Can't find topic on losing too much (lol)

(muda) #1

Anyone here with me ?
I eat until full every time (keto of course) and cant stop loosing.
Energy is on the lower side too.
I am only few month in keto so very much newbie . Already lost all weight I was intended to though.
Advice on how to stop loosing and increase energy from experienced would be supernice.

(Alec) #2

Hey there, how’s it going? Welcome to the forums.

How did you arrive at your target weight? Maybe your body just wants to be lighter?
What’s your height, starting weight and current weight? Male or female?
Please give us an idea of what you are eating day to day. We might spot some reasons why you are being over efficient in losing weight or provide some ideas to keep your weight stable.
How often do you eat? 3 meals a day? Any snacks?
Do you do any exercise?

You might also review this thread.

The search button is VERY useful. Top right hand corner. :grin:

(muda) #3

Thanks for welcome.
I am male 55. Height 180cm. I started at 85 kg (now after 3 month I am at 71kg) what was not terrible initially , but fat was very well seen especially at belly region. Had very low energy and brain fog. Constantly feeling tired was not fun. If I remember correctly I used to weight 68kg when I was young and beautiful, but not sure if this is correct weight for one who is only beautiful anymore.
I started keto and IF basically because of bad overall condition. I followed Dr. Berg advices very strictly (kale shakes, nutritional east and so on) except of eating 16-8 instead of 18-6. Weight loss occurred as a pleasant extra bonus. After first two weeks(no signs of keto flu) energy level raised tremendously even scaring a bit. I was like nuclear machine for some time. Brain cleared up noticeably . All that good feeling diminished at 10 week region.
I play tennis twice a week for two hours. Feel like stamina is much better now.

Now, when I dont want to loose weight anymore I added third meal in between two. Its more like a big snack with cup of creamed coffee supplemented with cheese , dark chocolate, nuts, peanut butter and similar. If I try to eat more, I feel like I am pushing my body and that is not pleasant feeling. Thought that extra calories will help a lot, but seems I was wrong.
We do this diet all family . Wife is not losing much anymore though we eating exactly same. Son is loosing though he is not so strict and eat sushi here and there (rise bad).

I would like to stop loosing weight and to regain energy level that was with me at 2-10 week region.
We try to eat on salty side, but honestly not sure if this is enough salt .

P.S. Used that search button, but wasnt lucky enough. Thanks for pointing though.

(Alec) #4

You and I are very similar age and body wise, so I get your numbers totally! Agree and understand that you don’t want to lose more weight.

I am a bit concerned that all the food you mention all sounds “snacky”. Are you eating the majority of your food in real food?

If you don’t want to lose more weight, my recommendations are:

  1. Drop the time restricted eating and eat 3 meals per day.
  2. Up your healthy carbs, veg and fruit: go mad on berries!!
  3. Keep eating healthy fats
  4. Don’t be tempted into unhealthy carbs (bread, pasta, rice, sugar)
  5. Measure your food intake with the goal of increasing intake: don’t stuff yourself, but go slightly further than simple satiation.
  6. Do some weight training

Cheers
Alec

(muda) #5

Sorry not being clear enough.

That snacky meal is only third meal that I have included after reaching my goal weight.
Another two meals are “normal” as per Dr Bergs recommendations completely. Becon, steak, salmon, eggs and lots of veggies.

Berries and weight training - that sounds like something.
Thanks for suggestions !

#6

It’s definitely possible to lose too much, especially if you have any co-morbid medical conditions. I lost a couple of kilos accidentally (I was never following a ketogenic diet for weight loss, in fact one of my aims is to reverse significant sarcopenia) when I first changed my diet. I’m still struggling to gain that weight back a few months later even with a caloric surplus and minimal exertion. I’ve found dairy very useful to ensure I get enough calories as this food group tends to include easy and tolerable sources of fat without too much extra protein. I know a lot of people initially exclude dairy when losing weight but add it back to help maintain their ideal body mass. These foods tend to have a slightly greater insulinogenic response too which unless you have a specific condition like a malignancy, can actually be quite helpful as long as it’s raising insulin periodically not continuously. Too little insulin can affect many bodily processes negatively as insulin controls more than just glucose uptake into adipose tissue and muscle.

#7

Add a dollop of double/heavy cream to those berries if tolerated (or alternatively coconut cream?) and you should have a tasty combo that’ll help your weight maintenance and muscle building goals.

(muda) #8

I am not aware of any medical conditions besides really low energy and tiredness that I had prior Keto. And possibly slightly high blood pressure at 145.

Thanks for suggestions coming in . :slight_smile:

(Carl Keller) #9

Hello Muda and welcome.

I think @Alecmcq gave you some really good advice. I will just add that I think your energy problems might be a product of not getting enough real food. My advice is to focus on a fatty protein and supplement the meals with a salad or buttered vegetables. Foods that you can sink your teeth into might help you out there and if your hunger hormones are behaving properly, you should start eating enough to put a halt to the weight loss. Your body has a really good idea of what weight it wants to be and should increase your hunger when it feels like you’ve gone low enough.

(Karim Wassef) #10

Protein and resistance exercise.

Sounds like you want to increase your metabolism and be more active. To do that, you need to build more muscle and eat more.

As we age, we need more protein. Protein will also increase your appetite. Exercise will increase your body’s demand for protein and energy.

@Alecmcq has also given you solid healthy options

(MooBoom) #11

Consider adding more fatty cuts of meat to your diet, and if you aren’t dairy sensitive- cheese! Berries with thick pure cream would be lovely too.

Also, consider easing off all those greens Dr Berg advises you to eat. You’re filling up on those, not fat. There aren’t many of us long term keto-ers that recommend Dr Berg. There is a thread on him if you’d like to know why :blush:

#12

I don’t think you ought to worry too much about losing too much. My underweight brother initially lost “too much” when he went keto, but it was all fat stored in the wrong places. This means that his lean mass is somewhat underdeveloped. His weight was such that had he been hospitalised, he would have been forbidden from moving more than a bare minimum. Luckily that didn’t happen, and he did regain weight, also fatty tissue, in better places. He has now reaches his set weight, and is unlikely to gain more unless he starts doing some resistance training. His daily diet consists of keto coffee, herbal tea, carbonated mineral water (for salt), cheap pork, butter, and cooked cauliflower, broccoli and tomatoes (as well as a multivitamin and magnesium supplement). And he’s mostly omad.

My main point is that your body knows the difference between good and bad body fat, and is unlikely to lose anything other than the bad. The good should be built up later, but might require some keto coffee and less raw vegetables. Your body will figure it out on its own if you just give it the right nutrients. And the same body fat percentage looks extremely different depending on the condition of your lean body mass, so that would be something to work on.

(muda) #13

Wow, that all is very useful information guys.
Thank you everyone that cared to reply.
I will try to use your advices and see how things will go. Luckily I have no sensitivities that would limit anything.
At least I am not scared so much anymore on losing below my imaginary line.

(Windmill Tilter) #14

Try eating lots of dairy, “sugar free” sweeteners like stevia, and increase exercise to daily.

Those seem to be the primary culprits in threads where people are able to accomplish multi-month stalls on keto. The fact that the stalls are not intentional is a pretty strong testament to the efficacy of the approach. Any one of them might be enough to stop your weight loss in it’s tracks.

(muda) #15

Thanks Don_Q
I am using erythritol. Do you thing its good choice ?
What about cottage cheese ? I like it very much, but was restricting it because of protein content.

#16

Cottage cheese was always an insulin trouble maker for me, would cause weight gain, if you’re trying to gain it would probably work well.

(Windmill Tilter) #17

All of this assumes you’re eating to satiety. If you are, all you need to do is to figure out which lever increases your hunger the most. For some, it’s sweeteners, for some it’s exercise, for some it’s something else.

For me, any “sugar free” sweetener is effective in scrambling my satiety signals and making me overeat. Everybody has different sensitivities though. Experiment with erythitol, stevia, monk fruit, and see which one makes you eat the most. You may need to track your food/calories just for a few weeks to figure this out.

Cottage cheese is a great idea. It’s a like a plateau in a jar. Even better would be whey protein. I can’t imagine why you’re trying to avoid protein if you’re trying to induce a stall, but if you’ve got extra protein in the macro budget, get at least one scoop of whey protein a day. They don’t call it “stall powder” for nothing!

(Karim Wassef) #18

Mmmm HWC…

(muda) #19

I think I can formulate my problem another way after this discussion. Its : how to eat to gain weight and not increase insulin resistance at the same time. After 55 years of eating mostly carbs I suspect having nice one.
Too much protein is asking for insulin spike as I understand.
How much is too much I have no idea and this can be big problem.

(Windmill Tilter) #20

I’d guess you’re pretty insulin sensitive given that you weren’t that overweight to begin with, and how easily you dropped down to ideal weight. That said, only a blood test can tell you for sure.

Insulin isn’t “bad” per se. It does inhibit weight loss. Since that’s not a problem you have, I think you’d be fine adding some extra protein into your diet. That said, I’m by no means an expert on the subject.