Keto stalled more than a year

(Gil) #1

Hey guys,
I have been on keto for two years now. I started weighing at 320lbs and now I hover around 245lbs, but unable to go lower than 240lbs.

Height: 6’4
Gender:Male
Start Weight: 320lbs
Average Weight: 245lbs (240lbs-250lbs)

I have tried everything Intermitting fasting, prolonged fasting, counting carbs, changing macros from more fat or more protein. I even cut artificial sweetners, ate whole foods, measured my foods to have exact macros.I have checked my ketones which tend to be at 1mm to 1.5mm non fast.

I have been on Keto for 2 years where I have stalled for one year without any success. I have grown tired of not losing anymore weight. I have done everything that should be done when someone stalls.

What Iam thinking of doing is to start eating carbs, but avoid sugars as much as possible and stick with rice, beans, fruits, and just whole foods. I’m thinking that this should help my body adjust to a new diet. I’m thinking up to one month and go on keto again in Hope’s to lose weight.

Please give me tips if you have been through my problem or have great tips. Thanks

#2

How low did you set your calories when you were counting them?

(Gil) #3

I set them at 2200 calories eating window of 6 hours. Eating two big meals and snacks between.

#4

I’m bigger than you (6’5", 470#) and my calories are far lower…but I’m extremely sedentary, next to comatose. :slight_smile:

Your BMR may be lower than most calculators would indicate.

#5

Do you do resistance work?
I don’t think exercise should be the basis of a weight loss plan, but it can give fantastic recomposition (so that 245 looks quite different), great health benefits, and if done well it will improve insulin sensitivity, which should facilitate your weight loss efforts.

#6

The theory goes that fasting is more effective than keto in lowering the insulin resistance, and these plateaus are caused by insulin resistance placing the set-weight higher than it should be.
Fasting windows aren’t extended enough for insulin resistance to drop, you need longer periods at low insulin. And so you need to push the pedal on the extended fasts, do ADF( possibly 42h) and possibly fast 3-7 days as often as it’s comfortable.
You’re almost there so it’s worth giving it a try! It shouldn’t take you long either.

#7

He said that he’s tried prolonged fasting.

Gil, how long did you fast and how did that go for you?

#8

I know but sometimes you need to prolonged-fast like, all the time, All those I’ve seen get to the goal-weight have upped the fasting gear a whole lot. Something like fasting 3 days a week every week, not once in a blue moon. Insulin resistance is a bitch… But it doesn’t need to take a long time so it’s quite doable.
But I am not talking out of direct experience, as I said. I’m still in the phase when weight drops easily.

(Gil) #9

I fasted on my first year for 16-20 hours every day. About 3 months ago I tried pushing my limits to fast 7 days . I did that for 3 months once a month, but couldn’t get under 240 at all.

(Gil) #10

I dont go to the gym or go out to workout. I work at Starbucks at the busiest location in San Jose CA. That to me is 8 hours of nonstop running around.

#11

September 7th will be a year for me on the stall. By then will have been keto for almost 17 months. I lost 50 lbs pretty easily, mostly doing 5 day fasts with keto and have at least that much to lose, my BMI is over 30 but I look much better. With me, I still kept losing inches and dresses until December then nothing. At first I was frustrated with it but I do not miss carbs and honestly do not want them or the cravings. If I reintorduce carbs I know I will gain weight. I am enjoying the effortless weight maintenance. I have no desire to fast which was successful during the first 6 months but not the second 6 months.

Maybe 240 is your weight? I know your BMI is 29 but maybe that is the weight your body likes? There is something called the perfect health diet which adds carbs like sweet potato, maybe that will help

(Sarah Bruhn) #12

Definitely drop snacks even on feast days, and I second the concept of more extended fasts they can be very helpful and healing.
I have heard of carb cycling but have no experience of it- even small amounts of carbage eating makes my body hurt so I would not do it personally, Also I have this assumption all you are really doing is increasing your inflammation and undoing it again- water weight up water weight down and there is no real benefit. Alas it is an assumption. If you do decide to do let us know how it is going I love a good n=1 :slight_smile:

(Omar) #13

Snacks are the serial killer

#14

Interesting. A lot of people seem to stop more or less at BMI 29-30. I wonder if the ketoed body prefers to keep reserves at hand. In such case there must be something giving it the impression that there is a risk of starvation.

In which sense you say the fasts stopped working?

(Nathan Toben) #15

Have you given thought to trying something like commuting on bike to work or training for a 5k?

Doing very low intensity aerobic exercise is a perfect hack for your situation because, when done correctly, you can increase your BMR without increasing cortisol or hormones responsible for for hunger signaling. Biking to and from work has shown to result in a drop in 15lbs for the average person over the course of a year. And while walking and/or running doesn’t start out as anything fun, finding some fun routes or trails in your area and setting a goal to do a 5k in 45-minutes for example is a good way to develop a more keen relationship with your body.

(Nathan Toben) #16

While your job is absolutely a workout, it is too unstructured to be considered true exercise. I recommend checking out this video website:

https://philmaffetone.com/method/

#17

That’s a lot of movement - which is terrific and I think should probably be the basis of fitness - but it’s a fundamentally different thing from structured exercise. Intense resistance training can be a powerful lever for metabolic change and fat burning. See this video from Ted Naiman for the explanation for how exercise to failure works the muscles in a way that no amount of running around ever can. The workout recommendations are for a 12’ workout 1-2x/week so it’s virtually no time commitment, and it can be done with bodyweight exercises so you don’t need equipment except perhaps a pull-up bar.

[I know Nathan suggested Maffetone method, which lots of folks love! you could probably take a look at both and see what’s appealing. In the end I think that both endurance work and resistance work are important in fitness]

#18

I started in March 2017 with fasting not keto. I had been mostly eating a moderate carb, moderate fat diet no grain diet on and off for years (I did rice, quinoa, the occassional potato), had been somewhat consistent since early November 2016 and had lost 15 lbs before stalling in February. Still cheated a few times a month. Had a bunch of weddings in March 2017 and started reading Fung. Most events were 36 hours apart so I started fasting between events. Went to 4 events in one week and lost 5 lbs. I did keto in addition to fasting rather than the other way around. In May started doing longer fasts and lost about 6 lbs per fast in 5 days (would weigh myself after eating for 24 hours first thing in the morning). Keto would keep it off. Never really lost during keto but I am probably fairly IR. Then as the summer continued only lost 3 lbs per fast. Then 2 and would gain it back after about week. This was in October 2017. Did a few fasts in January and March and nothing lost except temporary water and I began to find them unpleasant. Had one fast where I felt off and my BG was pretty low on Day 4. Since my BMI is comfortably over 30 and I am not an exerciser (so no muscles) this should not have happened.

Last year I was excited to fast. I remember being upset when I had to end a 4 day fast because of a business dinner where I could not not eat. This year I simply do not want to. I will still fast 24-36 hours when the mood strikes me but it rarely does. I am happy to try to reduce my eating window to 8 hours although last night after a very stressful day I could not. Meanwhile there are still many nights where I do not want to eat dinner and I simply decide I have no interest in eating and I do not. This while still cooking or ordering for the rest of my family. I am simply not hungry

I am thinking of adding exercise although I did that by accident yesterday and I wonder if that was responsible for my late night hunger

#19

Thank you for the answer. Losing weight is a bitch…
Btw I began in the same way, fasting and then landing onto keto because it makes fasting so much easier.

(shane ) #20

If the goal is to lose weight, you must eat less. You have a pretty good indicator/guide in the fact that you have not lost weight and have been stalled for a year.

You need to eat less food.

BTW I am 6’5, 235ish, and I work out daily and my calorie intake to maintain my weight right now is around 3000 ish calories.