Been doing this since the beginning of Dec. Lost a bit in Beginning (water weight) cheated at Xmas. Been strict every day since and just not losing. No inches or weight. Getting depressed because I seem to get conflicting messages.
Just not losing
When you say youâve been strict, does that mean youâve determined your macros and are tracking what you eat? The typical answer would be that youâre eating too many calories (which is an over simplification).
Being in ketosis is no guarantee of weight loss.
It takes time to lose (or gain) a pound of fat (or muscle). Most short-term weight fluctuation is a simple change in water retention or digestive tract contents.
I track everything. And then Iâm told to eat more calories even⌠Iâm 47 5â4" and weigh 156
I am just getting depressed. I drink 2lt water a day and maybe 2coffee with hwc. I dunno. Iâm always well below 20 carbs. This is today
When I use guesstimates for the parameters in https://keto-calculator.ankerl.com, I come up with these macros when using a 20% deficit goal:
1104 | kcal Daily Calorie Intake |
---|---|
20 | g Carbs (7%, 80 kcal) |
78 | g Protein (28%, 312 kcal) |
79 | g Fat (65%, 712 kcal) |
How did you determine 53 grams for your protein macro? It should be based on lean body mass, not caloric intake. You donât want to short-change it.
In any case, youâre not talking about a significant caloric deficit per day. It could take weeks to lose a pound of fat. And trying to go for a larger deficit could be counter-productive, as your body may lower the BMR to account for too few calories coming in.
That just means youâll be in ketosis.
Ketosis is driven by carbohydrate restriction. Weight loss is driven by caloric restriction (although it gets a bit more complicated than that).
It just takes time.
I lost nothing in my first 2 months either (or later but I usually do on/off keto and I was strict enough in that 2 months as I wanted fat adaptation and got it). I ate too much for that. Keto doesnât guarantee fat-loss, why would it? Itâs my tiny personal tragedy that my body loves this weight and maintenance comes naturally but even if I was still definitely fat, my body wouldnât use up fat reserves without a need for them. (But I would eat maintenance calories for my current body so I would lose fat. My body is very simple sometimes.)
I even was hungry in my first 2 months (well, 7 weeks). Only very temporarily because I eat when I am hungry but thatâs why I ate the same amount as before and my body being quite stubborn, stalled just the same. I donât have extra allowance in ketosis.
A change in my hunger signs and satiation happened when I got fat adapted. But I had to be in ketosis for 7 weeks without a break. No idea what your fat adaptation process does now that you stopped keto for Christmas but it was surely not good for it. Be more patient. Or watch your fat intake, maybe. Or carbs. Whatever works for you.
Itâs harder for some of us and itâs usually easier when one has very much to lose (or if keto plummets hunger and appetite and all the other signs urging us to eat). If someone isnât heavy at all, even eating little rarely results in quick weight-loss. Our numbers are similar, I know that - though I never could eat as little you do⌠I lost fat quite slowly even when I was 180 lbs but below 150 it got way worse. But I canât eat little, you can, you probably (I rarely say something for sure if a complex human body is involved) will be successful this way. But it will be slow. It depends on your metabolism as well, of course, your stats donât determine your energy need.
Isnât your protein intake low a bit today? Do you get satiated with this amount? If you feel great on keto, waiting for a slow fat-loss is easier - and anyway, that would be the point, finding a good lifestyle you can continue or just relax a bit laterâŚ
Eating more calories seems to work in some cases. I donât think you eat awfully little for you but I actually canât possibly know. A higher-calorie day now and then may do good but eating significantly more every day⌠I doubt it but again, itâs too complex. You can try, I suppose. I have a lot of experience involving my own body, I know what is too little for me but yours is mystery to me.
I see keto as a simple concept â âMinimal carbs. Adequate proteins. Fats as needed (for satiety).â But that doesnât mean weight loss is easy.
You need the minimal carbs to stay in ketosis. The big advantage there is that carbs and insulin are no longer creating a false sense of hunger.
You need to get enough proteins. Your body needs them.
After that, fats (and thus calories) determine weight loss. Ideally, hunger would drive that. If you are depriving yourself, keto wonât be sustainable. If youâre eating to meet a guesstimate of a macro even if youâre not hungry, weight loss will be more difficult. Remember, your need for fat can come either from what you ingest or your stored body fat.
Calculators are frightening. My numbers are similar to Anneâs but 1100 is impossible, by far. My body canât function there even if I would figure out how to eat a 1100 kcal meal without getting very hungry.
But itâs not about me, I just say calculators has no idea about our energy need, it canât be calculated, just guessed and this guesstimation is sometimes horribly off. So letâs be careful with going super low.
Our satiation is another big topic but I donât know if thatâs a problem in this case or keto solves it, itâs just lack of results this far. And thatâs not surprising considering little time passed, Christmas happened, bodyweight fluctuates and the fat-loss must be slow if exists.
Forget weight. Do it and stay with it for health. The weight will take care of itself.
I donât feel hungry most of the time. I could easily eat lower calories but I was advised I should be eating more and/or not even count calories. Maybe I should stop the heavy whip cream in coffee. I bought mct creamer and I will try just using that. I will try maybe smaller meals or even omad. Stressful
I agree about just thinking health wise instead of weight wiseâŚ
You may try things, I did but maybe itâs a tad early at this point. Really, give it a bit more time. I wouldnât change the calories too much if you feel fine with it and you will see eventually what your weight does.
Tracking isnât good for everyone, I always did as I had to because of the carbs and I am curious too. Some people eat too little protein if not careful⌠So itâs impossible to say what to do, itâs too individual.
One benefit of carnivore or almost carnivore that one eats little enough carbs without tracking, almost no matter how much they eat. But not everyone of us can/want do that right away (or ever).
Youâre being totally impatient. Itâs a long game. If you were a three hundred pound man coming from a diet of pizza pockets and 2 liters of Pepsi you might see tremendous losses, the kind that make social media sites sparkle.
This is a gentle reminder that you have a history to be mindful of (youâve said it numerous times) and also that you didnât gain all the weight in 13 days. Also, youâre getting clean in other ways which could effect weight. Take care of yourself, minimize stress, look toward the good things that are happening (not the failures), have faith in yourself and most importantly have other things to occupy your mind throughout the day. I love keto/low carb and enjoy thinking about it when Iâm eating but the rest of the day I donât because Iâm busy living.
Youâre doing it. Itâs going to work but at itâs own pace.
Exactly. Youâll hear people cheer for themselves when the number doesnât even change at all because itâs not going up. Plus, itâs just a number. It only tells a fraction of the story. My activity level went up and I gained muscles which weighs more than fat so even though the scale didnât budge, I was wearing smaller clothing. If you base your mood on the scale, youâre likely to have many mediocre or bad days.
Thatâs very true. I must remember to buy a measuring tape to check. But itâs early days and I wonât be impatient. I guess 3 and a half pounds in 6 days is quite ok. Gotta stop comparing to those that lose like 20 pounds in three weeks
Yes, and be prepared to only lose 3 lbs in two weeks or 30 days. The water loss is deceiving because people plan to lose 3 lbs every week forever and then lose it when it doesnât happen. If you lose 1 lb a week youâre doing well. But if you donât lose any youâre also doing well. The body chooses what it wants to heal, itâs not up to us. Being angry or impatient with it is counterproductive and increases stress.
This.
Patience is a virtue. Relaxxxxxxxx. Keep carbs below 20g for a while. Forget about macros. Forget about mathematical equations and solar positions. Its hard not to continue to do well if you just stick to 20g of carbs or less a day and try to eat more fat than protein. It doesnt have to be difficult and confusing. Do that for a while, see results and maybe tamper if need be. Dont focus on weight, focus on how you feel and maybe how clothes fit. If theyre getting loose, youre doing well.
Theres a funny thing that sometimes happens with Keto is the scale can not move, yet your clothes are baggy.
I wish my clothes are getting baggy. No change. I will keep going and try not to worry but⌠I just want to lose 16 lbâs lol is that too much to ask for!!!
eat as you want to eat! A smaller person like you doesnât fall into any category of âone size fits allâ as none of us do LOL
So eat as you feel you want. Do not âhit a kcalâ limit or anything.
Keep protein and good fat as the main focus. Add in whatever else you want in your keto plan to make your eating day happy and healthy and as you see fit. Hold the low carb count obviously
I think you will do fine. Weight loss does not happen in a split second. It does for many who are heaiver etc. but if you are smaller and lighter, you might be in it for that longer haul of it just takes time.
You clean up the eating, eat as you see fit and let nature take its course. I also would count total carbs. Donât go by the net junk out there. A total carb count means better control on those buggers
those 16 lbs will come off with time! I know they will, so hey if I got confidence in ya and know you will do this, then hey you gotta to. Put in the time into clean eating and ya got this!!
Thanks so much. I will count total carbs from now on. And yes, I will absolutely keep going
If I may say, it does not sound like you have a lot of weight to lose, so it will be a slower process than if you had a lot more weight to lose.
I am sorry that you are depressed. Try to think of it as something to work at to achieve your goal. You are trying to do the right thing to make yourself healthierâŚthat is excellent! There are a lot of people on this forum who want you to succeed and want to help you.
What sorts of foods are you eating? What does a typical day of eating look like for you?
My eating habits are kinda weird. I usually work nightshifts so I tend to sleep in and go to bed late when Iâm off work. I will be working 2pm to 3 or 4 am.
I was having bacon and eggs for breakfast but since made some eggy thingies that I calculated all the calories, carbs and fat and protien for. I also have been enjoying mct creamer in my coffee. Since I started that I have lost around 2 lb in 4 days. Yayy. But I seem to struggle having 2 more meals so I usually just have an earlier big meal around 4 or 5. I had ground beef and pork fried together with diced eggplant and a few cherry tomatoes. Was good and filling. I also had a whole Avacado. Most nights I was having 2 chicken thighs and a saladâŚ