to lose at least 50 more pounds to even get close to the upper end of proper weight for my height.) I also was very sedentary at the beginning. Now I have more energy and do lift weights a few times a week and do some walking (with bursts of running) every day. Yet I’m gaining fat. Not muscle (which I am gaining a bit) but also fat. Visibly.
That’s incredible, congrats on your awesome success. 100 pounds is a LOT.
Losing those last pounds can often be tricky. It’s possible that you need to cut back on calories even further to continue losing.
Hi Kris,
Thanks for the article, very interesting, helpful and true.
My story goes like this (I’ll try to keep it brief): I was 64kg and eating very ‘healthy’ for many months and consistently working out (mostly running) however wasn’t managing to lose any significant weight (goal weight: 56kg).
So I started low carbing and (combined with 5 days/week running) lost ~5kgs in a 2-3 month period. I managed to maintain the weight loss for about 2 months after that.
At that stage I wanted to continue losing weight until I got to my goal weight, however I probably let my diet slide somewhat because I felt I was doing so well.
My weight started to creep back on so I returned to my very strict lchf diet (even stricter than before). 2 months on and I have practically gained all my weight back and am now 63kg again after maintaining 58/59kg for a few months – but the thing is I haven’t changed anything!
I’m still exercising and have actually increased strength training and I’m eating a very ketogenic diet in accordance with all your points above.
So basically I’m doing the exact same thing as when I lost 5kg but now instead of losing 5kg, I’ve gained it!
Physiologically speaking that’s a huge difference and doesn’t make sense to me. What’s wrong with me?? Would love to hear your opinion.
Monique,
There are a few things. You may be putting on muscle, the other thing is with 5 days a week workouts, you’re stressing your system to the extreme that your body thinks it’s in starvation and holding on to as much as it can. Please read ‘Good Calories, Bad Calories’ by Gary Taubes, and ‘Primal Blueprint’ by Mark Sisson for scientific answers to the possible reasons.
Oops, before you say that my weight goal is unrealistic, I’m quite short (162cm) and previously tended to stabilize at around 58kg by just eating a ‘balanced’ diet.
“…and previously tended to stabilize at around 58kg by just eating a ‘balanced’ diet.”
If you had better success on a typical balanced diet then perhaps that is something you should do instead of low-carb.
Low-carb isn’t for everyone, there are many people who do better on a different type of diet.
Hi, I have been trying to lose 1 stone. I started low carbing on March 30th and so far have lost 8lb. My typical diet has 109g fat, 70g protein and 35g carbs which is approximately 70:20:10 % on 1400 cals/day. Female 5ft 3 and 140lb.
I feel much much better eating this way, even though losing is slow. My query is, should I be in ketosis or not to lose weight while eating this amount of fat? Thanks.
Help! I am tired of working out, eating a low calorie diet and working out with no results. I eat salmon and salad every other day for dinner. Days in between I ear 8 grain toast with egg. For breakfast and lunch I drink a high protein shake. For snack I eat fruit with nonfat Greek yogurt. I drink water and coffee with In the Raw sugar and fat free cream.
I walk an incline for 40 minutes every day except Wed and Friday when I roller skate. I also do minimal resistance (squats, leg extensions, arms). I have been doing this for at least 6 months and my clothes fit the same, no weight loss. What am I doing wrong? Dr. tested thyroid but it was fine. My Vitamin D was low but back up to normal. HELP!
You should try a low-carb, high fat diet.
See here: http://authoritynutrition.com/how-to-lose-weight-as-fast-as-possible/
Check out the book ‘Primal Blueprint’ by Mark Sisson, or ‘Paleo Solution’ by Robb Wolf. They have fantastic scientific information, in addition to Kris’ article above.
I hate being diabetic! Doc put me on no carb, more protein, higher fat, and greens diet (modified atkins). All the meat I want, a minimum of 6 cups green salad, green veggies (but not the starchy ones), 4 oz cheese per day, cauliflower, and all the eggs I want. It’s now going on 7 weeks and I’ve only lost 3 pounds.
I never fry food, can’t stand fish, my dressing is usually evoo, or a sugar/carb free vinaigrette – maybe a Tablespoon on a salad, cook with olive oil, only a TBSP of heavy cream (no carbs/no sugar) in my daily 2 cups of coffee. I drink a minimum of 100 oz water/iced green tea per day – usually more.
I have been able to get off all meds except 500 Metformin once a day, but still no weight loss. I am on a regular exercise plan, and I chase my grandchildren around on my days off from work. What am I doing wrong?
Oh yeah – 5’8″, 200 pounds, female. Need to lose 50 pounds, not just 5 or 10.
You should try the suggestions in this article. Many people have broken through a plateau with simple adjustments like cutting back on dairy and nuts.
Thanks for your reply, but I have no dairy other than the 2 T heavy cream per day in my coffee and the occasional 4 oz cheese limit per day, and I don’t eat any nuts at all. I usually only have .75oz cheese square when I have cheese.
Seriously – I only eat green salad, green veggies like broccoli and spinach, cauliflower, eggs, and meat – a mixture of low fat and some higher fat breakfast sausage/bacon a few times a week. I only cook with olive oil or Pam, I don’t fry food and rarely use salt.
Doc said minimum 8,000 steps per day, I counted for a few weeks and average 12,000 steps per day – some days as high as 18,000 others down to 8,000 – and I work out 4-5 days per week. 7 weeks – 3 pounds. TSH levels are normal (thyroid). Carbs are under 20 per day, sugar is held as close to 0 as possible, no processed foods other than the bacon/sausage – everything is cooked fresh. There is no reason I shouldn’t be dropping weight like crazy – any other thoughts?
You’re probably eating too many calories to lose weight. You should create a free account on http://cronometer.com/ and log your food intake for a few days.
Saw the doc yesterday – hmmm none of the above are answers. I keep a very detailed food diary and plugged in two weeks worth into a calorie/carb counter and am at about 700-1000 calories per day prior to exercise factored in. Should have been in starvation mode the first couple weeks then started pulling from fat cells – no luck. Blood Glucose numbers are still high in the mornings and lower to normal after eating breakfast, usually by mid morning. Issues at night – 500mg Metformin not enough to do much I guess.
He upped the Metformin with an extended release with saxagliptin added in (kombiglyze XR). Also decreased the salad (less veggie carbs), took away my zuchinni which I love, and increased protein. So far it’s working – have lost a pound a day for three days now. Sure hope this is the magic formula for me – I have to give the kombiglyze a few weeks to notice any a.m. glucose changes. Man I have a weird body chemistry – guess I’m meant to be a hard-core carnivore.
Kris,
Great article.
I would say for me eating smaller meals throughout the day makes it easier to keep a handle on my calorie intake and curb “big cravings”.
I am trying to wrap my mind around your statement that some get too much protein. If you cut protein, either fat and/or carbs have to come up as you know. Good fat almost always comes with carbs or high protein (ex. Fish for protein).
I am a fitness buff who fell off the wagon for a few years and dropped 20% body fat in 3 months (no joke). Nothing radical, just a low carb/high protein diet and exercise (A dr. recently said I have had hypothyroid for years after looking at current and old blood tests. The lowest on some Dr’s “acceptable” scale). I lost despite this.
I helped a lot of people with low carb by looking at their diets and seeing bacon, pork skins, extremely fatty red meats etc. Basically a ton of bad fat. Can you explain how to keep protein low without bumping carbs and/or bad fats off the chart. To me the math doesn’t add up.
You will probably say my protein was ok because I did exercise with weights, intervals and sustained fat burning walks/runs. I would agree.
I kept my fats as low as possibly with omega-3′s as the exception. Again the lower protein ratio is hard to grasp in a low carb diet.
Thanks Kris,
Keith
The thing with protein and low-carb is that if you eat too much of it, it will prevent you from getting into ketosis.
A “well-formulated” low-carb diet (according to many doctors who use this in their practice) should be low carb, moderate protein and high fat.
There is no reason to fear fat on a low-carb diet, it becomes your major energy source.
Well said Kris. There is so much ‘Fat Phobia’. Who would have thought a nut case like Ancel Keys would negatively influence the world so much.
One more thing: Those doing any nutrition or diet plan, keep track of everything with tools like fatsecret.com. Weigh everything at first until you are really skilled at eyeballing. It can be shocking how much sodium, fat, carbs or calories you consume.
Kris makes a great point about products such as Atkins bar. JUNK, JUNK, JUNK! plus it’s candy that just makes you crave more. Dr. Atkins would roll in his grave.
http://www.questproteinbar.com/ <– the only "bar" I recommend. Expensive and online only but amazing and worth the money.
In general everything in the middle of the grocery store should be avoided. Sounds weird but really look. That is weird every with ingredients you can't pronounce and highly processed. There are a few exception but in general this is true.
I am done :)
I am a runner – I usually log about 30-40 miles per week: usually three 5-7 mile runs during the week and a longer run of 13-20 on the weekends, depending upon what race I’m training for. I vary my runs with hill workouts, intervals, long and steady, etc. in hopes of boosting my metabolism. The problem is that my longer runs make me so hungry that I tend to overeat several hours after.
I also have been living under the philosophy that I need more whole grain carbs for “quicker energy” when doing endurance work. This has resulted in weight gain, however. While some of this has been an increase in lean tissue, much of it has been fat. So now I’m trying a high protein, low carb diet – lots of chicken, Greek yogurt, whey protein drinks, lots of veggies, peanut butter, etc.
Can I continue to get the energy I need on my runs without carbs, and will this help me lose weight in the process? Interestingly, those lean Kenyans eat diets that are 75% carb, although they probably control their calories a bit better than I have been.
To get the energy for endurance, you’ll need to get fat adapted. Even then, you may have to add carbs like sweet potatoes and potatoes in small portions, and remove grain based foods.
I don’t believe any of this. I am 50 years old, walk several miles, five days a week, and I eat between 1250 and 1400 calories a day, and I am still 260 pounds (I am 6 foot 1 inch tall). The doctor tells me, “You need to eat more, increase your protein, several small meals a day.” I’ll go up to 1700 or 1800 calories, sometimes more. Still, nothing changes.
In my adult life, I have fasted for three days and then did low calorie for several additional days, with exercise, no weight loss. I have done the opposite, going as high as 2500 calories of fiber (celery, veggies, protein), nothing happens. For me, the Ornish and the MacDougall diets are very easy. But I get no results. And Weight Watchers is a breeze to follow. In short, limiting my intake is a cinch. But I still get no results.
For the record, for the last 30 years, these are the things I have not eaten: steaks, breakfast cereals, and fried food, sausages, bacons, ice cream, pastas, etc… I don’t drink alcohol (never did), and in general rarely eat cakes or chips. I am not a big bread eater, and so limiting the carbs is easy. I allow myself one candy bar each week (I am human…). Also, I drink carbonated water (I gave up my diet soda habit last year).
So, 1200 calories doesn’t work, nor does 1300, 1400 1500, etc. Why doesn’t the weight come off? There is no thyroid or diabetes issue. No matter what I do, the fat gut remains. I resent it when people say, “You’re cheating…or miscalculating.” No, I measure everything, and in the case of one diet I was on, everything was already prepackaged and frozen. I am not dumb.
I no longer believe any of this from anybody.
I totally agree! I can’t tell you how many times doctors have accused me of cheating on their diet of the week. I just went back and filled in for two weeks on the calorie counter recommended from my logs – found I am only eating between 700-1000 calories a day on low carb high protein – before exercise is added in. Still no weight loss. I’m still searching for what will work for me as I am just like you! No fried low salt no carbs no sweets and no flavor! I am diabetic so even the one candy bar a week is not for me. A bite of a birthday cake here and there and a scoop of sugar free ice cream – pre- low carb diet. I see the doc this week for a follow up of 8 weeks low carb – will see what he says this time as its his modified Atkins diet I’ve been following.
Thank you Marsha. I have no doubt what Mr. Gunnars says, as it works for so many people. But not a whole heck of a lot works for me. The worst was last year when my 75 year old parents and I did Weight Watchers together. They don’t exercise and each lost about 18 pounds in six months. I lost 3.
And in this case, I know we were eating the same things because I would go to their house for meals before work (I work at night and am single again), so. well — you get the picture. This is the source of so much of my frustration. The quality of my what I eat is superb by any standard; the discipline I maintain in following a diet is great.
Granted, it was how much I ate that got me into trouble to begin with, but for ten years now, quantity has been easy to control. You want to fast? Restrict? Cut back? No problem. But no results.
I don’t want people to think I am a frowning sour grape with my post : ) so I have been thinking carefully about my diet, and I now see what I am doing wrong: I either have an abundance of veggies and lots of hidden carbs, or I have an abundance of veggies and very little protein.
Twelve years ago, I actually lost 20-plus pounds in a month and a half. I was thrilled at the time, but it all came back. I just re-read my diary and I realize now that I was following the low-carb diet.
For a late breakfast I would have a large bowl (bucket would be more like it) of frozen veggies with two scrambled eggs or a low-carb soy protein burger. Two hours later at lunch, I would have the same but usually with two chicken breasts with melted real cheese. My early dinner at two in the afternoon was usually a large salad with another protein (more often than not, chicken), and for a late dinner it was usually a can of tuna over a salad with vinegar and oil. I looked at my old diary notes, and all that food equaled between 1200 and 1400 calories per day on average. These foods, by the way were foods I really enjoy(ed).
So, there you have it. The veggies were never an issue, but either sneaky hidden carbs or no protein at all has been an issue.
So today, I ate plenty of protein (ground turkey meat, eggs) and lots of veggies (shredded broccoli, cabbage and carrot salads). I am stuffed. And my calorie count came in at between 1500 and 1600 calories. Very interesting that the proteins are so filling and yet relatively low in calories.
But what had I done these past twelve years to gain it back? I think it was late-at-night carbs and calorie restriction and way too many diet sodas. So wish me luck and thank you Mr. Gunnars. I think this might work (again). One last: What about lentils or kidney beans? I like them. I know they are healthy. Can I add them back in carefully if I lose this weight again?
Hi I would like to find out where can I get more fat and less protein into my diet.
I am 23, trying to get my abs (pre-workout) for the very first time in my life. Have been following the all natural food, low-carb (high protein moderate fat) diet for about 2 years with cycling in between (usually 4-2 or 5-2 ratio for cycling). My body fat percentage has always been moderately low, usually 17-20, only once at 21.5. At present my fat percentage is 18% but i still have a visible layer of belly, especially lower belly and when seated.
My diet usually consists of 20% carbohydrates (from dairy and vegetables), 60% protein, 20% fat and I am liberal with eggs (2, mostly 3 per day), full fat plain yoghurt, cheese slices, soy milk and full cream milk. The only carbohydrates that I ingest are from dairy products and vegetables (only minimal). I drink hot unsweetened green tea everyday. I have cut out nuts and fruits (except for avocado) from my diet and have recently read about the high fat, moderate protein and low/no carb diet.
If I remove dairy products and reduce protein intake in my diet, won’t meat and egg intake be reduced as well? This is a list of foods that I have gathered are safe to eat:
Avocados
Olive oil on food, in cooking etc
Nuts (Moderate, or eliminate?)
Vegetables grown above ground
Fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines-the tomato canned ones have a lot of sugar, don’t they?)
Eggs/Meat for protein (How much is too much?)
I have read about diets that are 50-60% in fat, 40-30% in protein and maximum 10% in carbs. How to get a diet that is so high in fat? Must I drink olive oil from the bottle already?
Just to add on, I have a very active lifestyle in the form of exercise and daily activities. I hold several part time jobs that requires me to travel to different places in everyday (Part-time student) and I do HIIT workouts and core and weight training with plank variations, pushups, squats, lunges, deadweight lifts and the like about 3-4 times a week.
What is the best way to lose the fat around my belly, given my diet and exercise level?
Hi Kris, this is a great, concise article! Thank you! I’ve been LCHF/Paleo/Primal for just over a year now. I can’t say I’ve made a huge dent in the scale, but then I wasn’t massively over weight to begin with, just in search of a better lifestyle. However the difference I feel personally with my energy levels, zero cravings, and no blood sugar dips have been remarkable!
Even if it meant I had put weight on it would have been worth it to no longer be a slave to my sugar/carb cravings and erratic energy levels. Luckily though I not only have my energy under control and feel energized all day, every day. I also look and feel much healthier, inside and out!
It would be nice to tell people that I’ve lost +++kg’s, but I don’t think that’s what it’s about. I understand that people are skeptical, but I urge everyone who doesn’t feel they are getting the most out of life to try it and see and feel the difference for themselves. Thank you again for such a great article!
I totally agree with your comments and relate to your situation well on carbs/low carbs, it’s great not to be so hungry anymore and eat good food! Society is great at telling us that fat is bad, people just need to learn a little more about it and hopefully give it a go…
This article is right on target! Personally I do track calories AND carbs, mainly because when I began I wasn’t losing weight. Once I started tracking every bite/drink in FitDay, I could identify pitfalls. Heavy cream in my coffee was a culprit (and not measuring, so thinking I was using 1 Tbsp — but was pouring about 3!) I switched to unsweetened Almond Milk, and measure or weigh everything to avoid under “reporting” my intake. Another culprit was nuts. Even though I weighed out an ounce, nuts would keep me from ketosis. (I think I read somewhere that some people may have mold “allergies” to nuts which can cause that?)
Dairy? Cheese will slow my weight loss down, so I rarely have that. But I do enjoy Chiobani Unsweetened Greek non-fat yogurt. It has only 100 calories, 7 grams carbs and 18 grams protein per individual serving. I use it as a “dessert” 2 times a week.
33 weeks in and I’ve lost 80.6 lbs. And I’m 48 and I’ve been menopausal for years (hysterectomy at 36). I’ve never plateaued; I’ve lost weight every week. Just this week I reached “normal” BMI, but am staying on it to lose another 20 lbs (I’m small boned).
I am amused by people who tell me I’ll gain it all back if I go off the diet. Um … if you go back to eating whatever got you fat in the first place, it doesn’t matter *which* diet you were on, you will gain it all back.
I will never go back to eating carbs the way I did before. I’m hypoglycemic and have hereditary chronic pancreatitis. Insulin spikes were literally killing me. I haven’t had an acute attack since I started low carb, and my pain levels have dropped tremendously.
This diet makes me want to steal the AA mantra: It works if you work it!
I keep reading people’s comments stating they “haven’t reached their goals,” that “nothing works for me,” that “I’d rather just eat what I want and screw it.” (Paraphrasing). How long have you been trying what you’re doing? One week? Three months? A year?
Changing your body is a marathon, not a sprint. It took me three months to build 6 lb of muscle and 24 lb of fat (was bulking) and now I’m cutting and have to remind myself to be patient. Rather than getting bogged down with nutritional science (which as I’m sure you can tell by the ridiculous amount of conflicting information is barely an exact science), just picture an improved version of yourself and work towards it.
Exercise when you can (start with two days per week), get on a program which you can find anywhere online, or sign up for some classes at the gym, or get outside and hike, or fish, or find something else you enjoy. And COMMIT. After 2 weeks you’ll build up good habits and MORE IMPORTANTLY a positive attitude.
Add to your starting regimen 7-8 hours of sleep per night and get rid of all junk food in the house. And BE. PATIENT. Love the process, and you’ll learn to love yourself. Just think: you have your ENTIRE LIFE to get where you want to be. Take it slow and steady, and enjoy the ride.
Sorry if this was long, but I feel other people’s frustrations and it makes me frustrated. I want everyone to win! :-)
Hi, I have read so many of these lists and a lot of them say the same thing. Yours is much more based on actual science though and why certain things may effect a person. My situation is so darn frusterating, I just don’t know what to do. I am about to shell out a lot of money for a nutritionist and a personal trainer (which I don’t have-SAHM).
I quit smoking in Jan with the patch. I didn’t gain weight and I actually lost 2-3 lbs. I decided to get back in shape and lose weight by 1. Exercising 2. Eating healthy. I did this by doing weight loss programs on my ellipitical and jogging/running. I average 2 miles a day/6 days a week. It is WORK. I joined SparksPeople and set up my goal of going from 160 to 135.
It told me how much carb, protein, fat, sugar to eat and I tracked my calories. Basically high protein, low carb. I eat a plain egg and blueberries for breakfast w/ water and my multivitamin. For lunch I steam spinach, tomatoes w/ little garlic and a 90cal organic chicken sausage. Sometimes I add a 1/2 of avacodo. For dinner, its usually chicken and some veggie.
For snacks, 1 or 2 hand fulls of plain peanuts or blueberries. I started this 6 weeks ago, AND HAVE GAINED 6 lbs!!! I don’t look trimmer. I don’t feel better. My face is fatter than before. No clothes fit. The past 2 weeks I added more exercise and at last I didn’t gain weight. I only weigh myself on Mondays (after bathroom, before shower or food).
I don’t eat any fake sugar or caffeine. I have had blood tests done to check for thyroid bc my Mom has it. My calorie intake says I have a deficit of 1000 every day. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG!! PS 32 year old female eating 1250 calories a day.
Eating within the typical suggested ratios on sparkpeople will definitely make me gain! I’m way too carb sensitive for that diet. And once, on a very low carb diet but also low fat and high protein, my fasting glucose number actually went up… showing that my body was converting protein to glucose.
Try Kris’s suggestions, especially #2, and increase your fat intake. I was so scared to go this route. I just knew eating fat would make me gain faster. It didn’t. I keep it to veggies… no fruit for now until I get my weight under control, except for 7-10 frozen unsweetened blueberries 3-4 times a week in a green smoothie. Keeping that carb number below 50 grams was the key for me.