Could I get a second set of eyes?

[davisgirl]

Hi everyone. I’ve been 50 days on keto and IF (noon to 6) with mixed results. I’d love to have a couple people who know more about this than I do look over my info and advise.

Info:
Highest weight 245 (Sep 2018) 5’ 5”
Current weight 216
Started keto/IF 7/2019 at 227
Exercising heavily, a very brisk 45 minute walk 6x/week, and in the gym for elliptical and strength training 4x a week

I am obese and barrel shaped. Skinny legs and big belly. My legs are shredded from the cardio. I am trying to do things “correctly”, but I’m also trying to do something livable and permanent. This is me the other day:

Here is a typical day for me. I am a creature of habit and tend to eat the same things over and over:

I have half and half with my morning coffee (not shown), maybe this kills the benefit of the IF window, I don’t know.

The peanut butter snack type thingy is a bit of my own brand of wierdness. It comes out like cookie dough except I eat it just like that. Ha! It is what stands between me and the entire platter — it’s like that:

I use mfp and at first my calories were coming in about 1400-1450 and protein based on ketogains of 105 grams +- In the past week I dropped it to 1250ish/90 grams because I wasn’t losing weight. Maddening. Maybe I put on muscle weight easily? Anyway, I’m now hard all over especially my legs. And the scale is finally tinkering lower.

Anyway, I’ve got to say that I LOVE keto and mostly clean eating. I have so much more energy. I feel better in a dozen ways, stupid things I won’t mention. I feel strong. I feel like I can do this! I can see doing this long term except I need fruit, blueberries especially, so I would include fruit every day long term.

My potassium is horrendous and the cost of some of the supplements is terrible. I try to boost with food as much as I can, but I find lite salt is my friend. I measure everything, including the lite salt.

I got a magnesium supplement but turns out it’s magnesium oxide which is supposed to be not the greatest. I poop everyday but it feels “incomplete” and I feel bloated.

Can anyone offer insight? Did I do the right thing cutting the calories? I lost 11 lbs in 50 days, but 6 of those were in the first week…

[atomicspacebunny]

Thank you for your post, I really like to help people lose weight and look better, if I could only switch bodies with you for 6 months I would turn you into a Barbie Doll…wish that were possible lol

I can see you have lost some weight and are dealing with a bit of loose skin so here are some references I think would help with that!

[1] Autophagy: Intermittent fasting protein cycling (IFPC)

[2] How much protein is excessive?

Maybe I put on muscle weight easily?

Read this<===

[Madeleine]

If you’re ok with the pace things are going, you can keep doing what you’re doing, but if you want to speed things up in terms of fat loss, cut the dairy and the treats and maybe reduce your eating window further. If you’re in ketosis and able to access fat stores, your extra calories will be coming from your belly, so you just need protein and whatever low-carb veggies you like and tolerate.
What’s Mayo Lite? I would check the oils in that.

[Erevehc]

It looks like your carbs are high, and I would make your own mayo or buy the full fat non seed oil kind. I would cut the cookies too, seems to be feeding the carb dragon some. For the first several months I did keto I had no sweeteners at all. Now once a month or so I will pick up a treat or two from a keto bakery.

[davisgirl]

Ah, so from this article it looks like I can go down a bit more on the protein. I’m comfortable with that.

Yes, the skin is already an issue and I’ve barely started. I am comfortable in the 6 hour eating window, but the morning coffee with cream is non-negotiable. I’ve seen talk of 24+ hour fasts and I am torn. My philosophy has been “don’t do anything you wouldn’t do at your ideal weight” and I’ve been making permanent changes — I’m not doing anything now I wouldn’t do if I was already at my ideal body weight. I do NOT want to gain this weight back.

But with things moving slower than I’ve liked, I feel like I need to pull out all the stops. And I’m a bit frustrated—if this is difficult now, it’s going to feel impossible when I’m dealing with the last 30 or 40 lbs. I want to start a running program and a more formal lifting program and my current weight is holding me back. If the next 20 lbs would just go quick…!

Thanks for the insight!

[Madeleine]

. I’ve seen talk of 24+ hour fasts and I am torn. My philosophy has been “don’t do anything you wouldn’t do at your ideal weight” and I’ve been making permanent changes — I’m not doing anything now I wouldn’t do if I was already at my ideal body weight. I do NOT want to gain this weight back.

This seems like a good philosophy! FWIW, a lot of folks do OMAD* as a long-term eating strategy and my own long-term plan is something like 5-6 meals/week.

*Megan Ramos of IDM, who has a ton of experience leading people in fasting, doesn’t actually recommend one meal per day unless you’re already at maintenance. She recommends longer fasts alternating with feasting days for the weight loss phase.

[davisgirl]

I’m not ok with the pace. I feel like I’m working awfully hard for the damn 11 lbs I have to show.

I also have this feeling that I’ve made a huge psychic adjustment, from no exercise ever to just about every day. Measuring and tracking macros and carbs. I eat kale every day damnit!

I am for 25 net carbs and some days I’m a little over. My dairy is pretty low, I take half and half in the morning and a little cheese on a salad. Here’s a look at my mayo lite — not exactly clean eating on second glance…

My pb treat has to go, doesn’t it? What will I replace it with? If you say blueberries and yogurt, you win! Ha! You said less dairy, but I could fit a oikos triple zero and maybe get some active cultures. Maybe this would help my pooping issue?

I love my sweets and my little peanut butter treat kind of holds my cravings at bay. I’m very hesitant to remove it, as it literally keeps me from buying and consuming an entire box of apple fritters. It would be hard to let it go. But like atomicapacebunny said, I could stand to lose the protein. And it would cut down on the artificial sugar too (I think)?

Thanks for feedback!

[Madeleine]

Yes, l would lose that mayonnaise!

I love my sweets and my little peanut butter treat kind of holds my cravings at bay. I’m very hesitant to remove it, as it literally keeps me from buying and consuming an entire box of apple fritters. It would be hard to let it go.

I find this ^ really tough myself … I’ve gone through stretches of not eating any dark chocolate and I feel amazing, but other times it feels like it keeps everything else in balance and helps keep me on track. If you can get into the mindset that food is for nourishment and not for entertainment, then you’re probably going to be in a great position not just for weight loss now but also for long-term health and the body you want. But I know that’s easier said than done…

[davisgirl]

Yes Erevehc, I hear you. I don’t like what you’re saying, but the peanut butter snack has to go. If I can replace it with a bit of fruit, it’d be a win. I’d better run some numbers.

[davisgirl]

Oh Madeleine, why do you have to be right? My peanut butter treat has to go. It’s like a crutch, 300 calories of tangible evidence daily of the unhealthy eating habits I am trying to distance myself from.

That’s a lot of calories to replace, and I’d like to choose wisely. The snack provides a bit of protein that I don’t particularly need. I’d like to replace it with something nutrient packed, I hate the idea of just adding fat. Hmmmm…

[Madeleine]

That’s a lot of calories to replace, and I’d like to choose wisely. T

Do you need to replace the calories because you’re hungry? If you want to lose weight, what you’re hoping is that your body will get those extra calories from your belly.
If you’ve tended to restrict calories in the past, it can help to have a few feast days here and there (extra eggs with butter, extra ground beef) to make sure that your RMR doesn’t slow down, but once you’re fat-adapted, you probably don’t need a calorie target until you’re at your goal weight (and then you’ll know - because you’ll be really hungry!).

[davisgirl]

I think I do. Otherwise I’m under a thousand and I’d like to do this sustainably.

[Ruina]

20 total, not net, carbs is recommended because it works for most people, most of the time. Yes, some people do really well at up to 50 total carbs, and a fewer some can go even higher. But if you aren’t getting the results you want, aim for 20 total carbs.

Blueberries get me. They are higher carb, for a low carb fruit… Raspberries are better for carbs. And they are my favorite anyway, when I can get 'em.

This is a handy guide. Another thing to look for is Dr Eric Westman’s page 4. It is a list of foods that won’t steer you wrong.

Have fun on your keto journey! I’m glad you are already seeing benefits, even if the scale hasn’t moved as much as you would like.

[Ruina]

Another thing to remember is that exercise, while great for a host of things, isn’t great for weight loss. Crazy right? If you were doing a lot of exercise before, it probably won’t hurt to keep at your routine. But if you started exercising at the same time as keto, you may be raising cortisol which will make you hold on to weight. You may want to hold off on exercise until your body is telling you to get on it. Moving is a good thing. Stress is not.

[davisgirl]

Thanks Ruina! No, 20 carbs wouldn’t be sustainable for me, that wouldn’t work. Love the raspberry idea though, they would be nice a couple times a week for sure.

Gosh, I think the exercise is a huge part of the reason I’m feeling better, and the positive change has been huge, just not so much on the scale. I think there is a mental health benefit I get from it too. I guess there is a bit of a trade off. If my cortisol is up, I’d better get used to it. I’m off the couch!

[PaulL]

It sounds as though you are doing fine as you are, but I would suggest cutting out the soy altogether. Not only does soybean oil contain a lot of inflammatory polyunsaturated fats, but the beans also contain phytoestrogens that can interfere with fat loss and possibly pose a cancer risk (though opinion is divided on that issue).

The Lite Salt is a good way to get a bit of potassium and magnesium in your diet; eating dark greens will also be of help there. Be sure to get enough table salt (sodium chloride), since getting the right amount will help your body hang on to potassium, magnesium, and calcium better. The healthiest amount of salt is 10-15 grams a day (2-3 U.S. teaspoons), including the salt already present in our food. Getting minerals in food usually makes them more available to the body, as compared with taking supplements. I’m not saying not to take supplements, because you may need them, just that it’s better, when possible, to get what we need from our food. Also, a well-formulated ketogenic diet changes our body’s requirements and generally makes it possible to do more with less intake.

If you make your own mayonnaise and salad dressing, you can control the quality of fats better, as opposed to buying commercial (you have to weigh the benefits against the extra work, though).

Natural peanut butter contains no added sugar, which is helpful. The health food market near me even has machines for grinding your own peanuts, which is perfect.

As long as you are eating as little carbohydrate as possible, you don’t really need to calculate macros. Just eat to satisfy your hunger, and your body will sort itself out (though this may take a while). Our ancestors generally feasted or fasted, and they certainly didn’t suffer from the chronic diseases that plague us.

[Katiekate]

IQ am willing to bet your are probably insulin resistant. You need to get the insulin down and keep it down. If you want to “pull out all the stops”. Drop your carb intact to ZERO. I know that is really impossible unless you only eat meat…but make zero your target number.

Next…only eat between 1pm and 4pm. No snack of any kind outside that window. Shorten the period of time your insulin is high in reaction to eating.

Make sure you are eating a lot of calories inside that window…add extra fat if you need to boost your calories.

[TNorth]

I would focus really hard on eating only meat, veggies, and fat. Switch to heavy cream (HWC) in your coffee. When you get an itch for something sweet, a treat, have a coffee with HWC, some bacon or cheese, or some salt.

I would look intently at why you have set up some extra rules for yourself that you are unwilling to waver on. Things you are unwilling to give up, or things you think you need if you can’t have ____. Even thinking about low-fat yogurt as a healthy option… you are still in diet mentality rather than keto freedom.

I am also concerned about the exercise. It sounds like a lot. Be kind to your body and consider switching that up to something less intense but still active. Yoga, hiking?

[Ruina]

20 carbs wouldn’t be sustainable for me

But maybe after 20 g for a while, your body will repair enough to increase a bit for maintenance. Or you can make peace with a slower path. I agree with Paul that you are doing fine as you are.

[davisgirl]

Ok, I’m getting it. I do have this unhealthy dependence on the damn peanut butter. Sigh. I am now willing to let it go.

Yes, I’m barking up the wrong tree on the triple zero, half and half, and mayo lite (an impulse purchase, I’ll replace it). Thanks for pointing that out.