I'm not stalling...I haven't even budged to start with (Haven't lost either pounds or inches!)

#86

Thanks so much for your reply! I will start implementing changes and monitor how or if they make any changes in my condition.

My NSV is that I am sleeping much better now, and my stress levels are way down with regular meditation and yoga and probably also with keto. I am taking it easier in exercise as I noticed that when I exercise as intensely as I used to, my hunger increases to the point my day revolves around suffering its pangs. What most bothers me is the hunger (not cravings, as I don’t crave a thing) this hollow, cramping feeling, remains the same all the time, no matter if I’d just eaten or haven’t eaten for 16 hours. I seem to have forgotten what satiety feels like. This combined with the weight/fat loss stationary situation is what I’m trying to break. I would have put up much better with one or the other, but combined they’re hard. Also I’m unsettled about my rising FBG. What could be the reason for this with my strict carb restriction?

The solution isn’t to give up, I know, since the hunger was even worse before starting keto as well as the inability to lose fat and the ultimate ease I put on weight with. But right now, with the calories calculated to make me lose 1 pound a week I’m perpetually maintaining. And my measurements remain the same. I’m wondering if this will be the case no matter what I do because of impending menopause? Also I’m afraid of EF, beyond the obvious hunger issue, as I worry it will slow my evidently slow metabolism even more at this point?

(Susan ) #87

Hi @Olivia1 my situation is very similar to yours. I don’t have any hints for you but perhaps feeling you’re not alone may help some. I have been full on Keto since early October 2017 but have only been able to lose fat/inches when I do extended fasts. I have about 15lbs of fat to lose. On January 1st I started fasting Monday to Friday and feasting Sat/Sun. When February rolled around I decided to change things up and went to one meal per day (at noon) instead - and have not had any fat lost since. Its actually made things worse. So its back to extended fasting starting tomorrow. The progress is slow. I check my BG and BK twice a day, consume only small amounts of homemade bone broth, lots of water and salt (and electrolytes if I feel I need it) Monday to Friday. I’m 52 and suspect my age is why I’m having such a difficult time losing the fat. Hang in there - you’re not alone.

#88

Thanks so much Susan for letting me know I’m not alone. It does make me feel much better…since I haven’t found anyone till now who didn’t intitally lose weight at all like me and had the same weight loss goal to start. My situation is indeed very much like yours!

But I’d like to know if you’re also battling hunger? I can’t even imagine how I can go on EF feeling like I do. I barely last 16 hours and during that time I’m constantly thinking of how to silence the pangs!

Also you said something that made me worry more about EF…how you lose only when you go on it (which is expected with NO calorie intake) but when you go to OMAD…you stall again or even gain. This makes me wonder if EF wouldn’t slow down metabolism to a halt in someone of our fat percentage and age, and that while it seems to break the stall, it’s doing us more harm than good? If

(Susan ) #89

Hi @Olivia1 I did experience the empty pit of hunger when I first started Keto. I had the same feeling when I first tried IF, and I still experience it on my feasting days. I suspect something was spiking my insulin but not my BG, which was driving me to eat. For me I think I had 2 culprits: my love of heavy cream in my coffee, and stomach stretch. When I took out the heavy cream I breezed through the EF’s with no hunger.

The one-meal-per-day I started in February brought the hunger on again big time! So I suspect my insulin was spiking due to stomach stretch. The hunger completely derailed me. So when my feasting days rolled around I devoured everything but was still hungry (still staying keto). Don’t get me started on the headaches :tired_face:

When I was doing EF for the month of January fasting Monday to Friday I consistently lost weight/inches at the same rate every week, which tells me my metabolism was not being negatively affected (it would have slowed down if it was in starvation or survival mode).

I’m starting EF again tomorrow so can keep you posted if you like. I’m not recommending EF to you because it sounds like you would really suffer at this point. But perhaps I’ve given you a few ideas about things that may be spiking insulin without spiking BG. Perhaps people with more experience can chime in on other things that may spike insulin. I certainly don’t have it figured out yet. Its very frustrating.

#90

I, too, stopped HWC to see if it was responsible for my stall and/or hunger, along with cheese and nuts, and I don’t take artificial sweeteners apart from erythritol in a keto dessert maybe two or three times at most a month.

As for stomach stretch…this is the first time I hear that it could spike insulin and exacerbate hunger pangs. Do you mean when you eat a substatial sized meal (even a low calorie one…or even especially if it’s a low calorie one) this happens? And you get the hunger when you feast? Does this mean the hunger is silenced during the fasts only?

If so, and since I’d do anything to make that empty pit of hunger go away, I’ll give EF a try.

And do you do fat assisted EF (like butter in coffee) or just bone broth/electrolyte fasts? And if you did both, which was more efficient in weight loss and dealt with your hunger?

And if I may ask, you said you had 15 pounds to lose. Was that all you had to lose from the start, or what you have to lose now? And if either is correct, how much did you lose in terms of pounds and/or inches with the EF and how far are you from your goal weight now?

Thanks again for your input. I’m really feeling encouraged knowing I have someone in pretty much the same boat as me. :relaxed:

(Shantanu) #91

Olivia: I cannot overemphasize the high basal insulin issue. Have you actually had that checked? If not, here’s what I did recently because I was in a situation somewhat similar to yours.

Start by reading through this forum thread, Restrict plate fat when trying to lose body fat - discussion with particular emphasis on @richard’s first response where he talks about the impact of high insulin levels on fat loss. I read that and decided to get my fasting insulin checked.

Follow that up by reading these 3 part blog post that explains the markers in increasing order of importance:


https://www.headsuphealth.com/blog/self-tracking/fasting-insulin-test/
https://www.headsuphealth.com/blog/self-tracking/homa-ir/

If you are in the US, then use this service to determine your fasting BG and insulin. No prescription needed: http://www.lifeextension.com/Vitamins-Supplements/itemLC302186/Fasting-Glucose-and-Insulin-Blood-Test

Then use this calculator to determine your HOMA-IR score: https://www.thebloodcode.com/homa-ir-calculator/

Then keep calm and keto on. :grin: The end result is that you just might end up fixing the core issue: high basal insulin. Weight loss will be a happy byproduct.

Good luck!

(lisa Bradley) #92

Have you cracked the code yet? I am interested in your post as we have so many similarities… age, height, weight and weight loss goals. I too have struggled to lose anything more than 2kg in seven weeks of being on the keto diet. I am of the mind that age-and-stage hormones (perimenopause) could be hiking up my cortisol and making weight loss harder. I too like high intensity cardio workouts such as weights and HIIT, and I understand they can similarly hike up the stress rate instead of helping with weight loss as it does in your 20s. On the plus side, I have noticed considerable positives. The biggest being great sleeps and way less ups and downs brought on my hormone imbalances. In fact, these days I more often then not forget to take the natural progesterone cream I once took to help keep things on an even keel. I suspect when this diet fully straightens out these cortisol and hormone imbalance issues I may hit my 60kg goal.

#93

My weight is actually creeping up steadily now to unprecedented heights. I’ve NEVER been almost 150 in my life, and after eight months of keto I’m inching toward that number steadily. And what’s bringing me to my wits’ end is that I tried to stop the diet and go back to eating carbs and I ballooned overnight and the constant hunger that was barely at bay during keto came back full blast. So NOTHING is working for me.

(Mary) #94

Oh boy… As much as I don’t want to be in the same boat as you, I most definitely am. What’s the answer? I’m sure we’ve both tried: low carb, low fat, low calorie, vegetarian, Jenny Craig, more exercise, etc, etc. And now not only is keto failing to shift the weight but anything other than keto is an instant recipe for weight gain. I don’t know about you but I’m feeling backed into a corner and very, very scared.

I’ve got an appointment tomorrow with a keto-friendly naturopath and will follow anything he suggests to the letter. I will also report back here in case anything might be helpful to you.

(icky) #95

Have you had a thorough thyroid blood panel done?

(Mary) #96

Hi icky,
I don’t know whether your question was directed at me or Olivia but in case it was me - yes, the thyroid question is the first thing I’ll be bringing up. And the reason I’m going with a naturopath rather than allopathic dr is so that I can ask for the complete panel (since I’m paying for it).

#97

I did try everything, and I’m so disheartened, especially since everyone I’ve convinced to go on keto is losing weight to unprecedented levels and maintaining their weight loss, pluss losing their previous appetite compeltely. I added weight (when I always found it easy to lose weight and maintain it) AND didn’t suppress my hunger, which is what makes me most disapponted. All my tests have nothing off about them. And something else is that my fat (what I never had around my middle and saddlebags) is doughy and lumpy. Everyone said it gets like this before a woosh…a woosh that never came for me, quite the reverse!

#98

I’m going to go non-conventional because I did not see it mentioned. I think you should see a functional medicine doctor or naturopath. Have you been tested for candida or lyme? Do you have any food allergies and have you been tested for food allergies? Have you had your gut microbes tested? Hair analysis? Have you had full female hormone panel pulled?

Have you tried cyclical keto-ing? I know there are some keto-ers who have higher protein, low/zero carbs and fat is just a “lever” as it’s called. This is another option before you start testing again.

Considering that going back and away from keto only made things worse… I am really convinced that you have some other issue, medically. For you to suddenly be gaining weight, I’d be very concerned especially from your description you seem like a very active and healthy person with a clean diet.

(Mary) #99

Hi Olivia,
I’ve just returned from my first naturopath appt and am cautiously optimistic. He’s definitely pro-keto, at any rate… He wants me to eat way more keto friendly veggies, back off the bacon (aargh!) and add MCT oil to make up from the fat I’m missing from cutting bacon. I will do what he suggests, if for no other reason than what I’m presently doing isn’t working. He’s also sent me for a full thyroid and hormone panel.
Will report back after my next appt in 2 weeks.
I’m very sorry that your hunger isn’t abating. That seems particularly unfair…

(lisa Bradley) #100

I really think you ought to go to a doctor to see what your thyroids are doing… I suspect your cortisone levels are high so your body is holding on to the weight. Hormones are a very neglected side of medicine, to my mind, and the impact on women can be immense. Get a gynecologist’s opinion. I went to a natural progesterone place to discover mine were so ought of whack, and that kind of stress does not lend itself to steady weight loss.

(lisa Bradley) #101

I do hope you sort this out.

(Mary) #102

Thank you for your reply, Lisa. I’m on it! Had the blood tests Sat and am waiting on the results.

#103

Sometimes you just have to be patient, it would be ridiculous for you to expect huge weight loss numbers at 65 kilograms. I have lost 1 kilogram in six weeks in my sixth week, and I could be more than happy with that.

Let’s review your numbers (unless my mathematics is wrong, you weighed 60kg (132 pounds, put on 10 pounds over time, then another 5 recently? That amounts to 132 + 10 + 5 = 147 (66.8 kilograms) pre keto. Now you are 65kgs = 143 pounds post keto which is a 4 pound loss., this is almost 2 kilograms!

(Gabe “No Dogma, Only Science Please!” ) #104

This thread worries me, because I plateaued very quickly, and now my weight has been rising on LCHF. And anything but LCHF makes me gain weight even faster. I’ve documented this in other threads, but I do worry that I’m messing with my metabolism.

Having said that, I have to wonder about this, because what am I really eating after all? Meat/fish and vegetables. How bad can such a diet be for a person?

(What The Fast?!) #105

@Countdown2020
@gabe

In the same boat here. Keto for 16 months, lots of exercise, lots of different versions of keto, have had EVERYTHING tested - I even have a SUPER low fasting insulin, and still no loss of body fat or weight.

I just got a full thyroid workup and received my numbers back. It looks like all my numbers are pretty normal, but I just booked an e-visit with Dr Ken Berry to review everything. I don’t know where to turn at this point.I’ve thought about TKD or cyclical keto, but I’m so scared to gain weight at this point, I don’t know what would happen. I have tried extended fasting as well but the weight simply won’t stay off.

I am wondering if there is a subset of people who keto simply won’t work for? I have the MTHFR gene (double mutation) and am just now learning about that. Maybe that’s it? I dunno. Feeling very frustrated.