5.5 weeks in and frustrated! Please help!

#1

I feel like a broken record, but I cannot figure out why I am not losing weight! I have been eating keto for almost 6 weeks and aside from an initial ~8 pounds, which I suspect was water weight, the scale hasn’t budged in weeks and I am definitely not losing inches. I am severely overweight, with about 150-170 pounds to LOSE.

I measure or weigh every.single.thing I eat and log it. I am sticking around 1700 calories a day, but often eat less because I am not hungry… the one and only real benefit that I have felt. I feel fine, not spectacularly energetic, but not “flu like” as others have mentioned. I watch my macros. On a typical day, I am at about 5-10% carbs (20-40g actual), 25-30% protein, and 65-70% fat. I never go over 30 net carbs per day, and most often am under 20 net. I do not eat meat, only seafood a few times a week, but have had no problem hitting 25-30% (90+ grams) protein every day with nuts cheeses, and sometimes low carb meat substitutes like Beyond Burger. Included in my calorie count is one to two shots (measured!) of whiskey a night, that I drink with soda water, so 200 cals a day from the bottle. From what I have read, alcohol is OK on keto in moderation, and whiskey has 0 carbs (so does the soda water). ALSO, for the entire 5.5 weeks duration, I have been 16:8 intermittent fasting religiously, eating only from 12pm-8pm.

On the calorie deficit, alone, I should be consistently losing. Is there anything else striking about what I am doing that would lead to no weight loss? I would be happy to share exactly what I am eating with anyone who would be willing to help!

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

You may need to go even lower-carb than you are at present. It is possible that you are highly insulin-resistant and your insulin hasn’t come down low enough yet.

Seventeen hundred calories sounds pretty reasonable, especially if you are eating to satiety.

Have you had any bloodwork done recently? It might help to know your HbA1C and fasting glucose numbers, and especially your fasting insullin, if it was measured. If you have a ketone meter, it would also be nice to know what level your β-hydroxybutyrate is at.

Also, what sex are you, how tall, what is your current weight, and how old? Sorry to pry, but this kind of information will give people an idea of what you’re up against and what things to suggest.

#3

Hi Paul. Thank you for the help. Female, 31, 5’10 and 319 pounds. I just ordered a blood ketone meter on Amazon today because the only think I can think is that I am still not truly in ketosis, but I can’t imagine eating fewer than 20 net carbs, especially since I don’t do meat. Will make the change if I have to… time to get my shit together!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #4

Sounds like possible insulin resistance, then. You’re too young to be menopausal, but what is your monthly cycle normally like, and what happened during the last five weeks? That also can be relevant. Women can sometimes have a slow start, because of the hormones, but not being a woman, myself, my knowledge in this area is limited, lol! One of the knowledgeable women ought to be wandering by sometime soon, and she can probably be more useful.

I hear you about the carb count. Keto is tricky for vegetarians. Would you be willing to eat eggs? Hens lay whether they’ve been with a rooster or not, so eggs do not have to involve the taking of a life, if that’s a consideration.

P.S.—Forgive me, please, I blurred the second last word of your post for you. If you highlight such words and click on the gear symbol at the top of the editing box, one of the options is “blur spoiler.” It’s not that we are such prudes, but there are young people on the forums, so we do try. Well, a bit, anyway! :grin:

#5

I’ve always been regular, keto time included. I have had extensive hormone testing and everything has come back normal. While I haven’t had bloodwork in the past year or so, nothing has ever come back outside of acceptable.

I do eat eggs! I am sure that is how I am able to hit my protein goals. I was vegan for 15 years, but made accommodations by adding dairy, eggs, and some seafood so that I could give keto a fair shot.

Thanks for the blur… I will watch my language from now on :slight_smile:

#6

Pescatarian Keto is possible, and you’ll be in a better position than Keto Vegans, but if you are severely insulin resistant, you will still have an uphill battle. Ditch the Beyond Burger, avoid any fake meats, they’re processed soy and seitan garbage. Protein and fat are your most important macros, so your diet needs to revolve around them.

Ditch the whiskey too, for now.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #7

Use it, just blur it. That’s what I do. Though sometimes, just for fun, I use a completely [spoiler]innocuous[/spoiler] word and blur it. :rofl:

#8

I got my Keto Mojo today. My non-fasting glucose (lunch 3 hrs earlier) was 140mg and my blood ketone level was 1.4mmol. Is this good?! Do you happen to know if this machine tests the β-hydroxybutyrate?

I am going to do a fasting test tomorrow!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #9

Yes. When you test blood ketones, it’s the level of β-hydroxybutyrate you’re testing.

(In the breath, it’s acetone, in the urine, acetoacetate.)

#10

Oh I see… it is that 1.4 mmol reading. Are these numbers good? I am sure fasting glucose is more meaningful.

Thank you!

#11

I’m in the exact same boat you are. Very frustrating.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #12

Oh, yes! The definition of nutritional ketosis is a reading above 0.5 mmol/dL, so that’s a very respectable reading. You’re at what Phinney and Volek have identified as the ideal level.

#14

Thank you for the advice! This is probably a stupid question, but how would i know if I have a fatty liver or elevated enzymes? I don’t have any health issues other than the weight and PCOS. I am not on any meds. I am walking an hour a day on the treadmill!

#15

For your current weight, you should cut down on fat and carbs. Let your body eat the fat you already have. Try switching to almond milk (unsweetened) if you’re using HWC, and switch to Provolone instead of cheddar.

#16

See here. https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/food/provolone-cheese/carbohydrate

#18

Thank you for the advice. I only use unsweetened almond coconut milk At less than 1 net carb per cup. I am confused by cutting back on fat, though. I thought that the point of keto was eating 60%+ of calories from fat. I should switch to low fat, low carb, high protein? I appreciate your help.

Thank you!

#19

I haven’t read all the replies, but I’m a lacto-ovo vegetarian and have been doing this for a couple weeks now. I don’t count the first week anymore because I was not quite low enough in carbs. I am losing inches but not sure how much weight on account I can’t remeber to buy a battery for my scale when I’m out lol. It can be done without meat and even easier if you eat fish, I’d imagine. I have been collecting recipes :).
I wonder if the whiskey is affecting you, it might be better to replace that with a little more food or avoid it altogether for a couple of weeks to see if that’s a factor. You also might be extremely insulin resitant in which case fasting more might be beneficial. I found going from dinner one night to dinner the next is tolerable and that’s a 24 hour fast. From what I’ve read, you don’t start declining the insulin until you’ve gone past 12 hours and sometimes even past the 16 hour mark. I’ve been watching lectures by Dr. Fung and others to learn more about fasting and keto and I highly recommend reading and watching as much as you can.
But again, being vegetarian makes it harder but not impossible. I kind of want to prove it effective for people like me and people who don’t eat meat for religious or other reasons. Don’t give up! Just tweak where you can :slight_smile:

#20

Good point! I did get an at home glucose blood monitor today and I will be able to test my fasting blood glucose tomorrow morning. It was 140mg today non-fasting. Thanks again for the help!

#21

I have a lot of respect for you!! What are you eating for protein other than eggs?

#22

I eat soy meats a lot, I’m not a purist about processed stuff, try to stick to the lowest carb count with that… lots of cheese. I do eat eggs because I never tire of deviled eggs. I don’t do artificial sweeteners, as most cause an insulin response and insulin is a fat storage hormone. (I’m making a exception for Valentine’s Day and making a keto cake for my bf) I do eat at least a serving or two of nuts a day, pecans or peanuts mainly. A couple times a week I will have a low carb protein shake with flax and chia. I eat a lot of low carb veggies. I average about 75-80 grams of protein, 125-135 fat, and about 20-25 net carbs after my fiber intake of 15-25 grams. I track my food and I eat about 1600 calories a day. I don’t do much exercise except my job and walking my dogs a few mins each day. I don’t have a blood monitor yet but my urine strips are hitting the highest levels. Blood monitor is next.
The fasting helps me the most I think. I’m lucky enough to have a job that is hectic during the day and it’s easy to not eat (before I would snack on carby Luna bars and Lara bars or bring some dry cereal to snack on all day, never really having a meal)