Newby - not sure where to post this...

Okra

Member
Hello all! I've been lurking for a couple of weeks now, but my weigh-in today has prompted me to register :cry:

I'm not on LL or the Cambridge diet, but have been plain calorie counting, allowing myself a budget of 5-600 cals/day (so not a meal substitute, but still VLC lol). I hope I haven't posted in completely the wrong place!

Here's the problem - I have been going now for three weeks. In the first week, I lost 10.8lbs. In the second week, I lost only 1lb, and in the third, I've lost 2lbs.

I've been meticulous with my calorie counting - I weigh what I eat and count everything - I've been within budget every day bar one, where I had 1600 cals. I'm also taking good quality supplements to ensure that I'm getting everything I need nutritionally, and my diet has been low fat, mostly carbs and protein. My exercise has been minimal, but I'm fairly active and take a long walk twice a week.

My question is, why has my weight loss slowed so drammatically? I'm not expecting to lose a huge amount every week, but losing 3lbs over the last two weeks when I've been so strict is a bit of a kick.


My starting weight was 198lbs, if that's significant.

Thank you x:wave_cry:
 
Hi honey

If you check out the losses for people on VLCDs the average is one stone per month, for which you are well on target :cool: Congrats on your loss so far.

I am a little concerned about how low your calories are, even if you are taking a vitamin supplement, but I respect your right to choose the correct plan for yourself and research it properly.

Hope that answers your concerns and look forward to hearing more from you

:)
 
Hi Okra,
What exactly have you been eating? The key to the VLCD is to get into ketosis and the only way to do that is to radically reduce your carb intake. CD and LL both help you to do that by restricting your carb intake through the shakes. If you don't reduce your carbs (and just eating less may not be enough) your body will adapt to the lower calories intake you are having. It sounds to me like you have classic pattern weight loss- great loss the first week because you cut down so much- you probably reduced your glycogen and lost quite abit of fluid too, as there is a lot of fluid in food (are you drinking at least 4 litres per day>)
In the second and third weeks your body is saying - hey hold on food is pretty short around here and our glycogen deposits have gone- better slow down the metabolism and stire as much fat as possible- and if you are still eating carbs they contain the sugars that metabolise into fat in your body- hey presto your weight loss slows down even though you are eating much much less.

You have a number of choices- you could try CD or LL- CD is a lot cheaper. Or you could reduce your carb intake- either very radically like Atkins, eating only protein and some green veg, or the GI version where your carb intake is modified and only more complex starches (like pulses, wholemeal) are allowed. You can probably get a GI or Atkins diet book in a charity shop ofroff ebay pretty cheap. In both the above options you could probably increas your calorie intake up to about 1200 per day and still lose weight. I did Atkins for 15 months and lost 3 stone, and really benefitted from it, but I have to say the LL diet I am doing is much better.

Hope this helps and feel free to ask more questions- I am no expert, just knowledge gained by personal experience, and there are some really knowledgable people on this forum, so I am sure you will get some sound advice.
Kx
 
I know it's quite low. I believe that I 'should' be having about 1200 calories. The reason that I've chosen to have so few is that I have a fair bit to lose. I have tried to diet conventionally five or six times since the birth of my daughter (almost a year ago) but have lost motivation within the first few weeks, because the rate of weightloss has been slow.

It's so hard to carry on, thinking that it will take six months on a 'normal' diet to lose enough weight to not be miserable about my body, let alone reach a goal weight. Does that make sense?

I'm hoping to stick with this amount of calories for another month or two, and then gradually increase it, and also increase my exercise. I know it's not the best for my health, but then neither is the endless yoyo dieting and the weight related problems I've started to have. This is the longest I've stuck with a diet in five years :cry: but I still feel really motivated.

Difficult, isn't it!
 
Hippoellie - that's really interesting. I've just looked in my food tracker (I use an online food tracker thingummy) and have been having between 40 and 120g of carbs per day - apart from three days where I've had up to 160g. These are mostly white bread/rolls/crackers.

It would be simple enough for me to shift the balance towards eating more protein and up my calories a bit, so I will try that

I'm also not drinking anywhere near 4 litres! Maybe 2 at a push!
 
Hi Okra- try to cut out the white bread and as many of those kinds of carbs as you can- you poor thing you must be feeling hungry all the time- those pesky carbs keep calling out for more!

LL and CD have between 40-50 carbs per day- see if you can keep to around that. If you start getting a headache you may be going into ketosis (which will stop you feeling hungry)- you can buy ketosticks in Boots for just over a fiver- pee on one and if it turns a shade of pink you should be there. Another side effect of ketosis is feeling cold all the time (see the CD and LL threads!)

If you look on the threads you will see a lot of recipes e.g. CD 790 and the first week of maintenance for LL (read any maintenance diray in the LL forums- the gorgeous girls there post what they eat every day)- these recipes are low carb, low fat and high in protein. You can eat lots of fish, chicken, spinach, rocket and other things. Hopefully you will feel better health wise and your weight loss should be nice and steady-3 lbs a week is good to aim for.

If you feel any bad side-effects, ask on the forums- many side effects last for a few days and pass very quickly, but if anything unusual comes up we can let you know and you can reconsider how you are dieting.

Your diet is always your choice, and everyone here will support you.

All the best to you
Kx
 
I agree with all the above. Drop the carbs and up the water and you are almost doing what we do.

However even with the extra vits I'm not sure you can genuinely be getting what you need, you may become really tired and grumpy.

Also my other concern it that without some sort of real help and support whatever you lose could just pile back on again when you stop.

However as has already been said you have the right to choose your own road, and we WILL support you in whatever way we can. If you follow a lighterlife management thread when you decide to stop, it should help you back to eating in a healthy way.

Best of luck to you!

Mags
xxx
 
hiya okra
just wated to add if you dont drop the carbs down to less than 24gs per day you will not get into ketosis your body will only go into starvation mode and you will have very slow losses,each meal you have should only contain 7 gs carbs so carb based eating is a no no, on 24gs carbs you can have no bread pasta rice all your carbs will have to come from green veg, its a big commitment, also you will only be able to have 10 gs of fat a day max, have you thought about doing a formula vlcd, its much easier than what you are trying to do[ i know from experience!!]
for now drop the refined carbs up the water and you will see a difference
nat xx
 
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this website has some infomation on the benefits of a calorie restricted lifestyle. I haven't cheked it out in great detail, but you may find it motivating okra. x


Research that will change your life! | CRS
 
Hello again,

Thank you for your suggestions. I have upped my water intake, and had 7 pints yesterday. I also decreased my carbs and ended up having 20, with 10g of fat and 600cals. How boring is spinach, though :p

We also walked the dog in the woods for 2 hours, so it was a good day!

Is it normal for me to be feeling rough today, though? I have a splitting headache, I'm really thirsty despite the water, I'm freezing even though I've cranked up the heating to 23 degrees and my poor husband is sweating. I also feel quite tired, weak and nauseous. I didn't feel like this on just a low calorie diet alone - so is this the effect of dropping the carbs, or am I coming down with something?
 
Could be either, I have come down with a shocking cold this morning, but it does seem like side effects of carb withdrawal, the headaches and coldness are classic signs.

If you can try to up your water, but keep an eye on these side effects, as you are not following a medical plan we dont want you becoming ill x
 
the headaches, tiredness and nausea I believe are quite common when you first restrict your carb intake. a bit like withdrawel symptoms! keep it up though, cos it'll pass in a few days and when you are in ketosis you will have bundles of energy and no hunger!

the reason that wouldn't have felt it before is that your body burns the carbs you were eating as fuel when it runs out of carbs it starts to look for other fuel. (thats why having a choccy bar in the afternoon gives you that quick energy fix, and then the crash an hour or so later, when you feel even more tired than before!) Without the carbs in your system, your body has to burn something else: your fat!

being freezing is something that we all sem to go through on a vlcd. Your body is burning all your fuel up. which is good news for weightloss right?

I am interested in how you are getting all your vitamins and nutrients without comprimising the low calorie diet. If this balance isn't right I fear that you may not get the benefits of a vlcd at all, but just end up poorly and tired and run the risk of undoing all your hard work.
 
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