Does less carb addiction mean slower weight loss?

#1

Hey everyone, I’m brand new (first post!!) :grinning:

Some background: I’ve been keto since 1/3/19, and have lost 7.5 lbs. I’m happy the scale is going down, it seems really slow but after reading a lot of posts from some of you keto veterans, my discouragement is fading. I’m female and 49, started at 213 and now 205. Goal is ~140 or when I feel good in my body and clothes. I use cronometer to track everything, and have been under 20g of carbs since day one, and mostly stay at or under the protein macro, occasionally going 10g over. I stay below my calorie allotment on almost all days. I have a sedentary job but walk briskly at the gym for an hour 3-4 days a week. I have a pretty low-stress life, and am happy on 6-7 hours of sleep (ie. I CANNOT sleep more).

I have not eaten wheat in 1.5 years, and in the past 5 years have lived a lot of that time without grains or refined sugar, though I ate carbs. I’m wondering if my progress could be slower than some because of that (maybe less carb addicted, so less water to lose?), or if it’s just that I’m almost 50 and peri-menopausal. I’m understanding that the fat comes off at different rates for different people for many reasons, just trying to keep a positive mindset about it, I’m so tired of being fat.

I’m KCKO despite a little discouragement.

Thanks, everyone.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #2

I would agree that someone coming at keto from a high sugar, high grain lifestyle might see more water weight but as far as that person losing more on a weekly basis than someone in your case, I’m not so sure.

I think you have to take into consideration your age and hormone status, like you mentioned, and the fact that you’re female. All three can mean slower weight loss than our younger male or more to lose in the first place friends.

Give us a snapshot of what you’re eating in a day and we might see something you could change up. There are a few women on the forum who have super slow loss but they’re losing still. You may find you’re in this category but the non scale victories can be life changing so stick with it!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #3

This can sometimes be a problem. As Dr. Fung explains it, the body adjusts to the amount of calories we give it, so as to get us through the “famine.” Somewhat paradoxically, the body is more willing to part with its fat reserve during times of caloric abundance.

As long as you keep your carb intake low, you don’t need to fear calories, because your body can find uses for them. If you listen to it, eat only when hungry, and stop eating when satisfied, you will find your body setting your appetite to a level where it can utilize both the food you eat and your excess stored fat. I find that these days I can go much of the day without feeling hungry, and when I do eat I lose interest in food long before my belly is stuffed to the bursting point. It’s quite a contrast from the old days, when I was constantly hungry!

Patience, grasshopper! :bacon:

#4

Thanks for the response. This is pretty much what I was thinking. I’ll definitely hang in there, knowing the fat will eventually come off, and I’m much healthier. Here’s a snapshot of more or less typical day.

Cronometer2-21-19
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#5

Yes, I’ve been wondering if that was the case for me. I forgot to mention that I’m also doing the “lose 2 pounds a week” setup on Cronometer. Maybe that’s not a good idea on keto, at least for now.

It’s hard to stop fearing calories, but I’ll try that this week and see what happens!

Thanks for the reply. :fried_egg:

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #6

I don’t fuss with macro calculators, I personally just keep my net carbs under 20 g and eat when I’m hungry, try for variety, still eat veggies, never shy away from fat. But when I have counted just to see where I sit I see that I eat a lot of protein. More than what is recommended and this works for me. I’m an old Atkins devotee and I learned low carb from a higher protein diet plan.

I don’t think you need to change much but I hope someone who knows more about macros can look at your protein with you. To me, it seems low. Are you not hungry and feeling good?

Also, keep in mind that supplements can have carby fillers. Not a ton but just be aware.

#7

That’s good to hear. The macros have been super annoying, because I get something very different on each calculator I’ve found. To answer your question, I’ve been feeling good, but def feeling a bit more hungry once I started tracking on Cronometer. Before that, I was NOT hungry, and just keeping my protein to what I considered moderate (eating it when I craved it, basically), keeping the carbs under 20g, and eating fat liberally.

Thanks for the supplement tip.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #8

To me this says your body knows what it wants and if it wants protein then feed it. I tried a carb counting app (two actually) and on both of them I had times where it was saying a lower carb count than the label I was looking at in real life. After that I decided it was easier for me to keep a little notebook with me and jot down the carbs in things until I eventually memorized them. I still always look at meat with seasoning on them (sugar usually or starch) and anything I’m not 100% sure about. I think a lot of folks eventually learn things by heart and the tracking becomes something they do in their heads.

(Carl Keller) #9

Hi Dini.

I am with Paul and believe you should let your satiety set your macros for protein and fat. The ultimate goal for healthy weight loss and eating is to not be hungry. If you need to eat a little more than your macros suggest to reach that state, then I think you should. Macros are not stretch pants and one size does not fit all.

I believe protein is what best helps us achieve satiety and I think if you just ate a little more of that it might help get things moving along better. Imagine eating a half stick of butter vs 7.5 oz of chicken breast. Both are about 400 calories but which do you think you would feel the most full from?

(Charlotte) #10

I was a massive carb addict and in 13 weeks I’ve lost 33lbs, so it hasn’t been slow for me. I’m 37 and perimenopausal since I was 34. That’s just me though. Everyone is different.

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #11

How are you coming up with the 42g of protein?
I think most people here near their protein off lean body mass (1g protein/1kg lean body mass). Also, if you are exercising you might want some extra, not much but some.

#14

@CarlKeller thanks for your input! Stretch pants, lol. Good point. I’m going to try to go with satiety for a while now and stop trying to match the random macros and calorie limits. The more I learn, the more it makes sense to do that. :chicken:

@KetoCancerMom I agree that’s off. I’ve been using Cronometer’s Keto Calculator for a week or two now, set at “rigorous” as it’s the only way to get it to show 20g of carbs. I think I was getting frustrated with all the different macro recommendations I was getting on all the different calculators out there, and figured going with what Cronometer suggested might be just as good as the others, though one calculator gave me 96g of protein…quite a difference.I just did a quick calculation as you suggest, based on my LBM (123), which comes out to 56. No wonder I’ve been craving protein.

@Luckymisslucy, Wow, that’s awesome! :smile: I’m really starting to see and accept just how different it really is for each person. My initial question comes from noting the weight loss reports from keto people in my vicinity, who are all coming from a place of massive sugar and carb addiction, so I wondered if there was a connection.

(Carl Keller) #15

I love cronometer but it tells me I have been overeating protein about 90% of the time and I still lost 40 pounds in five months. That’s not to say that you can do the same thing and get the same results but it does prove to me that satisfying my hunger is more important that gaining the approval of a macro setting.

I will note that how much protein is one of the most controversial topics among keto experts. Some say as low as 1 gram per kg of total body weight and some say as high .6 to 1 gram per pound of lean mass (Finney and Volek). The difference between those two suggestions for me is 81 grams and between 81 grams to 135 gram. That’s a huge variance.

#16

Yes, there’s the proof. Since ancient humans didn’t have access to macro settings, it seems logical that going with your body’s own signals makes much sense. Sadly, it seems us modern humans tend to forget and/or lose touch with those, and need to be reminded that our bodies are more intelligent than our brains are. Thanks for the feedback and the link to the Volek/Phinney book summary.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #17

It’s awfully hard to out-think 2,000,000 years of evolution! :grin: