Help please! Low carb and frustrated...

[juliahenry]

I've been trying to get my eating back on track and I know my sugary crap food habits are getting in the way. I eat pretty healthy during the days, then in the evenings have been snacking on cookies, chocolate, ice cream. I have a major sweet tooth and a problem with sugar.

So I decided to get off the sugar by going lower carb and cutting out all junky crap, eating lots of lean protein and veggies and using cheerios if I need a snack.

I started on Monday, lost eight pounds between monday and Thursday. Then on Friday, the scale crept back up. It's still up, so my total weight loss is more like 4.5 lbs.

I'm not 'cheating' but i am starting to feel like all this effort (and really limited food choices) is no more successful than calorie counting for me.

Now I didn't just do this to lose weight - I did it to get off the sugar binge, and in that respect, it's been 100% successful. I'm not feeling hungry or tempted,just mildly annoyed with the logistics of this approach.

I'm finding it a lot harder to eat this way - I'm eating different foods than my family (and they don't eat badly), I'm feeling like my food choices are very limited, I miss dairy, and honestly, for me, a moderate low-calorie plan where everything is possible and nothing is 'off limits' seems like a better fit.

So, I have questions for those of you who are more familiar with low-carb or with cutting out sugar issues..

1) is this lose-a-lot-then-go-back-up normal? The overall number is a perfectly acceptable number as far as weight loss goes, but watching the scale creep back up is disheartening and makes me wonder if the plan is somehow not working for me or something...

2)Are my feelings of frustration a normal part of a switch over to a lower carb, less junk food plan? or are they a sign that this might not be the best plan for me?

and 3) any tips to make low-carb easier?

I know I should just be pleased with my loss and happy that I'm not tempted to eat crap, but honestly when I'm out for dinner and my only option is plain shrimp, it gets a bit disheartening...

[lauren170]

Give it at least 2 weeks. Have you tried cooking some low carb recipes? I'm doing Paleo this whole month, and realized that if I'm going to make it I'm going to have to learn some new habits and cook some new things. I'm on my phone but I will try to link to some recipes I am trying this week later,'z

[sullie7173]

My thoughts are that looking at the numbers 8 lbs over 4 days is a lot so there is a chance some of that was water.. even 4.5 lbs in a week seems pretty high
I also have a big sweet tooth and I have found what works best for me is to cut out a lot of the processed sweets and only have them once in a while. I still eat fruit and dairy but try to be more mindful of the sugar content. You have to find what works for you and give it time but also something that you will realistically be able to stick too without having huge binges or being miserable

[Deleted]

Stop weighing yourself. You will do nothing but be frustrated with daily weight fluctuations if you weigh yourself everyday. Stick to what you are doing and put the scale away and go by how your clothes fit or only weigh yourself once or twice a week.

By going low carb, you will lose a lot of water weight initially (which is also easy to gain back because of hormone fluctuations, etc.). Remember, to lose fat requires time and patience. You have to stick to it and for some people, it's easier to put the scale away and it sounds like you might be one of these people.

[livinitup]

I don't think Cherrios are a low Carb snack. So, you're making a mistake there. If you want crunch, you're better off with a few nuts or something like that. And wheat in general spikes your blood sugar worse than ay other carb, and stimulates appetite.

You don't have to stick with this, but you might try to do it more accurately and for a while longer to get used it it and the real benefits.

[Deleted]

The 8lbs in 4 days wasn't 'real' weight loss. You lost a lot of water, but not a lot of true fat. Once you get into actually losing real weight, it will be more steady but slow, and there will be ups and downs. Ideally, you'll lose 1lb a week. Don't get distracted by unrealistic expectations, or you're setting yourself up for failure.

[justthetip]

Jun 10, 2012 8:17:51 GMT -5 juliahenry said:

1) is this lose-a-lot-then-go-back-up normal? Yes

2)Are my feelings of frustration a normal part of a switch over to a lower carb, less junk food plan? Yesor are they a sign that this might not be the best plan for me?Not necessarily

3) any tips to make low-carb easier?

Going on a very restrictive low carb diet will give you results if you stick to it. You will have pretty intense sugar cravings if this is a dramatic change from your normal eating, especially in the first couple weeks. After about a month it will get a lot better.

The problem I see is that it's 'a diet', it's very restrictive, hard to stick with and not likely to help you in the long run. You can achieve rapid weight loss, and when you've met your goal and introduce carbs back in (since this is only 'a diet'), you will gain the weight back as rapidly as you lost it. I think it's better to make smaller changes that are easier to stick with, and consider it a lifestyle change instead of a short term fix. Maybe try cutting out sugar and processed foods, but allow yourself fruit instead. Your taste buds will adjust in a few weeks and you will not get fat on fruit, I swear. After a few months, you can reevaluate and see what else you can improve.

I always think it's important to plan ahead for moments of weakness and have lots of healthy snacks on hand that you actually like. If you're craving a sweet snack, plain soy yogurt with some fruit and toasted nuts tastes almost like a sunday! Some other things you can try are just a glass of waterIn my opinion, it's better to allow yourself a small healthy snack from time to time than avoid it altogether and end up bingeing on junk. It's best to keep all that junk out of the house, but that's not an option when you live at home. Try some different things out and see what you can find to satisfy your craving without going overboard. Cheerios is better than cookies, so if that's your starting point, that's ok. This isn't about following someone else's expectations. You have to find what works for you. Good luck!

[suzyp]

Stop weighing yourself everyday. Seriously, it will make you crazy because your weight naturally fluctuates from day to day. Weigh yourself once a day at the same time of day to determine your accurate weight loss.

[justthetip]

Jun 10, 2012 13:37:20 GMT -5 suzyp said:

Stop weighing yourself everyday. Seriously, it will make you crazy because your weight naturally fluctuates from day to day. Weigh yourself once a day at the same time of day to determine your accurate weight loss.

Do you mean once a week? I totally agree you shouldn't weigh yourself daily. I would say weekly at the most, but I don't even own a scale (by choice). I go by how my clothes fit and how I feel, and weigh myself at the gym no more than once a month.

[mrsreem]

Definitely back off the cheerios. Sugar/wheat just makes you crave more sugar, thus making the diet harder than it needs to be.
1. Losing a lot in the first week is normal. The reason you would gain it back is because you added carbs to your diet and those carbs make you retain more water than protein/fats do. Stop eating too many carbs and your number won't climb.

2. I think you'll do fine if you can leave the grains/sugars under control. I've done low carb (around 50carbs/day) for amost a year with great results. Hello bacon!

3. I have a low carb section on my cooking blog. Lots of yummy "normal people" recipes. www.picklemomskitchen.blogspot.com There's even a recipe for "pizza" that we actually like better than some real pizzas. Also like I said, the less sugar/carb you eat, the less you'll crave it. Sugar is like crack. lol!

I think you're doing a great job and going low carb doesn't necessarily have to be that restrictive. You just have to choose what carbs are worth using your daily allotment. It does't mean you can't have them. You just have to be selective.

[ebeth]

I'd cut the cheerios next week. the week after that I'd add in a fruit for dessert. the following week I'd add in a cereal grain/whole grain, until I found the balance of carbs:protein that worked best for me. (note: this is the SB 'diet', which I have successfully followed for 6 years).

when I started SB I lost about 7lbs the first week and 1-2/week after that. there was no weight gain after the initial loss in the first week.

With meals, I had more success making the same stuff I usually made but cutting the carbs out. making stir fries with lots of bean sprouts or shredded cabbage instead of with rice/noodles, burrito bowls instead of burritos, lasagna with thinly sliced eggplant instead of noodles etc. with only one additional 'side' to make, those types of things are easily modified for a carb-eating family.

[wildfloweragain]

I agree with much of what's been said, esp cutting out the cheerios. I just wanted to add that I have felt this way in the past, usually when I cut out too much at once. There have been times in my life when i have been able to do it, but esp after my 3rd child, when I went to cut the carbs plus limit my overall calories, plus whatever else I was doing, I was so extremely grumpy and frustrated. I like the approach of changing one thing per week. Adding an exercise, upping the water, cutting white carbs, cutting more carbs...

I do still eat dairy and it sounds like that's something you shouldn't cut out just yet while you're cutting other stuff.

Personally I found that I can eat fruits all day long and not gain weight, but any grains, especially cereal, add on the pounds. Some people are the opposite.

[suzyp]

Jun 10, 2012 14:27:56 GMT -5 justthetip said:

Jun 10, 2012 13:37:20 GMT -5 suzyp said:

Stop weighing yourself everyday. Seriously, it will make you crazy because your weight naturally fluctuates from day to day. Weigh yourself once a day at the same time of day to determine your accurate weight loss.

Do you mean once a week? I totally agree you shouldn't weigh yourself daily. I would say weekly at the most, but I don't even own a scale (by choice). I go by how my clothes fit and how I feel, and weigh myself at the gym no more than once a month.

oops! Yes, once a week! Not once a day!

[juliahenry]

Thanks, all.

I'm doing the cheerio thing because my main goal is to stop the sugar/junk stuff. It was an idea I got from Lauren170 who was advised to replace snacks with dry plain cheerios way back when she was 300 lbs. I needed a fix on the sugar so I've been following/adapting her original plan (thanks, Lauren!). And it's working. I'm not craving crap, I'm not snacking excessively. They work as a crunchy snack and have far fewer calories than nuts or similar low-carb things.

And yeah, I figured the 8lbs was partially water weight; I was just hoping to keep a little of the initial spectactular loss. Oh well, slow and steady wins the race etc etc.

I'll keep going. I'm going to give myself sundays as a more flexible day (nothing crazy) because I think that will make the other 6 days of the week easier. I had planned to introduce low-fat/sugar dairy in a couple of weeks, so that should make life a bit easier.

[lauren170]

Plain, regular Cheerios aren't that bad and are pretty low carb. It was a trainer who taught me this and it worked for me. Key is no other snacks. This was for a 3 week initial period.

[sadlebred]

Why not change your lifestyle instead of going on a diet. Eating Paleo or Primal may be something you'd be interested in.

[juliahenry]

Jun 10, 2012 17:19:42 GMT -5 sadlebred said:

Why not change your lifestyle instead of going on a diet. Eating Paleo or Primal may be something you'd be interested in.

I really wouldn't call this a "diet" - that suggests a short-term perspective that is likely to fail. I am trying a new approach to eating, and I do need to get off the sugar. Lauren's cheerio plan has been really helpful for that, but the overall approach is simply lower-carb eating, something a lot of people do as a lifestyle and not a "diet."