Help... not sure what is up

(holly) #1

So I have been on keto for 1.5 years. I am 5’2’ tall, athletic build. I weighted 122 when I started. Initially the weight just fell off… for around 12 month i lingered at the 116/117 spot. I realize this is not a ton of weight but for me it is perfect.

After about a year my weight kept creeping up. i am now at 120 and cannot seem to lose weight. I exercise 5-6 times per week. I run 6-9 miles, depending on my travel (weekly for work). I do yoga 3-4 times per week and I rock climb 1-2 per week. I have tried not exercising for a few days here and there by recommendation and i gain weight.

Nothing really changed. I eat around 1300-1500 calories a day. My macros are right and My carbs are generally below 25. My glucose varies, sometimes i have a high fasting blood glucose in the am around 95. I check blood keytones and they range from .5-2.1 depending on time of day. My GKI is occasionally around 9, but generally below 6.

I drink coffee with MCT and monk fruit every AM. I do an IF a couple times a week. I do still eat dairy. Honestly I am not sure I want to give it up. It does not seem to matter one way or another as I have tried not eating dairy and nada was different. I have a little Lily’s chocolate or sweet occasionally but they do not seem to raise my blood sugar.

Anyway… I am at a loss. Any idea what is going on out there?

(hottie turned hag) #2

My stats are identical to yours: 5’2", 114lb. However I am sedentary.

My guess is with the amount of exercise you engage in on only 1300-1500 cals/day (I eat more than that by far and I move as little as possible :smile:) is you’re having some metabolic slowdown. I’d lay money on it that some wiser heads than mine shall pop in here to state the same.

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #3

What about your measurements? If you are gaining muscle and bone density, your weight can go up even if measurements are steady or even going down.

But that said, it is possible to gain fat while eating ketogenically as well. If you eat more fat than you need to, or if there is an unrelated confounder such as thyroid issues.

Or maybe it is the dairy. If it were me, and I was holding steady at 3 pounds above where I wanted to be, but not going higher, I would keep the dairy. It is worth it to me. But if the pattern persists and goes higher, it might be worth a longer term elimination period for dairy (or any other suspected item) to be sure.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #4

If I was at my goal weight, felt good, had decent numbers when testing, and looked the way I wanted to but then the scale said I was three lbs heavier I would just keep an eye on it but not stress about it. It sounds like you’ve found a way of eating and activity that is working for you. Aside from the weight change on the scale, has anything else changed to warrant lifestyle changes?

(holly) #5

3 lbs at 5’2” is an entirely different size. 3 pounds makes a huge difference believe it or not

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #6

Okay, so you’re a larger size due to the weight gain. That’s what I was wondering. Thanks for clarifying.

(Susan) #7

I am no expert AT ALL but I was wondering if all this exercise you are doing, which seems like you are very athletic and doing a lot, if this is not muscle weight you are gaining? I know Muscle weighs more than Fat so I was just wondering if you are gaining muscle, thus the scale is increasing in numbers?

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #8

So this answers my measurements question. I’m between 145 and 150 (hopefully) so I was trying to exrapolate the scale. I know if I get over that 150 I can feel it in my waistband, so maybe a 5 pound gain for me would feel the same.

But so far I don’t think this changes the advice. Keep an eye on it, don’t freak out, and keep experimenting to get yourself back to where you feel comfortable. Maybe experiment with some fasting for a couple days to pulse yourself back down.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #9

I don’t know your meal pattern, but try to reduce the number of times a day that your insulin is elevated, and increase the length of time from the last meal of one day till the first meal of the next. That could help, too, in addition to the other suggestions people have made.

(Joey) #10

Being new here (and new to keto stuff) I hesitate to offer meaningful advice, but I have to say that it sounds like you’re really doing great! You’re highly active, eating smartly, and are showing fairly stable macros, have energy, sticking to your diet…

So one might guess that (as suggested above) that you’re simply building healthy (fat-burning) muscle mass, which of course adds weight.

But just to be REALLY clear about your concern: Are you gaining “girth” - perhaps around the waist? Or is it simply that the # on the scale is higher than you’d like and so that’s bugging you? Put differently: Do your clothes feel tighter in those spots where fat (not muscle) tends to accumulate?

And even if so, here’s one other thought: Water retention can play a major role in one’s weight. You know, gravity can be a tough opponent :wink:

As a woman of an age where water retention might be a factor, you shouldn’t ignore this possibility as the cause of “tipping” the scale a bit more than you’d like.

Hopefully you appreciate that I’m not ignoring your concern but trying to help you make sense of those “extra” pesky 3 pounds.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #11

My advice is to move towards TMAD as your basic eating schedule, limit carbs a bit more, limit the dairy (you don’t have to quit altogether, maybe a 50% reduction) and most importantly Don’t get stressed out! raising your cortisol and making things even harder for yourself.

:cowboy_hat_face: