Discouraged and venting

(Melissa Brewer) #1

I’m just feeling discouraged. I have read enough on here the past few days to know that this is a long term thing and to keep trucking, and I have always tried to find the best ways of eating to feel my best and to also lose weight. I’ve lost a large amount of weight in the past and I KNOW there’s no qucik fix, but I have stalled for like two years, always playing with the same 10 lbs.

I don’t mind “giving up” of things in order to eat better and feel better. But if I’m going to watch everything I do, track and cook and count, is like to see some pay off. I’m not even sure if I’m even in ketosis so what if I’m doing myself an injustice with fat? (Even if it is high quality fat)

It’s only been about three weeks of strict <wow grams net carbs and without seeing SOME kind of change (not even an ounce of weight loss, no real ketones in blood, no flu, no diuresis, just some dry mouth) it’s discouraging. I also have obsessive tendencies and I’m pretty sure I accidentally just ate too many carbs (misread a nutrition label, used enchilada sauce to cook shredded chicken in, then drain the sauce off the chicken to eat) and now my anxiety is high. All the work, and encouragement I’ve been giving myself that even if I wasn’t seeing results yet, I would soon if I kept it up, and what if I just really screwed the pooch? Make sure me want to scrap it and try something else.

#2

I’m sorry! :frowning: I know what you mean about playing with the same 10 lbs for years… the last 10 lbs ARE SOOOOO HARD. I was trying to lose the “last 8” for 18 years… I’m serious! And then after a full year of keto I finally lost those 8 + an additional 4, but I found out what worked for me was going almost ZERO carb. Like practically no more veggies, no more nuts, no more seeds. I was starting to wonder if I was ever meant to lose those last few pounds and one day they finally left!

(Amanda) #3

First off, take a deep breath, you’ve got this! I am no expert, but reading your post made me anxious for you. It can be tricky in the beginning, for sure. Take some time to thank yourself for putting your needs first and taking time to heal and repair yourself. Accidentally overdoing it on carbs is not the end of the world, it is a learning process, and an opportunity to do better in the future.

Just out of curiosity, why do you feel that you need to lose these 10 lbs? How do you feel in your body? Are there other markers that you can use to evaluate your progress?

(Melissa Brewer) #4

Sadly, it’s not even the last 10 :(. 8 years ago I lost 120lbs over a year and a half. Then over some health things and just run of the mill depression put 50 back on. Lost 30 two years ago with keto, then slowly gained it back even thought I was trying to keto correctly. Then all last year I’d lose and gain the same 10 on weight watchers. Now keto again

5’10” 263-265

(Amanda) #5

That sounds truly difficult and discouraging. We’re here for you.

What are some of the strategies that you have tried?
I wish I could give you something to work with.

#6

aw… well don’t give up. 3 weeks isn’t super long, but I would encourage you to try zero carb. :slight_smile: Or an egg fast for a few days as an experiment (google it!).

(Melissa Brewer) #7

Thanks! I did an egg fast the first week back to jump start things. I didn’t even lose water weight :woman_shrugging:t2: I

#8

How long have you been tracking? Were you tracking while the weight was still coming off? 2 years is way beyond a stall, something you’re doing isn’t right for you at least any more. Good news is, we’ll figure it out! I’ve lost over 100lbs on Keto and many others I know have as well, I don’t think there’s any of us that could constantly keep doing the same thing throughout the whole loss, what works now, won’t work 6mo from now, or a year from now etc.

Have you posted a sample day or 2/3’s diet? What are your stats? Activity level?

#9

:frowning: :frowning: :frowning: Hmmmm… well one thing I do know is the scale does lie, big time. So you might start seeing some non-scale changes any time now. It’s hard to give advice on what one person should do though, even though I want to rattle off a whole bunch of ideas. It takes most people a lot of trial and error, and just keep researching/trying things out.

(Amanda) #10

Stress and cortisol have a huge impact on weight and the limbic system. Take some time to relax and focus on the process. You KNOW you are doing the right thing for your body by eliminating commercial processed foods, caring about your health and making choices that support your goals.

#11

I have very similar tendencies and I just want to suggest to try to be nice to yourself and super patient and positive. I’m convinced that berating myself and obsessing and worrying and fretting can actually shut down any potential healing progress because my animal brain (in charge of my animal body) feels under attack! And when it’s under attack, the only way to stay safe is to not move or change anything because it’s alive right now, so stillness will keep it that way. I’m 1000% convinced that when I worry or fret I stop any positive healing. I commented here because I’m hoping that my beliefs might help.

(Amanda) #12

I completely agree with you!

(Amanda) #13

Do you track? Use an app?

(Melissa Brewer) #14

I started tracking again this week. This first couple of weeks I just plain gave up carbs but when I wasn’t seeing results I decided to be more stringent. However, I have tracked what I eat for years (WW, calorie counting, etc)

I use MFP. And no, I haven’t posted my diet yet.

(Melissa Brewer) #15

Thank you! I probably need to see someone about he anxiety. It has been increasingly getting worse for months and I’ve picked back up some other distructive habits again due to it.

#16

I’d take a look at what you ate during your losses vs now. I wound up slowing my BMR after a long time of doing the whole eating to satiety thing, I ate, but I was never really hungry and under ate huge. I only figured it out because I started watching calories and when I brought them down I started loosing again and thats a crap place to be because it’s a never ending problem. Wound up doing a couple months of reverse dieting and extra gym sessions to get my metabolism back up.

(Melissa Brewer) #17

I know this may sound crazy, but how do you gonzero carb without going crazy with protein?

#18

There’s a lot of conflicting information on just how much protein is “OK“ on keto. So “going crazy with protein” is relative. :blush: personally, I just try to make sure that I’m having more fat than I am protein, and just as close to zero carbs as possible. I’m fuller this way, so I don’t have to add more protein to replace those carbs. A typical day of eating for me will be coffee with heavy whipping cream as breakfast… two eggs, with added fat, maybe some bacon for lunch… and then salmon or ground beef for dinner with some added fat. During the day i usually have some of my homemade dark chocolate as well. Those are just examples, it’s not those exact lunch/dinner items each day, but it is typical. And to be honest I have no idea what those exact calories or macros are. I don’t track. Things work best for me when I don’t track and just listen to my body. :slight_smile:

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #19

An equal amount of protein and fat by weight is 31% and 69% of calories, respectively. Dr. Naiman recommends that as a good ratio for protein leveraging.

(Carl Keller) #20

I’m also curious about what you are eating, but even if you are eating proper keto, stress can prevent weight loss all by itself.

There are a number of research studies that have shown that fat cells can, in the presence of too much adrenaline, become resistant to the effects of adrenaline. Eventually, the fat cells become unresponsive to adrenal stimulation to release fat, but through the presence of high cortisol, they’re more responsive to fat storage. At the same time, high levels of circulating cortisol increase the risk of obesity and increased fat storage — and particularly, abdominal obesity, one of the most dangerous types of obesity, and one that contributes to an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and heart disease.

I would seek out some means to reduce the stress in your life.