Falling down in weight fast, after plateauing: why?

(Doing a Mediterranean Keto) #1

I have been reducing my weight pretty well with a keto diet. I complement normal food with “protein powder”, which my doctor recommended me.

When I breached down the 80kg mark, I started adding more protein powder than the 3 portion per day my doctor had recommended me. Then, I started plateauing in weight: I only went down about 1kg in a month, to about 79kg.

But then, I went for a weekend out, and I decided not to take with me the protein powder, to see how it could go.

I ate the normal meals as “normal”, but I did not substitute the protein powder with anything else. I was hungrier than usual, but I could survive.

After coming back home, I see 77.6kg, so in two days, I have gone down 1.4kg.

In fact, without the weighting machine I could see, already on Sunday morning, that my waist had contracted, and I could tighten my belt one hole more than usual.

Could it be that the increased protein powder I was taking was replenishing glycogen in my body, and the lack of protein powder resulted in the glycogen being depleted, resulting in “losing water”, as it is usually the case when a keto diet is started?

(Laurie) #2

What was in the protein powder? Whey, or whey protein isolates, or something else? Any sweeteners?

(Doing a Mediterranean Keto) #3

Milk protein, and it contains sucralose.

(Allie) #4

That’ll do it.

(Doing a Mediterranean Keto) #5

Why?

#6

That’s a good pace if you ask me… Could be quicker but many of us can’t do that normally on keto.

Our bodyweight tends to fluctuate, people have sudden weight-losses after true stalling (= no change at all for weeks)… I wouldn’t think it’s due to the protein powder if it only happened once. But it’s possible, I think so as well. But if it’s just water weight, it doesn’t matter (though informative… if you gained water weight, maybe you got out of ketosis…? but if you ate low enough carbs, maybe not. water detention may happen for many reasons I suppose, I don’t actually know about it but simple things like this usually can have multiple reasons). And you hardly lost much fat in 2 days…

(Doing a Mediterranean Keto) #7

In fact, I have a Xiaomi weighting machine (granted, not the best possible brand) and 65% of the weight loss was fat (according to Xiaomi).

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #8

Artificial sweeteners affect different folks differently. Try an unflavored whey/casein product which contains zero artificial sweetener. See if that makes a difference. If not, then you can conclude that the whey/casein is the problem.

#9

It was only milk protein? That’s not typical. On the Sucralose, it has very little effect for most people. Some people have found they have issues with it, but most don’t. It’s a popular one to hate on.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #10

Just to add that every non-sugar sweetener seems to cause problems for someone, but no such sweetener causes problems for everyone. And there doesn’t appear to be anyone who has trouble with every single non-sugar sweetener out there.

It appears to be a mixed bag, and everyone has to discover what works or doesn’t work for him- or herself.

(Doing a Mediterranean Keto) #11

A zero-hypothesis:

I was keeping my weight by eating “more protein” than usual.

Could it be simply that calories coming from such protein started to increase my glycogen reserves (previously depleted from losing weight), and once I stopped eating “more protein” than usual, keto forced the glycogen reserves to be depleted again?

For example: when glycogen reserves are depleted, which part of the body is more visibly “thin” out of it?

#12

Protein doesn’t do a whole lot for glycogen reserves, will help you hold onto muscle sure. But near nothing for glycogen. In years of strict keto eating a ton of protein I always remained flat. Throw some carbs in the mix and it’s a very different story.

For example: when glycogen reserves are depleted, which part of the body is more visibly “thin” out of it?

Pretty much all of it, anywhere with muscles. You can’t see your liver, you can absolutely see muscle mass. But when it comes to muscle glycogen storage the muscles don’t just hand it back, you need to burn it off with use.

(Bob M) #13

I don’t think this is true. I think higher protein can equate with higher blood sugar, if that’s what your body requires. For instance, LMHRs tend to have higher blood sugar. Where’s that blood sugar coming from?

I’d guess protein.

Unfortunately, this is only my theory. And it probably depends on how long you’ve been keto.

As for “Throw some carbs in the mix and it’s a very different story”, if what you’re saying is that you got larger muscles while eating carbs, that’s way more complex than just glycogen, though glycogen plays a role.

Can you get more glycogen using carbs? Probably. But can increasing protein lead to glycogen storage, I think so.

Unfortunately, I cannot find any evidence from studies about this. Probably because they haven’t been done. Or maybe because I’m not use the “magic” search terms I need to use.

#14

In theory it metabolically can, but that goes back to the irrational fear of GNG, we know that’s demand driven, not supply driven. It would take WAY beyond what you’d need to ever make enough of a difference to actually notice it.

Glycogen plays a huge role! That’s literally whats filling you out. Think back to lifting, think to a carb load before a show, overnight physique transformations just from a carb load. That’s your muscles reinflating with glycogen.

I’m at the tail end of hiding in my house (2 more days to go :grin:) thanks to stupid ass COVID, my T-shirts that are usually snug against my arms are hanging off with room to spare, no gym this week and end of last so for my carbs have been pulled, and now the glycogen is gone. It’s literally like I’m wearing shirts that are a size too big for me. Haven’t lost any muscle in under a week, I’m just flat now. Extremely noticeable.

For that I don’t need science. I need a mirror. That and tracking my workouts when I burn out 6-7 sets early from lack of muscle fuel.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #15

It can also come from the glycerol backbone of triglycerides, apparently.