1. Intermittent fasting is about eating all that your body needs, while still allowing it to sometimes briefly rest from constant feeding. Some antidepressant medications can cause weight gain, especially the older tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) such as Tryptizol/Saroten (amitriptyline), and Anafranil (clomipramine); as well as newer drugs such as Remeron (mirtazapine).48 Lithium (for manic-depressive disorder) often causes weight gain. If you have one of these endocrine disorders, weight gain … This applies especially to dairy products typically lacking in fat, such as regular milk and various yogurts. Read more about the benefits of sleep. Any prescription-free supplements for sale that are not dangerous or illegal are likely to have a small or negligible effect on your weight. Antihistamine activity, however, is crucial for the effectiveness of allergy drugs. You may want to forget about this drug. For most people, “low” or “higher” ketone levels don’t make a difference for health and weight loss, and in general we do not recommend shooting for a specific ketone level.69 However, for some people stalling at weight plateaus while on a low carb diet, trying to raise ketone levels may be of benefit. However, large amounts of alcohol might slow weight loss somewhat, so moderation is still a good idea. Karen: Maintaining a 70-pound weight loss for five years Feel free to read my accounts of a two-month personal trial: Although I was quite happy with my weight before these trials, they resulted in a further loss of 4.5 kg (10 pounds) and 7 cm (3 inches) around my waist – without additional exercise or even the slightest resemblance of hunger. So, while on a low-carb diet the fasting periods may become both easier to do and more effective. Do you wonder why this weight-loss tip doesn’t show up until number 15 on the list? This could be called a Mediterranean low-carb diet and works great too.15. A 2007 study of epilepsy patients found that 44% of women and 24% of men gained 11 pounds or more while taking Depakote for about a year. You can do a 16:8 fast as often as you like. Cold intolerance Testing on people with obesity (without diabetes) shows that at higher doses the drug is fairly effective as a pure weight loss treatment, with patients losing on average 12.3 pounds (5.6 kilos) more than a placebo group after one year.91 These drugs, used for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, have potent antihistamine activity and inhibit serotonin, which may trigger weight gain. Your body will transform this into the active T3 hormone when necessary. That may differ depending on baseline insulin resistance, physical activity, and other factors. Being in optimal ketosis for a prolonged period of time (say, a month) will ensure that you experience the maximal hormonal effect from eating a low-carb diet. Avoid non-caloric sweeteners Allergy medications and antihistamines can interfere with weight loss, especially at high doses. Stress hormones Here's What That Means. Please note that your weight can fluctuate up and down several pounds from day to day, depending on fluid balance and digestive system contents. ↩ According to a recent review, overweight people have been found to end up taking in more calories overall when they eat nuts – although this doesn’t seem to occur in people of normal weight: Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 2018: Effect of nuts on energy intake, hunger, and fullness; a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trial [strong evidence] You may consider adding intermittent fasting or exercise to your routine (see tips #14 and #15 above). If you reduce your hunger and the levels of your fat-storing hormone, insulin, you’ll likely have an easier time losing excess weight.2. Sugar and starch may increase your hunger, while avoiding them may decrease your appetite to a more manageable level.7 If your body wants to have an appropriate number of calories, you don’t need to bother counting them. What’s new is that dozens of modern scientific studies have proven that, yes, on average low carb can be the most effective way to lose weight.4. The bonus This can lead to ketoacidosis – a potentially life-threatening condition. Weight loss is a process—one that doesn't always happen as quickly as you might like. This requires calorie counting and more planning, but some people still find they enjoy it. An exercise stress test, which checks blood flow through your heart while you exercise, can measure how hard your heart pumps while you're taking beta blockers. [overview article]. Many who firmly believe they are eating a strict low-carb diet are surprised when they measure their blood ketones. One group received a daily multivitamin supplement, the other a daily calcium supplement, and the last group only a placebo. Hard liquor like whisky, cognac, vodka (avoid sweetened cocktails – try vodka, soda water, lime instead) Many prescription drugs can stall your weight loss. RELATED: Meet the Woman Who Went From a Size 24 to a 12 in Less Than a Year. Five servings of fruit per day can be equivalent to the amount of sugar in 16 ounces (500 ml) of soda–52 grams of sugar!36 Contrary to what many people believe, the natural sugar in fruit is more or less identical to the sugar in soda and other sweet beverages (about 50% glucose, 50% fructose). They’re often full of carbohydrates. Here’s how to do it: Write the results down so that you can track your progress. Alternatively, you can make low carb even simpler by signing up for our free two-week keto challenge. Another common mistake when eating a low-carb diet is getting fooled by the creative marketing of special “low-carb” products. A healthier life starts now with your free trial! Likewise, if you’re taking certain medications, like beta-blockers, which can interact with higher potassium levels, you also want to check with your doctor, says Davis. Eat as little unhealthy food as you can – if possible, none at all. Lithium, another mood stabilizer for treating bipolar disorder, is also associated with weight gain, albeit less than Depakote. You can do this with a DEXA scan, hydrostatic weights, plethysmography scales and others. They are, however, much cheaper. Instead it just passes through you and ends up in the toilet — or (worst case) in your pants. Your doctor can easily arrange for you to take a blood test to measure the concentration of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). If you’re the kind of person who always gets brutally woken up by the alarm ringing, you might never be giving your body completely adequate rest. ↩ This is based on clinical experience. Ketone sticks give less reliable results for several reasons, and the above recommendations can’t be straightforwardly applied to them. One needle prick of the finger, and in just a few seconds you’ll know your blood ketone level. Controversial topics related to a low-carb diet, and our take on them, include saturated fats, cholesterol, whole grains, red meat and whether the brain needs carbohydrates. Dr Jason Fung at the LCHF Convention 2015. Stress hormones Focusing primarily on weight and stepping on the scale every day might be misleading, cause unnecessary anxiety, and undermine your motivation for no good reason. Many prescription drugs can stall your weight loss. If they are, you’re in normal ketosis – just like the ketosis of non-diabetic people who stick to a strict low-carb diet. RELATED: Bipolar vs. BPD: How to Tell the Difference. Is there a worse option than Xenical/Alli? Check out our popular video course with the five most important ones. Beta-blockers are among the go-to drugs for high blood pressure, but the older ones, such as Tenormin, Lopressor (metoprolol), and Inderal (propranolol), can expand the waistline. Only you can decide. Blood ketones are best measured on a fasted stomach in the morning (before breakfast, that is). There are also prescription free “carb blockers” out there, that are supposed to stop the body from absorbing carbs we eat. The solution can be to eat more natural fat until you feel satisfied. But be careful with full-fat dairy such as cream and cheese all the same, as they are easy to overindulge in. However, feel free to eat mostly unsaturated fat (e.g. Dr. Fung's fasting course part 2: How do you maximize fat burning? In these cases, weight gain resulting from decreased metabolism usually does not exceed 15 pounds.81 ... awareness and common sense can help keep you safe while you soak, he says. Here are 13 drugs that could cause you to put on pounds. The British Journal of Nutrition 2016: Effects of low-carbohydrate diets v. low-fat diets on body weight and cardiovascular risk factors: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials [strong evidence] Are you interested in trying intermittent fasting? While it’s important that you resume beta-blockers, you will need to closely follow instructions from your doctor. However, despite the fact that a low-carbohydrate diet generally makes it easier to eat just enough, there are foods classified as low carb which become a problem in larger quantities.