I need help - I should be doing something wrong

newbies
(Roxana) #1

Hello!!
I have been doing Keto diet for 6 months now with the intend to balance my hormones. Before starting keto I only got my period every six months if I was lucky. I started the diet on mid August 2018. I got my peiod regularly since October, but I missed it in January. So 4 out of 5, which sounds great. BUT here it comes, I have gained 6 pounds. I am only 5’2’’ and now I am 126 pounds. I see myself in the mirror and I want to cry.

I really want to come back to my 120 pounds or even 115pounds.

Also my cholesterol came back high (234) and when I measure my ketones in blood they are very low (0.2). My acne got worse, except the acne in my back, which is better now, but my face is terrible.

I swim around 15 hours a week and I feel my performance is getting worse.

I am desperate and about to quit this diet.

Can someone have had a similar experience?? HELP PLEASE.

#2

Was the six pounds fat or muscle growth? Are your pants tighter?

#3

Cholesterol numbers do not matter much. Look more at your triglycerides and a1c. 115 at 5’2" seems a bit light for an avid swimmer. ketones will also get lower with time as what you are measuring is just what is spilling over. as you are keto longer, your body will get better at using ketones so that number tends to go lower. in terms of acne and extra weight, have you tried any fasting? are you getting enough fat? women tend to have more trouble with hormonal issues than men so if it continues to be an issue, i would maybe consider seeing a keto-friendly endocrinologist. good luck!

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #4

It think your acne is going to be based on hormones and you’re working those out so that and weight fluctuations shouldn’t be a surprise. Are you seeing someone about the inconsistent periods?

(Christiana) #5

Have you experimented with different keto foods? Your periods starting to regulate is a great sign that your body loves all the fat, but I tend to have bloating and a little acne when I’m gorging on dairy. I know that some people can have similar issues with an over-consumption of nuts. Could something like that be the problem?

#6

Can you post what a normal day of meals is for you? Maybe there is an inflammatory food you are eating, or something that is not serving your intentions.

(Ken) #7

For some reason, you’re probably just retaining some extra water. It’s way too short of a time to add either muscle or fat. If your carbs are appropriately low, it probably wasn’t even glycogen. No need to panic, you’re fine.

(Christy) #8

Please post your daily diet. List what you have eaten for the last 2 day. I have a hunch that you are overdoing dairy…

(Roxana) #9

Hello,
This is my menu mist of my days:
Breakfast
2 eggs
Stir fry veggies (cellery, a little bit of onion, kale or cabbage, red bell pepper)
If I don’t have veggies I have a small avocado
Also I add a tablespoon of shrewd cheese only twice a week.

Lunch
About 6oz of meat (usually beef or chicken)
Salad I usually have one of these combos
- Cesar’s Salad
- Spring Mix with 5 baby tomatoes and 5 olives. I madr my dressing with okive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
- just a bunch of olives and pickles
- Artichokes

Snack - I usually have one of these
- sufar free Jelly-o
- pork rinds (1 - 2 small portions)
- almonds (20 almonds)
- 2 keto-cookies. They are about 5 grams of carbs each. Which can sound as a ton, but I swim for a couple of hours every afternoon.

My dinner is usually the same as my lunch.

This last week I haven’t been swimming so I tried to do some IF. I did my brunch around noon and my dinner around 6:00pm. No snacks.

I feel less inflamed, but I haven’t lost a pound.

I haven’t checked my ketones either.

Thanks

(Roxana) #10

Yes my hips have grown.
And wanted to get rid of the fat around my belly and maybe that has improved, but just a little bit.
I cannot believe that after exercising so much I have so much belly fat :tired_face:

(Roxana) #11

I forgot to say that sometimes I have a glass of Coconut Milk.

Also sometimes I have the Chia seed pudin for breakfast, but I only use Coconut milk, cinnamon and stevia. That is my breakfast once a week.

I was thinking to stop having sweeteners. Do you think that could be the problem?

#12

yeah try cutting the sweeteners. those should be just an occasional thing, not every day.

(Danielle) #13

I would definitely get rid of the keto cookies. Exercise doesn’t undo what sweeteners do to your insulin level after you eat them.

#14

I would cut out the snacks, especially cookies and write down exactly what you eat in that day, you’ll probably see where you’ve been making mistakes. Any type of snacks and/or additions in form of nuts, nut butters, cookies, baked goods, etc add on very quickly and you don’t even realize how much you actually ate.

(Sarah ) #15

I would cut out the snacks completely, you really don’t need them. Add a few walnuts to your salad but 20 is a lot. think about introducing intermittent fasting. I finishing eating at around 6pm and don’t start again until 11am the next day.

#16

I would add a bunch of cheese or bacon to your lunch and dinner, or drink a glass of coconut milk. Beef and chicken can be rather lean, and restricting fat while already almost deleting carbs, might cause your body to cling on to its own reserves.

I totally recommend broccoli and cauliflower with butter or coconut oil, and spinach stew with lits of olive oil. They are much more dinnery than salads. It’s impossible for me to get enough calories from a salad, unless it’s mostly cheese and olives. Salads easily fill up your stomach so you get an illusory feeling of satiation. That may lead to calorie restriction and lower metabolism. Cooked cruciferous will teach your body how much you need much better.