3 Weeks in- Started to Gain

fasting
(Harm) #1

Hello my friends. New here.

I have recently started my Keto “Journey” so to speak. Here is some backstory with my current… I guess I’d call them frustrations.
I used to be a championship level wrestler, did BJJ, and also played 2-3 other sports in Highschool. I got injured (season ending) and gained about 80 pounds in a few months. I gained more in college.

I stepped on the scale and saw 292.0 and got sick to my stomach. It is time for me to get back into wrestling shape.

I started on July 16th and practiced keto alongside a 16:8 fasting cycle. 14 days in and I’m already down 14 pounds. I’m staying under 20g of carbs and eating under my calorie needs. I know how to lose with caloric deficits and can really push myself at the gym- I can do 5k’s and whatnot if necessary. At the end of week 2 (Sunday), I went to the gym for the first time in a month and a half. I absolutely went all out. I ran a 5k on the treadmill in 18:40 and then did heavy bag for 20 minutes and finished with stretching. I felt great (exhausted) and stepped on the scale to see the 14th-pound lost and felt great. However, the next morning was awful. Sore everywhere with a feeling of bloating. I mean sore to the touch! It’s now been 4 days and I still feel bloated and sore.

Here’s the issue though. I’ve gained 1.6 pounds in 2 days with this bloated feeling and can’t help but wonder why I’m feeling this way. Is it just that my core is sore? Am I really even bloated? I haven’t been having great bowel movements either. Very little activity. I recognize that this is a huge adjustment on my body. I’m just trying to stay sane.

A couple of questions:

  • Should I skip the gym for now?
  • I’m eating at a caloric deficit and still gaining weight, what gives?
  • Is it normal to be more sore than normal on a keto diet with working out in the beginning?
  • Are my bowel movements supposed to be (WAY) smaller than normal, and less frequent (once every 1-2days.)
(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #2

Keto is a health normalization regimen. Weight loss is a side benefit. A lot of things happen when you start eating keto: hormones and enzymes readjust, cells and organs readjust, overall metabolism resets, accumulated crap goes out, and many other things. All at the same time.

In addition, weight loss is not a linear process. It starts/stops. Weight goes up/down - in response to any or all of the above changes your body is experiencing. Many people starting on keto, and many who have been eating keto for months or longer, experience ‘stalls’ and ‘plateaus’ for varying periods of time. So your experience is not unusual. I’m sure those who have experience will advise on the specifics of what worked for them and may work for you.

Finally, if your primary goal at the moment is weight loss, then yes, skip the gym. You can add back your workouts later, after you’ve more fully transitioned. Keto is a carb restricted way of eating, not a calorie restricted way. So for the first few months don’t cut your calories. Later on, you can decide whether or not that works for you. Others will advise about this. Carb withdrawal can cause all sorts of discomfort and/or pain during the first weeks or month or two. Again, what you’re experiencing is quite normal and will pass. And finally, finally, you’re eating less bulk so it’s not surprising that your bowel movements are smaller and less frequent than previously. There a BIG difference between constipation, painful and impacted movements, and taking longer to accumulate sufficient bulk to stimulate a movement.

Best wishes :slightly_smiling_face:

(mole person) #3
  • Should I skip the gym for now?

It’s up to you. It’s generally advised to go light on exercise for the first month to six weeks of adaptation. You won’t feel your best exercising during this time and you’ll tire out easily. It’s ok to exercise but don’t let it worry you that it seems very hard. It gets better after you adapt.

  • I’m eating at a caloric deficit and still gaining weight, what gives?

You just have some inflammation from too big a workout. That extra weight isn’t likely fat. I usually gain a couple of pounds after a solid workout for two or three days. If you are still sore than you still have inflammation.

  • Is it normal to be more sore than normal on a keto diet with working out in the beginning?

I’m not sure about this. But I always get super sore for many days if I hit the gym really hard after many months off. This happens on or off keto.

  • Are my bowel movements supposed to be (WAY) smaller than normal, and less frequent (once every 1-2days.)

Yes. If you are eating fewer calories from carbohydrates and fibre this is perfectly normal.

(Harm) #4

For the inflammation should I just let it die down naturally?

#5

Yes. Post workout inflammation is a normal part of the repair/build process. As long as your electrolytes are in check it should ease.

(Parker the crazy crone lady) #6

For weight loss, you don’t need to exercise beyond doing weight bearing stuff. Definitely don’t artificially lower your calories. Concentrate on keeping all carbs low, as you’re doing, eat protein, and use healthy, non-seed based fats to fill you up so your hunger is satisfied at each meal. This will help keep you from snacking. Drink a lot of water with electrolytes. They will help keep you feeling good.

People often feel less energy and strength for days or a few weeks. Bowel movements change, and generally won’t occur as often.

Get your rest, drink your water, eat enough, and let your body get used to this new way of eating and heal itself. Weight will fluctuate. Take measurements instead, and most of all, give this time. You will see a difference if you are relaxed and patient. :blush:

#7

To me all of that points to it NOT being a fat gain.

I wouldn’t, although people sometimes see “weight” loss plateaus from hard workouts that not the same as a FAT loss plateau. Never combine those two things.

Double sided answer: A calorie isn’t a calorie and there is much more at play when it comes to weight loss/gain than the amount of calories you eat, where they come from is very important and insulin, cortisol, and many other factors weigh in… see what I did there? Also, don’t assume you know how much your burning/need unless you’ve had your metabolic rate tested. I was stuck in a very long stall until I did exactly that just to find out my metabolism was TRASHED and my estimates were WAY off!.

Yup, when we have lots of glycogen in the tanks, our beat to crap muscles pull in water after we destroy them and we’re not that great at that on keto, we still have glycogen, just very little. Also the reason you don’t get the same pump post workout like you do on carbs.

I used to think the answer to that way yes, made the same assumption I think many do which is that we poop less because we waste less since we metabolize basically near everything we eat. After 2yrs keto, way too little bowel movements and a whole bunch of other issues related to that it ended with a colonoscopy and me adding a good amount of fiber back into my diet and have been back to normal every since.

(traci simpson) #8

What about water? are you drinking enough water? I get bloated when I don’t get enough fluids.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #9

When you eat a minimal amount of carbohydrate, your liver starts producing ketone bodies as soon as the glucose supply drops low enough, but it takes 6-8 weeks, longer in some people, for the muscles to adapt to metabolising fatty acids instead of glucose. There are cellular changes that take place, disused metabolic pathways need to be reactivated, and the mitochondria, which have been assaulted by high doses of glucose (and the resulting oxidative stress) need time to heal.

During this adaptative phase, when the muscles are limping along on ketone bodies, your performance is likely to suffer. This is perfectly normal, and you will know that you are fully fat-adapted when your performance returns to (or possibly exceeds) its previous level. In the meantime, you might wish to give your muscles a break and exercise only lightly.

Once you are fat-adapted, your muscles will prefer fatty acids to glucose and even ketones, and your ketone production will settle down to a level more closely matching need.

#10

If weight loss and physical fitness are your primary goals, that’s great! You could very well be one of the majority in the world who don’t use keto to fix other health issues and just want to lose some weight and achieve some body recomposition. Don’t worry that you have to quit keto because it might not help you with your goals.

I definitely agree that weight loss isn’t linear. 1.6 lbs. is nothing and my weight easily fluctuates that much day to day. What you want to do is make sure you’ve got a good overall, downward trend happening. 14 lbs in 14 days is a big downward trend. 1.6 lbs is inflammation from your work out or eating too much of something salty. Whether or not you’ve pooped before you step on the scale can make a huge difference, too. I wouldn’t worry about this.

You do want to make sure you’re getting enough electrolytes–especially since you work out hard. That includes magnesium–and getting a bit extra of that may help with bloating and pooping.

(Susan) #11

I totally agree with this. I take 2 of these tablets a day and one at night and it totally resolved the bloating and constipation.