First week Loss, now up and down and gains!

#1

Hi everyone
A keto newbie here. I started 8 Nov and first week had a 2.3 kg loss which I was very happy with, since then the scale goes up and down and horror of horrors, yesterday, after not weighing for six days, I was up 1.3kg. This morning, up another 300 grams!! So in three weeks Im only about 700g less. I haven’t cheated at all, I drink water, I keep electrolytes up and vitamins such as magnesium, vit C, selenium and zinc ( Im Hypothyroid/mild Hashis) I enjoy eating this way but cannot understand how this is happening. I have been guilty of not getting all my macros in (I get so full)

First week loss, now up and down and gains
(less is more, more or less) #2

Welcome to the forums! Can you provide us with an example day of what you’re eating?

(Carl Keller) #3

Some other variables that might matter, in addition to what @Screenack asks for, are your age, sex and how far you are from your ideal weight. Men lose weight a lot easier than women, younger people lose faster than older people and people with a lot to lose, lose more than people who don’t have a lot.

#4

I couldnt figure out how to reply! So there is a second thread with same title where I answered, sorry!

#5

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#6

Im not very savvy! I will try to upload what I ate yesterday. I was still under my macros on fats, proteins and calories

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#7

This shows what macros I consumed yesterday with the foods I at pasted above. The other graph hives you what macros Im supposed to eat

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(Carl Keller) #8

I read the other response and I would suggest you don’t eat as much. You are saying you “get so full” and it’s not necessary to stuff yourself. If you feel satiated eating less fat or less protein, then do that. Maybe you will then see better results on the scale.

And try to not be so stressed with the scale. Stress doesn’t help the process at all. Try to focus more on the positives you are noticing from this way of eating. More energy? Less inflammation? Less cravings? Less hunger? Hopefully it’s yes to all of those. :slight_smile:

(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #9

You are three weeks into the diet and what you are experiencing is normal.
Most people drop water weight in the first few weeks, which is just glucose stored in our fat cells. It is not true fat loss.
You need to keep going the way you are and expect that you won’t lose much in the next few weeks until you start reaching adaption and your body understands how to use those ketones it’s been making for fuel.

#10

Hi Carl
Sometimes I’m not eating even half my proteins. The screen shots of yesterday’s food was pushing myself to make sure I got my protein and fats up. Do you think my carbs are too low?
My niece has lost 10kg in the same timeframe although she is following a carb cycling regime made up for her. Im just a bit disappointed and cannot figure why my “weight” would increase. Its a big learning curve. With past stress, I have a “tummy” and its hard to shift. I don’t do lots of greasy bacon etc. I also did a keto urine test which shows zero glucose and in ketosis. I eat things like salmon, a little red meat, chicken, good oils (olive, avocado, macadamia and MCT) cauliflower mash, salads, avocado, olives etc and my carbs are always bang on 19g or 5-6 grams under.

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Yesterdays lunch and breakfast

#11

Hi Carl
Sometimes I’m not eating even half my proteins. The screen shots of yesterday’s food was pushing myself to make sure I got my protein and fats up. Do you think my carbs are too low?
My niece has lost 10kg in the same timeframe although she is following a carb cycling regime made up for her. Im just a bit disappointed and cannot figure why my “weight” would increase. Its a big learning curve. With past stress, I have a “tummy” and its hard to shift. I don’t do lots of greasy bacon etc. I also did a keto urine test which shows zero glucose and in ketosis. I eat things like salmon, a little red meat, chicken, good oils (olive, avocado, macadamia and MCT) cauliflower mash, salads, avocado, olives etc and my carbs are always bang on 19g or 5-6 grams under.

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Yesterdays lunch

#12

Um, not quite!
With hashis, aching joints and inflammation are common. I have had a lot of aches this last week ( not sure if its the dairy???) Neck and shoulder pain pretty bad and have had some days where I’m really lethargic. First week gave me good energy. Used keto stix and am in ketosis so maybe its my body adjusting.

(Carl Keller) #13

The food looks delicious. :slight_smile:

There’s really no such thing as “my carbs are too low” as long as you stay under 20 net. And you don’t need to eat to satisfy your macros. Just eat to satisfy your hunger needs. If it means you fall well short of your protein and fat macro, then so be it.

Everything you say you are eating sounds really good for this way of eating, but like @ava_ad0re says, just keep doing what you are doing and give your body a chance to adapt. It takes some people longer than others to adjust.

If it’s not normal for you to have those aches and pains, you can try cutting dairy for a few days to see if it makes a difference. You won’t have been the first person that dairy has bothered.

#14

Thanks Katie
Although im in ketosis (as per urine strips) does that not mean Im adapted? Why is it that “weight” goes on when Ive been strict?

(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #15

Urine strips measure the ketones that your urine is excreting, but that your body is not using.
It’s uncommon to be fat adapted at 3 weeks, it generally takes upwards of 6-8 weeks without too much metabolic damage.
Weight can be water weight and it can be anything from inflammation, to expecting your period or recovering from an injury.
Weight loss is not linear, it is not in a down straight line, it goes up and down and up and down.

#16

Thanks Carl
My required carb macro is 19g. In 3 weeks, yesterday was the first time I actually hit 19g, its usually 5-6 g under most days. As a newbie, it does get confusing as some say macros need to be up to recommended. If Im not eating enough fats or proteins, will it take longer to become fat adapted?

(Running from stupidity) #17

The only required carb macro is “under 20g/day.” If it’s zero, great. Nineteen? Great.

(Carl Keller) #18

The first phase of keto should be teaching your body to use fat for fuel and keeping your hunger levels as low as possible. This is done by eating lots of fat. During the intial transition from carbs to fat phase, macros shouldn’t be your main guide. Instead, hunger should be your guide to say when you’ve had enough. As you become used to using fat, you will find you can go longer between meals and then it’s possible to eat less fat/protein and pay more attention to macros if you choose to.

Many do lazy keto and don’t really care about macros. They simply keep net carbs below 20 and eat fat and protein until they are not hungry. This approach to keto can be successful. Since people are so very different, macros are not 100% going to work perfectly for everyone.

#19

Thanks. I don’t get hungry and have been like that since the start I am satiated easily. I still think my thyroid issues may have something to do with it.

(Carl Keller) #20

You have to be really careful with keto and thyroid issues. A lot of literature says that lowering carbs is bad for people with thyroid issues but this article says that this idea is not supported by research. The bottom line is you should pay close attention to how you feel and act accordingly:

Ketogenic Diet and Thyroid

There is an idea in the functional medicine community that following a ketogenic diet is bad for thyroid health. This idea is not supported by research. There is some evidence that following a ketogenic diet may lower T3 levels however. This does not necessarily qualify as hypothyroid and may actually be beneficial.

In fact, this lowered T3 is seen with calorie restriction and protein restriction as well (2). Evidence seems to point to lowered T3 as a physiological adaptation in the body that allows for a deeper state of ketosis and preserved muscle mass (this is a good thing) (3, 4). This is given that TSH and T4 levels remain normal.

This is where it is really important to monitor how you are feeling on a day-to-day basis and determine how you are responding to a ketogenic diet. T3 levels may be slightly depressed, however if you are feeling very good then it is not really a concern.

Like I said this drop in T3 allows for deeper ketosis and preserved muscle mass. Additionally, and interestingly enough, low T3 levels are actually associated with a longer lifespan in research (5)."

https://drjockers.com/ketogenic-diet-hypothyroid/