2 pounds in 6 weeks 😓

#1

New to the forum. Been eating a Ketogenic diet for approximately 6 weeks however I had previously stopped eating all added sugar and gluten at the top of the year and dropped about 10 pounds.

I “only” have about another 20 pounds to lose and since starting Keto the scale is not moving. I lost 2 pounds and then gained 3. I’ve lost some inches - mostly up top- but as far as weight loss I’m up from where I started!

I have a pretty sedentary job and I do Super Slow once a week. My weights are increasing and my workouts have gotten better over the last two weeks. I will take a walk around the neighborhood maybe once or twice a week.

I’m consistently under 20 net carbs and I do try to go between 12-16 hrs between dinner and my next meal about 5 days a week. But because of my job, which is demanding, I do end up eating my last meal somewhere around 8-8:30 and go to bed somewhere around 11. I’m sleeping pretty well - usually 7-8 hours of hard sleep and I feel pretty good.

Just don’t know what to do to get the weight flowing or if I just have to continue to be patient.

Thanks for any advice!

(Susan) #2

Welcome to the forum =).

Your working out can cause you to not lose weight at the beginning of Keto. You could be transferring the weight into muscle from fat (muscle weighs more). Especially the fact that you are even increasing doing weights… that might be why you are not losing weight.

Your body is also adjusting to Keto, which can take a while. It is important to get a good ratio of protein and fats, making sure you are getting enough of both, and drinking enough water too =). I am sure that people that are more familiar with exercising will be able to give you good advice. I don’t exercise myself (except doing some walking but no working out) so I am not an expert at all on this, except for advice I have seen others give to others having issues like you are having .

(mole person) #3

People often have to add other hacks and tweaks to lose the last 20 lbs. I certainly did.

Do you snack at all between meals?
Do you have much dairy?
Foods with artificial sweeteners?
Bars or shakes?
Fat bombs or desserts?
Nuts?

(Carl Keller) #4

Is it possible you are adding muscle and subtracting body fat? Muscle weighs more than fat so this exchange would show up as “gains” on a scale.

The questions @Ilana_Rose is asking are good ones. In addition to those things, stress, not eating enough, eating too much fat after fat adaptation, sneaky carbs and some medications can prevent weight loss.

I recommend a simplifed eating and fasting routine with plenty of single item, whole foods. Maybe one or two meals a day that feature a fatty, but not too fatty protein and a minimal amount of vegetables (if you enjoy them). No sweeteners, dairy, nuts and certainly no snacking. Make sure you are eating enough to satisfy hunger when you do eat.

#5

Thanks for the feedback.

@Ilana_Rose and @CarlKeller
No Fat Bombs or Shakes. Yes to nuts and dairy. And I do coffee with butter and mct about 50% of my mornings - that keeps me full til about 2pm

During the week if I do snack at work it might be a 100 calorie bag of raw almonds, 1-2 ounces of cheese or hard boiled eggs. On the weekends I definitely snack because I’m home and it’s there.
That would usually be some smoked salmon with cream cheese on Flackers or Parm Crisps Originals.

They provide lunch for us at work so I usually order a Greek style salad with either chicken or steak - half the time it’s small and I’m still hungry.

Lately dinner has been some kind of steak or chicken with spinach or kale cooked in either bacon fat or olive oil.

My one weakness is ice cream - I’ve been eating that Rebel Vanilla Ice Cream with 3-4 strawberries and some Lily’s Keto Chocolate Chips.

I can’t figure out if I’m not eating enough or if I’m eating too much!

I’m definitely gaining muscle and do see some changes in my body.

#6

I should add that I’ll be 56 next month and am on the Wiley Protocol - biodentical estrogen and progesterone that cycles up and down depending on the day of your cycle.

Also take a small dose of Thyroid meds and once per month a shot of Emgality for migraines. Although since starting keto I’ve only had one or two headaches!

I’m wondering how the added estrogen could be affecting my weight.

(Marianne) #7

I would try to cut out the snacking, “keto coffee,” nuts and processed foods (sorry!). The beauty of this is that we all have to find what we can live with. Also, your program will change as you do and over time.

I used to love my keto coffee but found it was slowing my weight loss, so I gave it up. Now I have just black coffee - kind of yucky, but oh well. I only have 1 cup a day usually, so I can deal. Try to eat more at lunch and/or dinner. If you are eating enough, I think you will find that your food will carry you easily until your next meal.

My husband and I have been happily doing OMAD for a couple of months now, no problem. We eat some kind of fatty meat (steak, cheeseburgers, bacon, pork steaks, ham), and a small amount of veggie in butter and/or some cole slaw with vinegar and mayo, or a nice salad with blue cheese dressing. Sometimes I will eat a few pieces of bacon, cheese or pepperoni while cooking the meat, but I consider that part of my meal. If you eat enough of the right foods at dinner, I think you will be able to eat OMAD. I’m 60 and it’s working well for me. My husband is buff but had about ten pounds to lose, especially around his middle. He just could not get it off before. Now he looks great and is sold on keto.

(mole person) #8

Keto coffee is a great crutch for starting the keto diet and getting one through the adaptation phase but should be the first thing to go if weight loss isn’t happening or if one stalls out. Every gram of fat you drink is a gram that won’t come out of your body stores.

Snacking should be next on the list. Try to keep your eating in two short mealtimes. Many of us eventually only eat one. I was only able to get to my goal weight on one meal a day.

I bet if you did those two you’d start losing much faster.

(Susan) #9

When all else fails, Fast for a minimum of 48 hours --no food, no calories, no artificial sweeteners.

This also helps me if I am having a stall. Good luck.

(Marianne) #10

I agree; def. helped me.

#11

Thanks everyone - I’m traveling tomorrow to a family reunion for a week so am going to try and stay the course while out of town and prepare to do some fasting when I get back. It’s definitely going to be a matter of getting mentally prepared. I’m a bit of a compulsive eater and need to overcome that part of it.

(Susan) #12

Good Luck, Stacia =), and have a great family reunion, I hope that it will be lots of fun.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #13

My question is whether you want to lose weight or lose fat. If the former, the quickest and easiest way is to have a limb amputated. This gets rid of all that dense bone and muscle, so you lose more weight per volume removed.

If, on the other hand, it is fat you want to shed, don’t worry about what your scale is telling you as long as your clothes are getting looser.

Here is a question to help clarify the matter: Would you rather look like you’ve lost twenty pounds and have the scale show no change or lose those twenty pounds and continue to look the same way you do now?

#14

@PaulL You sir, are a riot.

#15

Yes, he’s funny; but he’s also right! If it’s fat loss you’re after then the scale isn’t necessarily the best tool to measure success.
You want to lose weight because you want to be smaller? In that case, being upset that “I’ve lost inches but the scale isn’t moving” just doesn’t make sense.

#16

Not upset - more confused and wondering if I am doing things “right”.

#17

It sounds like you’re on a good path so far!