Advice for 2nd or 3rd attempt?

(Jessica) #1

So I started Keto the first time in August of 2018 and by April or May of 2019 had lost about 35lbs. Then the dreaded stall. I slowly slipped with self-talk like “I’m not losing anyway. These chips won’t hurt anything.” Then it was a holiday or some such excuse until I got back on board in November. I admittedly was not as dedicated and strict as the first time around but still saw little, if any, change. A few chips turned into ice cream for supper. The stress of the COVID crisis sent me in a spiral, as my husband is an RN and got sent to ICU/ COVID unit where he is still working now.

After my failed re-start, I just feel like I need some success stories from people who may have done something similar. I know it sounds silly, but always lurking in the back of my head that keto “stopped working” for me, so maybe I’m done. If I’m completely honest, I know I wasn’t all in the last time. I really want to be one of those people who can go off plan once a week or eat 50+ carbs in a day and still lose, but I know I’m not.

(UsedToBeT2D) #2

Your post just explained why you need to stick with Keto…you answered your own question. KCKO.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #3

Hopefully you’ve learned from your past two attempts what your mistakes were. Remember that slippery slope. A stall isn’t the time to start eating off plan because you give up. It’s the time to re-evaluate your eating habits and tweak your diet or time of eating routines. This time my advice is stay here and ask for help figuring out your problem instead of giving up. We will give you ideas about things to try to work it out and start progressing more. Make your goals more important than some potato chips and ice cream, eating that stuff is what brought you here in the first place. Don’t let the addicted mind overpower your rational mind. Good luck! :cowboy_hat_face:

(Jessica) #4

THIS. Sitting here for the first 2 days back “on” I’m struck by just how addictive carbs are. I think being home full-time the last several weeks has just exacerbated that.

#5

Didn’t keto give you something else? It did to me. I didn’t even care I couldn’t lose with it as I felt better, had benefits and slowly realized what was my problem regarding fat-loss. But keto is so much more.
Fine, I didn’t lose fat on keto. But I didn’t lose fat off keto either and ate more but more importantly, lost some tiny benefits compared to low-carb but compared to moderate- or high-carb, it’s heaven.
And we don’t give up good food on keto… Sometimes I don’t understand why one would choose some carbs when they can choose some awesome very low-carb food… And I am aware carby food can be very delicious too and nothing can replace them. But we don’t need to replace them. We need nutrients and many of us some very delicious food for every meal but nothing happens if we don’t get some specific food or something very similar. Making versions is fun but that’s it. There are way more important things. And we can have new favorites, our taste can change. Our diet totally should change if it’s bad for our body. Health - what could be more important? I can imagine a few things but wanting to eat some carby treat isn’t among them.
I don’t say it’s easy to do things right, I always hated the idea of being a hypocrite… But I know being health-conscious help. And practice. New, exciting recipes if you want something when you lose something else if you feel that. You probably do if you can’t resist the siren song of carby food. I rarely hear that song myself. Moderately rarely. Almost never if I have proper supplies.

Those chips easily can hurt. You may gain on a carby diet. You may feel worse but even if not, your body may be in a worse shape. I don’t think some chips harm everyone, I don’t think that but I am quite aware it would be an awful idea for many of us.
Maybe try think about it while you form new habits so you don’t get tempted. ARE you hungry? If not, why to eat? Or what about some good keto snack? Preferably the type you can’t overeat… When I am totally weak, I try to have stricter days, even I can wait a day…! And on my looser days I still keep some very useful rules that I need for my health and well-being.

I don’t have a success story yet if you think about fat-loss on keto but I see the light now. I found the method that helps me way more than normal keto and I surely will reach my goals with it. And I never ever thought of keto as some temporal fat-loss diet. So it was okay just to stay for the benefits. And I practiced for keto when I was off keto. I still did low-carb and trained myself to use “keto habits”, thinking about keto as my default woe even if I stray away sometimes. So the next time got easier.

I hope I could write something useful, sorry I couldn’t do it shorter. It’s a very complex thing and I don’t see what exactly your problem is. But it seems you aren’t committed enough despite you think you need keto to lose fat. Maybe you don’t think it really will help? Change your keto then, some of us need to do that, not any style of keto helps.

(Jane) #6

I can eat 50 or even 100 carbs occasionally and maintain my weight. But lose weight with 50-carb days? Not me. I had to keep my carbs sub-20 and threw in some extended-day fasting to break some stalls.

(Jessica) #7

I read all of your post. You make some great points, but this one stuck out for me. While I was off plan the first time, I didn’t really fret about it because I knew the right way to eat. I had it in my head that I could back-track a little and all I had to do was get serious again and I would be back where I needed to be. It didn’t exactly pan out that way so I got frustrated. I know about different ways to do keto and the levers I could pull, but I honestly wasn’t sure which to start with. I’d talk myself into one thing (for instance, I need more fat) and the next day read and convince myself that I was eating too MUCH fat.

Anyway the creeping suspicion that keto only works once came in after I read some thread here asking that question (I know it’s absurd). I just need some success stories. Not “I’ve done keto for 6 months and lost 60lbs.” But “I did it 3 years ago, then life happened and I quit. I started again x months ago and things are going great.”

(LN) #8

I feel like I am you.

I just started keto again, for the third time. I kept thinking I needed to get back to it, but never working up the motivation.

I joined this forum to help, and it is absolutely a great place to come for inspiration.

For me it isn’t just about weight. It is about diabetes, cancer, heart disease. My garmin vivo4 told me I was 79 years old. I’m in my mid 50s. I’m stiff when I walk and I have no energy. My same garmin recently measured my recharge rate, and let me tell you, energy out, no recharge back in.

I want to feel like I did that first time I was really good on keto. I open my eyes in the morning, I sit up, and I get out of bed (versus the slug I feel like when I am running on carbs). Also, I have CKD so when I am eating carbs I have a lot of edema. Now I have to put a little salt in my water to help stay hydrated.

Weird thing is my body remembers how to be in ketosis. I have a serum glucose and ketone analyzer, and right about the third day of the induction phase I was in moderate ketosis already. So that’s one awesome thing about coming back–your body remembers!

But I had the keto flu, too. I tried to put in a garden on Thursday with my son’s help, and I just got nauseous. To be fair, it turned out there were a ton of pea-diameter tree roots and they all had to be pulled out by hand. Big stack of tree roots but no garden (getting there).

Still, after feeling sick for two days, I ate some carbs. Not a huge amount (well, it felt like a lot, but it was an apple and a kind bar), but enough that I didn’t wake up with a terrible headache this morning.

I’m going to have to titrate down the carbs. Things like beans and stuff that are healthy, high in fiber, too, and not sweet. Part of the reason I stopped doing keto before, although admittedly, Thanksgiving had a lot to do with it, was the headache. Does anyone else have that issue?

Anyway, you asked if anyone else had that experience, and yes. But still, better to be working your ketosis as much as you can than not at all. :smile:

(Jessica) #9

I don’t measure ketones so I wondered if my body would be quicker to get into ketosis and to get fat adapted again.

On the headaches: have you tried a keto-aide or just getting some salt when you have one? “Keto flu” is just the need for electrolytes. Last time, I kept Powerade Zero in my fridge and that helped. I know it’s not the best, but it helped get through that without carbs.

(Marianne) #10

Before I started in Feb. 2019, I read all of the success stories on dietdoctor.com - probably three times each. I had never tried keto and didn’t have much hope of this “diet” ever working, and couldn’t lose five pounds and keep it off, let along eighty. When I read those success stories, I instantly knew that these people had lived the pain of obesity and food/sugar/carb addiction just like I had. Many of them lost way more than I had to, and they said it was “easy.” I really believed them. This didn’t sound like a gimmick.

I did a lot of reading on that site about keto, and also devoured the information on this forum and posted questions. Compared to other “diets,” I found keto very easy to follow and adopted it as my permanent way of living. I have always been able to take or leave most fruits and veggies, and I love the rich food we can eat on keto. I still look forward to every meal (one meal a day now). I have a fear of cheating because of fifty years of experience on where that will take me. Always leads to a binge that I don’t know when I am going to be able to come off of. Food is too much like a drug to me, so in 15 months time, I have only cheated once and that was at a wedding.

I would suggest you get your fat and protein macros and stick to those for a month or so. Look up the foods you eat most frequently so you have a quick reference of the protein/fat/carb macros in each. Keep the total carbs per day as below 20 or lower if you can. Don’t count calories. Don’t think of this as a “diet.” Eat things that are delicious to you. Don’t snack. Other than a starting weight, you don’t have to weigh yourself if you don’t want to. In 15 months, I have never weighed myself at home, and I have no intention of doing so. I just get weighed when I go to the doctor. You will know how you are doing by how you look and how your clothes fit.

Good luck!

(LN) #11

I do use a lot more salt when in ketosis, but it hasn’t helped with the headaches. It might have something to do with having kidney disease? For the most part the kidney disease is in remission, except for the edema when I am not in ketosis, but when my blood sugar is nice and low and the ketones are nice and high I wake up with a terrible headache. It goes away after I’ve had my coffee and mct oil, but it isn’t a good way to wake up.

(ANNE ) #12

@jessOTR.
I hear you loud and clear. I am in that boat right next to you. My first run at Keto in 2018 left me in good shape, mentally and physically. I was moving with ease, sleeping well and evangelistic about the benefits of keto. Same pattern emerged of just a little carb treat etc. Getting back on the horse is tough as hell. Each day starts out well, but then I make an error at some point in the day. This call of the pantry and fridge is strong. Especially hard if you are the only keto person in the home.
Sending my best wishes to you and your partner the RN in an ICU, toughtimes.

(Jane Srygley) #13

My first experience with keto was… well the FIRST time I was 13yo and did Atkins! I lost about 20 lbs and kept them off through high school. I later fell for the lie about low fat and complex carbs. Even though I gave up sugar, I ate lots of fruit, dried fruit, sugar free crap and fruit juice… plus lots of whole grains. I was a vegetarian for awhile. I went over 200 lbs when I quit smoking (pack & 1/2 per day) at age 17. In college, I got up over 300 lbs and spent over 20 years at that weight.

11 years ago, I decided to give up being a vegetarian. I weighed about 280 at the time. I lost 20 pounds without even trying. With various attempts at weight loss, I got down to 208 lbs in 2011, but my weight went back up into the 240’s by about 2012 or 2013.

I was inspired to try keto again in 2014 after reading The Big Fat Surprise, which I highly recommend. At the time, I was taking a supplement that was a natural diuretic, plus I didn’t know about the need to supplement electrolytes. After 3 weeks on Atkins Induction, losing 14 lbs, I became so dehydrated that I ended up in the ER. That scared me off keto for a couple of years. I tried again around 2018 but this time I cut supplements too much, too fast and retained a crazy amount of water, so I gave up again.

I started keto again last year on 4/24/19. I went from the 220’s down to 206 at my lowest. Right now I weigh about 214. It’s challenging. It’s frustrating. I am 57 years old and determined to keep trying. I have experimented with fasting and carnivore over the past year. Right now I’m working on meal timing.

All this to say, I am a success story because:

  • I weigh about 100 lbs less than I did 20 years ago (90 lbs less than I did 11 years ago).
  • I have kept trying. I’ve never given up. If I had, I would weigh 500 lbs because my body loves fat and I love food. Actually, I’d probably be dead. Alive versus dead is a success!

Bottom line, please keep trying. Keto is the best way to do this. I eat keto, but I eat too much, too often to lose weight. I do maintain my weight within about 2 or 3 lbs, from 211 to 214. I still hope to lose weight. I’ve been obese since I was an infant. I keep trying. I could be in SO MUCH WORSE shape than I am if I’d given up.

Also, I am super healthy. My doctor drools over my bloodwork. I have type 2 diabetes in my family and could easily have that if I hadn’t been more careful and if I weren’t on keto. There’s more to life than how much you weigh.

Good luck :heart:

#14

You can absolutely achieve that. We call it metabolic flexibility. But first you need to stick with normal" / standard keto long enough to get back into the swing again. For anybody that really wants the flexibility (to me) your carbs should probably be around 30 net/day even from the beginning. Keep your protein at a healthy level for you. Don’t try to intentionally add fat to everything, just don’t avoid it. Are you physically active? Working out normally when the world isn’t in hiding? All of that goes into what you can do. I average about 60g net carbs day, still loose weight, adding muscle and feel awesome. When I want to eat off plan I do and there is no fallout, no carb hangover the next day, no nothing. Just keep on chugging and back to my normal eating it is. At one point just like everybody even eating 40g would have me feel like a swallowed a boat anchor, hungover the next day, all the standard punishment that people are afraid of. It absolutely doesn’t have to be that way.

(Jessica) #15

Yeah, see I got there before. I was super strict from Aug-Dec 2018, and let myself enjoy my 40th bday. I got right back on after that and did fine. When I went off the rails, it was a little here and there at first, then deteriorated into “who cares?”

Before all this I lifted weights 2x a week or so. Just this week I have started “walking the hill.” There’s a really long steep hill right past my driveway, so I walk it a couple of times.

(Jessica) #16

I really appreciate everyone’s encouragement! It truly helps!

(Wendy) #18

Just hang in there! NEVER give up or give in. Remember this is for you!

(Susan Moseley) #19

I started keto May 16th. I went into ketosis quickly and lost 10 pounds in a week. This past Wednesday I caved and ate 1 hostess cupcake and 3 pieces cheese pizza. Knocked me out of ketosis. So I fasted for 24 hours and this morning was back in ketosis (I use the pee strips). Sooo today I’m drinking my favorite diet tea only I notice the bottle is not diet! I bought the wrong kind. I did a pee strip and I’m back out of ketosis. I’m doing another 24 hour fast. Do you think I will be back in ketosis by tomorrow at 3pm?

(Jessica) #20

Those oopsies happen. I don’t test for ketosis at all so I can’t directly answer your question. Just keep on. The thing that has kept me motivated, and this goes for my eating or anything else in life, is that I totally immerse myself in the information. I watch YouTube videos (Ken Berry is the easiest to watch for me) and reading all I can. I think my previous failures were because I got lazy. I knew the information so I didn’t feel like I needed to read or watch any more. That allowed me to get complacent.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #21

It kind of sounds like you might be a bit too concerned about a small screw up like the tea incident. Don’t let fasting become a self administered punishment. You can just be more active the next day if you want to speed things up but…

It really isn’t that big a deal and ketosis will come back in a day with just regular good keto eating. Stay extra close to zero carb if you wish but honestly we’re talking about a difference in hours which is really insignificant long term. Most people who do a big carb day return to ketosis within 24 hours anyway. This stuff is better to try later in the game though when you’re fully fat adapted. Early on it’s not as easy and can be the result of cravings rather than a decision to deviate from the WOE. It’s definitely a much more slippery situation then. Life is life, just move forward and leave the guilt behind and try to do better. :cowboy_hat_face::heart: