low carb low fat making me stall?

[sassyrae21]

It seems that if I don't eat quite a bit of fat (butter, coconut oil or olive oil), or carbs (potatoes, mainly, not many processed grains or rice), then my weight loss comes to a screeching halt. I always put my protein first, then carbs. (Veggies aren't agreeing with me yet). I still eat clean and very little processed foods. Has anyone else had this? I keep hearing about low fat, low carb and it just doesn't work for me.

[Janeanne67]

Yep I try and mix it up a bit so my body doesn't get used to the same thing and stall. Some days I will have sliced meat on crackers or potatoes with my dinner meal. I eat pizza maybe once or twice a month or a burger. But then some days I eat mostly protein like eggs for breakfast, chicken at lunch pork at tea with veggies. The other week I was craving for bread and vegemite and I slathered on the butter (not margarine) then a bit of vegemite and scoffed it, god it was good, just one slice. Next morning I dropped 1kg. Go figure

I couldn't do the no carb at all thing, I like to have a variety of foods but the joy is I can't eat much of any of it so all is good. I think I feel like a normal slimmer person now, I have bad days when I may eat the not so good foods but the next day it is so easy to just go back to eating good food because I no longer think of food as a hobby or favourite past time, it's just fuel for my body. Don't get me wrong I still love my tasty foods and enjoy every mouthful but I also enjoy that I can leave food on my plate if I am full, that is really what we are meant to do, only eat till we are satisfied, man my stomach must have been the size of a beach ball when I think of the portion sizes I used to eat before feeling full. Yay for my sleeve. Lol.

[31startingBMI]

I don't think you need to change anything, a stall is a stall. If you eat your protein first and stay away from non veggie carbs (bread, rice, grains, potatoes) you will start losing again. Low carb but not low fat. Fat is ok to eat. So if you have your protein, you may want to have some avocado with it. You want to carb count and keep your carbs under 30 a day. No sugar either. You will start losing again. I have done this diet before the sleeve and it works.

[tinman]

I don't think you need to change anything, a stall is a stall. If you eat your protein first and stay away from non veggie carbs (bread, rice, grains, potatoes) you will start losing again. Low carb but not low fat. Fat is ok to eat. So if you have your protein, you may want to have some avocado with it. You want to carb count and keep your carbs under 30 a day. No sugar either. You will start losing again. I have done this diet before the sleeve and it works.

I absolutely positively could not disagree with you more.

How can you be so sure that the advice you are giving is going to work for a sleeved person? You can't. Based on the information you have provided in your profile, you've been sleeved for a whopping 21 days. I'm not trying to be rude, but, you haven't logged enough time with your sleeve to dispense any advice about how to lose weight with it. You seem to be pretty knowledgeable about how to lose weight without the sleeve though.

So, here is the deal. A stall is not a stall is not a stall is not a stall. And for you to claim anything otherwise is just downright incorrect....in my opinion. Just because you had a diet pre op that worked does not mean it will work post op. In fact, the plan you just described is pretty much the perfect storm for a prolonged stall post op. This board is littered with the carcasses of those who tried to go Atkins while sleeved. Same with the low fat dieters. Neither of those work post op because of the amount of food we are able to consume. Now, having said that, there are plenty of folks on here who lost their weight post op without eating carbs. The vast majority of them also had prolonged stalls. There are several post on the board that are a testament to that. So, if you want to go low carb, then you should. I'm just saying there is an easier way. Your body absolutely needs all of the carbs you can give it in order to keep your metabolism high enough to burn the stored fat. Now, does that mean your way won't work. Nope. All is means is that going low carb will guarantee you that you will stall, stall often and at some point in time, you will stay stalled.

So, for the OP I say this. It is absolutely no coincidence that you lose weight faster when you mix in carbs and fat. Your body does not think it is being starved and therefore will keep your metabolism ramped up to the point where the fat will fall off of you. You stumbled into the dirty little secret that all successful sleevers generally learn at some point in time. You are not on a diet and you can, and should, eat what you want, when you want, and made just the way you like it. What you must never do is over eat. Rule number one. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever over eat.....ever.

[sassyrae21]

Yeah, I agree. The scale hasn't moved in a week. Yesterday I took in 90 g of protein and 123g of carbs. I'm a pound lighter this morning. So maybe I figured out what makes my body tick! I'm just going to eat clean, eat as close to 1000 cals a day and not worry about the rest. Pretty sure I have been starving myself without realizing it. At 6 weeks out I have stalled twice and I think this is why.

[Melkng]

I am experiencing the same stalls in weight loss. I think I am doing everything correctly, however, no change in the my weight. I am down to 170. I started at 188, and it's been 7 weeks since my surgery. What's up???

[readytochangemylife]

I absolutely positively could not disagree with you more.

How can you be so sure that the advice you are giving is going to work for a sleeved person? You can't. Based on the information you have provided in your profile, you've been sleeved for a whopping 21 days. I'm not trying to be rude, but, you haven't logged enough time with your sleeve to dispense any advice about how to lose weight with it. You seem to be pretty knowledgeable about how to lose weight without the sleeve though.

So, here is the deal. A stall is not a stall is not a stall is not a stall. And for you to claim anything otherwise is just downright incorrect....in my opinion. Just because you had a diet pre op that worked does not mean it will work post op. In fact, the plan you just described is pretty much the perfect storm for a prolonged stall post op. This board is littered with the carcasses of those who tried to go Atkins while sleeved. Same with the low fat dieters. Neither of those work post op because of the amount of food we are able to consume. Now, having said that, there are plenty of folks on here who lost their weight post op without eating carbs. The vast majority of them also had prolonged stalls. There are several post on the board that are a testament to that. So, if you want to go low carb, then you should. I'm just saying there is an easier way. Your body absolutely needs all of the carbs you can give it in order to keep your metabolism high enough to burn the stored fat. Now, does that mean your way won't work. Nope. All is means is that going low carb will guarantee you that you will stall, stall often and at some point in time, you will stay stalled.

So, for the OP I say this. It is absolutely no coincidence that you lose weight faster when you mix in carbs and fat. Your body does not think it is being starved and therefore will keep your metabolism ramped up to the point where the fat will fall off of you. You stumbled into the dirty little secret that all successful sleevers generally learn at some point in time. You are not on a diet and you can, and should, eat what you want, when you want, and made just the way you like it. What you must never do is over eat. Rule number one. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever over eat.....ever.

Tinman, I have seen your post for ever now, and on this one, I have to reply. I have been doing this for 15 months now, and I have lost 142 lbs. so I think I qualify on your definition of knowing what works post op, for me. No one, including you, can say, do what I do and it will work. I have followed high protein, low carbs, low fat, low sugar for ALL of these 15 months and guess what, I am still loosing. I have not had a "real" stall, ever. I have had a week that I don't lose, or lost very little, but a true stall is not a week. So to blast someone that post that is just trying to be of some help even if they are "new" at it, is totally classless of you. I just felt for once I needed to blast you, because you seem think you are the God of weight loss. The begin with, you are a male and that in itself gives you an advantage, and that is absolutely true. Second, you look to be 6'5" tall at the very least and you can weigh 300 and not be fat. It is a known fact that due to the muscle make up of the male specimen, they can cut their calories to 1800 calories a day and lose weight. Cut it more than that, and they can lose quickly. If i weighed what you did at the start of this, I am sure I could have lost way more than I have on this journey. Women are different from the get go, and the older you are, the harder it is. I am a master at losing weight, I just was not a master at keeping it off, but had this surgery to master that part. Now, I can go to bed and sleep very well because I have been wanting to unload on your dang arrogant post for a while now and finally decided now or never.

[sassyrae21]

Melkng, Maybe play around with your diet some? Try increasing your cals, eat more healthy fats like avocado, make sure you aren't burning all your calories by over exercising, but make sure you exercise. I don't know, lol, I'm still trying to figure out how my body works and the best way for me to be successful with my sleeve!

[31startingBMI]

Tinman..the magic ingredient is fat. Fat makes you feel filled up. My doctor is a research doctor with roots in chemistry, not your average weight loss doctor. Fat is not bad but when you combine fat with too many carbs you will not lose weight. The combination of too many carbs with fat is toxic to your brain and your body...don't believe me read the book "grain brain" Fat, protein, veggies is the ideal combination. I did not get as fat as others even in the face of pcos which is uncurable and little is known about it why pcos patients gain so much weight so easily and metabolic syndrome when weight gain is another symptom of MS. Believe me I would be 300 pounds if I did not follow this diet. My starting Bmi was 31, obese by medical standards but not that over weight and I have already lost 1/3 of my weight in 3 weeks. With more time under my belt will come credibility but the diet I followed before getting sleeved the mechanism of the diet does not change because one is sleeved or not sleeved. The body processes foods as they did before surgery. Hey, I like a challenge...it's good to always keep learning! I don't know it all or I would have cured my pcos by now but I'm pretty well researched in the area of nutrition and weight loss with the guidance of a top notch research doctor in this field. I am not a fly by night commenter �� I'm not winging it im living it!

[FeliciaB]

I'm 3 weeks out and already had a week stall, but I believe it is because I wasn't eating. So I started eating more protein (like eggs with a little cheese) and it has started falling off like crazy; 4 pounds in 2 days. Although, it could be just because I'm just 3 weeks out.

[Dave1324]

I absolutely positively could not disagree with you more.

How can you be so sure that the advice you are giving is going to work for a sleeved person? You can't. Based on the information you have provided in your profile, you've been sleeved for a whopping 21 days. I'm not trying to be rude, but, you haven't logged enough time with your sleeve to dispense any advice about how to lose weight with it. You seem to be pretty knowledgeable about how to lose weight without the sleeve though.

So, here is the deal. A stall is not a stall is not a stall is not a stall. And for you to claim anything otherwise is just downright incorrect....in my opinion. Just because you had a diet pre op that worked does not mean it will work post op. In fact, the plan you just described is pretty much the perfect storm for a prolonged stall post op. This board is littered with the carcasses of those who tried to go Atkins while sleeved. Same with the low fat dieters. Neither of those work post op because of the amount of food we are able to consume. Now, having said that, there are plenty of folks on here who lost their weight post op without eating carbs. The vast majority of them also had prolonged stalls. There are several post on the board that are a testament to that. So, if you want to go low carb, then you should. I'm just saying there is an easier way. Your body absolutely needs all of the carbs you can give it in order to keep your metabolism high enough to burn the stored fat. Now, does that mean your way won't work. Nope. All is means is that going low carb will guarantee you that you will stall, stall often and at some point in time, you will stay stalled.

So, for the OP I say this. It is absolutely no coincidence that you lose weight faster when you mix in carbs and fat. Your body does not think it is being starved and therefore will keep your metabolism ramped up to the point where the fat will fall off of you. You stumbled into the dirty little secret that all successful sleevers generally learn at some point in time. You are not on a diet and you can, and should, eat what you want, when you want, and made just the way you like it. What you must never do is over eat. Rule number one. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever over eat.....ever.

To add to this... If you arent getting cardio in start... 30 minutes on a treadmil at 2.5mph (not sure what that translates in kph). at a medium incline does wonders... if you are already doing a good amount of cardio either up the intensity or add mroe time to it. This works wonders to break stalls... Half the time I read people stressing about the diet side, its more of a cardio issue.

[tinman]

Tinman, I have seen your post for ever now, and on this one, I have to reply. I have been doing this for 15 months now, and I have lost 142 lbs. so I think I qualify on your definition of knowing what works post op, for me. No one, including you, can say, do what I do and it will work. I have followed high protein, low carbs, low fat, low sugar for ALL of these 15 months and guess what, I am still loosing. I have not had a "real" stall, ever. I have had a week that I don't lose, or lost very little, but a true stall is not a week. So to blast someone that post that is just trying to be of some help even if they are "new" at it, is totally classless of you. I just felt for once I needed to blast you, because you seem think you are the God of weight loss. The begin with, you are a male and that in itself gives you an advantage, and that is absolutely true. Second, you look to be 6'5" tall at the very least and you can weigh 300 and not be fat. It is a known fact that due to the muscle make up of the male specimen, they can cut their calories to 1800 calories a day and lose weight. Cut it more than that, and they can lose quickly. If i weighed what you did at the start of this, I am sure I could have lost way more than I have on this journey. Women are different from the get go, and the older you are, the harder it is. I am a master at losing weight, I just was not a master at keeping it off, but had this surgery to master that part. Now, I can go to bed and sleep very well because I have been wanting to unload on your dang arrogant post for a while now and finally decided now or never.

First off, congrats on your loss. Not everyone is capable of losing as much as you have and it's a testament to your ability to make a plan that works for you. I have posted on this forum many many times and you will find it impossible to ferret out a single post of mine where I call the qualifications of someone with your level of experience into question. I can save you the time. You won't. In fact, what you will find is post after post after post where I claim the path to success starts with making your own plan, working your own plan, owning the results and changing as necessary. It is abundantly clear that you are the poster child for this belief. You will also find post after post after post where I list very successful sleevers who achieved their success doing things very differently than me. Truffles is one. She did it your way. I am very careful to couch every post with a disclaimer that this is my opinion and my way isn't the only way.

Now, in the case of the post I called into question, I always have, and will continue to have a problem with someone who is newly sleeved giving out advice about something they have absolutely no knowledge of. Opinions? Yeah, anyone can have an opinion. But advice? You only give advice when you have a common frame of reference with the person you are giving advice to. If your advice is about losing weight with the sleeve, then you had better been successful with the advice you are giving. Obviously, you have. So have I. The person who wrote the post I had a problem with? No way Jose. 21 days does not qualify anyone to give advice about anything. I used to say that at 21 days all you should be giving advice about is what size straw to use to sip your water or shakes.

So, in conclusion, it doesn't bother me that you think I am arrogant. My posts are not meant for you or anyone else who has achieved your level of success. I can promise you that I have nothing to offer you that you haven't already figured out. I truly believe you will be just as successful in your maintenance as you have been in your weight loss phase. I encourage you to keep posting and offer some balance to what I preach. You are absolutely correct in your assertions about male and female weight loss. Having said that, I hope that the newly sleeved and those on the fence are able to take in what you say and use that in making their own plan. If you and I can agree on one thing, I believe that "thing" would be that you have to make a plan that works for you.

Good Luck to you in the future.

[Chunky]

I'll just step in with this... I am just a tad past 6 months (6 months and a week). I have barely stalled but don't lose crazy fast either. As a woman in her 40s with PCOS and no thyroid and having started at a BMI of 37, I never expected to lose 71 pounds overnight. But I have had consistent losses the whole time and I am 11 pounds away from my goal weight of 130 pounds . Yay!

What I do may or may not work for you - I can only say it is working for me.

I track everything I eat (I know I need the accountability). You need to know yourself. For Tinman, I know he does not track, he does not need it. I do. You may - you may not. I use My Fitness Pal app.

I have three meals a day plus usually two snacks. I start every morning with a protein shake(just powder and water and ice) - I love it and it helps give me energy at the gym. I then workout (at least 6x a week). Three are weight lifting, three are other - yoga, intervals, etc - but lately, almost all yoga. I actually found too much spinning or treadmill slows my weight loss. Crazy but I think my body wants and craves muscles not cardio - so I move in a way that makes it happy.

After working out, I eat lunch. Usually a meal with mainly protein, a bit of fat and a few grams of carbs (when I have room) - the carbs usually veggies, but occasionally if I feel I need it, I have one piece of whole grain bread. I rarely do as my body doesn't seem to prefer carbs, but I do not swear them off completely either. I often have either a Quest bar or 1 ounce of nuts or even roasted seaweed as an afternoon snack.

Dinner is fish, sashimi, tuna, turkey, steak, chicken or seafood, most of the time. Complimented with a veggie which I eat if I have room. I try and get 3ounces of protein now at each meal. That seems to be what I can fit.

If I see I am below 800 calories, which I usually am, I add in one snack after dinner to hit that.

Now that I am 11 pounds away from my goal, I am trying to increase the calories to 900-1000. I hope to have my maintenance at 1000-1200 or so - which means I better increase a little now -- I think

My plan is to slowly add a bit more carbs (in the form of fruit) into my life as I get closer to goal - which is approaching. I may add a banana to a protein shake or have a piece of fruit as a snack with peanut butter.

I can eat more than I could at 3 months for sure - now that I am at 6 months... But I still cannot overeat unless it is a slider food. So as Tinman did say DO NOT overeat. The rest will fall into place.

[hollybake]

I am new also, but your posts for "people who are not qualified to give advice" is neither helpful nor constructive. And yes, someone who has just been sleeved and has had success is qualified. Some of us want advice from someone who can relate because they currently are at the same point. Not from someone who has been doing this for a while and is trying to remember what it was like. You are arrogant and tacky. If you can't be helpful witnout falling off your high horse then spare us your unhelpful, condescending "advice!"

[tinman]

I am new also, but your posts for "people who are not qualified to give advice" is neither helpful nor constructive. And yes, someone who has just been sleeved and has had success is qualified. Some of us want advice from someone who can relate because they currently are at the same point. Not from someone who has been doing this for a while and is trying to remember what it was like. You are arrogant and tacky. If you can't be helpful witnout falling off your high horse then spare us your unhelpful, condescending "advice!"

Ok...I think I understand what you are saying. If you want to seek out advice from folks who have just as much, if not less, experience than you, then you should by golly do it. I get that commiseration is important and having someone who is experiencing the same things you are is important and reassuring. But understand this. The basic lifestyle you will be leading for right now is pretty much the same one you'll lead for the rest of your life. Now, what I am not saying is that my way is the holy road. Far from it. However, for lack of a better way of putting it, I still observe the same basic steps in my day to day life of maintenance that I did during my losing phase. So, I can assure you that I am not trying to "remember what it was like".

Talk about condescending. The fact that you would say that just shows how very little you know. This lifestyle is one that requires daily maintenance, planning, and affirmation. I have to choose to pay attention to my daily nutritional requirements EVERY DAY. This lifestyle is not a piece of cake. This lifestyle is just that. The style of living that I am required to do in order to maintain my weight for the REST OF MY LIFE. You are not going to lose your weight and then magically stay that way for the rest of your life. Well...maybe you will, maybe you won't. Don't believe me....research the threads where three and four year vets are coming on here and saying that they are gaining because they went off of the reservation. Heck...it happens to those who have been sleeved less than 18 months...never mind two and a half years.

I will never understand how anyone with no experience can feel good about giving advice on how to better cope with being sleeved. I'm sorry. I just don't. It is perfectly fine to have an opinion. Everyone can have those. It's another thing all together to advise. My well worn example of the airline pilot is still one that makes sense to me. I didn't happen to like how he landed a plane I was on recently. Did I have an opinion? Oh yeah. Did I give him advice on how to do it better. Uh...nope. Why? I think the answer is pretty clear.

For someone with less than a month with their sleeve to say that "you don't need to change a thing. A stall is a stall" is wrong, wrong, and wrong. A stall is not something that has to be endured past the first one at three weeks, and it really makes me frustrated when folks are more than willing to just sit back and endure them. I know I didn't. I know a lot of folks on here didn't and don't. The plain truth of the matter is that most endure them because they think they have to. Well, my opinion is that you don't have to endure them. However, the 21 day vet on this thread would tell you different. If you want to wait out a stall, be prepared to wait out stalls that last three and four months. How do I know. Hmmm...well....let's just say I didn't decide to bust my stalls because I enjoyed having them.

So, you do you and I'll do me. I'll chime in when I want and if you don't like it, let me know. I have a pretty thick skin and can take the abuse pretty darn well. What I am not going to do is stop posting my advice and opinions. If you want to stop seeing them, then I think you know what to do.