5 weeks on the diet and weight loss has stagnated. Could insomnia be the cause?

#1

Hello everybody!

I’ve experienced a lot of mental and emotional benefits from keto. My mind is a lot calmer and I’ve been able to kick my sugar addiction. Background history is I quit smoking 10 months ago after being a half-a-pack a day smoker for 12 years. For those who’ve never smoked or who don’t know tobacco is flavored with added sugar (they really put added sugar into EVERYTHING these days). When I quit smoking I gained 20 lbs from increased appetite and increased sugar consumption.

My goals for keto was to deal with my sugar addiction and lose the visceral fat on my mid section. Weight loss isn’t my specific goal because my starting weight was 154 lbs and I’m 5’7 (and female). I don’t actually have a goal because I intended to increase muscle mass by starting a fitness routine that focuses on exercises that lift my own body weight. So far my exercises include 3 sets of 10 push ups, 3 sets of 20 squats, and planks (working up to a goal of 2-3 minutes). Nothing too strenuous. My entire routine takes less than 15 minutes and I do the sets throughout the day whenever I have the time.

For the first 3 weeks of being on keto I lost 1-2 lbs a week. Then I started doing the push ups, squats, and plank exercises and I’ve stagnated any noticeable weight loss ever since. My diet has been consistent without going over 20 grams of carbs. My biggest problem on the keto diet has been lack of sleep. I started really experiencing the disturbances in my sleep after the two week mark. I have trouble falling asleep at night (always naturally been a night owl so I’ve had to be mindful of keeping a sleep routine) and I keep waking up roughly every two hours to urinate (I’m 32 years old, no previous health issues in that area).

So my long winded question is how much can sleep be affecting my stagnation? Does the keto insomnia resolve on it’s own?

#2

Keto insomnia will fix itself. The insomnia, while a stressor, probably hasn’t caused any real stall. You mention you want to put on muscle mass and are working on that, so you don’t want to put much stock in total weight. A tape measure would be a better tool.

#3

I don’t have a tape measure, but there hasn’t been any noticeable difference in my clothes size either. Everything still fits the exact same as it has the past few weeks.

#4

That’s normal, especially since you don’t have that much to lose to begin with. 5 weeks isn’t a lot of time for body recomposition.

(Carl Keller) #5

From what I’ve read, lack of sleep can increase cortisol (stress hormone) production, and this can complicate weight loss for some people. Sleep deprivation can also affect insulin production.

#6

I don’t understand…you have lost what 3-6 pounds this month…

#7

I’ve lost about roughly 5 lbs. The scale keeps fluctuating so I’m not exactly sure. That progress happened in the initial 2-3 week marker so I’m pretty sure it was just water weight. I haven’t had any additional progress in the last 2 weeks on the scale or clothes size. That coincides with when I started losing sleep. My energy levels are still good but I haven’t had any sleep that lasted longer than 2-3 hours duration in the past 3 weeks.

#8

I have been fasting for close to 4 months and I still have insomnia. I’m going to try and fast every other day for longer bouts if this doesn’t work or just eat later at 12 and stop eating at 8 and go to bed by 11. Watch the tomas DeLaur video on YouTube on fasting please about how it’s different for women!

If you stop eating at 6pm sometimes you’re wired until 2 am or later, at least I am. Some people say their sleep is better but my sleep on keto, fasting and dairy removal has been worse.

My inflammation has decreased from lack of wheat and dairy. Keto improves certain things but we have to mix it up because everyone’s body is different and I understand the stagnant weight. Hormonal changes can screw us up.

Being in my fourth month, I can tell you that my weight loss has been very slow! I’ve lost 23-25 lbs depending on the day. I lost 16-18 of this in the first 3 weeks so that’s only like one pound a week I lost or less after that. Mind you I don’t eat any junk, count my macros and exercise almost daily either cardio or strength training videos.

Our weight tends to fluctuate within 2-4 lbs due to water and sometimes no matter how well you do nothing changes. I think cortisol and hormones are to blame. I find that I go in spurts where the scale is at 196 and then i lose and I get to 192.5 and then 189.5 but it takes forever to settle there and then each time it goes down within 4 lbs for what seems like way too long. This is why weighing yourself twice a week is better than daily! Because you don’t want to obsess!

Try not stressing or being too worried if you eat after 15 or 16 or 17 hours. I think what stops us from losing is our stress levels and our strict expectations.

Try the law of positivity and see if it works and don’t weigh yourself daily like I do! It’s a horrible habit that I’m trying to kick! KCKO!

(Full Metal KETO AF) #9

@Iwanttobelieve I responded in your thread about insomnia recently, I don’t know if anyone mentioned that intense exercise can slow your weight loss or stall you from the cortisol your body produces. It works against weight loss if that’s your goal. You can use exercise strategically, most focus on resistance workouts a few times a week and I don’t think they need to be long. Walking is usually recommended instead of running if you’re going for weight loss especially in the first couple of months or until you’re fat adapted.

As far as insomnia make sure your exercise is not after dinner because working out close to bed time can make it hard to sleep.

#10

Thank you for your response. I only walk fast an hour a day or do a combo strength resistant cardio training for 40 mins on alternate days.

The closer I workout to bed, the better I sleep especially if higher intensity. It makes me tired. But I’m not sure why I have stalled so much and had to cut out dairy and take things to such drastic levels just to maintain or lose one pound a week.

I’m not sure if my hormones are off or something is wrong with my body and it’s holding on to water or if fasting daily has been bad for me since I hear that’s not good for women. I have not had an easy journey so far.

#11

Please see above forgot to tag you :blush: