Tried NOT counting calories and scale went UP

[Terrim]

good morning all… TGIF!! soooooooooo I spoke to a couple amazing people on this forum for much needed advice and one of those items being do I keep following my ‘loseit’ app that tracks my carbs etc and tells me my calorie allotment each day. ( it changes with weight gain or loss) yesterday I was ‘allowed’ 1188 cal. Since it was suggested I do NOT pay attention, yesterday was the first time, and I only went over by perhaps 190cal. My carbs were at 10 or less… and WENT UP a pound! in fact, in the past 2 days I have gone up!!! the stricter I have become with my carb count, this is happening instead of going down ANY ADVICE would be greatly appreciated

[kaclp]

I would suggest you read The Obesity Code. It talks about how calories are meaningless because regadless of the number of calories you eat, your body will always adjust to burn that number. Calorie deficits are only temporary but cause a prolonged reduced RMR/BMR.

It’s probably a temporary weight gain, you may have to be patient for your weight to drop at higher calories. IMO 1188 calories is way too low.

[Ilana_Rose]

Well first of all two days is just a measure of variance much of the time. But to help you we’d need more information.

What and when are you eating and drinking? How many times a day? Any snacks?

How much weight gain are you talking about and relative to what prior weight?

How long have you been keto?

[Terrim]

Good morning!
I started this about 2 weeks ago. I AM in ketosis and start weight was 216.6…i started tracking and 4-5 days later dropped to 211!!!
I discovered this forum and started reading on calories…and now I’m back up to 214

Here is what I ate yesterday… And yes, drinking lots of water

[Shinita]

Oh girl, one day is NOTHING. You obviously didn’t gain a pound of fat in one day, our bodyweight fluctuates, it’s normal. It could be 2-3 pounds too, it still means nothing, natural bodyweight fluctuations.
Two days matters little too Be patient and look at your weight weekly or monthly, that’s way more informative.

[Terrim]

I just thought that ACTUALLY getting my carbs as low as 8-10 YAY ME finally! id be ‘rewarded’ … lol

[Shinita]

You probably will get your reward but not instantly. Once I ate so well, I knew I was losing fat (slowly, I can’t do it quickly) but the scale did nothing for 2 weeks… Then it went down. Sometimes it’s even go up but it’s surely mostly water and it goes down later. Patience is needed (even though some persons are able to shed pounds like crazy. we are not them).

Of course, if you eat too much, you won’t lose, it would make no sense but it’s very hard to say what’s too much is and you probably need significantly more than 1188 kcal… I think a few of us already told you eat to satiation first, don’t worry about calories. And don’t look at the scale too often.

[Rebj]

Did you feel "comfortable and satisfied " with what you ate? That means way more to me that how many calories it is.

[Janie]

Did I read that right that you have been eating keto for 2 weeks? If so, just relax and keep your carbs under 20. In spite of the media hype, keto is not a “quick weight loss” diet, but it does work for most people and it is the easiest to keep the weight off after you lose it. Weight flutuations are mostly fluid - fat is stubborn and comes off more slowly.

Keto Is This Easy

Keto is this easy (aka Keto for beginners) Quick Version This is for Phase One—the starter phase. It’s still not complicated later, but this is the really easy-to-explain version which will help you no end. Eat under 20g of carbs a day (usually 20g net when starting, but for some people 20g total carbs works better). Don’t worry about the scale. All it tells you is weight, it tells you nothing about body composition, even the “smart” scales. Eat plenty of good food—fat and protein—whil…

[Terrim]

yes! and not hungry later whatsoever

[Madeleine]

I would drop that Hellman’s product! It’s mostly soybean oil.

[Ilana_Rose]

Your foods look fine.

You’re only eating a couple of hundred calories a day more than you were before. Over two days it’s literally impossible for that extra amount to ever equal two pounds of fat. A pound of fat is 3500 calories. This is just normal fluctuations of water and inflammation that you are seeing.

You are very early days and not yet even fat adapted. Just try not to even think about weight over the next month as your body gets used to the new diet. If you are still not losing weight by then you can begin to think about tweaking things. But most likely you will be.

The only suggestion I might make is try to favour fatty sources of meat for your fats rather than loads of things like mayonnaise. Go for real bacon rather than the low fat option if it’s an acceptable food for you. It’s a much better choice. Also try to use the highest fat ground beef for your meatballs and use up all the fats that render out during cooking.

[Terrim]

fat is 11 in the hellmans, but 0 sugar and carbs. I thought the fat is ok, (oil? )

[Terrim]

great ideas ! thank you

[Ilana_Rose]

Without getting heavily into the science, there is evidence that polyunsaturated fats are specifically fattening and saturated fats are not. The very best source of fat is likely meat fat (especially beef and lamb). Butter isn’t bad either, but vegetable oils are far less saturated and soybean oil is really not good at all.

[Terrim]

keep learning EVERY day, what about fats in cheese. Does it make a diff if the cheese is soft (camembert) vs brick cheese

[Madeleine]

Basically just to echo Ilana: fats are great in general but you want to pay attention to the quality of them, and soybean oil is probably not something you want in your system. Check out this article for an overview.

[Ilana_Rose]

The fats in cheese are fine. Many people don’t do so well with dairy though. Some people won’t lose weight while eating it. My recommendation is just not to overdo it. From what you posted above you aren’t. One slice is probably an ounce which is fine. But if you find yourself eating lots of cheese and also not losing weight then try cutting it back or eliminating it.

Personally I don’t have any anymore. But, I made a pig of myself whenever I let it slip into my diet and it always resulted in weight gains. For some people dairy is as addictive as carbs, and I’m one of those.

[Terrim]

I know right? cheese IS a food group!!! I guess just double up on calcium supplements in order to make up for less dairy

[Erevehc]

No need for calcium supplements! Too much calcium is far more common than too little. Personally, dairy doesn’t bother me but I’m not tempted to eat too much or anything (some people find it addicting). 1-2 servings a day is fine. Like others suggested, I’d try for an avocado oil mayo instead. I’d get into the habit of reading ingredients as they sneak bad things into everything