3 months in, feeling pretty discouraged. Just had blood work done which is adding to the discouragment

(chuck) #1

So, three months in. Total weight loss as of 2 weeks ago was right around 8-10 lbs. Have gone down two holes on my belt though. Feel much better but keep seeing all these posts about people losing 20 plus in this time frame. I know everyone is different but it isn’t helping to keep me positive. I am pretty sure I’m hitting my macros, the only think that could be the issue is drinking. I tend to do that on the weekends. When I started keto I really tried to limit how much, but it has crept back up. I generally drink bourbon or dirty martinis.
Then to top it off , I just had a physical. My blood work, which has never had any issues(6 years ago) was quite different. I have not reviewed them with the Dr. yet so not sure on what she will say. Here is the readings:
Cholesterol 207 mg/dl
Triglycerides 151 mg/dl
HDL 33 mg/dl
LDL 144 mg/dl
Non HDL 174 mg/dl
Cholesterol /HDL ratio 6.3

I guess I’m not sure what I’m going to do at this point. Most likely push thru and see what happens, I’ve tried other “lifestyle changes” before and they never lasted and were much harder to do compared to keto. This seems relatively easy , although, maybe it isn’t if I’m not really gaining any results.

(Frank) #2

The more experienced can chime in on this but I’m pretty sure blood work can be pretty wonky in the first 6 months or longer. What were your numbers at your last lipid panel?

(Omar) #3

I think if your concern is weight loss or lack of it, you partially answered your self. Alcohol.

but if your concern is the blood work, firstly six years is long time. you do not know if it even improved because you do not have a sample 4 or 6 month back. secondly your numbers are not bad nothing alarming. Usually people get advices to consider the blood readings taken 6 months after keto.

So be patient and persistent. wait another 3 months and take a sample.

(chuck) #4

Okay, so I’ve jumped the gun on the blood work. And yes, 6 years prior is a big deal. That puts me in my early 40’s so a lot can change.

I think I just need to ramp up the exercise , and cut the alcohol and see what happens. While I am on my feet for at least 3-4 hours after my desk job, it isn’t exactly exercise. I’m always in my shop working on one project or another. Time to make an effort to do more I guess.

(MelissaH) #5

I agree with Omar here… but I feel we need more info to get a better idea of your daily food/alcohol/calories. Maybe try tracking your macros in something like cronometer. You may be overeating and not realize it. I’m a drinker so I understand it’s hard to give up. Some people on keto can still drink in moderation and lose weight. Some can’t, and I’m in that category. Drinking stops fat loss for 24 hours and causes water retention. HTH!

(chuck) #6

I track using the “myketo” app.
For instance , so far today I’ve had.
12oz of coffee with 2 tblsp of heavy cream and 2 tblsp of MCT oil.
1 keto bar https://www.ketobars.com/collections/all-products/products/keto-bars-10-pack
For lunch I’ll have a cup and a half of romaine with a hamburger patty broken up in it, 2 ounces of mozzarella , 1 tblsp of olive oil , 1 tblsp of tzatziki sauce, and two grape tomatoes.
We are going out to dinner so it will be either a 6oz prime rib with a side salad or a Caesar salad with salmon. Salads will have no croutons.
If I need to snack at some point, I have one ounce of block parmesan cheese and a ounce and a half of pork rinds.

Yesterday was the same as today except dinner was the same as lunch. The day before was the same except my wife made butter nut squash soup. I had a cup an a half of that.
http://theskinnyskillet.com/2011/11/01/butternut-squash-soup/

I also drink 50-60 oz of water with another one or two tblsp of MCT oil

It has to be the drinking. I’d say the last month it has ramped up. 3-4 drinks on Friday, another 3-4 on Saturday and maybe 1 or 2 on Sunday. Nothing during the week.

(MelissaH) #7

My suggestions based on your daily intake would be these:

  1. Cut out the keto bar and have an extra BPC coffee instead for breakfast. I.e. take away the carbs, add fat to keep you satisifed until lunch. Plus your insulin won’t spike.
  2. Try not adding cheese to everything, dairy effects everyone differently. I cut out dairy and noticed a difference in energy and the scale moved so thats a plus
  3. Try increasing the calories in your meals so you don’t feel the need to snack. Like two meals a day.
  4. Eat clean. Basic but it works!
  5. Lower your carbs
    If your interested in what a daily meal would look like with these suggestions message me and I’d be happy to help.
(Running from stupidity) #8

It certainly won’t be helping.

You say your “pretty sure” your macros are good - how many carbs does the app say you’re getting daily?

(Candy Lind) #9

I’m betting simply cutting the alcohol and maybe adding a walk around the block are all you need. Every time you take a drink, your body grabs that instead of some stored fat for energy.

If you need to snack, you’re not eating enough at meals. Every time you eat, you release insulin. You need to avoid doing that so many times per day.

That “ramp up the exercise” comes from the old “CICO” mentality. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Neither is all the “grazing” so many of us have learned over the years. Melissa @Monurse is pretty spot-on with her recommendations. KCKO! You’ll have success.

#10

Alcohol definitely drives up triglycerides. Cutting that will make a big difference.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #11

@cw_mi Chuck, Frank is right. Get tested in another three months, and your numbers should be a lot more encouraging. Bear in mind also that lipid numbers are more volatile than people often assume, and that how you eat the week before the test, and even how long you fast for, can have an effect. Also, cholesterol is not a very accurate marker for our risk of cardiovascular disease, and some big studies intended to prove that cholesterol causes heart disease have actually shown that higher cholesterol levels are actually correlated with a lower risk of CVD.

All this is just to say, don’t worry, and keto on! The key to this way of eating is to keep carb intake to a minimum. This avoids stimulating the secretion of insulin, which is the body’s primary fat-storage hormone. In the absence of insulin, our fat tissue can release excess fat for the muscles to metabolize. But the other puzzle piece is that we have to give the body enough energy to heal and to feel safe releasing that excess fat. The way we do this is by replacing all the carb calories we are no longer eating with fat calories instead. Fat is very energy-dense (over twice the number of calories per gram) and hardly stimulates insulin at all, so it is a good source of calories. It’s also very tasty. So eat enough fat to satisfy your hunger, and you should see good results.

(chuck) #12

Looking back thru my tracker I’ve been falling slightly less than my target on the carb intake. Although, I’m also falling under on fat, protein and caloric intake as well.

#13

Carbs shouldn’t be a target. You just need to keep them under 20g… not aim to have 20g per day :slight_smile:

(Running from stupidity) #14

Unlike protein, which IS a target, carbs are a LIMIT. i.e. anywhere in 0-20g is just fine. I was at 11g yesterday, and very happy about it.

(mole person) #15

This. Alcohol is the only “nutrient” source for which the body has no capacity for storage. It HAS to burn it first.

(Anthony Rosa) #16

You never do say what your starting weight is. If you are heavy (and i’ts not necessary to be heavy for this to happen) and drank frequently on weekends you could well have a fatty liver. You need to cut the alcohol. Most people dont have a problem with this. If you do you may have another problem.

I am not pointing fingers. I grew upo with my best friends family being alcoholics. First I was there for Christmas break (13 years old) where Rob had to just run an errand to check on Uncle Bob. Uncle Bob (not fat) was dead, on the screened in porch in the dead of winter frozen.

Years later Robs dad died from his alcoholisim, again not fat but he had a bit of a belly and the fat was located on the inside among the organs and in the liver. He got cirossis. Fatty liver causes all kinds of problems. It seems that you have not seen your Dr in a while as your last blood panel is 6 years old. Perhaps it’s time for a review and a frank conversation with your Md. My inlaws were (passed on) recovering alcoholics with 30 years sober. I think I can say that from some exposure to AA, a normal person can do without drinking, after all they drink socially and can take it or leave it. I become concerned when you say that you were able to moderate it’s use for a while but are back up to where you were. It doesnt sound like two fingers worth of slowly savored Bookers.

Only you can say for sure. I would have an honest conversation with my Doctor and get their opinion. If you have more than one issue, thats fine. Deal with it. If you have a fatty liver that is the first thing you must deal with as it can become the source of many more problems.I could be totally off base with this and if I am, I apologize.
Good luck, Hope i didn’t misconstrue anything.

(chuck) #17

Starting weight was around 285. Good point on the fatty liver, that could be a possibility. While do not need alcohol to live , I definitely enjoy it. And per the National Institute of alcoholism definition , I would be considered a binge drinker, and always have been like that since my 20’s. It all started with the boating scene…
Well, per suggestions I’ve made some changes and will see how things go the next week or so. I’ve got a Dr. appointment on the 9th so I will get a weight then.

(Bob M) #18

I wouldn’t get too concerned. Here are my tests:

Blood

In 2 weeks (10/31/16 to 11/14/16) my TGs went from 147 to 58. The yellow bands indicate these were taken after 4.5 days of fasting, all others taken after 12 hours fasting. At the time, I did not know what happens to me when I fast for multiple days, now I do.

(MelissaH) #19

Change doesn’t happen overnight for most… make adjustments and have patience. KCKO