Calorie counting is hard on keto

(Kellie) #1

When I first started keto in April 2018 I never counted calories I just ate keto foods and kept carbs under 20g now that Iv lost 50 pounds and am at a healthy weight I’m having trouble losing more weight. I’d like to lose another 10 but seem stuck. My caloric intake should be around 1300 but I’m having trouble not going over . I’m 5’5 134 pounds . I try fasting but a lot of times I get hungry and break it. I’ll be good at fasting for a day or two and then be super hungry , I don’t know what to do anymore , keto was great to me before and I want to stick with it to lose more weight but it kinda stopped

(Frank) #2

You stated that you are currently at a healthy weight but want to lose 10 more lbs?

#3

If your body wants to stay at 134lbs it’s going to fight you tooth and nail to lose anymore weight. Vanity weight is always the last to be lost and by far the hardest. And 1300 calories for 5’5” doesn’t seem like much.

(Allie) #4

I wouldn’t survive on those low calories and if you’re struggling to stick to it you should pay attention to your body.

(Steaks b4 cakes! 🥩🥂) #5

Do you really want to lose anymore? Since you’re at a healthy weight, it sounds like your body doesn’t want to lose much more…
I’m only saying this because I’m at the exact same point as you are (I’m 5’5 and 127 pounds) and my body won’t lose anymore.
Rather than put my mental health at risk worrying about those last few ‘vanity pounds’ I’ve decided to accept that this is how my body is. I’ve switched my focus to all the other awesome aspects of keto. You’ve done great losing the weight that you have! :slight_smile:

(Pete A) #6

Are you at or near 70% fat per day?

I laugh at the term “vanity pounds” when if there’s fat on your body to burn, there’s not a thing vain about burning it.

That’s what Keto is.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #7

If you’re getting hungry, that is your body telling you it’s not getting enough food. Eat to satisfy your hunger, and hang the calorie count. Remember that the body responds to caloric restriction by hanging on to every reserve possible; the only way to convince it to shed fat is to give it an abundance of energy. If you eat when you’re hungry, stop eating when you stop being hungry, and don’t eat again until you’re hungry again, you will know that your body is getting enough.

You are going to have a lot of trouble driving your body fat under 21-23% of body weight. Women need that fat reserve for their own health and that of their unborn children. If you really must lose another ten pounds, consider that you might have to weaken your muscles and make your bones brittler to achieve that goal, because if you are already at a good body fat percentage, your body is not going to shed any more fat. For quite some time in the starvation process, the body hangs on to its fat reserve and burns protein in preference. It was only towards the end of the process that the concentration camp victims started to look like concentration camp victims.

(less is more, more or less) #8

May I ask why you wish to lose 10 more pounds?

Tangentially, I asked Dr. Westman last year, “What’s my ideal weight.” He pleasantly smirked, and said; “look at the <some carnivorous safari feline>, who is gloriously unconcerned about his ideal weight." He closed; “Just be patient, keep your carbs low, and everything will fall into place, in time.”

In retrospect, solid advice. I’d say prescient, but we know there’s evidence behind his confidence. My body continues to shift, even if I’ve been at a weight plateau since then.

(Bob M) #9

Try different things. One, try more protein and lower fat. Protein is not bad for you, regardless of what anyone here says. Personally, I find protein is filling and fat is not. Try a protein sparing modified fast. Try some fasts, then eating as much as you want. If you eat nuts, stop. If you eat dairy, stop. Try eating more red meat (beef, lamb, goat) and less pork and chicken. Mix it up. And don’t be concerned with calories.