How do I know when my weight is where it should be?

(Bob M) #11

I’ve seen quite a few people for whom keto alone, eating as much as they want, they were able to get thin again. One guy I followed on Twitter got built (muscular, not much fat), and lost 80 pounds, while eating around 100 grams of carbs per day. If he ate more, he gained weight; he just ate fewer carbs and lost weight.

My theory is that those of us who can’t do this, we damaged ourselves more than someone like him. It’s like Ted Naiman, he got ripped by eating low carb, but he was never fat. He looked a lot worse while being a vegetarian, but he never gained 100 pounds. Similarly, the guy I just discussed, I assume he was insulin sensitive even while heavy, because a lot of people here wouldn’t be able to modify carbs that way.

And I’m sure genetics plays some role. For instance, Asians that gain not much weight are much sicker supposedly than are Europeans at the same weight gain. In other words, a European (like me, 100% European, 75% Eastern European) can gain 50 pounds and even be relatively healthy, but an Asian that gains 50 pounds will be way sicker, supposedly. (Yet one more reason BMI is useless.)

#12

BMI is completely meaningless unless you’re literally skin and bones, try to the best of your ability to determine your bodyfat % and go by that.

On the loss, are you tracking what you eat?

So I’m not a fan of the “reset” term that’s always used there, but it does work. When you take in carbs again, there’s definitely a metabolic boost that happens for a while, which is why most see a drop on the scale again even though they’re holding some more glycogen than normal. You just can’t be stupid about it. The claim is that carbs keep the metabolism a little higher, for me, after going back years in labs the longer I was keto my thyroid numbers did show they were dropping. I know do a hybrid of CKD/TKD so I have pre workout carbs and a reload once or twice a week, and my thyroid values are optimal again, so it’s not all false, but we’re all also different.

#13

Yes, of course. I meant it’s not enough for everyone! Some people comes and expect 100% success just because they are doing keto. It’s not how it works. It may be enough and may be not.

I doubt I had damage, I just eat too much for my energy need. I very easily lost fat on low-carb and never went back to my original weight, maintenance is super easy but finishing my fat-loss is tricky.
For some reason my body (and mind, I suppose. or whatever says it’s satisfying enough) wants a certain amount of food, my actual energy need has little impact on it (unless it’s unusually high). I don’t know why these things aren’t synchronized but it could be worse.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #14

ROFL! I much preferred loafers even when I was as skinny as a rail. Then, after back surgery, I couldn’t bend for quite some time, and the occupational therapist introduced me to elastic shoelaces. I’ve never looked back! :mans_shoe:

(Robin) #15

I never heard that. I’ve lost 30%… (June 22 is my 2nd ketoversary.) I lost the first 20% in less than a year, then the last 10% since then. I never stopped to figure out what the percentage was.

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #16
(Amber Gault ) #17

Thanks everyone for your knowledge on this, I think I’ll just be happy where I am with my weight loss and see if it very slowly goes down, if not I’ll know this is my body telling me its where its meant to be :blush:

(Todd Allen) #18

Use a mirror not a scale. When you like what you see you are done.

(Joey) #19

Sorry can’t resist, given this thread’s title…

If the weight is in your midsection, it’s not where it should be. :wink:

(Michael) #20

Alternatively, you can do a multi day fast, lower your weight by a few pounds and then go back to normal eating. If the weight stays off, you are good and can fast again a few weeks later if needed to lower again. If it comes back, then you know you are good at that weight.

(Robin) #21

I like to point out how the number we see in a scale is so subjective.
180 pounds when you are gaining weight is devastating.

But on the way back down, that same 180 pounds on the scale is worthy of celebration. And we think we look great.

So, really…. Your weight is always “where it should be”. It’s simply a reflection of where you are on your journey.

(Kirk Wolak) #22

That’s great insight right there. Thank you!

I will add that my wife and I have talked a lot, because I bounced back up a bit, but I am easily maintaining my current weight, and so many things are better now. Plus I tolerate more foods more easily.

I still want to lose 50 lbs and be back where I “should” be. But I am more calm about it. I now see my high glucose as a provable side-effect of the stress I have to endure to work. I can easily crush that with some long fasting… But then I find my brain is not working as well, and I can’t focus. (The opposite of many reports of deep ketosis). So right now I am cycling some dairy and other stuff in for 2 months, and building muscles. (I got very bored after 4 yrs of mostly carnivore). After 5 weeks with protein shakes and such… I am already bored of them, and crave just meat. I count that as a win. I will have the meat. And in 3 more weeks I will cycle to clean carnivore w/o fasting. Then a month with fasting. Then I will do another 2 months like this, but probably less dairy…)

Anyways, to your point. It’s about where you are going, not where you are at!

(Robin) #23

True to all that. I have the advantage of being retired, so no stress from work. I know I am lucky that I somehow managed to slip into my ideal weight, while cruising along and not tracking anything. Just stayed the course.

Love the body you are in today. You may be in the middle of renovations, but it’s got great bones!

(Allie) #24

I’m not looking at weight so much now, only thing I’m checking regularly is my waist measurement and as long as that’s where I want it to be, all good. Weight on its own is such a bad guide and not something to get fixated on.

#25

Same here. I´ve done this quite a few times before and I know the weight will go once I get adapted again. I´m secretly hoping the weight goes from my waist… but I´m not telling anyone.

I do check weight every now and then, mostly to see that I´m eating enough. Just don´t get obsessed.

(Robin) #26

My waist was the last area to reduce noticeably.
It also should have been the saggiest, considering how much belly I had… but happily that is not the case.
Slow and steady wins this race.

#27

Absolutely. I never thought of this as a “Super Quick Miracle Diet”, this is a way of life that I followed almost automatically since 2004 to until a few years ago… and I´m back now.

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #28

I have a goal range that I try to stay in all the time. I don’t count carbs or calories anymore after all these years eating keto, I can tell when I am messing up. I no longer weigh daily, a few times a month now it my limit on that

I go more by my clothes fitting more than anything else. After a life time of dieting and gaining, keto/hflc WOE keeps me were I want to be about 99.9% of the time. These last 8 yrs. have been a game changer in my life for sure.

Looking forward to continued success in the New Year.

#29

I can’t wait to feel this confident in what I’m doing, be nice to relax a bit more about it all.

#30

I measured mine a week ago, 109 cm. That was four weeks from the start,I did no measuring or weighing in the beginning.

Now I measured again, I’m 104 cm. Something is working right. :slight_smile:

Also,this morning was the first moment that I felt anything hunger-like in all these five weeks. I had 3" of nice salami right away.