Change it up to break a plateau?? 2 day low carb a week?

[Grace]

I'd hoped I was done trying different things to lose weight but alas, looks like I am having to resort to whatever to get my body back in gear....

Reading a lot lately about the concept of 2 consecutive days of low carb a week and then keeping the rest of the week to limiting calories but not worrying as much about carbs. The thought is that it gets the metabolism moving but doesn't cause "starvation mode" (something that either exists or doesn't depending on which research you do).... I'm hoping this may be what I need to do to be able to push forward as just low carb is simply making me tired now, not energized like it used to. Perhaps this just happens after a long time on low carb? Who knows? But I'm willing to give it a try for a month and report back...

Anyway, I'd post the most recent article but that would be copyright infringement.. it's in First for Women magazine this week if you want to read it. I did find this online article...
RESEARCH: Do you need to cut carbs just 2 days a week to produce weight-loss results? | The Skinny Code

[stephintexas]

This carb thing is tough for me, too. I have found if I eat certain carbs like honeydew melon, I'm fine. I can even have a thin all grain sandwhich thingie by orowheat in the morning. For me,it's not so much how many carbs a day but rather which ones. And it's not so simple as good carbs vs. bad carbs for me, either. Mushy Bread is my nemesis. Pasta, even whole wheat, is out. Fruit is fine. I'm interested to see how cycling the carbs affects you.

[scgal21]

The further out I get, I realize it's the quality of the carbs I eat. I was experimenting and had 100g+ carbs on specific days and had a weight loss. That being said, it's only if I eat certain carbs like steel cut oats, multi-grain tortillas, certain fruits, etc. On those days, I also had 100g protein and a huge amount of water. I only did this once or twice a week and eeked out 8 lbs last month. I've not eaten pasta yet. It's my mortal enemy, since it's a trigger food for me. Good luck Grace, I hope you find that balance....stalls SUCK!

[jerzeygirl]

Oh my goodness! Grace, it's like you were reading my mind (scary place. I told a friend yesterday that I seemed to have lost more weight lately because I'm trying to eat more carbs and a larger variety of food. I still find it hard to eat on lots of days, but once I find a balance, it seems to fall into place. I've added a little more carbs, and like everyone else, I try to eat the healthy carbs. I do have a deli flat w/turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, and mustard some days. I like peanut butter and SF jelly on one slice of multi-grain bread, well toasted and had it for dinner last night. I think it's all trial and error, and we will all find what's good for our new healthy lifestyle going forward after almost a year. I wish you all continued success!

[Shugaplum]

I have been doing some research on this as well. I have also tried to add in some carbs, and it hasn't really moved the scale one way or the other. I am on this HUGE stall and I can't seem to shake things up enough to get it going again. I will be very curious how you do. Please keep us updated!

[pack89]

Grace, that sounds so much more doable that to cut out carbs all together. You body needs some carbs for energy, but I definitely think mixing things up is a good thing for our bodies. I was always told when our bodies get in a rut, it causes our stalls. I just need to remember all of this stuff when I'm going through it myself!!

[Grace]

Thanks everyone! So, I'm noticing you're saying when you are eating carbs you're eating high fiber ones... the whole/multi grain, certain fruit kind... I'll take a page from your book and try to get natural fibers in on the other days. A bit rough for me being gluten free but I have been ok with low carb flax, oat and wheat tortillas (Josephs) so far if it's only a couple a week. Maybe oatmeal would be a good try.

[isandie]

i'm really curious to see how this works for you too! i have to be honesty, i haven't been counting my carbs at all, and only focusing on my protein and overall calorie intake...but i am at a stall of sorts and i was just thinking i'll probably have to start paying more attention to carbs it would be GREAT to do carb free for 2 days a week.
similarly, a friend of mine (who hasn't had WLS of any kind) has started dieting every other day...i thought it was a "cute" idea at first, but it seems to really work for him...so on diet days, he does low carb/high protein/low cal...and on non diet days he doesn't pay a whole lot of attention about what he's eating (he doesn't gorge or anything tho)...i think these are really good ways to keep your body and metabolism guessing!

[cowgirljane]

That is interesting! I feel very weak and icky on a low carb diet, but i do have very low carb days. Most of the time, I am eating "moderate carbs" in the 50-80 total per day. I think this is an interesting strategy to try, thanks for posting.

[Gwyn]

I haven't worried too much about carbs. I don't go crazy with them, but I've been known to have some pasta from time to time. The key for me is limiting the processed carbs. I rarely eat bread or pasta, but I will have a potato or fruit. As long as I'm meeting my protein goals and staying under my calorie limit, I don't really worry about carbs other than to focus on simple, unprocessed.

[Santy]

Funny you should bring this up Grace as I have been reading about two days with no carbs! To my mind this is so much easier than counting carbs etc and at my next (and first!) stall I will give it a try. Interesting concept either way, keep us posted and good luck!

[MaryFromTheD]

Reading a lot lately about the concept of 2 consecutive days of low carb a week and then keeping the rest of the week to limiting calories but not worrying as much about carbs.

Hi Grace,
I think this sounds like exactly what I've been looking for! I've trying to keep low carb every day but it seems to backfire - the weight loss stalls and I'm left frustrated. Thanks for posting!
Mary

[deesleeve]

Thanks for posting! I am at a stall as well! I have introduced some carbs back into my diet and I am 99.9% sure that is the culprit for the stall!! I need to get back on track and FOCUS!

[Grace]

Okay. Week 1 progress check in - I dropped 2.2 lbs this week, after a 6 wk stall!
I chose Tues and Wed as my low carb days...Went like this nutrition wise:
Monday 1150 cal 95 pro 55 carbs 53 fat
Tuesday 905 cal 93 pro 22 carbs 50 fat
Wednesday 927 cal 105 pro 20 carbs 55 fat
Thursday woke up to 2 lbs gone 1235 cal 75 pro 112 carbs 45 fat
Friday down .2 1235 cal 85 pro 103 carbs 57 fat
Saturday 1200cal 75pro 94carb 60fat
Sun 1050 cal 85 pro 75 carb 45 fat
Scale didn't change from Fri-Monday.
So it looks like it's a matter of losing for the 2 days and then letting it settle.
The days I didn't do low carb I really listened to my body and ate what it wanted in small quantities, even ice cream.
I can honestly say the end of Wednesday was tough but knowing I could eat more carbs on Thursday got me through.

On to week two, lets see if it keeps working!

[MaryFromTheD]

Grace, Thanks so much for sharing ~ I totally appreciate the progress post. Keep up the good work & keep on losing!
Mary