Am I switching things up too much?

#1

Hi everyone,

I am finishing my third month at the end of May. I have lost between 14 and 17 pounds depending on the day. I am a 48 y/o female And after the initial weight loss I seemed to get stuck at 147 pounds for several weeks and the scale would go up and down from there. Now I seem to be stuck at 145 with the scale going up small amounts every day. I have only had white carbs Twice and that was in the First two months. My carbs are typically under 15 net. I track faithfully and probably weigh myself too much. I do a lot of yard work and HIIT 3xs a week. I have been drinking at least 64 ounces water most try to get 72 ounces a day. I have been fasting trying to move the scale and usually break around 28 hours. The thing is I seem to gain after the fast? I have tried all sorts of different things with eating. Sometimes I stick to macros, no scale movement. Sometimes I eat way over fat and calories, no scale movement. I have tried high fat and protein, no scale movement. Or at least I should say no downward movements but slight upwards. If My set point is 145, I won’t be thrilled but at this age I will take it. I just don’t want to go back up to 147. Ideally I would like to see 130 or less as I am only 5’1”. Just not sure what to do at this point. Sorry this is long and if you have read through it thank you. I guess I just needed to voice my frustration

(Allie) #2

What else are you measuring, aside from just focusing on the scale numbers?

(Pete A) #3

All sounds great. Weight fluctuates all the time and your numbers look good!

It will come…

(Jane Srygley) #4

Are you eating enough? If you have been restricting calories, your body could have reduced your BMR to compensate.

#5

Given that you’re tracking, what is you’re average caloric. protein, fat and carb intake? Last week, two weeks etc. You’re always going to gain some weight back after a fast, can’t compare an empty system to one that has food processing through it. Don’t expect to eat “way over fat and calories” and to result in an actual loss.

Screw “set points” we can change that!

#6

@Shortstuff, @AuntJane TBH my calories are all over the place. I am trying to listen to my body and eat when I am hungry. My carb mgr ap states that I should be eating 1225 calories a day. On a hungry day I may consume 1500 to 1700 calories. Actually in the beginning I only saw a loss when the calories were higher. But seeing as of late the scale has been going up no matter what, I am not sure how many to strive for. The weight gain after the fast was before eating.

This is today for an example - I track and weigh all my food everyday.

Carbs 1.9g out of 15 net
Total carbs 12.2
111.1g fat out of 95
75.3g out of 77
1366 calories out of 1225

#7

@lfod14 I hope that I can change the set point after a life long of yo-yo dieting

(Ken) #8

Are you actually hungry when you eat? Calculators are only guesstimates. I suggest not eating again until hungry. Then, try eating OMAD, making sure you adjust your meals so you are again hungry by mealtime the next Day. Try it for two Weeks.

#9

Every day seems different. I seem to sail through 28 hours when I am fasting but then there are days that I consume all my calories for breakfast. I am having a hard time pin pointing any patterns.

(Allie) #10

Hey @Kabob
I meant with regard to your body, physical measurements rather than just weight?

Drink to thirst, eat to hunger, and measure your physical body rather than just reading the number on the scale.

#11

Oops :crazy_face:. I did not take measurements from the start, never thought of starting that now. Good suggestion. I also keep telling my husband to hide the scale but I am obsessed with knowing the “number”. I really need to change my way of thinking.

(Allie) #12

Have you noticed changes in how clothes are fitting?

#13

Yes!!! I actually bought a size smaller pants and feel smaller. My favorite recent discovery was not retaining water and bloating on a humid 90 degree day! So I guess in answering that I know it is working and I should just be patient. Thank you for helping me realize this :grinning:

(Allie) #14

Fantastic! Much better evidence of progress than the number on the scale - you’re doing well :grinning:

(T) #15

Maybe count total carbs, not net carbs? Could be that the net carbs are too high.

#16

Thanks for the advice, I actually did start counting total carbs 2 days ago but I am waiting until Sunday before I weigh myself again.

(Allie) #17

Remember the tape measure, the number on the scale is way less accurate for judging progress.

#18

I will. Took some measurements already as well as forcing myself to look in the mirror everyday to acknowledge the changes I am seeing. I am weaning myself off of the scale as I have been doing daily weigh-ins for the better part of 20 years. Sometimes twice a day because I knew that if the number only went up 3 lbs or less from morning to night then I would weigh-in the next morning either the same or with a slight loss. (I am not obsessive or anything :laughing:). At my highest weight I was 220 on my 5’1” frame down to my current weight (last time I checked) of 144/145. It has taken about 10 years to get where I am at with a lot of Gaining 20lbs, then losing 20lbs once or twice a year. My lowest weight ever was 135 that I believe I maintained for a whopping 3 days before I binged and put back on the pounds. My weight loss started after going gluten free till that didn’t work anymore, then it progressed into vegetarian, which also stopped working, into vegan where I started to gain. That is what brought me to keto. So you can see why I am so nervous. I just really want to figure out me and to feel good in my skin.
Wow, didn’t mean to write a book… but maybe acknowledging and sharing is part of my journey.

(Monty Marvian) #19

All good comments, another thing to consider if you have been yoyo dieting as is normal in this world you may have lost a lot of bone and muscle density. So like another commenter mentioned less attention on the scale and more on the reflection and clothes fitting. HITT Training will put on muscle and strengthen tendon connections. Lastly every time something goes in your insulin spikes. Keep up the good work in this upside-down world

#20

Frist, I am not a MD, but I have been doing the keto and low carb eating for the better part of 10 yrs. Are you measuring your blood ketones and sugar levels? 2). This should not be a starvation diet. You should never be hungry. If so, add more fat. I suspect with your high level of activity, you need to increase your overall caloric intake. I believe the main reason why people plateau on the Keto program, is because they do not maintain their caloric intake. A good friend tried Keto, andme
me lost 50 lbs pounds in 4 months. He then plateaued. His caloric intake went from about 2500 calories per day, down to 1200-1500/day. I think his metabolism compensated for the lack of food and down-regulated. A weight scale only measures your weight. It does not measure your fat or muscle mass or your water content. All important components of overall weight. If the budget allows, go for a DEXA SCAN. This is the gold standard for measuring fat, muscle, water, and bone density. Use as a base and retest. My belt holes tell me more of the story than my scale does. Don’t be afraid of testing stuff out. For example, measure your sugar levels at 30mins, 60mins, 90mins, and 120mins. See what spikes your blood sugar. Protein intake can also cause problems. Test different proteins. Start with 1gram per kilo of body weight. (70kilos = 70grams) You might need to increase your carbs/protein. Test, test, and test.