How long with no weight loss before I question things?

(Christopher) #1

I’m not new to Keto, nor weight loss. I tried Atkins years ago and had some initial success but didn’t stick with it after a few months because I kept stalling ( too many franken-foods I’m sure of it now ). I just came off a whole 30 and though I love the food choices, I don’t feel good with carbs. So I decided to go back to strict Keto because I tend to feel better eating low carb. Im early 40’s male with 50+ to lose.

  • 3 weeks in I feel bloated ( Yes I salt my food but I don’t think I overdue it )
  • Puffy Face every morning.
  • no weight loss. Not even water weight. Which I do find odd considering I was on whole30 prior and ate plenty of carbs.
  • I’m in this for the long haul so I’m ok for now. I want my insulin lowered. I believe long term Keto lifestyle
    is the right choice for me.
  • Morning fasting BG is between 96-110 ( I want this lower )
  • Not sure where my Ketones are ( meter will arrive later this week so I can check that ) - But, I pee on the ketostix and always turn them medium to dark purple.
  • I eat zero sweeteners and zero keto baked goods.

So here is my question. At what point do I decide that I should be fat adapted and should be losing some weight and start exploring cutting out diary/nuts/seeds etc. 3 weeks in and I feel “OK”, but still struggle a little bit with low energy. I am sleeping better and I don’t crave food all the time so this I am happy about. But at the same time I would love to see some progress on the scale. For some, is it typical to go a month or two at the start of this and not lose?

(Bob M) #2

I’d cut the dairy/nuts/seeds right away. Also, keep Whole 30-ish and don’t eat anything with seed oils, stick with olive oil and avocado oils, even making your own mayo if you like that stuff.

Personally, I’ve been on low carb 5+ years, and avoid nuts/seeds to the extent I can. I also minimize other high-PUFA foods like chicken, fatty pork (yes, even don’t eat much bacon), avocados. I eat some dairy, sometimes. I avoid yogurt, which I overeat every time. It’s like dessert to me. I tend to eat cheeses, hard, aged. And I go through phases where I eat dairy, then won’t.

I do have things like chicken, pork, etc., but just limit them.

I would say based on seeing how many of these posts we see, many people will not lose for some time. Many do lose, many don’t.

(Mary) #3

For some people, this can take a Very Long Time. Please try to focus on the NSV’s (non scale victories) you’re probably having and stay off the scale. In another couple of weeks, you’ll probably be tightening your belt and who cares what the scale says if your trousers are smaller?

(Christopher) #4

You have a valid point. I did try a few days of OMAD, and I noticed I was getting hungry before my scheduled meal along with brain fog. So I decided to test my blood sugar and It was 84, which apparently my body is NOT used to. So hopefully down the road when I’m more fat adapted I’ll be able to repeat this test and not feel like a complete idiot from the brain fog.

(Christopher) #5

Thanks Bob. I think you’re right, I will go dairy free soon and see how that helps me. Heavy cream is my weakness. And though I tend to do ok limiting myself, I find that I crave it ALL the time. Better not have it in the house at this stage in my journey. I swear I could drink it straight from the carton.

(Scott) #6

Heavy whipping cream is zero carbs, enjoy!

(Empress of the Unexpected) #7

It took me four or five months to become fat adapted to the point where I could miss a meal. That’s when I lost the weight. Stick with it!

(Jane) #8

It’s not zero if you drink an entire quart carton. Most people don’t, but that would be 26 carbs. It shows zero because of the small portion size and they are allowed to round down.

(Christopher) #9

Wow Regina. 5 Months! That is very inspiring to me. Thanks for sharing! Now I know I have zero excuse. If it takes me that long so be it.

(Empress of the Unexpected) #10

And it happens rather suddenly. When I started I was weighing every day but not tracking. It just settled in at that time. You absolutely should not be discouraged. Just enjoy all the yummy food while you are waiting. And, as others have suggested, you can play around with your nuts and dairy intake and see what happens. I can tell you that pre keto I was drinking tons of milk every day and that was not helping!

(BT3100) #11

Hi, I am new to the board but very similar to the OP. I am 43 and started Keto about 3 weeks ago. I also need to drop 50lbs and did Atkins when I was younger. I did have great success with Atkins, I lost 40 lbs and kept it off for about 2 years. Then I slipped up and gained it all back a little each year since, and have been putting on even more weight. My first week on Keto I lost 7lbs, I knew it was water but nice to see. Since then I have been struggling to drop a pound. I lose 2 then gain 3. I have cut out all alcohol which for me was huge. I was a 6 pack a night guy, and with the exception of the money I am saving losing the beer seems like a waste :slight_smile:
I did read all of the newbie threads and know that it will take 6 weeks or longer to become fat adapted so I will keep pushing on.
I do prepare all of my meals and do not cheat. Staying under 20 grams of carbs per day is easy for me as I love low carb foods.
Good luck to everyone!

(Cindy) #12

I can’t say how much I lost…if any…at the beginning. I didn’t weigh for the first 2 months and even after I started weighing this month, I don’t know what the number on the scale was prior to starting keto. My last weigh in was in Oct 2017 so I’m below that, but I don’t know how much I’d gained in the last year (and I HAD gained some).

Instead, I relied on my clothes feeling looser. Getting up in the am without so many aches and pains. Those types of NSVs.

You’ve already gotten some good advice, so I only really have 2 thoughts/comments to add. DON’T eat to a food schedule. I know some people do because they’re trying to stick to 18:6 of whatever, but seriously…keto, I think, is about getting back to listening to YOUR body’s signals. So if you’re hungry…EAT. Doesn’t matter if it’s not your “scheduled” time, your body is telling you something. Let those eating windows happen naturally.

The second thing would be to use your HWC…for now. Maybe it’s the added fat you’re craving. If you’re keeping carbs low elsewhere, give yourself this one “splurge.” True, not a full carton per day ;), but use it. Or if bacon is your guilty pleasure…or avocados, etc…let them help you through the transition time. I bet if you don’t make HWC off-limits, at some point, you really just won’t want as much of it or you’ll have moved on to some other yummy fat.

#13

Just wanted to add/mention that this ‘bloating’ could be related to what you are eating. - Keeping carbs to 15, or no more than 20 a day is generally what is recommended at first, just to ensure that one reaches Ketosis. But people sometimes forget that even though they are doing this, if you are eating foods with Fiber, this can and will cause bloating. Stuff like Broccoli, Cauliflower, and a whole list of other foods can cause additional bloating, and results may differ from person to person. Or it could be just inflammation itself, which isn’t always the same as bloating. … Some experimenting may be required to see if certain foods are affecting you, but if it’s helpful, search some sites for examples, such as the link below.

Hope it’s helpful…

https://perfectketo.com/anti-inflammatory-foods/

Newbie, IF, lack of appetite
(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #14

I’m not sure I follow the logic of this. Seems to me that a well-formulated ketogenic diet involves listening to our body as much as anything. What is your experience with overindulging, that leads you to consider it overindulging and not merely feeding the body what it needs? Granted, heavy cream is not cheap, so guzzling it would exact a price—literally!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #15

At the risk of sounding sexist, I will say, Regina, that most men need no encouragement whatsoever to play around with their nuts. :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

(Empress of the Unexpected) #16

it’s a whole new and entertaining @PaulL!! :rofl::rofl::rofl:

(Running from stupidity) #17

Ahh, you’re the one who goes around the neighbourhood half-dressed…

#18

You can check if you have any hidden carbs. Everyone seems to say “oh no not me” (I was saying that too until it happened to me).

Are you on any medication? Especially anything to do with the thyroid or pretty well anything?

Do you think you may have an infection somewhere? The bloating may indicate intolerance to something.

If you’ve double checked and then triple checked everything that I’m afraid you just need to wait a week or two. The experts don’t call it a stall unless it’s been going on 4 weeks

(Mary) #19

Patience, Grasshopper…
I was on cronometer this morning and noticed that from Jan 14 (when I started) to March 20, I GAINED 6 lbs. I had 80-90 lbs to lose so this was somewhat discouraging. Then from March to Sept, I bounced around the same 6 lbs. Since Sept, I’ve lost 33 lbs :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:
What I’ve learned from this (other than I’m waaay more patient than I ever imagined) is that metabolic derangement can take an incredibly long time for my body to sort out. But it’s worth the wait.

(Running from stupidity) #20

THE TREND IS YOUR FRIEND!

And tracking is how you can tell most easily.