Help! 2nd time doing the Keto diet scale won’t BUDGE

(Ashley P) #1

1st time I did Keto everything was smooth I Lost liked 40 pounds in the first month and a half and was on a steady weight loss it was perfect I tracked everything using the Lifesum app which I am still currently using which is 20 g of carbs which I never hit or go over 81g protein and 194 g of fat Before I used to barely eat I would have to force myself to eat so it wouldn’t seem like I’m starving myself and I was losing weight continuously

I’ve always been insulin resistant
I’ve always had Pcos w irregular cycles (and I’m not on one now nor is one coming

so this time around I lost 7 pounds of initial water weight In the scale have been stuck between gaining and losing the same 4 pounds it’s been a month and I feel like all my efforts are futile My appetite is not as suppressed as it was before. and before you ask yes I am in ketosis I’m 100% positive.
The only thing I’m doing differently between now and then is using Stevia originally I was using Stevia in the raw and then I realized that it’s not really 100% serious and then I started to use a Wholesome Stevia which doesn’t affect your GI but is mixed with erythritol
My clothes Feel slightly looser and that is because I wear uniform every day so trust me I can tell when I had room and when I don’t

I’m just stuck and stumped what should I do? what should I try?

  1. should I carb up and start over!!!
  2. should I switch from total carbs to net carbs?!!
  3. Maybe I’m unable to handle erythritol or stevia :woman_shrugging:t4:
    I am open to all suggestions
(Maha) #2

Are you continuing from the first time you lost 40 lbs or did you gain that back and you’re trying again? Not that it matters, I’m just curious as to why you stopped keto the first time if that was the case.

A couple of opinion thoughts:

  1. Do you do intermittent fasting? See 2.
  2. Why are you forcing yourself to eat? If you are not hungry, don’t eat. You won’t die if you skip a meal or two due to not being hungry.
  3. Stop using sweeteners for awhile (like 3 months min, if not longer). They can trigger an insulin response, not in everyone, but maybe you’re one that responds that way. They also maintain sugar cravings.
  4. No, don’t carb up and start over, but do vary your eating habits in both timing and quantity. Ditch the macro counting and stick to the basic rules: Eat when hungry, stop when full. Eat fat to satiety. Eat foods that grow above ground, except starchy foods (like beans and corn). Eat adequate protein (~1 gram/lb of ideal body weight, or look it up). Drink coffee, tea, waters. Avoid alcohol, packaged products, other carbs, which you probably already do. See the dietdoctor.com web site for the complete list of “rules”.
  5. Try one thing at a time and when you stall, try something new or add to it. Like, don’t start off keto. Start with low carb. Let that work as long as possible, then reduce the carbs. Your body adapts to what you eat and how often, and that’s part of why we stall. Then when you change it up, your body is in catch up mode, then it adapts. I hope that makes sense.

A one month stall may seem like forever, but people have posted about stalls lasting over a year. Yikes! Mine has lasted 4 months, and I’ve decided this is my maintenance weight. Also, consider whether you’ve lost inches vs. weight. Sometimes that’s more telling. Also, being insulin resistant and for how long can have an impact on how fast you lose. Remember, you’re not just getting rid of fat, you’re getting healthy on the inside, and that may come before the fat loss. And this is a long term plan, not a quick fix. It may simply take time and patience (as hard as that is!).

Hang in there. You’ll get results.

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #3

KCKO. Your body needs to do some healing. Give it time. I read posting here and over on MFP’s lchf/keto groups. It is not uncommon for returnees to experience what you are going through. Almost all of them end up breaking the stall after 4-6 months. Then they cruise along again. Editing to add, a couple of people on MFP groups found keto just didn’t work so one went paleo another back to cico/ low fat, high carb, then disappeared from MFP afaikt.

I personally had a 2 month stall, found fasting, started IFing then went to extended fasting. I lost what I wanted to lose and been in maintenance for over a year now. I do IFing a lot, one longer extended fast per month. I enjoy doing both because of the benefits I get from them.

All the best sorting yourself out.

(Ashley P) #4

-I stopped because I ended up moving around a bit couldn’t get into a solid routine it turned into eating what was available
-I gained all that back and some smh :sob::sob:
-I forced myself to eat not a lot but just some thing cause I only had brunch and I’d be satisfied for the whole day skipped lunch and dinner so I’d eat some spinach w cheese or some left overs I had nothing too serious

I tried IF before but not on a strict schedule
I work in the mornings like 4-5 am so I try to refrain from eating till my first break around 6 or 7 am (I have a moderately physical job) and then by the time it hits noon lunch then I’d have dinner around 5-6 I sleep at 9 so my meals are severely spaced out
I find if I don’t have nothing to eat while at work I burn out FAST

so I’m still working out how to really get this IF down to a shecuale

I typically just drink water :woman_shrugging:t4: Lol I don’t do “Keto drinks “
I made a pitcher of spearmint tea w stevia
I just dumped it out and made a new batch
Ima try the no stevia and see how it goes!!

(Ashley P) #5

Update -6 days later
So i quit all artificial sweeteners & I’m 4 pounds down since i stopped​:raised_hands:t5::raised_hands:t5: I guess Stevia And Erythrthol generates an insulin response for me and stalls my weight loss :woman_shrugging:t4::woman_shrugging:t4: Look at that problem solved

(Deb) #6

That was EXACTLY my problem as well. Great feeling isn’t it?

(Ashley P) #7

I was cause! I was starting to lose motivation cause I know I was doing everything right just like before, so no more sweets for me :sob::sob:

(Chris) #8

I say this about 100 times a week, but the scale in a vacuum is such a terrible measure of fat loss. Without a somewhat accurate representation of bodyfat percentage, you are guessing as to what is happening under the hood. You could be losing fat, and gaining muscle or bone or water at the same time, all of which are heavier than fat by volume. To add to this, your weight fluctuates throughout the day based on so many different factors. A month is literally a drop in the ocean, life is long, you didn’t gain the weight in 30 days. Please don’t stress over the scale by itself, it’s not worth it.

(Ashley P) #9

7 day update again as of yesterday lost 5 pounds in a week that’s crazy seriously
To think I wasted a whole month because of stevia I’m floored