How do you get the weight to stabilize?


#1

Hoping other maintainers can help me with an issue I’m having-

I was already in maintenance, (6 years), when I started doing LCHF last month, on April 16. At the time my maintenance range was 130lbs-135lbs and I was at 137.8lbs. I was actually over 140lbs in January, but had buckled down and was intentionally reducing my calorie intake again, tracking on cronometer etc, and had lost a few pounds already when I decided to try LCHF for the first time. My goal doing this was to shake things up in maintenance, (I had hit a pretty big mental wall at that point), and then lose a few more pounds to get back in my maintenance range.

Fast forward to today and my morning weigh-in put me at 128lbs. I’m absolutely loving this woe but I can’t get my weight to stabilize and I can’t stop losing-my BMI this morning 20.7 and all sorts of red flags are going off-I’m a 40 year woman and this is a bit ridiculous now :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

Even with the reduced appetite from the changes to my diet I’m being intentional about eating and I’m also still snacking. I’m also averaging around 30g-90g net carbs, so not really even keto levels. And I know calories aren’t supposed to matter so much with this woe, but I tracked calories for over 6 years and doing the mental math I’m eating a lot more calories than what I was before I stared LCHF, (and I weighed more before, so I should need less calories now).

I’ve been reading a lot here about your body naturally settling, eating intuitively etc. And that all sounds lovely in theory. However, what happens when you’re eating to fullness, following your body’s cues and can’t get your weight to stabilize? I’d hate to have to add carbs back in, but this morning I amost made my old breakfast of sprouted whole grains bread with cheese, just to get some carbs/calories in. Instead I stuck to my new norm, coffee with half and half, which has almost no carbs and only 45 calories :stuck_out_tongue:

Would love any input anyone can give me, thanks so much!
Stats:
4o yr old female
5 ft, 6in
128lbs
2019 weight-trend -14.8lbs from a mix of calorie tracking/reduction and then LCHF starting mid-April.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #2

I am picking up on two issues here, which may be relevant.

The first is what type of weight are you losing? Are you losing fat, muscle, or bone density? If fat, then I don’t see a problem. If muscle or bone, then perhaps more protein would be the answer. It might be helpful to spring for a DEXA scan (which is not that expensive and doesn’t require a prescription) to get a good indication of what your body composition is. BMI is not always a helpful number.

The second issue is that if you are needing to snack, then you are not eating enough at meals. Don’t eat until you are hungry, of course, but don’t stop until you are satisfied. You should be able to go for quite some time before you get hungry again.

You know your situation best, of course, but in general, I am leery of trying to second-guess my body. The human species has somehow managed to survive for two million years with absolutely no knowledge of calories, macro- and micro-nutrients, or the gut biome. It seems that the more we know, the more we are tempted to tinker, and the more the tinkering fails to produce the desired results. I agree, however, that tinkering is ever so much more interesting than simply eating real, healthful food in satisfying amounts. :grin:


#3

Thanks for the input! I’ll have to look into a DEXA scan and see how much it would cost in my area.

Snacking is mostly to get in more food right now. I’m usually eating two larger meals a day and just can’t fit in more food during those times without feeling overly stuffed, so the snacks has been a way for me to get in more calories since I know this woe has caused a significant reduction in appetite. If I cut them out then I’d think I’d start losing even more weight?

Here’s an example of what I’m eating-this is yesterday:
-morning: 2 cups of coffee with coffeehouse style Half&Half, (a bit fattier than regular), with liquid splenda
-lunch: 3 large eggs, scrambled in ghee and then mixed with shredded Parmesan cheese, pico de gallo, bacon, shredded rotisserie chicken and then ranch dressing
-afternoon, spread out-fried Parmesan cheese, pistachio nuts and another cup of coffee with half&half
-evening- .59lb choice ball tip seasoned sizzler, cubed and cooked in ghee, mixed in with sauteed (more ghee, lol), mushrooms, red bell pepper, broccoli and onion. This was a BIG bowl and I ate all of it. Afterwards I had a Halo Top strawberry cheesecake bar (this was with the meal).

I just had a doctor appointment/blood work drawn a couple weeks ago and I’m in excellent health, so I’m not completely freaking out yet, lol, but I would like the weight to settle down and I definitely don’t want to lose anymore!

eta: just did a quick google search and the hospital system my doctor is with offers DEXA scans for $115, and it’s not too far away! I’ll have to talk to my husband about this and see what he thinks-thanks for the suggestion :slight_smile:


(Robert C) #4

If you are not already - you might try resistance training and HIIT.

Now (before the big hormonal changes that start around 50) is the best time to add some muscle (and therefore weight). You want to keep functional for as long as possible and you won’t build muscle on cardio or just Keto (without exercise). Sarcopenia has started its normal muscle reduction for most people in their 30s (and could be part of your issue). Maintaining a low weight without building muscle is a long-term recipe for disaster (i.e. good blood numbers don’t help much if you are somewhat flabby and cannot do things you want to do in your later years).

Hopefully it will also cause a little more natural hunger - making you desire more whole nutrient dense foods.


#5

I recently added modified push-ups and will be adding body-weight strength training as the summer progresses. I did Mark Lauren’s program back in the day and really enjoyed it, need to find my book and start doing it again :slight_smile:


(JJ) #6

This is me. Exactly. Hey, we are even practically the same age. I am 39 yo.

I am glad you started this thread and look forward to the responses, I came into this subsection just now to post something similar myself. I hope you don’t mind me jumping onboard here with you!

I had a colleague at work ask me quietly this morning if I was well, that my face was so thin and perhaps I should get checked out. Oh dear.

I don’t want to go back to carbs, I was feeling so well (but starting to struggle with IF now and feeling not the greatest).
I am eating what seems an insane caloric amount ( I know it is more complex than CICO though) and after I upped my calories, I ended up only accelerating the weight loss. So not sure what the solution is.

This is never a problem I thought I would have, always had the opposite. I feel so happy to have reached goal within 6 months and realise that my ‘problem’ of continuing to unintentionally lose weight is one that many others wish they had. Keto is just the most awesome, natural way to fuel myself, my body composition has never been so good. I can’t believe how lean and toned I have become…but it is time to stabilise dammit.


(Empress of the Unexpected) #7

What was your college weight? I was 105, had my daughter at 40, went to 111, went through menopause at 53 and went up to 145. Keto has me back to my college weight of 105.


(Empress of the Unexpected) #8

Just eat to hunger and carb up occasionally. I’m 18.5 BMI and people say I look really healthy. Eat lots of fat! What is your calorie intake? I am around 900 a day.


(JJ) #9

My intake is around 2000 calories a day, it’s a whole world of food :wink:


#10

Keto nutrient density combined with proper protein levels does restore lean mass (muscle, bone, cartilage, etc), according to the Drs. Eades in Protein Power - due to complex biochemistry stuff. Strength training just leverages HGH for speed of muscle development & joint health - and is great for postural conditioning. I think this explains a chunk of the “weight gain” some of us longtime high carb or SAD females experience while losing fat steadily.