Gained 2 pounds the first week - please help!

#1

Hey all! I finally committed this past week to staying full on keto, I measured everything, and I gained 2 pounds. I’m absolutely devastated and extremely frustrated. One of the big problems is that all the information online contradicts itself. One site says to count calories, the next site says don’t count calories. One site says that an avocado only has 5 grams of carbs, another says 17 grams of carbs. One says cheese is 0 carbs, the next says 1 an oz.

I was using cronometer and I’m switching to MyFitnessPal which doesn’t give the readout the way I like, but i think cronometer’s measurements were way off.

I’m really desperate for some help so if someone could please help me I would really appreciate it!

(Kaiden) #2

Usually, you lower basal insulin and will drop some water weight, but not always.

I gave myself three weeks to just adjust. With ketosis, or really any major change, you might experience what’s known as compensatory overeating. Eventually, ketosis will adapt your appetite so that you feel full with less food, because you’re gaining part of your daily caloric intake from stored body fat.

Once or twice a week, I also use a HiGi station. If they’re not in your area by that name brand, what it is is a blood pressure cuff, scale, and set of induction plates. It might be way off, and obviously I’m not stripping naked in the grocery store, but it will tell me not only the gravitational relationship between myself and my planet, but also tell me what it thinks my non-fat weight is, as well as its best guess as to my hydration status.

I lost six pounds in four days. Sounds good, yes? Well, 1/2 of that was fat, half of that was lean body mass, per the HiGi. I’m still losing weight, and I’ll figure out tomorrow if it’s lean body mass or something else.

(Linda) #3

When I was losing my 50, I only weighed once a month specifically to to avoid this kind of angst and discouraging myself.

(Alec) #4

Hi Queenv
Welcome to the Team!!

First things first… relax! Take a deep breath, and relax. You have plenty of time. There is no rush here. This is for life, not a way of eating for 12 weeks then back to what you did before.

Don’t worry too much about all the measurements. It sounds like you want to do this right, and that’s great, but people tend to get themselves all stressed over things that don’t make that much difference.

The keys in order of priority are:

  1. Eat less than 20g of carbs. That simply means don’t eat starchy carbs or sugar. You will pick up the 20g of carbs from eating things like above ground veg and salads or the odd bowl of berries.
  2. Eat moderate protein, that means don’t go over the top on protein, nor avoid it. Eat meat and eggs and fish. You won’t go wrong. Don’t stress trying to eat a specific amount.
  3. Eat fat until you aren’t hungry. Most of your fat should come with the meat and eggs and fish you are eating, but you may like to also have some extra butter or cream or some other fats.

Don’t count calories, just make sure to eat when you are hungry. If in doubt, eat fat.

This stuff can take time to take effect: you may be repairing your body and metabolism, and while you are doing that your body may not want to shed weight yet. Don’t worry, even gaining weight initially is common. Trust the process and let it work. If you haven’t lost any weight after 6 weeks, come back and post and we will then analyse what you’re eating and troubleshoot.

So, in summary, keep calm, keep things simple, and trust the process.
Cheers
Alec

#5

Thank you so much!

#6

I’d also suggest staying with Cronometer, if you are going to continue tracking. It has far fewer incorrect entries than MFP.

(LeeAnn Brooks) #7

Ketogenics is a very personal experience and what works for one may not work for others. That’s why you’re seeing so many conflicting things. It can be very confusing when you’re just starting.

The difference in carbs for the avacado is because one is using net carbs where the other is using total carbs. Net carbs is the total amount of carbs minus fiber and some sugar alcohols. Most people go by net carbs.

If you are using MFP, note that most entries are preset using total carbs. I personally don’t mind this as I tend to aim lower in carbs than I otherwise would. But don’t panic if your entry says you’re at 17g carbs for an avacado.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #8

You are going to get some contradictory answers even on these forums, simply because we are all different. (My favorite phrase is “We are all special snowflakes.”) For example, I don’t count calories because counting has never worked for me; it drives me crazy. What I like about keto is that I don’t have to count, because my body tells me when I’ve given it enough food. But others here seem to enjoy getting into the nitty gritty of calories and macros and such, and more power to them!

One piece of advice I read a lot here, which perhaps we can all agree on, is “Do what works.” People will be happy to troubleshoot, but if you don’t find a piece of advice helpful, then so be it. Do what works for you. People aren’t too keen here on telling other people, “That’s not keto.” Usually we’re pretty good at supporting people on their path. We aren’t afraid, however, of pointing out possible pitfalls, so if someone suggests that a particular practice might not be the best, pay attention, and then make your own decision.

Another phrase you’ll read a lot is “Keep calm, and keto on,” abbreviated KCKO. It’s almost always good advice to follow, I find.

(Chris) #9

Weight is a terrible marker for fat loss. It doesn’t tell you what makes up the weight. A mass of fat always ways less than an equal mass of muscle or bone, you could very well have improved bone density or slightly more muscle mass (which may indicate you indeed displaced some fat with it) in the past week. Don’t freak out about a pound or two, this is not a quick fix diet, it’s a long-term method of healing terribly-deranged standard diet metabolic problems.

(Jenn Monaghan) #10

I spent the first 6 months on keto double checking all the carb counts until I just knew which entries were correct in MyFitnessPal. I have heard that the USDA Food Composition Database is very accurate: https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list

#11

Are you planning to incorporate fasting as a technique? I did my first 24 approximately one week later; and in my opinion you do need to ‘eat less’ to lose weight. Fasting will also shrink your stomach so you eat less anyway.

I’m sure you know that, but always good to state the obvious sometimes. Plus; there are massive fluctuations; I think I shot up 4lb 3 days after starting…but maintained LC and it then came down smooth for nearly a week with IF and some EF. Fasting & Keto are very closely associated especially for weight loss in my short experience.

#12

Im sorry, what is LC? IF? EF?

#13

Thank you. How am I to know what works though? How long does it take to get this down?

#14

Ok lol how am I not to panic from 17 to 5 carbs though? Thank you!

#15

Thank you so much! I will try not to freak out.

#16

I actually switched from cronometer because it kept giving all 0 carb cheese 1 carb/oz. How do you know that it is better?

#17

Thank you so much!

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #18

LC = low carb
IF = intermittent fasting (like only eating between certain hours0
EF = extended fasting (a long fast)

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #19

You can tell how things are working by how you feel. There is an adjustment period, to be sure, but it’s not that hard to get through.

Keto flu is avoidable by increasing salt intake and drinking to thirst. I was forewarned, so I worked at it and never had to experience the “flu.” We enter nutritional ketosis almost immediately, certainly within a few days, but it takes longer for the body’s cells to adjust to using fatty acids and ketone bodies as their primary fuel. We call this adjustment becoming “fat-adapted.” Fat adaptation can take 6-8 weeks, or even longer, and many people continue feeling better and better the longer they are fat adapted.

If you find yourself feeling more energetic, more able to focus mentally, you find yourself losing weight or inches, and so forth, that is a good sign of becoming fat-adapted. Many people find that their blood work comes back into the normal range. My heart rate and blood pressure became normal after decades of being high. The important cholesterol numbers are the ratio of triglycerides to HDL, in terms of risk for heart disease. People eating keto generally also find their LDL falling more into pattern A (low risk of heart disease), even if total LDL increases.

There is no real way to measure fat-adaptation, but the marker we generally use is the level of beta-hydroxybutyrate (one of the three ketone bodies) in your blood. You are most likely to see a level over 0.5 millimoles per deciliter (mmol/dL). The number can be higher or lower than that, but 0.5 is definitely considered nutritional ketosis. (A number higher than that is not likely to bring any greater benefit, in most circumstances.) You don’t need to test, however, if you don’t want to. Some of us do, others don’t. If we keep our carbohydrate under 20 g/day, we pretty much have to be in ketosis, or we’d be dead.

(LeeAnn Brooks) #20

By understanding the difference between total and net carbs. Since the body does not absorb fiber, it shouldnot effect your insulin levels, thus they don’t count towards carbs. At least if you want to use net vs total, and if you’re eating a lot of avacado, I’d say you almost have to use net.

When logging it into trackers, you may find entries for both. By understanding the difference, you will know which one to select.

For other things it may not be so easy, but again, knowingbthe difference will help. For example, I often like to enjoy a couple squares of extra dark chocolate with a tablespoon of peanut butter on top. I have at the end of my dinner when I know I have enough room in my carb allowance. Using the bar code to log it, MFP doesn’t subtract for fiber and it will almost always show me going over in carbs. Like 23 or 24 grams. I don’t really care because I know the fiber content would bring me right back down.