Greetings, keto-peeps. I’d like your help with something. This is for those of us who seem to stall, but I’d like to get data from everyone, because I think it may be able to help people keep their expectations of keto–especially as it pertains to weight-loss–realistic.
One of the things I wish more of us long(er)-term ketofolk would do is reinforce to newbies or the keto-curious that the initial weight-loss (and let’s admit it: that’s the primary reason people are interested) is A) not a linear thing for nearly EVERYONE, and B) should be looked at/projected more as a percentage of excess body-weight, NOT POUNDS. How many times has someone asked you “So, how much weight can I lose, and how fast?” It’s become more and more apparent to me that for the first period of time after starting keto, people will (generally) drop 30%-50% of their excess body-weight. And then, almost invariably, they’ll stall. And often, they’ll stall HARD.
In my case, I’m 5’8", and 50 years old. When I started back in November, I weighed 244lbs. At first, the weight came flying off (like it often does). I dropped 35lbs in roughly 2 months. The following 6 weeks, I dropped another 8-ish. And there I’ve stayed since about March. A pound up and down, but that’s about it.
By DEXA scan, I know that my ideal weight for my frame and musculature is about 170lbs. Again, I started at 244. So the entire amount of excess adipose was roughly 74lbs. The first 35 are off, and came off like lightning. Then things started grinding down to a crawl.
This exact same % split has been mirrored by my partner. She’s experienced nearly the exact same split, as well as three friends of mine, my sister, and a few other people I know in various keto groups I’m either a member of, or admin.
Then us forum regulars so often see a post from someone who cries “I’ve been doing this for 9 weeks, and I’ve only dropped 8lbs! Where’s my dramatic weight-loss?” only to find out after a question or two that they’re a 5’2" 40-year-old female and started at 135lbs. Using a simple Ideal Weight Calculator (Miller formula), they “should” weigh 123.1lbs, so they really only have 12-ish ponds to lose, or at most (Robinson formula) 115.5lbs–so call that 20lbs to lose. By one calculator, they’re nearly at their ideal weight, and by another, they’re a little short of 50% of their way there.
This would explain the phenomena of “the more you have to lose, the more dramatic the initial weight-loss is”. We all know that’s true on one level, but I think if we can illustrate it more clearly, we can keep people real, keep them from getting discouraged, keep them motivated, and keep them from chucking the entire keto idea simply because a number of a measurement device isn’t changing.
So, I’d really like to know: Where and when did you stall? Use this calculator here (https://www.calculator.net/ideal-weight-calculator.html) so we keep the metrics the same. Let’s see if this “30%-50% excess” perception has any merit to it.
Thanks, friends, and KCKO…
