Great Success Six Weeks; then . . .?

#1

I am new to this forum but not so new to Keto diet.

After a wonderful (food rich) vacation (cruise) I returned home and resolved to approach Keto seriously.

I am 63 years old and started my post-vacation diet at 240 lbs. In six weeks I was down to 213. In the next two weeks I fell to 211. I have now been “stuck” at 210 for more than three weeks. If I average the weight loss per week it isn’t so bad, and I understand that I could not expect the rapid weight loss to continue. But I’ve been quite vigilant about the diet and exercise and it seems that in three weeks SOME weight should be coming off.

I’ve struggled with binge eating disorder for most of my life and one of the things I’ve LOVED about the Keto diet is how satisfying it is. I’ve not felt like binge-eating for several months which, for me, is a life-time success. And there was one day mid-diet where stress built up and I was able to meditate, pray, walk, etc. and the obsession went away. That also was a successful first for me.

But now, with 3 weeks at a place on the scale that is still about 80 lbs away from my target, I am thinking about trying something different – shaking up the Keto by going full on fruit, or a smoothie (with fruit and veggies) cleanse. That scares me too, though, because I fear that if I go off Keto, I’ll not get back to Keto which I think is my ultimate life- choice.
Advice?

(Ellen) #2

First off, congrats on your not binging successes, that’s pretty awesome :grin: secondly weight loss isn’t linear, right now your body is doing stuff you can’t see & healing itself, the weight will come off in fits & starts, check out the forum for Post Induction Stall Syndrome (I lost nothing for about 10 weeks april-july then lost 7lbs in a week). Right now you should focus on being keto & ignoring the scale. Have you been taking measurements? You’ll often lose inches but not lbs. Just keep the fat up & the carbs down.

(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #3

Why would you go on a fruit/smoothie cleanse and undo all of your hard work?
You are only six weeks in, it’s expected to have a stall at this stage.
You need to mix things up and try new things such as intermittant fasting, or one meal a day.
It’s very common, i’ve stalled between week 7 and 12 and I just completed my first lot of fasts to break that stall with a 5lbs loss.
Keep doing what you are doing, like @Elle79 said, there are internal processes at play preparing your body for fat adaption. STICK with it, do not give up now.

(Deb) #4

Your body has changed. Have you changed your macros/etc to adjust for your new bod?! I adjust as I lose. My thoughts.

#5

Thank you for your thoughtful and supportive comments.
Still no weight loss (1 day after post) but I am feeling more confident in Keto and my ability to stay on it.

Thanks again,

#6

Not sure what you mean by “changed my macros/etc.” I know what macronutrients are but not sure how to adjust them . . .

(Deb) #7

If you look up Dr Phinney’s Well Formulated Ketogenic Diet chart, he shows how a keto eating plan changes in macros, calories and energy expenditure as your body changes. The numbers he uses are just for reference, not calculated, but the pie charts at the bottom I found the most telling.

#8

Friends, I am happy to report that a few more days of vigilance resulted in a 2 lb. weight loss (for a total of 31 lbs. in 8 weeks. Thanks for all your supportive comments.

Two questions: on one of the other forums on this site someone talked about “planned slip-ups,” implying that keeping one’s body “guessing” and adapting to the rigors of carb-full vs. carb-absence is good for dieters. Of course, the binge-eater in me said “OK, so I CAN binge and it won’t ultimately hurt my progress” – knowing the error of such addiction based thinking. Is there any scientific data to support the idea of rocking one’s system in this way?

Second, I have been monitoring ketosis with the dip-sticks (urine) and notice that the numbers vary from “minor” to “moderate.” The only time I had a really dark result was when I had walked 9 miles after a very small breakfast.

What sorts of numbers on urine sticks are optimal? I’m not sure I can afford a blood ketone monitor system, but several Keto folks talk about a breath ketone measurer.

Advice?