Another can't get into Ketosis post - need help!


(Frank) #2

You are in ketosis. At this phase your body is unable to identify the ketones that are being produced as fuel, which is why they are not showing up in your blood tests. Your body merely sees them as a waste product and is dumping them out in your urine. You will start to phase into “fat adaptation” soon enough and the urine levels will drop over time and your blood levels will rise in time. Keep the faith and it will happen. KCKO.


(Frank) #3

And with regards to your friends losing tons. You are you. You are like no other. Your metabolism is unlike any other and will respond unlike any other. The trick is to get to a baseline where you find out what works for you in a sustainable way over time. KCKO


(Mark) #4

Thanks for the reply and encouragement. Follow-up: Why aren’t I losing weight then? Seems odd to me.


(Edith) #5

What is your stress level like? How much sleep do you get at night? Both of those questions play a part in weight loss. If you are stressed or not getting enough sleep, increased cortisol can keep weight loss from occurring.

How is your health? Frequently, healing inside the body needs to occur before it shows on the outside of the body.

Also, eating all the fat will not cause harm. You are metabolizing fat, just not using the ketones efficiently as mentioned above. It can take 8 weeks and for some even longer to become fat adapted. And, once you become fat adapted, it’s not like a light bulb suddenly turns on, it’s more like a dimmer switch that gradually goes from off to slowly getting brighter and brighter.

Finally, if you do want to get a blood test to check your triglycerides and cholesterol, it’s better to wait until you’ve been eating this way for about six months. That gives your body a chance to get its fat burning machinery in place.

Things will get better.


(MelissaH) #6

Hi Mark! Doesnt sound like your eating enough calories. Try increasing your calories to get your metabolism going again. I’m 5’7", and 145 lbs . Cronometer says I should eat 1800 calories a day to give you an idea


(Jessica) #7

Stick with it! Keto isn’t an instant diet. You don’t necessarily lose lots of weight immediately. Your body needs to switch fuel sources and that takes time.


#8

Keto is also about lowering carbs and insulin levels…NOT restricting calories. You need to feed you body so that it learns it’s ok to release stored fat…resticting calories is not the best way to do this.


(Frank) #9

If our metabolism had a conscious it would be able to tell us why things are either happening or not happening. That’s not going to happen so the best that you can do is give yourself the best chance as possible to heal your metabolism and as a result possibly shed some extra body fat. Follow the protocol, have some faith in the process, eat when your hungry, keep carbs under 20g net, adequate protein, and fat to satiety. The answer to your question could be as simple as you just haven’t given the process enough time. It’s not like you woke up one morning with fat that you didn’t want. Just like everyone this happens over time, sometimes decades. To expect immediate results is unrealistic and counterproductive.


(Carl Keller) #10

Don’t fear the fat. Fat doesn’t make you fat and it doesn’t increase your risk of heart disease, no matter what you’ve read or been told your whole life. There is no science that proves saturated fat, by itself, is bad for you.

Please be patient and try to eliminate stress. The damage we’ve done to our horomones and metabolism has taken decades, so it’s unreasonable to expect the weight to come off quickly, even if we are doing everything right. But it can be done. It just takes some people longer than others.

In the meanwhile, focus on the positive things that have occured and hide the scale for a few weeks.


(Full Metal KETO AF) #11

Hi Frank, I get blood and urine tests every month. In past months my urine was showing trace ketones but this month at 5 months in it was negative for ketones. Is this why, do you think?


#12

HI Mark,

Are you on an medication whatsoever? Any pill can change everything. Even if others can get away with it, they effect everyone differently.

Have you had any lab tests regarding thyroid function lately?

You may be overcoming internal battles, like a yeast overgrowth, that’s very common or some other infection. Best cure, keep going, most of them feed on sugar, so starve them.

Stress and sleep levels?

Absolutely be sure you nail the 20g, Are you doing Net or Total Carbs? If doing net, try the stricter 20g Total Carb protocol. You know, half an avocado, not a full one. Just for a couple of weeks.

You may be using sweeteners, which many people can get away with, but not all.

You may be burning fat but retaining water, do your clothes fit more loosely?

If it’s none of the above then maybe post a detailed list all the food you’re having on a given day. Don’t just say bacon, give us the brand and amounts … even simple things like “Mince meat” from brand A is much different to brand B, who knows what they stuff in there.

It is frustrating I know but it’s most probably something along these lines. We all need tweaks and adjustments so won’t about that…

Or just give it a couple more weeks. Your urine test is good so the process has started.


(Mark) #13

Thanks for all the great input. It seems to me, one does have to count calories; in the end, that is what makes us fat. Too many in versus not enough out. Everything I’ve read on Keto or Atkins or Paleo or any other restrictive diet states that. I am not diabetic, for which I am very grateful. So if I’m not getting the benefit of rapid weight loss results, why stay on this type of restrictive diet? I am already measuring food to get macros, so why not do something like WW or a diet where one an eat anything, with moderation? I’d get the same slow results. And I feel I am always trying to substitute something non-carb for the food we all crave, like bread, fruits, etc. If we are trying to substitute why not eat the real thing? I’m just venting and frustrated. I just thought I’d see more loss in a months time.
Thanks again!!!


(Frank) #14

That’d be my assumption based on what I’ve read on this forum over the past 8 months.


(Edith) #15

Well, I guess it depends upon what we call NSV or Non Scale Victories. For many of us, keto is not just for weight loss. It may have started off that way but then many of us realized how much better we feel eating this way. Maybe we had little aches and pains, acne, mood swings, or worse that suddenly cleared up once we started eating a ketogenic diet. It’s those types of things that certainly keep me going.

Keto may seem restrictive because you are relatively new to it, over time you may realize its not that restrictive because you no longer miss those things you had to give up at first.

I’ve been eating this way for almost two years. For Thanksgiving and Christmas, I indulged in more carbs than usual. It was nice, but I was very happy to get back into ketosis because my joint pain started to return. I made the conscious choice to enjoy some apple pie or potatoes and felt no guilt, but the NSV definitely got be back on track without any trouble.

If you are perfectly healthy, keto has made no difference for you, and there have been no NSV, then maybe keto isn’t for you. And that’s okay, but I would say that one month is not really enough time to see if there are any rewards to be reaped.


#16

Keto does work but we absolutely have to make sure we don’t go over 20g carbs. That is the crucial key which opens the fat burning door.

The other macros are way way less important. Once you start burning fat your appetite will go down automatically then you are on your way. Desire for “carbage” also changes.

If you are having trouble then I would suggest following Dr Eric Westman’s advice, he wants his patients to get into keto first time every time so he suggests 20g Total Carbs (not 20g Net Carbs) as most of us are doing.

Using Total carbs is a bit more restrictive, half an avocado instead of a full one. But it is more sure to work for more people, first time.

Atkins20 Induction Phase is keto. But Atkins has other (optional) phases where they add a few more carbs, they say “if you stop losing then remove that food item and backtrack”. Paleo is “low carbs” but not low enough. The BIG key is 20g carbs. Paleo with 20g carbs is keto.

And don’t worry about venting and frustration, I understand, we were all lied to by big food and big phama and stuffed about by the medical industry - it is frustrating.

I reckon give 20g Total carbs a go to really make sure you nail it and get into keto fully.

Hang in there.


(Cindy) #17

No, you really don’t have to count calories or macros. Instead, you should be listening to your hunger signals. Hungry? Eat more, just limit carbs. Not hungry? Don’t eat. From what you’re saying, I get the impression you’ve spent time trying to lose weight in other ways…which means there’s a chance you’ve messed up your metabolism in some way. Now is the time to UNdo that…and the only way to do it is to stop eating according to calculators and eat according to what you need that day.

Think of it this way. One day you’re extra hungry for some reason, but you’re sticking to your macros/calculator. To your hunger/hormones, you’re now restricting calories and don’t have enough fuel…so less likely to shed fat. Then, the next day, you’re NOT hungry, but still, eat according to your macros/calculator. To your hunger/hormones, you’re eating more than you need, so less likely to shed fat.

Yes, if you gorge or severely restrict, you’re going to gain or lose weight…so calories, in that sense, matter. But the calorie (and counters, apps, etc), are certainly nowhere near precise enough to truly know what you should or shouldn’t be eating. As someone else said…you’re you. Your height, weight, sex, fitness levels, stress levels, body type, etc, all determine what you need.

Benefit of rapid weight loss? You mean the kind that comes right back again as soon as you stop doing what you were doing to cause it? That’s NOT a benefit. What you need is a healthy, sustainable way of eating.

Stop measuring. Seriously. Try to eat whole foods (vs packaged), track/count your carbs. Beyond that, try listening to your signals. I can have days where all I want is a nice, juicy ribeye. Other times, I want cheesy cauliflower. Maybe I’m delusional, but I honestly believe those are signals telling me I need more protein that day, or a bit more carbs or fiber. The only signal I don’t listen to is the one saying “EAT SUGAR!”. I recognize that as my insulin crying because it wants to be back in control.

The longer you stick with it, the less you’ll crave the carbs. Carbs trigger glucose/insulin spikes. Those ups and downs are what cause you to crave those foods. Quit riding the roller coaster and you’ll wonder why you were ever on it in the first place.

Also, the goal is not to find substitutes for the carbs…but to let them go completely. As for fruit, eat berries. Eventually, when you get to where you want to be with your weight and health, you can, occasionally, add back in fruit. Yes, fructose has to be processed in your liver, so some people think any is bad. I’m more moderate…I think a more seasonal diet in moderation is healthy…but first, I need to get to where I want to be.


(diana barrett) #18

hi…I saw a Naturapath physician, very supportive about Keto but she has found that cycling works best? ie Keto for a week and then a couple of days of more carbs. this sounds counter intuitive but wondering what you think?


(Frank) #19

I think once I’m confident that I am truly metabolically flexible and my insulin sensitivity is where it should be I’m going to dip my toes every once in a while and find where my actual carb tolerance lies. I have no urge to eat the processed garbage anymore but some more complex carbs wouldn’t be the end of the world. I’m at goal weight now so self experimentation is the name of the game moving forward.


(diana barrett) #20

yes, she was talking about oatmeal or complex grains…I feel uncomfortable doing that until I"ve lost some weight…I feell a bit thinner but not much to show yet


#21

Yes it’s counter intuitive. And it takes a few days to burn off stored glycogen so you would not be in ketosis for half the keto week. You would just be in limbo.

Cycling between carbs/keto may work best for her, but the keto doctors and scientists who are experts in ketosis don’t recommend that.

They say if you are allergic to nuts, would you eat them every other week? If you are lactose intolerant would you drink milk every other week? Would a coeliac eat wheat, at all?

If you are carbohydrate intolerant should you overdoes on insulin every other week?

I someone did 11 months keto and 1 month carbs then maybe