Advice? Not losing

(Lori) #1

Good day. I am new here and basically just joined this site to reach out to others who may have had the same issue and to see if there is any advice as to how to get through it successfully. I’ve read a ton of other info on other Keto websites, but none of them seem to have what I am looking for. But then again, maybe they do and I am just not seeing it?

In any case, I have done Low Carb / Keto eating quite a bit in the past with success, but I was a yo-yo dieter which I am sure has done me and my body quite a bit of harm. More recently (in the last 7 years) I have lost weight and for the most part, kept it off but it has creeped up a bit and I am struggling to lose it.

Also in the last 4 years I started working out (have never really done that much previously). I joined a crossfit gym, started lifting heavy weights and have increased my muscle mass for sure. However being immersed in that environment has brought along a whole new set of challenges…I was constantly second guessing whether low carb was the right way to go anymore. People constantly telling me I need high protein and that I NEED carbs for energy and brain development and health, etc etc. So I strayed and varied and, at some points, gave up altogether out of frustration. I have counted macros, increased my protein to up to about 120-130g per day, increased my carbs and was eating things like sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, oatmeal, fruit, etc and for a brief time I actually felt really good and lost some weight. But then I got a shoulder injury, workouts went down, weight climbed up and I was far away from my previous low carb lifestyle and again trying to figure out the best way to lose weight.

So January 1 I decided low carb/keto had been good to me in the past. Read lots of reasearch about its health benefits and I was ready to start again. For the first month I didn’t document anything…just ate what I knew I should be eating and continued to go to the gym. The second month I decided that I needed to document foods, which I have been doing.

So now it has been another month and in total I have lost 10 lbs…I know a portion of that would have been water weight right in the beginning but for the past 3 weeks I haven’t lost anything. I go down a pound or two but then the next day go right back up…basically I am fluctuating (which I know is totally normal) but staying right in that area…no more loss.

As I said, I am tracking my foods. I have about 15 lbs still to lose. I am eating between 1200-1400 calories per day. The occasional day I might go up to 1500 but it is rare. I was eating very high fat around 110g per day but I have cut that back slightly now too and am getting about 80g per day. My proten stays between 50-75g per day and my carbs are under 20 every day. In fact the majority of the time they are under 15 and sometimes hover around 10g for the whole day (net carbs).

There were a couple of nights in the past month that I indulged in alcoholic beverages, but my drink of choice is whiskey and diet coke so even though I know it can stall weight loss, I also know there are no carbs whatsoever.

I do blood tests for ketones. In the beginning they were low (0.4 - 0.6 mmol). They increased in the last 2 weeks to about 1.5 mmol and then I read that sometimes if you are eating too much fat that your body will burn that rather than burn body fat, so that was why I decreased my fat. For the past 3 days my ketones have been measuring at 2.6 - 2.8 mmol. So I feel that I should be in fat burning mode but still my weight will not drop

I know many say stop weight yourself but I won’t do that. While it is a point of frustration when I don’t see the scale move, the fact is that it keeps me on track and would stress me out greatly to not have an idea of where I am at. I have had non-scale differences in that I have lost on my waist and my clothes do fit better…but as I said I did lose about 10 lbs and I also know that I am not as bloated as I might have been when I started this.

So…any advice? Is this considered a stall? How do I get out of it or what can I expect. My husband says that I am doing the right things and so to just keep doing them and quit questioning, but I feel like there might be something I’m missing and I need to know if others are in the same boat and what they might have done to get out of it?

Thanks in advance.

(Michelle) #2

Hi - stalling is pretty normal, and there are a ton of threads on here about breaking a stall. A few questions for you:

  • Are you eating to satiety? (regardless of calories or fat grams for the day?)
  • how often are you eating?
  • how often do you feel true hunger before you eat?
  • have you tried IF or any kind of fasting (sometimes that will break a stall)
  • have you given up dairy? (I can’t tell if you do eat any dairy, but sometimes this works to break a stall)
(eat more) #3

i think most longtime ketoers here will say that 3 weeks isn’t technically a “stall” especially so soon in your keto journey.
i totally get your frustration but a lot of internal things are happening that we aren’t aware of…corrections, healing, balancing.

without knowing your stats…
only having 15lbs to get rid of and your activity level…could your intake be too low?
could you be building muscle?

#4

Firstly, it sounds like you are doing great and I am glad you got back on the keto track. Don’t listen to the naysayers and doubters at the gym. You know your body better than they do.

I’m not sure how much you have to lose and what body fat level you are at currently? and aspiring to get to?

1200-1400 calories sounds quite low but tricky to say without knowing your stats. It sounds low, especially with all the working out you are doing. Do you feel like you are restricting yourself and hungry? It sounds bizarre, but not eating enough can slow your metabolism down and encourage your body to hold on to what it can.

It is important to catalogue all the other things that happen along the way - change in measurements, NSV, how you feel, etc. The number on the scale is but one element in the measuring process.

It is worth looking at whet you eat and see if there is anything you react adversely to. Maybe try an elimination/exclusion diet and then reintroduce to test various foods to test your reaction to them. I discovered a sensitivity to lactose but also ground nuts although I seem to be fine with whole nuts. They both definitely impact my weight loss and are more maintenance foods. I am pretty close to where I want to be though so it is not a big issue. It could be any number of things that stop you losing for a while - food, sleep, stress, simply a normal part of the process. I have experienced stalls of 3 months. You just keep plodding along and it starts up again soon enough.

(Lori) #5

Thank you…and normally I agree with this. But it seems that I have been stuck here for years. I can gain weight easily but almost never get to much below where I am. I was registered for a competition in March of 2015 and when I look back at my stats, I was the exact same weight then.

I do agree that I totally built muscle when I first started working out but at this point I don’t think so. My weightlifting has stalled, and my performance in the gym has stalled so I think I am maintaining what I have and am not increasing.

I hesitate to increase my intake because I have tried that before and found that I gained. I feel I have a VERY slow metabolism and I can literally gain 5 lbs in a weekend, or even one night if I eat “bad” things. That is sort of where my questions come from…I second guess everything…am I eating too much/little, am I proportioning my macros correctly, do I need more or less fat, etc.

I know I am still early on…but I don’t want to waste a long of time continuing to do the same thing if in the end it won’t give results so I thought I’d put this out there early on and see what anyone has to say. I thought for sure that I would see some change with my ketones increasing to dramatically in the past few days. But I guess I’ll just keep chugging along and see where I am in a couple more weeks.

thanks again for your response!

(Patrick B.) #6

Ah, kindred spirits…

(Lori) #7

Hi MKChitown…thank you for your response. In answer to your questions:

  • I am NEVER hungry…I eat because it is time to eat. When I eat, I eat everything I’ve planned to eat unless I am just so full that I have to give up on it. I’m rarely left wanting more.

  • I have “breakfast” at 7:30AM which consists of Bulletproof Tea and that is all. I eat lunch at about 12:30PM and I eat dinner later in the evening sometime between 7:30 and 9:00PM. The reason it is so late is because I go to the gym after work and occasionally the grocery store after the gym. Once in a while I might snack on cheese or soup broth or something like that after dinner, but not often especially if I’ve eaten late.

  • As I said above, I don’t get hungry.

  • I did briefly try IF on a 20/4 schedule and found it mentally difficult to do. My husband does IF on more of a 16/8 schedule but he doesn’t eat at all after about 6PM and that doesn’t work for me due to my gym schedule, etc.

  • I haven’t given up dairy. I use 1tbsp butter and 1tbsp cream in my tea along with the MCT oil. And I do add cheese to some of my meals.

(eat more) #8

with traditional macro eating?
if you’re eating too little that is what is slowing your metabolism…a healthy metabolism just ignores a misstep and carries on…
if you’re seeing a major jump from a weekend your metabolism has more correction to do

stop that! lol :blush:
that’s IIFYM, eat every 2-3 hours stuff
the only “time to eat” is when you are hungry…
once you’re fat-adapted your body gets fuel from your existing body fat…which you don’t have a lot of

edit: hit the button too soon

(Lori) #9

Hi Daisy

Thank you for your response. I have about 15 more pounds to lose. I currently weigh 150lbs and I am aspiring to be about 135 lbs. I am only estimating that my body fat would be between 20-25%. Last time I was at about 138 lbs (about 3 years ago) my body fat was 16% at that time.

I was eating about 1600 calories per day previously when I was working out much more than I am now, but because I feel that my metabolism is so slow I feel that more calories woudl actually work against me. I don’t feel like I am restricted. I can’t physically eat more food at my meals as I am full whenever I eat, and I don’t ever get hungry. I only eat because it is time to eat.

I will be taking measurements and pictures again tonight. In the past month I have lost about 2.75" from my waist but don’t know about other areas yet. I do feel good, but not GOOOOD. LOL I mean, I have felt a lot better before when I weighed less, but I certainly feel better now than I did a month ago.

I don’t really eat nuts, but don’t avoid them…occasionally use almond flour but not often. I use cheese in some of my meals and also 1 tbsp of cream and 1tbsp butter in my bulletproof tea but that is about all the dairy I can think of.

Thanks for your advice and response. I will certainly keep plodding along. I have faith that this will work and is healthy but I am a bit frustrated especially since my ketones are increasing. I guess I wonder if the ketones are coming from burning body fat or if it is because I am taking in too much dietary fat and should reduce it? But I also know too much protein can be turned into body fat and I’m obviously not going to increase carbs…so that is where I am stuck and second guessing.

Anyway, thanks again :slight_smile:

#10

I really don’t think the whole fat thing is as fine a balance as that. You need to eat to satiety for so many reasons - not slowing down your resting metabolic rate being one. I would say that weight loss will be slow because you are on the home straight. You might also have a goal in your head that your body does not agree with! The keto high can take a while to really kick in - like months. You just keep on doing the fabulous work you are doing and see what happens. Journal it for your own benefit but also a big fuck you to all those doubters at the gym.

I think you are doing a fab job. Just keep going for now and revisit fine tuning in a month or so if you need to.

(Lori) #11

Thanks Mikki, I guess I should clarify further…I honestly never get hungry. If I didn’t eat because it was time to eat, then I would never eat. I have looked at IF previously and have tried it briefly, but because I can’t physically eat a lot at one meal, I found I wasn’t eating as much I needed to because I’d go all day without eating, then for 4 - 6 hours per day I’d eat, but it would be the size of a regular meal. So I was basically eating one meal per day…not nearly enough calories or any macros for good health. I felt as if I was suffering physically and mentally and my weight didn’t change at all.

Here is an example of a day’s food intake:

  • 7:30AM: Bulletproof Tea 285 cal, 31g fat, 1g carb, 0.4g protein
  • 12:30PM: Homemade Chicken Salad 422.5 cal, 31.5g fat, 3.7g carb, 20.1g protein
  • 3:00PM: Tea with cream 70cal, 6g fat, 4g carb, 1g protein
  • 7:00PM: Cocoa with cream 60cal, 5.5g fat, 2g carb, 1.3g protein
  • 7:30PM: Roastbeef, asparagus, wax beans, parmesan cheese 460 cal, 21g fat, 5.8g carb 41.2g protein
    Daily Totals: 1297cal, 95g fat, 16.5g carb, 63g protein
    This is a day that was a bit higher in carbs…I don’t normally drink tea with cream during the day and the cocoa was a whim because I was super cold that day and was looking for something to warm me up.
(Lori) #12

Awesome! Thanks Daisy…that made me feel better and I will certainly do just that. I will continue to document as it helps me keep accountable, but I will do it just for myself. I will continue to measure and will incorporate pics so that I can see visual changes if not on the scale.

Thanks for your help.

#13

Yes do do regular pics. I am so lazy about stuff like that and really regret it now.

(eat more) #14

i totally get it!
eating has always been low on my priority list…hungry or not
so many distractions or things i’d rather do lol

i still think you need higher fat/protein…
150lb at 20-25% bf…low end (multiplier of .8) is a protein requirement of 90-96g/day…which may even be a little low since you do crossfit…
don’t fear the foods :blush:

(Michael Wallace Ellwood) #15

@irol770

Hi Lori,

You said you don’t get hungry, and (I think) that your husband doesn’t eat after 6pm, so you are presumably eating dinner alone. So he presumably wouldn’t mind if you skipped dinner and had your main meal at “lunchtime”?

I’m thinking that someone who doesn’t get hungry is a good candidate for intermediate fasting / restricted “feeding windows”. So if you skipped dinner you’d have a fairly restricted feeding window of about 12.30pm-1pm (or say 1.30pm).

(let’s ignore your calorific beverages which are fairly low calorie).

My thinking is that the longer you can maintain your fasting interval, then the lower your insulin should (hopefully) go, and (again, hopefully), your residual insulin resistance (I’m assuming that you still have some) will hopefully be reduced.

Anyway, I offer the thought for what it’s worth, if it can be fitted in with your schedule.

(Lori) #16

Hi Mike,

Thank you for the advice. I do eat dinner alone most nights and yes it is my “bigger” meal of the day in quantity of food, but I think generally my meals are fairly equal in calories, fat, protein, etc. To be honest, I don’t know a lot about insulin resistance or residual insulin so I will have to get some education on that. I could certainly skip dinner altogether, but my concern is that I wouldn’t take in enough food for the day in total then.

I can try to change the times of my meals and eat “lunch” at 11:00AM and then “dinner” at 3:00 or 4:00 PM while I am still at work. I wouldn’t want to make it much later or I would be too full and uncomfortable to then go to the gym at 5:30.

I’ll try to play with things and see how it works out. That would leave me in a fasting window of about 15 hours.

Thanks again :slight_smile:

(Omar Newsome) #17

Hey @irol770

I didn’t see your height mentioned. Presumably if you started your journey with about 25-30 lbs to lose and you’ve already lost almost half of that you are kind of in the “stubborn fat” world. It might not be a bad idea to try to reset your metabolism. Depending on your height, 12-1400 cals/day seems low especially for a crossfitter. I understand the anxiety about gaining, but if the end goal is to be comfortable at your goal weight it’s important to attempt to set the “new” norm for the body. I would suggest increasing intake slightly week to week and see how you feel and if your training performance improves. Track your weight weekly and if steady increases happen then back off.

As others have said pics and measurements may be holding information that will shed new perspective on your actual progress that the scale hides. Hope some of this helps and I wish you continued success!

(Michael Wallace Ellwood) #18

Of course, the other way of doing it might be to skip lunch, and perhaps make dinner a bit larger to compensate (although I can appreciate that you wouldn’t want to stuff yourself in the evening, either).
It’s a valid concern about not taking in sufficient food, especially in the light of what @Xaviernusum has written. You might try skipping lunch just once, and see how it goes, and then maybe now and again, and see if it makes any difference.

I’m certainly not an expert on insulin resistance either, but I think the basic idea is that, even with keto and very low carb, although you might not get much of a glucose response from what you eat, you might well get an insulin response, and if you have IR, it might be higher than “normal”.

So by reducing the number of meals, you are reducing the number of occasions during the day when insulin goes up, so overall the level of insulin is hopefully lower, and eventually that should hopefully have a beneficial effect on the IR. One good place to read about some of this might be “The Obesity Code” by Dr Jason Fung. (He’s also in several Youtube videos).

(Lori) #19

Awesome. Thanks Xaviernusum. I am 5’2". I’ve lost approximately 12 lbs since the 1st of January, but nothing in about the past 3 weeks as my original post stated.

I understand what you mean about the trial and error type of thing, but since I have lost so little so far, even a nominal gain would set me back so I am really trying to avoid that at all costs.

I will try to increase my fats during the day which will increase calories as well. Perhaps I will sneak in a 2nd bulletproof tea in the afternoon.

Thanks again.

(eat more) #20

as a fellow 5’2"er…12lbs is HUGE…especially in a little over 2 months with only 25-30 in total as a fat loss goal…while doing crossfit!!!

just sayin…

:blush: