Did anyone else take a while before the scale went down?

(Becca Anne) #1

Good morning :slight_smile:
So I’ve been transitioning into keto for around 5 weeks. Been full on for around 2 weeks. I’m around 250lbs, or 18 stone so at this heavy weight I’d expect to drop weight straight away, even water weight. But yet my scale has not budged. Sits on 18stone every single time, mocking me :grin: I have even done a 24 hour fast and it still didn’t budge. I have got visibly smaller though and lost 2 and half inches on my waist. I’ve been walking like a mad women just to tire myself out whilst on lockdown.

I’m powering on. I know everyone will say to pay the scales no mind, infact I plan to put them in the car so I’m not tempting to weigh every morning .

I geuss im looking for reassurance that someone else has taken a while for weight to start to drop, because it’s not like I have just a few pounds to lose, I have 80 or so of the little buggers to burn away.

Thanks all

(Full Metal KETO AF) #2

Hi Becca and welcome to the forum. Without knowing more it’s hard to say. Those lost inches are impressive though and you are indeed losing fat. You may be adding leg muscle walking like a mad woman. Are you doing more exercise than the walking?

What are you eating and how much? Like a couple days examples and a tracking app data if you’re using one. :cowboy_hat_face:

(Becca Anne) #3

Thank you for your fast reply! I’m not very good with tracking macros i find the whole thing confusing so I just try to use common sense and eat God given food as much as possible. Saturday I had coffee with coconut oil , a smoothie I made with a small amount of full fat Greek yoghurt, some double cream and a few frozen raspberries, my mum wanted Indian take out and I was tired so agreed and had the mixed grill and salad, (lamb and chicken) I may have had another small smoothie. I then done a 24 hrs fast through yesterday and dinner was salmon, salad , some fried halloumi and a smoothie with coconut milk, raspberries and cream. I got bad indigestion though so I plan to do 16/8 IF but was curious to see if I could go 24 hrs without food as an experiment really and was quite impressed with my bodies ability to not die however much my mind told me I would :grin:energy came from somewhere and it felt good but not something I plan to do regularly just yet.

Today I’ve had a coffee with the coconut oil, I plan on having some bacon and eggs around lunchtime and dinner will be salmon and salad again as it needs using up and maybe a small smoothie afterwards or a couple of squares of dark chocolate. This is generally how I have been eating. No keto cakes or anything “desserty” other than my smoothies which I love.

I am quite muscular naturally and pretty tall so even though I weigh so much I am around an average size here in the UK (size 16) and look my best and quite slim around 13 stone. So maybe the walking which has gone from a few times a week to twice a day in the last month is making a difference on my leg muscles as I can’t really see anywhere i can hold back in my diet. I’m not doing any other excercise or weight training and didn’t think walking would be enough to gain muscle, but I’m starting to think that’s what’s happening , as I saw a friend yesterday whilst out walking whom I haven’t seen for about a month, and the first thing he said was 'you’ve lost loads of weight!" so I am perhaps worrying about nothing but i’ll be honest, I’m sitting at home alone during this lockdown and I’m starting to get obsessive over it which worries me a little.

(Allie) #4

That’s the best thing, forget the scale.

(UsedToBeT2D) #5

The weight will come off. Keep Calm, Keto On.

(Jane) #6

How many carbs in your smoothie? Or at least what is in it?

(Becca Anne) #7

I use about a tablespoon of full fat yoghurt , about 3 tablespoons of double cream and about 4 or 5 frozen rasberries. I don’t know if I am just not getting into ketosis. I have some signs like peeing like crazy but I’m still getting really hungry around 2 or 3 hours after eating and i feel hot then shivery. Other times I feel great but im all over the place at the moment. I’m totally lost tbh and pushing through so many mental barriers around food, I’m starting to wonder if I have an insulin problem because I feel every single meal, even if it’s fish and salad is kicking me out of ketosis. I can’t quite push through even with a 24 hr fast. I’ve done keto twice before and ate the same things I am now and I lost 10lbs in a week but the keto flu got the better of me. This time I decided to do it gradual, cut out the obvious junk food and did it over a few weeks. I’ve lost about 2lbs in the whole process.

(Jane) #8

If you have only been strict keto for 2 weeks then you are just getting started and no need to focus on anything except keeping your carbs as low as possible. Don’t worry about fat or protein macros right now - but you really need to track your carbs. You may be surprised with the fruit and salads you are eating how many carbs you are actually eating in a day.

You don’t need to track forever if it is a chore but you need to track for AT LEAST a couple of weeks while you cycle through all your normal keto foods so you KNOW what you are eating. Eat more at your meals so you don’t get hungry in between - the hunger will diminish over time if you keep your carbs low.

As for your smoothie - how do you get 1/4 cup and a few berries to even chop up? You must have a tiny smoothie mixer!

(Becca Anne) #9

Thank you for your help! And I just add water, they aren’t thick but they are cold and creamy I love them!

#10

Screw the scale, you’ve lost 2.5in! You very much ARE loosing! The scale has it’s place and your weight should be checked, but when you loose 2.5in that superceeds anything the scale says. Are you tracking what you eat or going by feel? I’m very much FOR the scale, as it can show you trends in progress whether it be water weight going on, coming off, fat gain etc. BUT, needs to be in context with other stuff. Since you’re clearly taking measurements I’d think you’d be good.

(Mary) #11

Hi @Becca_Anne, and welcome to the forum!

I think I’ll be able to help (ha, ha!) you with your question on slow weight loss, though it’s not what anyone wants to hear. I’ve been pretty strictly keto for more than 2 years (Jan '18 start). I started at 225 and it took 9 months before I could keep a single pound off. It came off reasonably well for the next 6 months (-30 lbs or 2 stone) then wouldn’t budge for another year. I’m gradually coming to understand that a lifetime of dieting/binging has caused severe metabolic derangement and am having to make friends with my fasting muscle. I’ve been fasting Mon-Fri and eating keto on the weekends for a couple of months and am actually losing weight again.

Now, don’t lose heart - I’m older than you (58) and menopausal so I’m sure you won’t have to be patient for much longer. Be assured that keto is a most excellent way of life, but there’s no one size fits all.

Be well,
Mary

(Becca Anne) #12

Thank you all, it does seem that fasting is the way to go. I can see so clearly I have gotten smaller I have attached a photo, no before pic , but how on earth am I still weighing 18 stone ! My brain is boggled , I geuss I’m lucky to carry it well. And i will continue as I am!
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(Mary) #13

Hi Becca,
The link to your photo doesn’t work for me :anguished:. I just wanted to suggest that you be careful with the fasting - it’s hard unless you’re fat adapted and it’s unlikely you’re there yet. Try tightening up your eating window first then gradually lengthening your non-eating period.

(Becca Anne) #14

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(Becca Anne) #15

I think it worked that time. Yea I’m roughly doing 16/8 but having a coffee with coconut oil and cream in the morning so not technically a fast I suppose. I feel hungry but no more sugar cravings so that’s a bonus, much more self control. I suppose when you want to make a big, long term change you need to build the foundations first and find what works. Patience is something i need to work on! X

(Mary) #16

Holy crap! If you’re 250#'s, you must be 8 feet tall!!! I probably shouldn’t say this, but you look fantastic.

(Becca Anne) #17

Thank you! My belly sticks out side on but I don’t get it either. I’ve always been heavy. At 12 stone I looked skinny and gaunt. But 18 stone just doesn’t seem right but I used my mum’s scale and they said 18.1! So can’t be broken scales. I must have lead bones :joy:

(Mary) #18

Hee, hee… No osteoporosis for you!

(Full Metal KETO AF) #19

I think what you’re eating is fine. If you’re getting real hunger eat more at mealtime. Eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re not. I believe you’re doing just fine. And you do carry your current weight quite well. :cowboy_hat_face:

(Becca Anne) #20

Thank you! I think I’m going a bit insane with it all at the moment. I’ll be glad to get back to work. Im also in this weird emotional place, like there is no going back now to how I was eating before and it’s almost terrifying, like going off in a boat from familiar land and having no idea where you are, I’m kind of treading water right now and hoping this all becomes my new normal eventually. I didn’t realise how much anxiety and emotional fluff I had around food. It makes sense i geuss, I’ve been binge eating since I was a child, and I would hide food and secretly eat it, it made feel so safe and warm. This is harder emotionally than I thought. But maybe that’s a good sign that it isn’t just another failing attempt, the emotional stuff i think needs to get better and the rest follows, plus I’ve never been so serious and have grown alot of faith in keto during all my research.

Sorry for rambling on I’ve not had much conversation lately with anyone other than my two kids!! :joy:
Thanks for the kind replies, much appreciated :heart: