Gained 2 lbs and in Week 4


(Jennifer) #1

So…feeling some discouragement going into week 4 and stepping on the scale and I’m UP 2 lbs. With 3 straight weeks of strict Keto & weight training 4x/week, I would be disappointed being down only 2 lbs, so being up 2 isn’t so good. Has this happened to others? Will things look different at day 6 or 8 weeks? Need some guidance. Also, did just start my period 2 days ago, but the bloating/water retention usually subsided halfway in. Any insight is much appreciated!


(Allie) #2

Forget the scale and take measurements.

Physical weight is not a good indicator. You’re weight training which increases muscle mass and makes you slimmer and healthier but may well increase your physical weight.


(Ken) #3

Merely water. You’re fine.


(Hoteski) #4

The day after your period you’ll find those pesky 2lp will have disappeared.


(Frank) #5

As a daily weigher I had to get used to the daily fluctuations that occur. It is almost all fluid fluctuations. It is the trend lines that you want to look for. Look at what a week can look like vs 3 months.


#6

I had a similar thing happen at about a month or two in. it just took me a while for my body to adjust and at some point the illusive “woosh” happened. Like many others will tell you, don’t use a scale. just begin to notice how your clothes start fitting. This is a way of eating, not a crash diet. you will see changes if you stick with it.


(Carolyn aka stokies) #7

You mentioned that you are weight training too - that incurs microtearing in the muscles, and there is always a water retention while the body repairs that… also muscle takes up much less room than fat of siilar weights (like nearly a third to half less space)… I second the measuring tape. Your body fluctuates anywhere between3-5 pounds in a day also dpeending on time of weigh-in and what is in your body (such as water or waste)… hang in there!


(Running from stupidity) #8

I gained TWO KILOS in TWO DAYS. In the last couple of days. (Kilos are ACTUAL weights recognised around the world, not like pounds, which are imaginary.)

However, I’ve lost 18kg (was 20! :sob: ) in four months. You know which stat means more?


#9

At least we’re not talking about stones, eh? I gave up that silliness when I left the UK…

The 1772 edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica defined the stone:

STONE also denotes a certain quantity or weight of some commodities. A stone of beef, in London, is the quantity of eight pounds; in Hertfordshire, twelve pounds; in Scotland sixteen pounds.

Also should we talk about newtons? :wink:


(Running from stupidity) #10

IKR?


(Alex ) #11

@Jenncr18

Youll have up/down fluctuations from fluid changes due to the diet as well as muscle inflammation from doing weights which will also skew the fat loss figures you’re hoping to see on the scales. Keep weighing but space out your weighing to a strict once a week at the same time.

The weight loss line downwards is never ever linear, here’s mine from the last 12 months to prove this… good luck, keep going!


(Jennifer) #13

Okay, officially one month in and the scale has gone up TWO MORE pounds!? WTF?! I’ve been weight training for 4 weeks now (4 days/week) and Keto for one month and scale is up a total of 4 lbs since starting?! Clothes fit just a tad bit better, but not much. Not understanding this…HELP!


(Cindy) #14

Depending on where you were in muscle mass before starting to weight train, this could all be muscle increase, which is a GOOD thing. As in, if you had very little muscle, never weight trained before, you’re probably making awesome progress with your strength. You really NEED to stay off the scales for a while. Exercise doesn’t just increase muscle mass…it also causes your blood volume to increase (so your body becomes more efficient at exercise) and some other body changes. Those are all GOOD changes, but if you’re looking at the scale for motivation, it’s going to discourage you.

Essentially, you’ve made 2 changes a month ago. Eating keto and exercising more. Keto should have you SLOWLY losing weight, while exercising, initially, will have you gaining weight. But in the long-term, it requires more energy to sustain muscle, muscle is 1/3 smaller by volume than fat, and it also simply looks better than fat. So again…it’s a GOOD thing.

So I’ll say it one more time. Stay off the scale for a while. The only other thing you can do is to cut back on any of the higher calorie keto foods. Limit cheese, HWC, nuts, etc. Don’t add in extra fat.


(mole person) #15

I agree that this is probably water weight from inflammation due to the new training. If you’re working out hard enough to be sore, then you WILL have inflammation. I easily gain 5 pounds when I really stress my muscles, and I’m only 111lbs. This does subside with time, however.

However, if you’re not stressing your muscles that much then it’s also possible that it’s something else. Why don’t you tell us a bit about your stats and how you’re eating and we can see if everything is on track or if there are some tweaks you can make. In general, however, the first six weeks are an induction period, and as long as you are actually IN ketosis you should not be worrying about your weight as you are still in the fat adaptation phase. Are you checking ketones?


(Jennifer) #16

I have stuck to under 20g carbs/day. Breakfast is 2 eggs cooked in butter or coconut oil, with bacon or all natural sausage, some days add avocado. Heavy cream in coffee. Example of lunch, bacon double cheeseburger wrapped in lettuce, salad with protein, full fat dressing, egg, bacon, etc. Dinner is a protein with a vegetable cooked in olive oil or coconut oil. Every once in a while I’ll snack on full fat cheese or whipped cream or all natural beef jerky, vegetables with cream cheese dip. I’m VERY careful with what I eat, only eat when I’m hungry, it never seems to be too much or too little. I started tracking in the beginning but it’s just too much and I can’t be that obsessive, nor do I feel I should be when I’ve followed a ton of people’s stories and they were even more lenient with their eating (lazy Keto) and NOT working out and they seemed to just watch the weight fall off?! It’s just frustrating to be working this hard and not really feeling or seeing the results. I used to workout (cardio & strength training) regularly for years, but the last 2 years have fallen off (hence the weight gain). I also began Keto to solve some of my digestive issues and improve my mood and energy, which it has helped IMMENSELY! I know I’m in ketosis based on the symptoms, just feeling frustrated not seeing big enough results yet. I’m not expecting it to be overnight but how are some people losing 5-10 lbs in the first month and I’ve GAINED 4 lbs?! Also, I started at 192, so that is why I’m very frustrated…inching closer to that 200 is NOT acceptable! BUT, I appreciate the advice and am staying away from my scale. It’d be nice if I felt that my clothes felt much looser though…


(Running from stupidity) #17

Because n=1, everyone starts from a different place, newbies don’t generally talk about how it’s NOT working for them from a scales perspective.

Trust the process. As you say, it clearly works for a lot of people, but as reading around here shows, it works differently and at different rates for everyone.

But yeah, tracking really does help, whether people like tracking or not.


(Jennifer) #18

Into week 5. NOT getting on scale so I took progress pictures the other day that are one month and 5 days apart and there literally is NO DIFFERENCE. Also, today, I put my pants on, expecting them to feel looser and I swear they even feel more tight. I’m getting really discouraged that I’m now 5 weeks in and don’t see OR feel a difference. It’s not too many calories, too much protein, etc. I am following to a T. Also, strength training at least 4x/week. Am I working this hard for nothing??? HELP!!


(Cindy) #19

Jennifer, this is just my take on how I try to live my life, so take from it what you will. To me, ANY time spent doing something you don’t enjoy is time wasted. Our lives are too short and you never know when it’ll be cut shorter. Granted, I still do laundry, cleaning, work, etc, but those are necessities. If I could figure out a way to make laundry joyful, I would!

Eating is life. You should enjoy it. I also totally understand wanting to lose weight. I’m in that process now, too! But I also know that the stricter I am and the harder I work (without enjoying it), the more stressed I am and the more I watch the clock (whether it’s by the day or week, etc). Did you know that STRESS raises cortisone levels and higher cortisone levels lead to weight gain?

Weight loss needs to take time. That means you should be enjoying your life while you do it. I get the impression from your post (following to a T), that you’re a bit of a perfectionist and you want to make this happen NOW. Again, I can relate! But it truly doesn’t work that way.

If you’re not enjoying the weight training, then stop. Find something else you like to do. If you do like it, then quit expecting it to “give” you something other than more endurance, better defined muscles, increased bone density, better overall health. In other words, ENJOY THE PROCESS.

Same for keto. Maybe quit thinking that you’re following it to a T, being strict, etc and NOT getting the results others get, but instead think about how much you’re enjoying the food and how you feel better. You’re NOT those other people. You don’t know their situation. I’ve been doing keto now for about 5 weeks and I can feel a smidge of difference in my clothes. Stretchy pants that used to hug like crazy have some wrinkles. I haven’t a clue if the scales have gone down because I didn’t weigh in the beginning, didn’t take progress pics. BTW, 5 weeks to SEE progress is a bit unrealistic, too!

I’d also suggest you do what I’m doing. QUIT expecting/watching for results. Give it a certain, reasonable time frame (I’m using March 1st) to work so you’re not looking at the minutiae of every day or week. But that means you have to be enjoying the process! I like the food, I like skipping meals, I like eating bacon. :wink: So I’m ok giving this time…


(mole person) #20

5 weeks only! I assumed from the quality and thoughtfulness of your posts that you were a veteran.


(Jennifer) #21

Thanks for your insight. I think you got the wrong impression from my post. I’m enjoying the way I’ve been eating. For one, I’ve always been a carnivore, two, I’m cooking more and eating more Whole Foods and less processed foods, all while spending MUCH less money on eating out. I also used to workout very regularly, but different life circumstances caused me to take too long of a hiatus, so I’m now enjoying the workouts I do, which is why I chose not to do cardio workouts…because I dread them. My strength workouts are done in my home, catching up on my favorite shows I’ve dvr’d.

Starting Keto, for me, began because of several digestion/GI issues I was experiencing, and the lack of energy and overall lull I was feeling. Since starting, my digestion issues have cleared up, I have more energy, my mood has improved, so overall, I feel so much better. That being said, I think I’m allowed to feel some level of frustration when I’ve made the decision to put my Health first after neglecting it for too long, so that’s where I feel that with the turnaround with my diet and exercise, I, like most people, would feel a little frustrated at this point to not even see the smallest results as far as weight/inches loss. I actually feel less stress in my life now than I did before, and I suffer from anxiety so that’s saying a lot. I don’t think this small amount of “stress” over not seeing a few pounds lost, is causing enough cortisol to have me gaining. Also, being a size 12 and tipping the scale in the 190+, the weight loss also for me has to do with fitting in the clothes I have so I don’t have to buy a new wardrobe, and also not hitting that 200 mark because of the health risks, as well. I gained 25-30 lbs in the past 2 years, so with doing what I’ve committed to doing in the past 5 weeks and what I continue to keep doing because it is my priority, I just want to make sure this is right for me and expecting even a 2-3 LB weight loss or for my pants to feel just a tad bit looser, isn’t an unrealistic expectation.