7 weeks and nothing to show for it

(Aubrey0120 ) #1

Seven weeks into keto, scale/measurements/body fat mostly untouched! My frustration is, how much harder does a person have to work for Pete sake? And where do I even begin to make adjustments? I read over many blog posts and replies and everyone seems to have a different perspective… Eat more protein, eat less protein etc. I am a rule follower and it’s agonizing to “follow rules” and get nowhere or not have a defined set of rules!

I picked my macros on ketogains calculator.
1695kcal
95P/25C/135F
I am a female, 46, 145#, 5’5”, 19% body fat. Athletic build.
I am just trying to lose about 5# of body fat!
I’ve been tweaking all along… Not eating too late, spacing out the fat more evenly throughout the day, etc.)
Last week I made sure I hit all my numbers because I usually wasn’t getting all my calories. In fact, during the seven weeks my period halted. That tells me I wasn’t eating enough calories! My carbs are more often under 20.

Background: I’ve eaten a Paleo diet for the last several years. Sometimes more strict than others but a damn pretty good eater. Drink very little. Honestly I could exercise harder, but I really have to kill it to make any progress. CrossFit the only thing that ever trimmed me all the way down but I did that for several years and it’s hard to keep that intensity!

Where do I start tweaking?
How long till I try plan B before I tweak again?
If I can’t lose 5# on Keto, I feel like there’s no hope besides killing myself at the gym, which is miserable.

Thanks all for letting me ramble!

(Jill F.) #2

Keep it really simple, meat, green veggies, less than 20 carbs a day. If you can skip breakfast and try to move to just lunch and dinner see if that helps.
I am 45, 5 ft 4, post menopausal and workout very minimally. I didnt notice any changes doing strict keto until month 2 then the pounds and inches started falling off.
Sometimes it takes a while for your body to adjust to this new fuel. Also think of it as a lifestyle change not a diet and it will be less frustrating.

#3

In my opinion your protein is too high and you could be eating too often. Every time you eat, the fat burning stops. The calories seem good for you but I would lower the protein and raise the fat higher. Can you eat one meal a day or eat 2 so you remain fasted even after your workout for a couple of hours? I started here and tweaked it as I went on. I found for my 125lbs of weight loss I had to do one meal a day towards the end (the last 25lbs) and have days where I took my calories from 2290 up to 3000 plus for a day or two, then I’d fast for 24-48hrs and continue on my 2290 with 70% fat, 20% protein, 10% carbs. By the way, I did this while doing Crossfit 6 days a week. I hope this helps!

(mole person) #4

Periods can stop because of shocks to the system and starting keto can definitely be one. I don’t think your calories are low at all. I’m 5’5 and in maintenance and have less each day. I agree with @jdketoxpert your protein seems quite high. I eat about 65 grams and that’s already well above the RDA for our size. Also you don’t want to space out your fat. You are trying to get as few insulin spikes as you can in a day so eat as few times as you are able and have your fat at those times. Don’t snack or consume fat outside of meal times if you can help it.

#5

I don’t get why you think spacing out of fat would be better… Eat when you are hungry as long as you are hungry, many rules aren’t the best way IMO but of course, we sometimes need to try out things… But I follow my hunger and satiation, not like I have any other options, I don’t starve or suffer.
Your calorie intake sounds not bad but I don’t know your energy need, your stats doesn’t tell me that, there are so many other factors. Calculators just use statistics, it’s just a guesstimation that might be very off. It was always that for my family members even when activity couldn’t interfere.
Much protein is a problem for some but your number sounds good to me if you are active (probably a bit unnecessary though - unless if you need it for satiation or convenience like I did for long).

It seems you don’t enjoy your way of eating. I find that very unfortunate, what if you do your woe a bit nicer for yourself? Without worrying too much for now…
You only need to lose a little and you are a somewhat short woman, losing at this point is often quite hard, you should be patient. I so easily lost fat (slowly but I ate a lot and was inactive) when I had much to lose! Then it got way, way harder and a few drastic changes couldn’t help either even though they were in the good direction.
I lost nothing in my first 7 weeks, I had to wait until fat adaptation (some noticeable level of it, at least) to have any chance. You did keto, it was surely not in vain. You might need to tweak something but it’s hard to do right away, easier when you got used to keto to some extent.

Sadly, I can’t tell you what to do as we are all individuals. To me, it’s about calories and I had to lower my carbs (I aim for (dirty) carnivore now) to be able to lower my typically quite high fat and protein. (I work on my activity too but fat-loss isn’t the main reason for that.) Others have some other, not necessarily carby items they need to eliminate. Too much protein or fat might be a problem. Even too much exercise, many people write about that. It’s quite personal.

Good luck, I hope you will find your ideal, effective is enjoyable way!

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #6

Reality check. Keto is a normalizing process, not a crash weight loss diet. Excess body fat is a symptom of deranged metabolism, not the cause. Although a lot of excess can cause secondary issues that might get in the way, impede and/or prevent the process of normalization. Folks who lose a lot of weight fast on keto have a lot to lose to begin with. So much so that some of it has to be disposed of before much of anything else can happen. If you don’t have a lot to lose, other things might take precedence for a while. Keto trends towards your normal over time. That includes your normal weight, which may or may not be what you think it should be and a timeframe to get there which may or may not correspond to your wishful thinking. Don’t panic. Don’t give up. :+1:

(Aubrey0120 ) #7

Thank you for all of the positive encouragement. I will hang in there. I definitely have been snacking, not because I’m hungry though but because I don’t take the time to create a proper meal in the morning or afternoon. I was trying to space out my fat because if I wasn’t intentional about getting it in the morning and afternoon, I was finding it difficult to catch up in the evening in order to hit my macros! The low-carb part isn’t hard for me, it’s getting in the fat. Thank you!

(Jane) #8

You do not have to meet a fat macro if you are not hungry. Carbs are a max, protein a minimum and fat to keep you from getting hungry in between meals.

(Katie) #9

We have a lot in common, especially the over-CrossFitting (my fault, not CrossFit’s).

I recently hired coaches to help me with strength training and it is helping my physique as well. They are helping me with nutrition too. They do carnivore (but can coach keto as well), and I have been carnivore for the past 1.5 years. It might be helpful to do a month or two of coaching.

Have you tried carnivore? How about reducing your eating window, so doing 2MAD or OMAD? Varying it throughout the week may help. Someone commented that your protein is too high, I strongly disagree. Everyone sees different results and effects of different protein:fat ratios, so it is something to play with, but especially since you are athletic, I do not think that your protein is too high.

(Debra J griffith) #10

I had much the same problem, only it is the last 20 lbs!
I recently went carnivore, no dairy (addicted to cheese!) And my protein would seem pretty high to most ketoers. But protein does not turn into sugar, contrary to popular belief (watch Dr Ben Bikman videos-very eye-opening!).
It is and always has been my belief that if you are forking large amounts of fat into your stomach, there is no need for your body to use the fat you have stored.
It works for me. It may or may not for you.
Regardless, good luck!

(Tracy) #11

I’m pretty sure after being on keto for 9 months, losing 15 pounds and not an ounce more my body has said, “This is your weight”. In my opinion I could stand to lose some annoying back fat and hip blubber. But I knew going into this that weight loss was a nice biproduct, but mainly I wanted to cure my diabetes which I’ve done. I want to continue to go to the doctor every year for labs and be told I’ve healed my insides from inflammation and reduced my chances of heart attack and stroke because of a ketogenic lifestyle. That should be the main goal.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #12

@kyarn Very insightful! Keto is a normalization process and what’s normal may end up not exactly what one’s wishful thinking thought or hoped it would be.