my wife gaining on initial carb reduction page

[AZtoNH]

Hello

Just joined your site. OK, we are just starting out. We've talked to a trainer who taught us about all this and at his advice have started with a few days of induction at under 20 net grams of carbs to get our bodies going. I am 5'9, and 345lbs. My wife is is 5'4 and 190lbs....She began her weight loss journey 5 yrs ago and all her life has had trouble losing weight, her body just doesn't cooperate! lol. She is VERY dedicated to exercise and diet, and over the course of the first 4 yrs lost 110 lbs, but fought for every inch of it (you should see this woman in the gym!) She has been plateaued at 190 now for the last 12-13 months, despite her incredible efforts (at least 2 hrs a day in the gym and very strict nutrition)....My question - As of today, she is in day 3 of under 20g net carbs and has gained 5 lbs in those three days. She is really discouraged by this start, as she hasn't lost a pound in 13 months, but hasn't gained either......some factors -- hypothyroidism though she is on meds for this, she hasn't really moved her bowels much last couple of days....prior to this, she ate Isopure natural protein shake daily for breakfast, Shakeology protein shake for lunch, sensible dinner with lean protein and lots of vegetables. She would have healthy snacks between, eating every 3 hrs or so (handful of almonds, scoop of peanut butter, veggies).....shes done this religiously for about 3 yrs. Any words of wisdom as to why she's gaining? (I try to encourage her to stay off scale, which she has a hard time doing) Thx.

[yodiewan]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

It's obviously the lack of bowel movement. Any weight gained over only 3 days is either water or gut contents. Weight loss is almost never linear. Just stay on track and the results will come. Also, going super-low carb isn't strictly necessary. Some people do better with lower carbs and some do better with higher.

Two hours a day in the gym is a lot. Is this every single day? If so, I'd cut back. A lot. It is too much stress and might be causing elevated cortisol levels. Have a short, intense workout and get out of there. Then go for a walk or do something else relaxing.

I wish you and your wife the best of luck!

[croí]

I agree with yodiewan - ease off on the exercising. Your body needs time to rest and recoup. If her motivation to exercise is going to the gym. Only do weights 2x per week. And then walk (not run) on a treadmill the other days for 2 miles or so. She shouldn't be in the gym for more than an 1 hour a day. Otherwise she will be pushing towards chronic cardio, which in the Primal world is too much stress on the body.

I also suggest she ups the carb to between 20 - 50g. Below 20g is a bit extreme starting out.
Also, Maybe take out all the protein shakes and replace them with real protein (food)? I'm 5'2" and always gain when drinking protein shakes. Don't know why.. just either maintain or gain with those things. Also, when she begins to eat real food instead of the shakes, she'll notice she's not as hungry to go for the snacks. 4-8oz of protein and some veggies, is usually more than enough to get us "smaller" women through to the next meal.

Hope this helps.

[Angieh]

Hi there and welcome!

I agree with Yodie -- try not to get discouraged, first of all! Secondly, I always people to read as much as you can to educate yourself -- in addition to the information you are getting from your trainer, this will provide a good base. I would read Mark's Primal Blueprint and Robb Wolf's Paleo Solution, just to start

A few things that stand out from your post: It sounds to be like your wife has insulin resistance along with thyroid issues (often go together), which make losing more challenging but not impossible. A book that is extremely helpful in dealing with those special challenges is Dr. K's Thyroid book (**I highly recommend she read this!!). Some things I think she could consider:

-she is working out way too much -- both Robb and Mark explain the concept of overtraining and especially chronic cardio -- ironically it can stymie weight loss -- it taxes the body too much, causes cortisol to shoot up (adds to weight, especially belly), connects back to issues of thyroid (all connected, of course). Mark talks about 1.5 hours of quality work out - he includes sprints and weights or body weight exercises -- per WEEK. Aside from that, her exercise should be walking, biking, yoga type stuff (not cardio!)

-she may need more sleep -- Robb Wolf is adamant that lack of sleep PREVENTS weight loss in many people. One of the #1 things she should do to help weight loss is to insure 8 hours a night (or 9). Do you know if she gets a full 8 every night? Apparently, a lot of people lose better when they finally dial in their sleep. (*I am a poor sleeper and have elevated cortisol levels at night - adrenal issues- and I know this is an issue and constant challenge for me)

-food -- eat 2-3 meals a day (NOT SHAKES). More fat (EVOO, coconut oil, fat from grassfed beef, eggs with yolk, etc.) and tons of vegetables. Go light on nuts - they cause some people to hold weight. She probably doesn't need to eat every 2-3 hrs. unless there are also hypoglycemic issues.

--as far as the constipation -- up the vegetables and water which help things get going naturally. Additionally, if she takes a powdered magnesium supplement in the evenings, that really helps (in fact, be careful to start with just a teaspoon, or you could have the opposite problem). I take Natural Calm.

Don't give up -- keep at it, read and learn, and best of luck!

[Pebbles67]

+1 to Angieh's post. I posted similar advice in your meet and greet thread. Magnesium has been a huge help for me, I use Natural Calm as well.

[jennf]

A couple more things your wife might want to be aware of. I agree with croi that her carbs should probably be a bit higher. Particularly with thyroid issues (which I have as well), too low of carbohydrates can cause problems. I keep mine between 50 and 75. Everyone is different, so it may take some experimenting.

Also, if she was severely restricting her calories for a long time (which it sounds like she has been) there will be a recovery period where her metabolism needs to get back on track. Make sure she's eating plenty of calories (from food, not shakes). She may gain a couple pounds at first, but it will be much, much better for her in the long run. Once her metabolism gets going again she'll be able to drop weight more easily and won't have to continually drop calories to lose weight.

I don't think any of the issues above would cause a gain over just a few days, though. Likely it's just because her system is backed up. Patience is the key!

Edited to add: My husband and I moved from AZ to MA 15 years ago. Welcome to New England

[NicoleP]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

It's obviously the lack of bowel movement. Any weight gained over only 3 days is either water or gut contents. Weight loss is almost never linear. Just stay on track and the results will come. Also, going super-low carb isn't strictly necessary. Some people do better with lower carbs and some do better with higher.

Two hours a day in the gym is a lot. Is this every single day? If so, I'd cut back. A lot. It is too much stress and might be causing elevated cortisol levels. Have a short, intense workout and get out of there. Then go for a walk or do something else relaxing.

I wish you and your wife the best of luck!

Totally agree. I don't think people realize just how much these things can weigh and 3 days for some people could be a whole lot more than 5 pounds.

[tim_1522]

If you're cutting carbs to the point of extreme calorie deficiency, you can be doing more harm than good in the weight loss department. I was running (accidentally) at about a 1000 calorie deficit when I first cut grains and sugars. I felt miserable and the scale wouldn't budge. There's a lot of thought out there that when you restrict calories a LOT (whether it's high carb, low carb, CW, SAD, Primal, whatever...) that you body will decide that you are in a "food scarcity" time and throttle down the metabolism to compensate (a handy survival tactic when people DID go through times of scarcity). The same goes for adding a bunch of exercise to create a major calorie deficit.

I realized this and add back a portion of calories (between 600-800 by my estimate) in healthy fats (and not CW's definition of "healthy" fats) I found my hunger and cravings settled down AND I started seeing progress at the scale...

I don't know if that's the case with your wife, but at least something to consider...

[RitaRose]

Totally agree. I don't think people realize just how much these things can weigh and 3 days for some people could be a whole lot more than 5 pounds.

Heh - The Boyfriend laughed at me because I weighed myself in the morning, then realized I had to poop. So I weighed myself again after. Hey, it's more than people think!

[NicoleP]

Heh - The Boyfriend laughed at me because I weighed myself in the morning, then realized I had to poop. So I weighed myself again after. Hey, it's more than people think!

LOL! It is way more than people think. I will not get on a scale if I haven't gone to the bathroom.