Keto not working for me

[jfricke]

I’ve found the best prices on the strips on Ebay the last time I ordered.

[Rookie]

Thanks…I’ll check it out

[Jacquie]

@Rookie. Just wanted to offer you support. I’m 69 years old 5’2", 110 lbs. I’ve only been 10-15 lbs. over my goal weight but I’ve had the same feelings as you along this journey. When I went from paleo/Whole30 to keto and started testing FBG and BG, I discovered that I was pre-diabetic. Never had symptoms and I lost weight to boot. Starchy carbs and too much protein were not my friend. I went on metformin with no side effects and have chosen to stay on it for health longevity. I’ve always done some form of exercise and I think weight training would be a great addition, if for nothing else, but that it makes one feel good but you will build muscle and that is a real plus for us older women. I also walk our dog. When I went from Whole30 to keto, I lost a few pounds even though I wasn’t trying. At the time, I was not eating AS (artificial sweeteners or most dairy - kept butter). I wasn’t fasting. I ate three meals, no snacks and nothing after 6pm. I now mostly do a 16:8 or 18:6. IMO, I think older smaller women are a challenge. We are definitely here for you!

[Martha_Stone_Schuele]

Me, too. 71 y.o female, doing strict (well, except for icecream face plant on Nov 9) keto, keeping carbs well under 20 daily, eating one small meal daily, lots of leafy greens, and stuck. Will keep my eyes on this forum subject.

[Rookie]

Thanks for all the support. I have spent the afternoon reading, and I have so many factors involved I believe.
I am 60
I am post menopausal
I have been overweight since my last baby (38.5 years ago )
I have sleep maintenance insomnia ( can’t stay asleep)
I have life stress
I didn’t have blood sugar issues until I followed a dietician’s recommendation to eat 45 carbs at every meal and 3 15 carb snacks a day (ya, that didn’t work so well)
Plus I’m gluten intolerant, I have microscopic colitis (probably autoimmune also),(that last baby now has Celiac), have hashimotos, and who knows what else

Sooooooo, it took a lot of time to make me insulin resistant and it will probably take time and numerous tweaks to find my "normal ". So you all are right. Patience and guinea pig it is. Thanks again for your insight and support.

[devhammer]

I have sleep maintenance insomnia ( can’t stay asleep)I have life stress

If you’re having trouble with sleep and stress, it could be that cortisol is playing a role here.

Cortisol tends to be higher with stress, as well as with lack of sleep, and it (cortisol) can promote gluconeogenesis. Which means that all other things being equal, if you’ve got high cortisol, it’s going to be harder for you to keep glucose under control, which would make it harder to keep insulin down, which would make it harder to burn fat.

Only way to know for sure with cortisol is to have it tested. If you’re in the US, you can get blood tests done at reasonable cost through Life Extension Foundation. Their Weight Loss Panel - Basic has Cortisol, as well as a wide range of tests that are very relevant to keto and general health (not an affiliate link, BTW):

http://www.lifeextension.com/Vitamins-Supplements/itemLC100027/Weight-Loss-Panel-Basic-Blood-Test

On the Hashimotos, there are several posts in the forum already related to this:

https://www.ketogenicforums.com/t/hashimotos-thyroiditis/1722

Immune Disorders in Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: What Do We Know So Far?

Abstract This review of literature attempts to identify the factors that are involved in the pathogenesis of Hashimoto thyroiditis, an immune defect in an individual with genetic susceptibility accompanied with environmental factors. The frequency of Hashimoto’s disease is a growing trend and among Caucasians it is estimated at approximately 5%. The dysfunction of the gland may be clinically evident (0.1–2% of the population) or subclinical (10–15%). The pathology is diagnosed five to ten times…

https://www.ketogenicforums.com/t/why-should-i-bother-getting-my-thyroid-antibodies-tested/1924
https://www.ketogenicforums.com/t/hypothyroidism-and-the-relationship-to-autoimmunity/188

Might be worth reviewing those to see if there’s any info that would be helpful in your situation.

[Rookie]

Thanks. I’ll look into it

[Fiorella]

I agree that 93 g protein is probably too high. I’d bring it down to 60 to 75 g range and test it out for couple of weeks to see what happens. Also type of protein can make a difference too. Dairy can stop weight loss. Try eggs versus fish versus meat to see what happens with different proteins. Also, don’t eat your protein alone…like a protein shake. Make sure protein is bundled with fat (ie skin on chicken) to not promote insulinogenic effect. These were tricks that worked with me. I hope you find what works for you.

[Winbrooke]

Pat yourself on your back for walking everyday. While it may not be the solution to losing weight, it is a big way to prevent bone loss as it’s considered weighted exercise (unlike biking or swimming). Keep walking and trying to figure out what’s going on. Good Luck in 2017!

[bethcox1979]

@Rookie @Martha_Stone_Schuele @suzanna I am keeping strong and ketoing on with you! I’m 37, 5’8 and 300lbs. I have never had babies, but am now wanting to. I’ve been ketoing for one month and have seen a solid inch lost around the waist and hips. The scale isn’t moving, however, which causes frustration from time to time.

Soon I’ll have a basic blood draw and I’ll be interested to see my HDL, LDL and triglyceride changes from one year ago. I want to look into the weight loss panel mentioned by @devhammer . I imagine that doing so now and then doing it again in 6 months would be beneficial in case weight doesn’t move too much.

My husband has been ketoing for several months. He has lost 20lbs, but looks like he lost 40! He seems really happy too. So perhaps it’s not about the scale!?!?!?!

Regardless, I know I feel good on keto! My intuition tells me to keep moving (not to extremes necessarily) and perhaps cut back on dairy.

Thanks for ''listening!"

[devhammer]

I imagine that doing so now and then doing it again in 6 months would be beneficial in case weight doesn’t move too much.

I’m a fan of data. I don’t do the blood tests as often or as consistently as I’d like, but I do like having a series of them that I can go back through and review. It’s helpful if/when I get discouraged to be able to go back and know that there are markers that are improving over time.

[Rookie]

I’m going to cut dairy and lower my protein intake and see if that budges my plateau…I lost 30 lbs over the last two years just by lowering carbs, and now that “I’m all in” I thought the weight would fall off me. My son (41.5 yrs old) is doing this also and he’s lost 90 lbs this last year. He can drop 3 lbs some weeks (I accuse him of cutting off body parts when he has that kind of loss). So I think, watching his fast drop, makes me even more disillusioned. But I am in this for the rest of my years on this earth, and I’m just going to enjoy the journey. I wish you much success

[devhammer]

I lost 30 lbs over the last two years just by lowering carbs, and now that “I’m all in” I thought the weight would fall off me. My son (41.5 yrs old) is doing this also and he’s lost 90 lbs this last year. He can drop 3 lbs some weeks (I accuse him of cutting off body parts when he has that kind of loss). So I think, watching his fast drop, makes me even more disillusioned.

Two things:

1. Improvement on keto isn’t in a straight line…expect there to be pauses, plateaus, and even the occasional steps “backwards”. Think of keto like investing in a good mutual fund. There will be years when you have great returns, and there may be years when things aren’t so great, but over the long haul, the returns are almost always positive.
2. When it comes to metabolism and the effects of what we eat (or don’t) there are pretty wide variances from person to person. Don’t compare your progress to others. Look at what you’re doing over time, and celebrate the wins you’ve already had, and look forward to the wins you will have. You’ve already made 30 lbs of progress…that’s fantastic, and it’s better than most people following the conventional CICO model will ever do.

You’re winning.Think of the plateaus as a time when your body is consolidating and preparing for the next hill to climb.

[Rookie]

Thanks for the support. This is such a wonderful community filled with so much knowledge…I’m going to incorporate so much of this into my daily walk.
I feel “I’ve landed well” and right where I belong

[bethcox1979]

This might be a silly question, but do you do the blood draw yourself or have a professional do it? Doing it myself from home would be a new adventure. haha

[bethcox1979]

Love the plateaus concept. What a great way to look at it. In that case, my body continues to prepare for the hill.

[richard]

I feel “I’ve landed well” and right where I belong

Awesome. It’s very satisfying to see this community is starting to coalesce around caring … which was our goal.

I would mention that @Karenlee723 went for 6 weeks eating ketogenic and gained weight every week. I think I would have bailed, myself. But she stuck to it because she was eating to support her husband who needed to go keto for health reasons. He tells me that she really started to lose weight when they upped her dietary fat. I don’t know how much weight she’s lost. I don’t think it even matters at this point.

The important thing is now a year later, everyone mentions how great she looks … and now they both feel so good that they are converting the rest of their family.

We’re all unique and we all have to ultimately find out for ourselves what does work for each of us. It’s not easy, but it is worthwhile making the effort.

[devhammer]

The ones from Life Extension are scheduled through LabCorp, which has many locations in the US. Once you purchase a given blood test, you get a link (IIRC) to schedule the draw through LabCorp’s website. Then you go in, give them the order from LEF, and they do the draw. Only takes a few minutes.

They take care of the rest, and you get the results by mail, and also have access to them electronically (as PDF).

[Rookie]

Wow, I don’t think I could last if I gained…she’s amazing. But “my community” here has given me so much feedback I can’t wait to try a few things to see how they work. Thanks to you @richard and @carl for your vision and for sharing your message and yourselves

[replay]

Two things:

Well said. These two things should be required reading.