Encouragement, please. No cravings but no weight loss

newbies
#1

Dear Keto Friends,
I began keto March 1.

Health and weight loss are my key motivations for moving into the keto lifestyle. My cholesterol measures are very poor and weight wise I am definitely obese.

Since starting almost a month ago I have definitely seen the following nonscale victories:
*Better Sleeping
*Very clear thinking and mental focus. (really important to me).
*Absolutely zero (0) carb cravings. That in itself is huge.

But, I have not lost any weight. Although discouraged, I still want to press on. Can those of you who have been very obese and overcome a slow /stalled weight loss at the start of your keto provide me with some encouragement to keto on?

Thank you! LocaRosa

(Jay AM) #2

Your weight loss cannot be compared to the weight loss of anyone else. Your body doesn’t care at all what you think it should look like or weigh. You aren’t in a stall. You’re probably doing fine.

I’m very heavy at 364 lbs and have been truly keto since sometime last year. My first month I was down over 20 lbs. I got a bad health diagnosis, went carb crazy, gained it all back and then some. I really restarted at the end of December. According to the scale, which I have only used at physicals for the moment, I’ve lost about 25 lbs in almost 4 months. So, my body is even losing different this time around. But, I don’t care. I didn’t put on all this weight in a month or week or even year and I shouldn’t expect to lose it like that either. I keep my net carbs at 20g or less, eat protein with fat and add more fat to feel full. I now comfortably intermittent fast just because that’s how my body wants to do it. I only eat when hungry and stop when I’m full.

If you are keeping your carbs below 20g, eating moderate protein, and fat to satiety. You are doing it right. Your body is actively working to be a more efficient machine and the fat loss will come when it comes. If the scale is stressful, then get rid of it. It doesn’t provide information you can act on. Keep calm, keto on.

#3

:heart_eyes: the scale doesn’t provide any information I can act on. I just love that. Thank you for sharing your story. That is very encouraging to me.

(Renee Slaughter) #4

Here have a listen.

(Don) #5

Just keep doing what you are doing. It will all fall into place. If you feel better, you are doing something right. Keep up the good work!

(Stephanie Sablich) #6

Do you realize what a HUGE deal it is that you don’t have cravings?! Have you ever felt this way before?

I totally get it. It is so very easy to focus on weight… it’s a number to which we’ve assigned value, and we see this association everywhere, so much so that we’ve internalized those beliefs. The scale affects how we feel, when in reality it is “just a number.”

But friend, think about how many positive choices you’ve made since March 1. You’ve made a decision to change your life! That’s a big deal. Generally, from everything I’ve read, the body needs to heal itself, adapt to using fat for fuel, and then lose that extra fat. You’re in early days right now (as am I!)… trust that you’re doing what your body needs and hang in there!

This community is always here to support you. If you’ve STILL not lost weight in another couple of months, maybe then it will be time to examine whether or not there are any barriers to your progress specifically. But for now, try remembering how you felt before starting keto. Remember feeling sluggish, sleeping badly, being mentally foggy, and constantly hungry.

You’ve got this! Celebrate those achievements and KCKO :slight_smile:

#7

Yea! I just got finished listening to the Pod Cast, Renee and it was really good. Thank you for the recommendation.

#8

Thanks so much, Don.

#9

Dear Stephanie, Thank you for your encouragement. I am realizing now that the obesity is a symptom of underlying health issues. Shoot, What is it that the KetoDudes call it? Oh, yea, derangement. I think this is right, once I address the underlying deranged health issues than I will begin to see some changes in the weight.

I never in all the years of dieting have not had cravings and that is really huge and worth the price of admission.

(Christine) #10

It took a while for me to see a change on the scale. I kept adjusting my macros, times/frequency of eating, and really working on getting my blood glucose levels under control until I figured out what worked best for me. The weight is finally coming off…SLOWLY. As much as I’d love a quick fix, I know this is the right lifestyle to reach and maintain my goals.

Congrats on the non-scale victories! That’s fantastic! :smile::+1:

#11

Hi,

We always start these new ways of eating for our health, don’t we, but underneath, where we barely admit it to ourselves, we really want to lose weight. Desperately. And this time, this diet, this one, might just be the one that gets the weight off and keeps it off.

Yeah. I know that feeling.

We get to see other people lose fast, or at least lose consistently, while being less strict and less diciplined, and it kind of sucks.

BUT, keep going. Keto is something that needs consistency.
The lack of cravings is brilliant - means you can stick to it without those awful little hamsters scrabbling inside the ribcage.
And keto means that if you keep your carbs low enough, then you won’t gain. That is a HUGE gift.

As for the weight loss…
Well, it may kick in. It does sometimes. Might take a few months, and it might be slow, but some people get a big drop at the start, then stall. Others get a stable plateau followed by a slow inching down. All depends on medical situation, hormones, age, etc. etc.

Oh, and even if you don’t lose weight on what you are doing now, there are infinite ways to tweak things in the future. Just don’t lose hope, and remember, you just got off the elevator. Stick to low enough carbs, and you won’t gain!