4 months in and clueless

(Allison) #1

Hello,
So I began Leto on 12/01/17. I never had Leto flu which I thought was strange. I eat only dark leafy vegetables, cucumbers, celery, cheese and avocados as carbs. I have heavy cream in my coffee, I make ranch dressing with full fat mayo, I cook with butter, I eat whole eggs. I haven’t lost squat. I literally weigh the exact same down to the decimal. My clothing fits the same. I use lifting and circuit training 3 to 4 times per week, but lately I am struggling with muscle soreness. I started intermittent fasting 3 weeks ago, I eat my 1st meal at 1 PM and I stop at 8 PM. I am 5’3, 200 lbs. 33 yrs old with 40% body fat. Whatever additional information you need to assist me I am willing to submit. Thank you in advance.
Alli

(Renee Slaughter) #2

I’m not an expert but I’ll ask some questions. 20 grams of carbs or under? How are you feeling? Have you lost inches. The biggest thing are the carbs you do need to count them. Are you using a tracking app? Not necessary but it makes my life easier. I know some one more knowledgeable than me will chime in. Oh here’s one are you counting calories.

(Omar) #3

Maybe your body is very efficient in utilizing the little carbs you are eating.

If I were you, I would go zc.

#4

What you are doing sounds good to me but are you getting enough fat? Also i wonder if lifting weight is gaining muscle so it doesn’t show on the scales? I just now started doing some resistant training and hav been keto for over a year. Not doing any heavy weight but doing until i fatigue my muscles. I know it seems like a hard process but as you go along and read others experience you will gain more and more knowledge. Stay with the trusted ketoians and kick the others to the curb because you soon find out some of those sites are full of crap!

(Allison) #5

Can anyone explain how to know if you’re eating enough fat? I feel like I’m eating plenty of fat. Butter, mayo, whole eggs, avocado, coconut oil, heavy cream, a little bit of macadamia nuts…how do you determine what is enough fat?

(Allison) #6

Well, I fluctuate between 12g and 20g of carbs depending on the day I’m having. I feel ok, I’m frustrated that nothing is changing except my nails are crazy long and crazy strong. I don’t know about the inches, I feel like my scrub tops are looser but I haven’t heard anything from anyone else so I feel like I’m imagining it. I am counting calories but I don’t know if 1600 is too much or too little or what.

#7

You haven’t answered the most fundamental question: are you in ketosis?

(Renee Slaughter) #8

At first I used My Fitness Pal and divided my macros into a pie chart. I generally ate about 100-150 grams of fat a day. You would think that its a lot but although in the beginning I gained but lost 15 lbs since February. Keep calm in the beginning you may not need to count calories. Some do but for other reasons. Keep to the basics. You’ll be fine.

(Sarah ) #9

Have you gotten your thyroid checked?

(Allison) #10

I believe so. I use the urine test strips and I get a small to moderate reading of ketones depending on the time of day.

(Allison) #11

Yes, I had my thyroid checked a few months ago and the dr said everything was within normal limits

(Paul Bloom) #12

First, I know where you are coming from, I am trying to get my wife to do Keto with me but it is hard because she does not think it will work, she is a medical professional (x-ray) and going to school for MRI and she had lost 60 lbs of weight on a different (Keto type program) (Camp) but with lots of cross fit, they used a few of the key elements of keto. and I could not do any of the routines. she was rock hard.
I have lost inches with Keto and no much weight, lbs, I think it is my set point (DR Fung) from military training and 20 years of dieting to be at 182lb, I am using the IMF to break the plateau.
Second, I stay there without a problem the set point, but to give you a few information about my wife’s training, see like making lunches for kids like peanut butter (sugar) other foods and eating the extra spoons and knives and that carb was just enough to keep the scale from moving. We also fattened my boy up with ranch (lots of sugar) but low fat, after looking at the label, in it, but at the time I did not know fat was a good thing.
Third, the circuit training, I do not workout, because I am surviving from cancer, walking is all I need and I use stairs to get my burn on, but I know I am not yet keto-adapted 3 months, so keep the forum in your view and the help of support groups is good for you. I can tell you from my experience and I think I was the (fat inside and not on the outside) and a retired veteran and thought I was a seal.
Fifth, the full-fat mayo, hope it has olive oil in it; I have not made the keto mayo in my keto diet and since I got rid of my sandwiches and if I do I have a sandwich it is gluten free bd.
I also bought a second fridge to hold the keto food like liver, and mother vinegar, she hates it liverwurst and brienswiger to help get lots of iron.
Well keep up with the journey because it is not a fad that is my idea.

(Ken) #13

IMO, it may be a protein defficency. I experience the same thing when my protein drops too low, and I’m nearly 20 years past any type of adaptation. Since you’re training it may indicate Catabolism of your own muscle.

I suggest upping your protein to 35% and 60% fat for two weeks to see if it alleviates.

#14

Track it

(Sarah ) #15

you might want to get a copy of the test results for your records. If you were borderline, it might be worth re checking

#16

Urine strips are notoriously unreliable, and probably not accurate enough for troubleshooting. Get a ketone meter, or at the very least a glucometer, so you can monitor the tweaks you make in your diet. Otherwise, you’re just shooting blindly.

#17

In regards to your fat intake do you feel like you have to work at eating the amount of fat you think you should be? If your goal is to lose weight there is no need to eat fat just for the sake of eating fat. Stay under or at your carb goal…Make sure you meet your protein goal and eat fat to satiety…Meaning just eat enough fat that you feel satisfied…Let the remaining fat come from your body reserves.

(Allison) #18

Thank you so much to everyone. I will apply some of these methods and hopefully report back with good news!

(Erin Mellas) #19

One thing you might consider is what is being used in the mayo you use. I make my own mayo because I can’t find one that doesn’t have some form of vegetable oil and other additives I can’t pronounce. I am super sensitive and like knowing what is in even my condiments. I use the following mayo recipe and it’s super easy and 5 ingredients!

1 cup avocado oil (or any light oil)
1 whole egg and 1 yolk
1 TBSP dijon mustard
1 tsps of lemon juice
1/2 tsp of sea salt

You can leave out the dijon and add any herbs or garlic to flavor.

Layer the ingredients as listed in a quart size mason jar, then use a immersion blender to blitz it up. Start with it in the bottom and slowly lift to emulsify everything. Then you just put the lid in your fridge and you are DONE!

(Donna ) #20

I agree with Erin ^^^

Store bought mayo is usually made with vegetable oils like soybean and/or have sugar. I don’t know what you are using to make your own ranch, hopefully not the packets that are filled with MSG.

Once you get the hang of making your own mayo, it’s addictive and for me, I realized how many chemicals we were ingesting without knowing it, just by using store bought mayo.

Now, we REALLY ‘eat clean’. I hope you find whatever it is that is holding your weight loss back.

KCKO