Gained 2 lbs and in Week 4

(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.

(Cindy) #22

Aw, thanks! Not a veteran so can’t do the “Look, I’ve lost 100 lbs!” type posts, but I think that’s partly why I understand how new ketoers feel. I just kind of feel like a veteran because I’m determined to give this time. I also tend to immerse myself when I find something I like.

(mole person) #23

A couple of things. First, you are expecting results too early. Weight loss on this WOE is a multi stage process.

Stage 1: Adaptation. In this stage, really the only important thing is to keep your carbs ultra low and eat fatty foods so that you are satisfied. Nothing else is added because this is a stage when your metabolism is changing, and being strict at this stage leads to too much hunger and anxiety. Yes, some people have enough weight or good enough metabolisms that they start losing weight right away, but that’s not what this stage is about and for many that does not happen, and in all honesty it doesn’t matter if you gain a couple of pounds here. As this stage winds down most people notice that their hunger begins to wane and they are able to give up snacking and even a meal and this naturally starts the weight loss ball moving.

Stage 2: Weight loss, stalls, tweaks,and more weight loss.

This is what almost everyone sees next. They lose some weight, and then they stall. They then have to sort out what the issue is that is keeping them at a certain set point that is higher than their goal. Sometimes it’s carb creep, or too much protein, or even too much fat. Sometimes it’s artificial sweeteners, or nuts, or dairy. Sometimes they need a shorter feeding window. There are LOADS of tweaks that work for various people. And sometimes there is no initial weight loss before the first tweak needs to be found. But this is jumping the gun…you aren’t out of the adaptation period. If and when you are, and if you find that you are still not losing weight, there are loads of things you can do and people here can help you with that.

Stage 3: Maintenance. This stage is also different than the other two. But I won’t describe it here since it doesn’t really apply.

One thing though. You say you aren’t tracking and that’s fine. A lot of people do lazy keto. I do lazy keto. But if you really do run into a stall then tracking is your best friend for sorting it out. Almost everyone I’ve ever known who had problems and didn’t track was not doing everything as perfectly as they imagined. The couple of times I forced myself to do it when I hit a snag I was shocked at the results.

(Cindy) #24

But maybe it IS an unrealistic expectation for you, right now, with everything else GOOD that’s been happening. Would you trade your list of positives (digestion issues gone, more energy, better mood, etc) for that 2 or 3 lbs? Would you trade it for 5 lbs?

I think your results so far sound wonderful! So many people get excited about the initial weight loss when it’s just water and easily regained. Your improvements are so much more meaningful!

One more way to think about this. If your frustration drove you to do better (exercise, stick to keto, whatever), then it would be helpful. But as it is, you’re doing things RIGHT, so your frustration is just a negative. Obviously you’re entitled to feel however you want to feel, but you’re letting a number on the scale devalue all the good you’re doing. As for your clothes fitting much better…5 weeks is too early for that. You don’t lose weight in just the “tight” spots, but all over, so those improvements take more time. Unless you’re a 300 lb guy losing 25 lbs in one month, but that’s not realistic.

(Running from stupidity) #25

Reminds me of the first topic I started in here, a few months ago.

(Cindy) #26

Yes, juice. I think I want to start a thread called “Stay off the [spoiler]damn[/spoiler] scale!” I know it works for some people…they can keep a balance and not let the numbers impact their actions (except when obviously needed) or their mood. But after years being part of weight loss boards, WLS boards, and now here, I think the people who are ok with it are in the minority. Even worse, some people say “Oh, I’m good with it” when they really aren’t. I think it’s almost a kind of addiction. But the thing is, unless you’re looking at changes over a month, and sometimes MORE, the scale is extremely unreliable…and yet people give it so much power.

But I think that’s true of macros. People see those “hard” numbers and think, oh if I just do this, then the magic will happen. But those numbers are really unreliable, too…age, gender, height, weight, activity level, muscle mass, metabolic disorders, all affect what “numbers” people need…so a cookie cutter approach when one size does not fit all.

I know people want results fast, but it’s just unrealistic.

(Running from stupidity) #27

Prediction - the thread will stimulate plenty of really good discussion, then someone will complain that they’re oppressed and are going to leave and then the thread will get shut down :slight_smile: #voiceofexperience

Yeah, the “I lost 30kg in a week!” posts on reddit are a PITA :slight_smile:

(Cindy) #28

Did the thread with so much debate about calories get shut down?

(Jennifer) #29

Thanks for this :slight_smile: I’m sure this is where many people get frustrated, at this point because we don’t realize what’s going on internally with the “adaptation”. Thank you for that reminder. I do try to remind myself that it didn’t take me a month to gain all of this weight so…

All in all, I am committed to this because I do feel so much better on so many levels, so I’m going to give it more time and then I can look at making adjustments, I just don’t yet what those will be.

Thanks again for everyone’s help! KCKO

(Jane) #30

No the fasting one @Juice started

(Cindy) #31

Then why wasn’t the “stop telling newbies to eat fat” thread locked? I hate it when threads get locked.

(Cindy) #32

Oh wait, now I see why! :wink:

(mole person) #33

Yeah, pretty much everyone who doesn’t lose quickly feels frustration, and it’s reasonable. In other diets you aren’t waiting for metabolic changes to turn you into a different sort of fuel burner, you’re just cutting calories and suffering hunger but usually losing weight if you’re doing it right. The thing is, you always get it back. With this diet you change your metabolism, lose your hunger, lose your cravings and find a diet that works and that isn’t just a short term fix for an escalating problem.

I can tell you’re serious. And based on that I can virtually guarantee you’ll see results. Give it two more weeks and see if your appetite starts responding. You don’t want to talk tweaks now since you may very well not need them, so why cut back further then necessary sooner than necessary.

(Running from stupidity) #34

Me too, especially when it’s basically one or two people throwing a tanty, and a probable shadow account with a an extremely obvious troll. Massive overreaction.