7 months and haven't lost a single pound


#21

Thanks for taking the time to answer. It sounds so frustrating. For both you and @KetoLikeaLady.

I think this is something that needs to get discussed more - but at the same time I think everyone doesn’t know what to say, because none of the typical answers seem to help.


(Nicole) #22

Rajseth – I didn’t provide a lot of information because I am really looking for analytical techniques to figure this out. I’m happy to post a few days worth of eating and let folks mull it over. My inclination is that calorie counting for years has messed me up. Like most people, I’ve tried just about every diet and exercise program out there! In order to break the habit of constantly counting calories, I stopped calorie counting when I began Keto so I have no idea what the current calorie level is.


(Garry (Canada)) #23

Here’s my suggestion to assist you in your efforts:

  1. Get some type of tracking app to monitor your food intake. They are free.
  2. Figure out your caloric requirement based on your realistic goal weight.
  3. Eat 3 meals. No snacking. (You can reduce this frequency in due time)
  4. Maintain your macros @ 75% Fat + 20% Protein + 5% NetCarbs to equal your daily Goal Caloric Intake.
    Example: 1500kcal = 125g Fat + 75g Protein + 20g NET CARBS.

Until you track and maintain your food macros correctly, you are just spinning your wheels with frustration and confusion. There’s no magic to this WOE. It’s just a matter of doing it correctly. Once you are seasoned with the program, you can ditch the counting as you’ll know what is what. Good luck. :smile:


(Terence Dean) #24

Hi Nicole,
For some people artificial sweeteners have been the thing that has caused stalls, you may wish to eliminate them from your diet and see whether that has any effect.


(Karen) #25

Amen sister. With very little estradiol in menopause i really struggle!

K


(Thao Le) #26

I’m type 2 diabetic, it’s hard to lose weight.
I’m tracking using My Fitness Pal. When I hit a stall or gaining (for months) I switched from 16:8 fasting to one meal a day of 22:2 or 21:3 schedule, or do 1 week of bacon and egg diet, I’ll see a scale moving down again. Good luck.


(Raj Seth) #27

Well - analysis has to be in a context. If your metabolism is wrecked from years of yo-yo dieting, calorie restriction as primary (CRaP), CICO mentality - then you need to first repair your metabolism. Your body may be in DefCon 1, defending its fat strores since it has already slowed BMR so much in response to calorie cutting that it does not want to take any chances.

I understand that you may hesitate to share personal information - a lifetime of shaming makes us think the fault lies with us and the guilt of our sinful gluttony and sloth rests heavy. Look around - many, if not most of us know how that works. I have also figured out that it was not entirely my fault that my body degenerated - every ‘knowledgeable authority’ has lied to me my entire life. If that is not your reasoning, I apologize, but that dynamic is strong with many many many sick people.

So, I suspect you may need to go through a period of plenty, keto of course, where your insulin can drop to a lower level, and your body can simultaneously get enough energy for all its metabolic processes. Then you would be giving your body sufficient nutrition for it to secure from ‘battle stations’, while simultaneously unlocking the fat stores.

And as for tracking - just be a carb nazi and for the rest eat real fatty foods - and enough of them so as to not be hungry. When you get your fat from real food, it usually comes with protein (unless you are drinking olive oil shots or chewing butter sticks!!) You may want to sample track your calories for a short while just to make sure you are not in a deficit. Calorie counts end up being (very crude approximation) 10x your weight in pounds.for instance, a 5’7", 200lb 35yr female that is lightly active comes out at 2044 calories w 20g carb and calories set to maintain weight. Dont let the calculators default you to a deficit.


#28

How much weight do you need to lose? 10, 20, 100lbs? If you’re on the lower end, it can be harder to lose weight.

Suggestion, try carnivore for 30 days. Meat, salt, water, and dairy in moderation if at all(if you can eliminate dairy completely, do that) . 30 days is not too long. If you do this, DO NOT STARVE, eat until you’re not hungry and don’t go hungry. Fattier cuts are good, but don’t worry about macros. Try it for 30 days and if it works, keep going or slowly add back food and monitor progress.


(Raj Seth) #29

Carnivore is great - but if you want to go another step into not thinking about counting anything - try the bacon experiment - 1.5lbs of bacon daily for a week, 2 weeks or even a month. That may shake some things loose.


(Karen) #30

let us know if it moves the scale.

K


(Nicole) #31

Rajseth – thanks for the sage advice. I agree on the carbs - I watch carbs like a hawk. I believe, in the end, my issue will come down to getting a properly formulated diet. I do well with fat and carbs, but I struggle to get enough protein. I’m not too upset about not losing weight because I can see that the blood glucose tend line is trending down and I am otherwise healthy, but I thought that I would have seen some loss.

After I originally posted, I started tracking calories again so I could get a complete picture of intake. A three day calorie average is 1315, fat is 110 grams, real carbs are 20 (not net carbs) and protein is 75. I’m actually higher in carbs than usual because my garden is producing more tomatoes, cucumbers, and basil than my neighbors and I can eat. I should add that I’m 57, weigh 156, 40% fat. I take metformin and synthroid (had my thyroid removed, but that’s another story) and started gaining weight when I turned 40. Before that the word diet never crossed my lips so I’ve only been struggling for 17 years.

I appreciate your kindness - Its not so much that I dont want to share personal information as it is I didn’t want that to be the focus of the Qs and As. I’m a budget analyst by profession and use data analytics every day so I really am looking for ways to use the data and not just collect it.


(Nicole) #32

Fatpants – love that name – I’m glad most of us on the forum maintain a good sense of humor. My BG is not too bad, but could always be better. My morning numbers are usually around 90ish with ketones around 1.0. I check again before bed and those numbers fluctuate depending on the dinner menu. I’m thinking that that particular bit of data isn’t helpful and that I should instead test BG before dinner and then two hours after to see the response to the food.

My last A1C in March was 5.0. I’ve not been diagnosed with diabetes although my fasting BG has been hovering at the high-normal for a couple of years (according to the Endocrinologist)s assessment), which is why he recommended Metformin. While we didn’t do any testing, his thoughts are that I am insulin resistant. Next time I see him, I will request a fasting insulin test just to see what it says.


(Nicole) #33

You say bacon and I hear Carl Franklin’s voice!


(Deb) #34

Sweeteners stalled me for a YEAR! And I am post-menopause, with every other other excuse you could think of. Also quit dairy , cheeses, nuts and nut butters except for occasional. I started losing again.


(Karen) #35

Some sweeteners are super insulinogenic. I don’t eat keto sweets, so only have Splenda zero in coffee. Straight sucralose. Doesn’t stall me it appears. N=1