Gaining weight on keto

(Erin Macfarland ) #1

I need to add some body fat and I’m curious about what happens when you try to gain weight on keto. As I increase my energy intake through eating keto foods is the mechanism the same as gaining weight on carbs? I understand insulin and I’m wondering if the insulin that’s released eating keto is just as damaging. I also take metformin which complicates things even more! I have a family history and genetic predisposition to develop diabetes so I’m very nervous about purposely increasing the release of insulin in my body. But I am also “underfat” and I would rather gain some weight eating keto than adding carbs.

(Michelle) #2

totally can gain weight on Keto. I think Carl said on his last episode that he’s experimenting with 5,000 calories a day (all keto) and he’s gaining weight.

(Larry Lustig) #3

Good luck. You’re coming up against two competing keto dogmas: one that calories don’t matter, it’s just the carbs and the other that if you eat too much fat you’ll get fat.

There are quite a few people who say they’ve personally experienced each of the two sides of the coin.

If you want to gain weight eating keto foods I expect that, at least, you’ll have to eat the past the point of satiety. Otherwise, you might think about adopting a low-to-moderate carbohydrate diet instead (as sacrilegious as that might sound around here).

(Erin Macfarland ) #4

It’s kind of shocking the amount of food I can put away and not see much weight gain from it. I have been upping things like keto desserts, made with high quality organic nut butters, super dark chocolate, lots of macadamia nuts. The hardest part is the satiety factor. It’s hard to “binge” on keto foods and they tend to keep you full for quite a while. I read that article on the diet doctor site today about how if you’re lean you can’t really gain fat when increasing fat. I’m most concerned with possible negative health consequences from increasing my exposure to insulin. I wonder how much eating greater quantities of keto foods affects insulin levels.

(Marc Blythe) #5

Metformin is known to promote weight loss in some people as well, maybe investigate whether you can lower your dose ?

(Erin Macfarland ) #6

Yeah I know metformin does that, I’m on cytomel too which also has a tendency to raise metabolic rate. But I get great benefits from these meds so I want to keep my current doses the same. I know I could add carbs but I’m not sure how I’ll feel

(Jennifer) #7

And you know you are not hyperthyroid? Those folks have a hard time gaining weight…

(Erin Macfarland ) #8

No I’m actually hypo, which I why I take cytomel

#9

I think that with all the current information available concerning fasting, etc., as long as your basal insulin is in the normal range you’ll be fine no matter what the source is provided there’s enough time between meals for it to drop to that baseline and I think IF is the solution to that dilemma.

The trick with using carbs is that they are more likely to kick people out of ketosis as well as triggering carb cravings in some, there’s also the slippery slope that eating some carbs here and there will lead to abandoning this WOE by including the wrong carbs; I don’t think that’s something that @Emacfarland would do, but people who are less disciplined might fall into that trap. (I need to up my carbs so a few handfuls of popcorn will be fine… NOT)

In other words, if someone increases their carbs to within their maximum and still stay in ketosis, but their meals are sufficiently far apart that insulin falls back down to normal before the next meal, they’ll probably gain weight in a way that doesn’t contribute to metabolic derangement.

The problem with using carbs to raise insulin in order to gain weight is that there’s no home test kit for insulin, so there’s no direct feedback if meals are sufficiently spaced out.

(Erin Macfarland ) #10

Exactly…I also tend to fast overnight for about 14 hours. I’ve gone from eating 2 meals a day to 3 most days. That’s helped increase my energy intake. Also have stopped running. So despite the metformin I’ll see how this goes!

#11

What about upping your protein…?

(Erin Macfarland ) #12

Yes definitely, I tend to eat at the upper range for protein intake per day, probably at least a pound to a pound and a half of fatty meat, plus eggs, nuts…I don’t do much dairy. Since I’m pretty active including weight lifting I can handle this amount, but I’m also considering lowering fat and protein a bit a couple of days per week and adding in a small sweet potato at dinner.

#13

I’m stumped, but when you find what works for you, please share, as I’m sure there’ll be others in the same boat; if not now, then in the future. :blush: