I seem to be getting fatter

#1

I don’t know if it’s because I’m more conscious about my body and weight or there’s something else I’m doing wrong.

So I fast for 20hrs (including sleep) I eat lunch at 2 and then my dinner at 6. I eat nothing after that and only drink water. I don’t eat Sunday and eat again on Monday at 2pm usual lunch time.

I get through 1-2ltrs of water a day.

My macros are;

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I’ve only ever gone over my net carbs once by 7g. Gone over my fat once by 15g and never gone over my calories or protein.
The majority of my carbs are from veg, I rarely make keto friendly treats to snack on as I’m too scared it’ll cause cravings and I’ve never had a cheat day.

I believe I may have been insulin resistant as I had been tested several times for diabetes (came back negative) I use to pee a lot especially at night but it wouldn’t be a normal amount (tmi I’m sorry).

Now I pee normally but I’m still pretty frequent but it’s understandable with the amount of water I’m drinking and I’m assuming I’m ‘suppose’ to be shedding water weight.

I use supposedly very loosely right now.

I am on SSRI anti depressants however (escitalipram) but according to the research I looked at they are one of the lowest pills on the list to cause weight gain and rather the opposite.

I’m 140lbs, 5’3” (160cm) and I do moderate exercise. HIIT once a week for an hour, elliptical (crosstrainer) three times a week for an hour and go out on a Saturday with my partner for a long walk for 4-6hrs (it’s a casual walk). I try not to stress my body out too much because of cortisol. A guy I follow on YouTuber said that too much intense exercise can freak your body out.

I’ve been doing keto and IF for over a month. I’ve been walking every night for 2weeks but only been HIIT and crosstraining since last Wednesday.

I feel bloated, fatter, heavier.
What am I doing wrong?

#2

You might in fact be bloated (temporarily) from the increase in exercise. Muscles tend to retain water when they’re suddenly challenged (I think… I don’t know much about this but it sounds familiar). Exercise is so good for us in the long term, and HIIT is great for insulin sensitivity, but 1) in the short term you might see puffiness until things settle down and 2) sometimes combining keto, IF and exercise before you’re fat adapted can be counter productive. Did you star the HIIT because you thought you should or because you suddenly had more energy than you knew what to do with?

Also your calories look pretty low to me! Are you deliberately restricting?

#3

I’m 5’3" and eat a lot more than 1400 calories a day. A lot more. More like 2000+ and I weigh 111 lbs, just to show you that your calories may be too low. And keto is recomping my body because I was skinny-fat before, and now I’m getting more compact and muscular, so I look better. But I eat. And those are my calories every day because I do not fast at all. Just a thought for you

#4

I use to be quite active a few years ago then I went to uni and I’m my biggest weight I’ve ever been. I’ve felt so sluggish, tired, drained, fatigued and just felt downright unhealthy.

I’ve never been a massive eater, I use to eat very little but often which obviously massively effects your insulin spikes. I’ve just gotten fatter and fatter. My calories are low because I feel it’s a good discipline for me, I also found when I first started the normal amount of calories were just too much for me. I felt so sick and my stomach was so sore I found this calorie intake just perfect for me.

I still don’t feel like I have a lot of energy and I want to sleep a lot but I feel that’s my anti depressants. I started exercising to get my fat ass active again lol. I work from home so I have no excuse not to really.

The largest part of the bloating is in my pooch/pouch? (Lower tummy area). But there’s some on back of my neck (weirdly) and my midriff. I have no bloating in my legs/thighs or arms.

#5

I like fasting as I feel better for it tbh. I couldn’t imagine not fasting, plus the idea of making keto friendly meals to fit so many calories freaks me out a lot and not having a set eating plan would just stress me out. Maybe it’s newbie paranoia.

Thank you for your input though, definitely a learning curb.

(What The Fast?!) #6

Are you working out as well? How much lean mass do you have?

#7

I work out a lot, but only at MAF rates (Mark Sisson - it’s heart rate training) which has allowed me to drop fat from my original 22%. I was working out too vigorously, always WELL into the anaerobic range in cardio events and it caused my cortisol to spike, giving me belly fat. It also caused my thyroid to tank, more fat. Now I do the heart rate training and i’m leaning out. I also do some HIIT and some bikram yoga, but been doing those forever

#8

I would understand if my workouts were too intense but I’ve only been back on the HIIT since last week and this weight issue, mainly on my belly, was going on before.
I thought it was just because I was eating such a high level of fat with no exercise. But I think my mental health could be the issue by the sounds of it as my cortisol is probably already spiked constantly.

(Annette) #9

How are your electrolytes? I wonder if there is water retention due to an imbalance.

(LeeAnn Brooks) #10

When you say you’ve never gone over your calories, how much UNDER are we talking here? I agree with others, that’s already on the low side, so if you aren’t even hitting that, how far below are you?

(LeeAnn Brooks) #11

Oh, and fats a goal, not a limit.

#12

My electrolytes are pretty good :slight_smile: I always make sure my sodium and potassium is balanced. I always know if I’m lacking as I start getting restless legs. Water retention is in my family however, but I thought with the lack of sugar in my diet that would decrease rather than increase? I also don’t add additional salt to my meals and during cooking I rarely add salt especially if the ingredients have a lot of salt.

Should I consider getting water retention herbal meds just to see if that is the problem?

#13

I definitely struggled getting fat in without going over my protein. But since I’ve really looked at things like diet doctor (I believe you actually recommended that to me) keto connect on YouTube etc I’ve started looking at recipes that I can utilise to get that 75:20:5. However I do prefer to have 25% for my protein and I will boost up my fat intake from time to time up to 80% but still staying under or spot on with my calories.

I think the most I ever went under was 554 calories left from 1348 but that wasn’t on purpose. I was really poorly and couldn’t keep food down. Every other time it’s about 30-80 calories below. It’s more often than not because I’ve hit my other macros so I don’t want to mess around too much with my percentages.

#14

Hi there @AmayaLi

I note you mentioned some fat on the back of your neck & wonder if you’ve been tested for Cushing’s Syndrome. It would also match some of your other symptoms such as depression, fatigue & excess urination.

#15

I actually got tested for Cushing’s syndrome about 2months ago as I thought exactly the same. I was also very concerned about purple marks on my stomach and went to my doctors. Apparently I’m just fat and the purple marks are just new stretch marks. -.-

#16

Well it’s good you don’t have cushing’s but a bummer you don’t have answers! I know some people get less than stellar results if they try fasting/time restricted feeding too soon in the process - it can raise cortisol which can push up blood pressure and/or halt weight loss. Maybe try taking it a bit easier on the fasting &, as others have suggested, up your calories for a little while.

(Bacon4Lyf) #17

I’m very new, so please forgive if I say something you’ve already thought of or been through :slight_smile:

You seem to be stressing a lot about the calories. Have you considered just not counting them? I ask because I was obsessing about everything. Macros, calories, grams, too much protein, etc. But, I heard on some of the dudes podcasts that stress also affects insulin and that if you just eat mostly fat, and moderate protein and keep your carbs in check, your body will begin to self-regulate and you will automatically eat the right calories for your needs. They suggested not counting everything and just letting your body do what it’s meant to do. Meaning, if you’re eating enough fat, it’s almost impossible to eat too many calories because you’ll be too full.

After I heard that I stopped counting everything - I am aware of my carb/protein/fats but that’s it - and am giving my body the reins, so to speak. I eat when I’m hungry and I stop when I’ve had enough. I feel fine, I don’t feel like I’m going over on calories, because, for the first time in my life, when I’m full I stop eating, so how can I be over? It’s taken me a couple weeks to get to that point. I’m trying to stop stressing over every little thing, take that leap of faith and let my body run the show.

It looks like you’ve got a good idea of what your body needs already. I am sure you’ll find what works for you :slight_smile:

(Annette) #18

You might need salt added to your food, but a full spectrum not just table salt (sodium chloride). Pink Himalayan salt or Low Salt (has potassium) might be useful. Magnesium is the one we are most often deficient in. Try Epsom salt baths (also draws impurities out of skin and soothes muscles), magnesium oil on your skin before bed or a supplement (some people get the trots).

#19

Fibre? How much veg with natural fibre?

Most likely your gut has changed significantly without any refined carbs so may process natural fibre differently (and in a way it’s kind of a pain in the ass for the lower intestine when you look into it).

Personally I do have plenty of green veg regularly; but not all the time and not with every meal (3-4 times a week); good fatty meat is more important to me than veg by a small margin.

#20

We only have pink Himalayan salt in this house because my mum thinks table salt will kill us. Lol.

I use this spray from time to time;

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And these are my daily supplements;

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I’ll have more meat than veg lol I’m definitely a carnivore. I force myself to have the majority of my carbs in leafy green form. Spinach, Broccoli and Cauliflower are most used. Which I think actually are the biggest carb holders? Sadly.

I can’t eat fish and my main meat in take is chicken and beef. Maybe I should have more lamb and pork as they’re more fatty?

Speaking of the ‘trots.’ My ‘movements’ aren’t as regular as they should be. I’m not constipated though. Could this be a factor into my bloating?