3 months in

#1

Hi everyone, just checking in :slight_smile:
Still going strong with keto, feel great and people are starting to notice I look a lot smaller and commenting, which is very affirming. Researching the diet has helped me stay motivated and confident Iā€™m doing the right thing by my body.
I have questions about speed of weight loss- I am losing very slowly, about 1lb a month and wonder if this could be accelerated or if I should just enjoy that Iā€™m steadily trending down and take this as sustainable weight loss.
I hit 145lbs yesterday, and it was 23 days ago that I hit 146lbs. My goal weight is 130lbs, and my starting weight was somewhere around 155lbs.
Current experiements:
-Apple cider vinegar shots before meals.
-supplementing 5000iu vitamin D daily (just for a couple months to get my levels up)
-IF until 2pm most days (but HWC in coffee in the morning)
-just started a daily HIIT training program to start building my lean muscle mass.
-no snacking between meals

I could try doing an EF, but to be honest, I just donā€™t really want to at this point.
I could also try cutting out dairy, but again, I just donā€™t want to give it up yet.

@Olivia1 I wanted to check in with you and hear how your progress is going?

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #2

Let your body take its time. You are so close to your goal weight that itā€™s just going to be slow. The people who lose enormous amounts the first week are usually enormous to start with. You might find it helpful to check out fasting. There is a forum here with all kinds of information about how to do it and peopleā€™s experience with it.

(Karen) #3

Great work getting to 146. Very encouraging. Fasting today.

K

#4

Thanks! I feel so in control of my eating habits, itā€™s a wonderful feeling to not be ruled by sugar anymore.

what has been your longest fast?

#5

Thanks Paul,
I will look into extended fasting more. I guess itā€™s kind of a balance of shocking your system every once in a while, but not too much.
End of April I think is when Iā€™ll do a 4 day fast!

(Liz ) #6

You may already know my story but I lost very slowly too, 0-5 pounds a month for like, 9 months but that was enough to take off over 40 pounds. Then my weightloss stalled for months while I went down two sizes anyway (keto is magic).

Now to kickstart loss again Iā€™m doing the things you mentioned, extended fasts, dairy-free, to lose the last 20 pounds. The only thing I havenā€™t added yet is resistance training but I intend to.

My advice is do what you want to do until itā€™s too frustrating to live with then try things you werenā€™t willing to before because now they seem acceptable to reach your goals. Let it flow naturally from your motivation.

#7

Thanks Liz!
I think this approach is good- the last thing I want is to go too extreme and then start hating it/feeling like Iā€™m on a diet again.
The loss so far has been motivating to make little changes.
Amazing progress so far! You inspire me! Also, have you heard of the 21 day fix? Thatā€™s what Iā€™m doing- itā€™s fairly easy workouts 30 minutes a day for overall toning, itā€™s helping me ease back into fitness after a looooong hiatus.

(Liz ) #8

Exactly, you do not want to make this part of the journey a drag! You have a good handle on things. And thanks for the kind words :blush:

I just ordered Body By Science from my local bookshop but Iā€™ll look into that program you mentioned as well. Thanks for the tip!

#9

Itā€™s great to hear of your progress!! Thanks for the update and for letting us know your current experiements. Update us on the results of those too!

As for me, Iā€™m stuck exactly where I started. 144 pounds seem to be the final shape my body wonā€™t give up. Ketogenic diet so far has only been maintenance (itā€™s almost been six months since I started) and I havenā€™t lost one pound or inch. It hasnā€™t controlled my hunger well enough either, so I canā€™t even think of an EF. Most days I canā€™t even do IF from hunger.

Feeling stuck in a groundhogā€™s day of futility

(Karen) #10

Having some luck with every other day fasting, but 144ā€¦Iā€™d be done.

K

#11

Thatā€™s hard. The one thing I was thinking is your diet is pretty limited since there are quite a few things you donā€™t eat- maybe trying to acquire a taste for some more variety? Also, have you tried supplementing vitamin D? Ive been intrigued by its benefits lately.
Also, are you sure you still have weight to lose? Have you examined your body fat % ?

#12

So I saw 145lbs on the scale and have fluctuated back up a bitā€¦ Iā€™ve been feeling PMS symptoms very strongly for the past week, super low mood and wanting to eat for comfort (and eating until uncomfortably full). Iā€™ve been having more Epsom salt baths, watching that im getting enough sleep, etc, but the biggest factor I can attribute it to is hormones.
Did you ever experience a rebound of bad eating habits, despite being fat adapted?
I try to limit my sweet treats, but try to bake something once a week to add variety.
I am considering cutting dairy, and do want to do an EF butā€¦ Iā€™m scared!

(Liz ) #13

I definitely have ā€œbottomless pitā€ syndrome just before my period. Since my appetite seems to die as soon as my period starts I have learned to honor the hunger on the PMS days and just eat as much Keto food as my body asks for (mostly it asks for bacon lol) even if I know it is probably too much and sort of bingey behavior. I kind of have to stay away from anything sweet, unfortunately, as I am too much of an addict to get away with even artificial sweeteners. Too easily triggered.

Lately Iā€™ve been taking the opportunity of those pre-period binge days to load up on calories and lots of fat to propel me with a revved up metabolism into an extended fast that coincides with the start of my cycle. Feast then fast.

Food as comfort feels like itā€™s driven from inside but is possibly more of a habit to wean yourself off of. For me, nothing has ever been as comforting as food, TBH, but I found lesser substitutes anyway and they will have to do. I donā€™t pretend there isnā€™t a feeling of loss associated with changing my lifestyle, even if the habits Iā€™m breaking were not good for me. Things I do instead of eat for comfort; write letters to people (real snail mail, this one works best), I sew, I listen to Keto podcasts, I listen to music, I read, I learn a new skill, baths, like we said. If I lived somewhere other than a city Iā€™d take walks by myself.

I didnā€™t start EF until several months in on Keto and I started with 24 hours. At first extended fasting feels like a pool you jump in and you donā€™t know how deep it is, but luckily, thereā€™s always a float to grab onto. If itā€™s not your thing, you just eat and you are out safe. Have you done any intermittent fasting yet? Because Iā€™d definitely start with that. That starts with honoring your bodyā€™s signals not to eat if you arenā€™t hungry. I can tell if itā€™s real hunger using a metric I saw posted somewhere; if you could eat a hard boiled egg itā€™s hunger, if that doesnā€™t sound appetizing, itā€™s head hunger and you are just searching for entertainment. (If you donā€™t eat eggs, sub a food equally full of nutrients but not the most exciting).

Hope any of this is helpful!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #14

Liz, having seen those before and after pictures you postedā€”I can testify that you are absolutely doing it right! :bacon:

(Liz ) #15

Ah very kind, Paul! Thanks much :blush:

#16

Did you find that your weight loss was linear, or did you fluctuate up and down here and there? Since I saw 145lbs Iā€™ve come up to 151lbs for the last few days (I know Iā€™m retaining water pre-period though, but still, 6lbs is lots). I have been fluctuating lots ever since I started.
I have been IFing most mornings until 3 or 4pm, but still having coffee with HWC in ā€˜fasting windowā€™. Iā€™ve been trying to mix that up a bit because with my late cravings Iā€™ve been bingeing at 4pm and maybe the long IF is triggering that and not proving as helpful.
This morning I drank my coffee black and am going to try to stay with 0 calories for an intermittent fast- maybe even go to an EF.

My ketostix have been measuring trace in the mornings. Maybe itā€™s the binges? By 4pm Iā€™m up to large.

#17

Just wondering, is it possible Iā€™m being kicked out of ketosis each night?
Maybe Iā€™m retaining water because Iā€™m not maintaining ketosis?

(Liz ) #18

Definitely not linear!

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(Dan Dan) #19

3 liters of water weighs over 6 pounds plus food another 2 to 3 pounds and elimination can take up to two to three days. You should only compare todayā€™s weight to three days ago. Also you should always weigh in the same state either fasted to fasted(first thing in the morning) or fully fed to fully fed(before bed) :thinking:

ā€œMay the Force (fat adaption) be with youā€

IF/EF Keto WOE is Self-Discovery :wink:

Good luck and much success in your journey in IF/EF Keto WOE :grin:

#20

This is true- I am still feeling very bloated and PMSing, but my weight last Wednesday was 145 and since Sunday has been 151 (weighed in the mornings) and this morning is 153 :frowning:
Super discouraged- thatā€™s not far from where I started back in January, and it canā€™t just be water weight. I think maybe I kicked myself out of ketosis and my glycogen stores are up again? Iā€™m not sure what to do. Wait until my period comes to see if the water weight shifts? Mix up my eating window? (Ie start eating in the mornings and stopping at 4pm?)
I unfortunately have this event tonight at my husbands work and I reeeeaally donā€™t want to drink, but donā€™t want people starting pregnancy rumours if I donā€™t. :disappointed: social pressures! Maybe Iā€™ll just take some and pretend to drink.